The tall pegasus fluffed his wings at his side with a light frown on his face as he peered down at the smaller stallion. "I...er..." The waiter started to say, searching for something to say to get him out of this predicament.

"I suggest you do as she wishes and leave her be." The yellow stallion said, looking the unicorn in the eyes.

"O-of course sir! Forgive me." With that, the waiter turned and hurried back into the cafe, nearly bumping into a few ponies and coming close to running into the wall. Fluttershy slid her chair out from the table and hugged the pegasus.

"Hello Daddy. I didn't know you'd be in Canterlot today." They broke away and he gave a mock frown, putting a hoof to his eye like he was tearing up.

"But I sent you a letter a few days ago. Obviously you just don't care for your dear old dad. Oh the pain..."

Fluttershy chuckled and said, "I must've forgotten. I've been a bit...preoccupied lately." The yellow stallion smiled and looked over at Scootaloo, who had been staring at him. She looked down and quickly went back to her sandwich.

"And who is this young lady?" He asked, taking the seat the unicorn had been using.

"That's my friend Scootaloo. Scootaloo, this is my father Warm Breeze."

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Scootaloo said, shaking his hoof.

"Ho ho! Such a polite mare. Please, just call me Warm Breeze. Sir makes me feel old." Fluttershy snickered at her father and Scootaloo smiled, relaxing at the joke. "So tell me my beloved daughter, what are YOU doing in Canterlot this fine day?" The pegasus in question swallowed the salad she was eating and took a quick drink before answering.

"Scootaloo insisted on repaying me after I helped her out so we're taking a day to walk around Canterlot." Warm Breeze nodded and looked over at Scootaloo.

"Helped you huh? What'd my little girl do for you?"

Scootaloo fought the blush that tried to rise to her face and said, "S-she um...g-gave me a massage." Warm Breeze burst into laughter and the blush got past Scootaloo's will and manifested itself onto her face.

"Dad! It's nothing like that! She was over-worked and...stop laughing!" Fluttershy said while giggling as her father began laughing with renewed vigor. Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh as well, not caring at the multitude of ponies staring in their direction. When Warm Breeze had finally calmed down, he allowed the pair to explain the situation.

As the finished, Warm Breeze nodded and said, "Ahh, so Rainbow Dash is helping you fly huh? If she's anything like she was when she was a filly, I wish you the best of luck." He smiled and took a drink of the tea he had ordered while the story was being told.

"Thanks. We're supposed to be starting our major training regimen tomorrow so...yea."

Warm Breeze chuckled and said, "Once again, best of luck to you. Perhaps I should send Fluttershy to keep an eye on you two. Don't want her to over-work you again." As he finished his sentence, he began to snicker and it made both the mares blush. Fluttershy glanced over at Scootaloo for a second before looking down at her plate. "So tell me you two...how are things in Ponyville?" The two mares began to talk of their lives in the small town while Warm Breeze simply listened.

Finally, Scootaloo stopped and stared at Warm Breeze. "Hey, I got a question for ya."

"I might have an answer."

"You ever see a unicorn...floating? Grey coat, grey with blue streaked hair?"

Warm Breeze laughed and said, "Actually yes. He visits Cloudsdale occasionally to generally cause panic among the pegasi. It's quite funny to watch as he just nonchalantly hovers above the clouds while the pegasus ponies just gawk." Scootaloo laughed loudly while Fluttershy just looked off at the distant city of pegasi, pondering who this strange pony was. "Scootaloo, do you mind if I have a quick chat with Fluttershy?"

"Of course not. Go right ahead."

The stallion laughed and said, "So polite. I wish the pegasus of Cloudsdale that were your age were this nice." Warm Breeze gently led his daughter away and when he was sure they were alone, he looked her straight in the eyes with a smile and said, "You like her, don't you dear?" Instead of blushing or trying to deny it, the yellow mare sighed sadly and nodded.

Warm Breeze pulled her daughter in for a hug which she eagerly returned. "Have you..." He began to ask. However, he was stopped when he felt her shake her head against him. "Why not?" Fluttershy quickly began to describe the situation to her father, who took it all without saying a word "So...she loves Rainbow Dash and you want her to be happy?" Fluttershy just nodded, refusing to allow the tears in her eyes to fall. "Oh sweetheart..."

Warm Breeze hugged Fluttershy a little tighter and wiped away the few tears that had slipped past her eyes. "Chin up my little girl. It'll all turn out alright. I promise." Fluttershy looked into her father's eyes and saw the characteristic tranquility that she had only ever seen in her parental figure. His cool hazel eyes exuded calmness and Fluttershy found herself becoming relaxed and that all her sorrow was leaving her body. "I love you honey."

"Love you too dad." The two yellow ponies hugged one last time before heading back to Scootaloo.

"You two sure took awhile. Is everything alright?"

"Of course dear Scootaloo. Nothing to worry about, right hun?"

"Yes daddy." Scootaloo snickered at Fluttershy's endearment for her father.

However, Warm Breeze was unfazed and said, "Well, guess I'll let you two get back to your day. Enjoy the city." The elder stallion leaned over and kissed his daughter's forehead before wandering off.

"I like your dad." Scootaloo said, drinking the last of her cider. Fluttershy chuckled and did the same, placing the now empty glass on the table and moved to grab her money. "Don't worry about it. I'll pay." Scootaloo said, already putting bits onto the table.

"You don't have to. I mean, you did pay for our train tickets and brought me here." Fluttershy replied, pushing Scootaloo's money back towards her.

"Nah, I insist. Remember, I'm repaying you."

'I wish I could enjoy this more...' Fluttershy sighed internally and just nodded. "Thank you Scootaloo."

"No problem. Now come on, let's get movin'." Scoots said, hopping out of the chair and heading down the street with Fluttershy right beside her. As the mares walked through Canterlot, they spoke of the city itself; the buildings, the art, the fashion, everything about the city that caught their attention. Needless to say, their eyes caught many shops and the two found themselves entering or admiring what seemed to be every other store or kiosk.

'Oh man...what do I do? She's shown interest in so many things. How do I know which one to get her? Which one is the right decision?' Scootaloo wondered as the two pegasi browsed through a tea shop. The pair of pegasi continued looking through shop after shop, even as Celestia's sun painted Canterlot in a mellow golden orange light. 'We've been through so many stores...and I can't even remember half of them!' Scootaloo shouted to herself mentally as she followed Fluttershy into a small glass shop.

Inside, there were many different items crafted from glass, each item holding some sort of significance to one thing or another. Fluttershy stared in amazement at many of the works of glass art, and Scootaloo did as well. However, one piece stood out from the rest. Sitting in a small alcove in the corner of the store, hidden from view in plain sight, was a simple glass butterfly.

'This...this is it! This is Fluttershy's gift. It's so like her; a beautiful butterfly hiding in plain sight for ponies to merely catch a glimpse of.' Scootaloo felt joy rush through her system as she celebrated the small victory. She had waited until Fluttershy walked out before rushing up to the counter with the gift.

The mare behind the counter smiled warmly and said, "I hope she likes it."

"Me too. Thank you." Scoots said, genuine happiness in her voice. She headed out of the shop and called out to Fluttershy, holding the small glass sculpture behind her wings.

"Hmm? Is everything okay Scootaloo?"

"Of course! I just wanted to say that I had a great time today. I really enjoyed spending the day with you."

"Oh, m-me too Scootaloo. It was nice to get away from Ponyville for awhile for a change of scenery. Though I must admit, I am eager to return home. All these ponies are starting to make my nervousness skyrocket." It was true, there were many ponies who were coming out of their homes to enjoy a nice evening walk.

"Alright, but before we head back to the train station...I got you something. My final gift to you."

"Oh Scootaloo, you didn't have to-" The orange mare cut off Fluttershy by presenting the glass butterfly.

"Tada!" Fluttershy was struck speechless as Scootaloo placed the small sculpture in her hooves. "Do you like it?" Scoots asked, eagerly awaiting an answer. However, Scootaloo was surprised when she saw a few tears fall from Fluttershy's face. "Fluttershy?" The younger pony reached out, but Fluttershy looked up and Scootaloo saw a deep seated sadness in Fluttershy's eyes.

"Why Scootaloo?"

"W-well...I just wanted to make it up to you. I mean...you took such good care of me that day and I really wanted to make you happy. This whole day...It's all for you." That last sentence replayed itself over and over in Fluttershy's mind.

'It's all for you.' Fluttershy took a few shaky breaths as tears continued to pour freely from her eyes.

"Fluttershy..." Scootaloo said, uncertainty in her voice. What happened next seemed to happen at a fraction of normal time. Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth to suppress a sob, dropping the glass butterfly in the same instant. The yellow pegasus then turned and ran, attracting the attention of everypony who was outside. Scootaloo stood there, shocked as the events played in slow motion.

'Fluttershy?' It was a whole three minutes before reality came back to Scootaloo. "Fluttershy!" Scoots promptly took off in the same direction, running as fast as she possibly could to hopefully catch up to the older mare. However, it quickly became apparent that three minutes was all it took for Fluttershy to get lost.

Scootaloo slowed to a halt, her breathing heavy and laboured. 'I don't understand...why'd she run off like that? Was it something I said?' Scootaloo started moving again and hoped to Luna's moon that her friend was okay.

~~~

Scootaloo was exhausted. She had been searching for hours for any sign of Fluttershy, even as Luna's moon rose into the sky. The orange mare took a seat on a nearby bench to catch her breath. 'Where could she be...' Scootaloo sighed and gazed into the night sky with sadness in her eyes. "Please, give me a sign...anything at all!" Scoots screamed into the silent city, refusing to allow the tears in her eyes to fall.

After she had calmed down, the orange pegasus sighed once again and hopped off the bench and slowly began to walk aimlessly through the darkened capital. As she walked, Scootaloo was thankful for the quiet that blanked the city as it allowed her to think clearly. 'There must be some reason she ran off like that...What could I have done to hurt her like that?' As she was getting lost in thought, a sound cut through the silence. Scootaloo froze as she listened. "Is that...a cello?"

Scootaloo took off towards the sound that had shattered the silence of night time Canterlot. As she turned corner after corner, Scootaloo could easy tell that she was getting closer and closer. Finally, Scoots emerged from under a bridge and on her right was a single mare, grey in colour with a purple music note cutie mark. "Finally! Hey, have you seen a yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane? Her name is-"

"Fluttershy, I know."

"How do you know Fluttershy?"

"She's an old friend." As Octavia spoke, she examined Scootaloo. 'Orange coat, purple mane, lavender eyes...So this is the mare Fluttershy yearns for...'

"I see...Well, have you seen her?" Scoots asked, eager to continue her search.

"Actually yes, I have." Scootaloo's face lit up as she took a relieved breath.

"Great! Which way did she go?" The young pegasus asked quickly. Octavia pointed to the building behind her.

"She's seeking sanctuary within the confines of my home."

Scootaloo thanked the mare and asked, "Can I go see her?" Octavia shook her head, causing Scoots to frown. "Why not?" Scoots asked, irritation already taking root in her tone.

"Because you have hurt her quite badly and she's in no condition to speak with anypony." Octavia said calmly, looking up into Luna's night.

"That's why I need to talk to her! So I can make things right!" The cellist looked straight into Scootaloo's eyes, causing the pegasus to take a small step back.

A few seconds later, Octavia nodded and said, "Wait here for a moment." The pegasus nodded and watched Octavia head inside her home.

After what felt like an eternity, Octavia opened the door and said, "Down the hall on your left, then the second door on the right. Scootaloo nodded and went to move past the grey mare but was stopped by a hoof. "Listen to me and listen well. If you hurt Fluttershy any more than you already have...you WILL regret it." The orange mare swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as the musician glared at her with cold, calm eyes. With that, Octavia released Scootaloo and sat back on the porch to continue playing her cello. As Scootaloo walked through the home, her mind was racing.

'Oh...what do I say? I spent all that time looking, but I didn't think of anything to say when I found her...ugh, I'm such a foal.' When Scoots had finished berating herself mentally, she found the door she had been looking for and could hear very faint sobs coming from the other side. Scootaloo took a few deep breaths and flapped her wings for good measure before knocking on the door.

"Please Octavia, just leave me alone..." The young mare was crushed to hear that much sorrow in Fluttershy's voice.

"N-no...it's me, Scootaloo." The orange pony was met with silence. "Can I come in?" Again, she was met with silence. 'Well...I didn't hear a no.' So Scootaloo cautiously opened the door and was met with near darkness. A curtain was drawn in front of the window, letting only a slight glow into the room. The young pegasus squinted as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room. She could see Fluttershy's silhouette quivering on the bed.

"P-please Scootaloo...just leave. I don't want to be rude, but you'll just hurt me trying to help me." Scootaloo was hurt to hear the words, but she knew she couldn't back down.

"We both know I can't do that Fluttershy. I have to make up for whatever I've done to you and the only way I can do that is if I know what's wrong." Much to Scootaloo's surprise, Fluttershy laughed. It wasn't her usual kind, soft laugh but rather a cold and unfeeling laugh that was more like an angry bark. She also stood up off the bed and slowly closed in on Scootaloo, making the orange pony back up into a corner.

"Oh come on now Scootaloo. Surely you aren't that oblivious! You honestly can't stand there and tell me you can't say that you don't see what's going on!" Scootaloo tried to speak, but she was cut off by the frustrated pegasus. "Do you have ANY IDEA how hard this is for me? For you to start caring about how I am and how I feel?"

"I..."

"For such a long time, I've watched you grow. I've seen you laugh, cry, hate...and you think you can just fix this all just by demanding I tell you what's wrong?" Fluttershy was inches away from Scootaloo's face. The orange pegasus's eyes finally adjusted and she could see tears streaming down Fluttershy's face. However, the tears were now of anger instead of sorrow.

"I'm sorry..."

"How can you be sorry if you don't even know what you're doing?" Fluttershy turned away and went to stare out the window while Scootaloo just slid down against the wall and sat on the floor.

'What does she mean...I don't understand! What can she mean? The only thing I can think of is that she...' Scoots looked over at the older pegasus, watching as the moonlight softly illuminated her body, turning Fluttershy into a silhouette. 'She looks so beautiful in the moonlight...' As this thought crossed Scootaloo's mind, she began to understand. 'She's always been there for me when my friends weren't, I could always count on her for advice...'

Scootaloo looked up and saw Fluttershy sneaking a peak at her, making the yellow pegasus turn back to the window. The young pegasus walked over and tapped Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Please Scootaloo...I'm sorry I shouted at you but you need to-" Fluttershy's words were halted as Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy. Neither pony said anything as Scootaloo hugged and Fluttershy stood there shocked. "I..." Fluttershy wanted desperately to say something, but no matter what, the words in her mind refused to leave her mouth.

"C'mon...it's late. We should probably get going so we don't impose upon Octavia any longer." Fluttershy simply nodded, not trusting her mouth. The two made their way back down the stairs and were about to walk out the door when they were stopped by the cellist.

"No. You two are staying as my guests. Besides, the train's are finished running for the night. You'll have to wait until tomorrow so I insist you two say." As the grey mare spoke, she was pushing them them back into the house. They both tried to object, but Octavia heard none of it. "Now both of you march back upstairs and get some rest. You've both been through quite a bit today." The mares, unknowing as to what they should do, simply listened and went back up the stairs. When they went back into the room, they both crawled into bed without a word and closed their eyes.

It wasn't more than an hour before Fluttershy hovered down and into the kitchen where Octavia was waiting, sipping a cup of what Fluttershy assumed was her favourite tea. "So, how'd it go?" Fluttershy sighed, sitting down and taking a drink of the tea that had been prepared for her.

"I'm not sure Octavia...I accidentally yelled at her and even though she hugged me, I'm not convinced that her mind's been changed." Octavia nodded and took another drink.

"That may be so, but she's definitely conflicted now."

"That's not what I wanted! I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." Octavia sighed and lightly hugged the shy pony.

"I know dear, but we can't always control what happens. It'll work out for you. It always does." Fluttershy just nodded and sipped her tea.

"I don't know Octavia..." The two sat there in silence as they drank their tea, both left to their own devices. Eventually, both cups were drained and both mares bid each other a good night. Fluttershy stopped in front of the room she was sharing with Scootaloo. "Don't worry." Fluttershy nodded and thanked the cellist and crawled into bed and feel asleep.

Author's Note

I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than my other chapters, but I'm working with borrowed time. I pretty much have most of the next chapter written in a notebook so I'll try and get it up here on...Thursday hopefully.

Sorry for the overly long wait and short chapter, but hey, it's an update at least right?

I also want to thank you all for your patience with me and my technical errors (I'm also waiting for all of you to give me your suggestions for pairings in one of my blogs. You know the one)