A Bond Never Broken

by knightcommander

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Romance, Original Character, Spike, Angel, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Owlowiscious
Length: 18424

Fluttershy's friends try to find a colt she loves but thought she had lost forever.

A very special holiday is coming up in Ponyville, and everyone is getting ready to spend the day with the mare or colt that they love... except for one. Poor Fluttershy is all alone. She had once been in love, to be sure, but that was back in Cloudsdale, he has been gone for a long time now, and this time of year only serves to remind her of what she once had.

But that was then, and this is now, and now she has friends who care about her and don't want to see her suffer any more. And now they are on a mission; to find the colt Fluttershy loved, and still loves, and bring him back to her, forever.

Published 2012-01-19 14:56:40 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-10 06:03:32 UTC

Heartbreak

A BOND NEVER BROKEN

By Knightcommander

CHAPTER ONE: Heartbreak

Ponyville was a town that prided itself on its adherence to the old customs of the past. As such, holidays and the traditions that surrounded them were almost sacrosanct there. When winter came along, the town held a huge town feast for Hearth's Warming Even and day, along with plays, caroling and other customs. Before that, Fall brought with it Nightmare Night, with costumes, festivals with games, door-to-door candy collecting by the young ones, and even an appearance by Princess Luna herself, who had managed to make the holiday her own, despite it being about a part of her past she would rather forget. The Summer Sun Celebration, Winter Moon Festival, all of them celebrated with the unique flair that only a small town like Ponyville could pull off.

Now it was time for another one.

It was now mid-spring, and the sun was gradually warming up the days as summer rapidly approached. Flowers were blooming, and crops were being planted or harvested. Animals were settling down as it came time to find mates. The ponies were no different. Across the town, the residents set up displays of pink and red hearts, red and pink ribbons, and floral displays of roses, forget-me-nots, and anything else having to do with love. For that was what they would soon be celebrating. It was nearly time for Hearts and Hooves Day, which was only two days away, something that was one of the most fun days on the entire calendar. It was at this time of year that ponies would take the time to do something extra special for the special mare or stallion in their life. Soon planned special dinner dates, others gave extra special gifts, and still others felt it especially appropriate to propose marriage on the day. Not surprisingly, the last-minute gift seekers made the marketplace and shops of the town quite hectic.

Especially when one was trying to do their job with the weather patrol and they had to dodge other pegasi zipping about.

"Hey, watch it!" Rainbow Dash shouted for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Sorry!" The sea green pegasus stallion called back to her. She huffed. This was the only thing she hated about this day. Every time, a whole bunch of ponies forgot their gifts till the last minute and tore about the town, and the sky, searching for something special. It annoyed her, as she was always at work that morning, clearing clouds or moving them about so folks get some shade from the heat, and the extra traffic only made her job aggravating.

"Yah!" She yelped as she dodged another pegasus, this one a purple mare. "There's other ponies flying today, ya know!" She shouted. She growled in frustration. She had half a mind to clock out early and go home, but she had promised to pull a full shift today, and she wasn't one to break her promises. But, couldn't they at least slow down?

"Excuse me!" A feminine voice called. Rainbow Dash was grateful someone had taken the time to warn her before tearing through, and was about to fly off to go clear some pesky cumulus clouds when she saw that it was her friend, White Out, trying to move a particularly stubborn dark cloud. Rainbow Dash flew over.

"Need help with that?" She asked.

"Please." White Out said, clearly tired. White Out's talent was making snow, so cloud pushing was something she wasn't used to doing. It had been a few years since she had joined the Ponyville weather patrol from Cloudsdale's famous weather factory, but she still had a hard time with the big clouds.

Rainbow joined her and helped push the cloud of the way of the town. No storms were scheduled for today, so dark clouds weren't needed. Smaller ones they would have just broken up, but big ones tended to be a bit more stubborn, so it was often easier just to push them outside town.

"Thanks." She said, huffing a bit from the effort.

"Anytime." Dash said, just as another pegasi in a rush screamed past them so fast, Dash swore the mare was doing mach 2. "Hey, cool your jets!" She called after them. "I hate this. Every last minute shopper screaming through the air is a potential skull fracture."

"Tell me about it." White Out said. "And it's only going to get worse once the rush really gets going. I just talked to Boss, and he says he wants everyone to leave early, noon sharp, no exceptions."

"Ugh, I was supposed to do a full shift today." Rainbow said. "Guess I have to put in for overtime tomorrow."

"Least I'll be able to pick Scootaloo up from school today." White Out said. "On time, that is." Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit.

"I might hop over to Cloudsdale to go see Firefly." She said. Firefly, a pink pegasus mare and Dash's younger sister, worked as a supervisor at the weather factory, and Dash rarely got to see her due to the distance between Cloudsdale and Ponyville, and her work schedule made it even more difficult. But it seemed she finally had an excuse.

"I'd better finish up clearing that last bit of cloud." She said. "Cya later, and tell Scoots I said hi."

"Will do." White Out said. "Have a good one." She said, before taking off to finish a last job before she clocked out. Rainbow went over to the cloud cluster and bucked them away at a leisurely pace. Once that was done, she killed time until noon, flew over to the weather patrol building and clocked out for the day, and just in time, as the rush was starting to pick up.

Her stomach started to growl, so she decided to pick up a bite to eat at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie had mentioned that the Cakes were working on a new muffin recipe that was supposed to be super delicious, so she decided to head there and try some. She laughed, thinking what the town's mildly scatterbrained but endearing mailmare, Ditzy Doo, would do when she found out about that. Probably buy the whole first and second batches, she thought.

Along the way, she passed by a familiar looking yellow pegasus mare, her saddlebags full of fresh vegetables for the animals she cared for. Recognizing her, she called out.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" The yellow mare jerked her head up and looked around, before her cyan eyes fell on Rainbow Dash's magenta ones

"Oh, Rainbow Dash." She said. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you pass by." She said. Rainbow took note of her tone. Fluttershy had always been soft-spoken, but her voice today seemed to be softer than usual, and almost sounded weak. She felt a small twinge of concern for her old friend.

"Hey uh, you alright?" She asked. "You sound kinda... out of sorts." She said, trying to put it tactly.

"Well, now that you mention it... I am feeling a bit out of it." She said. "It's just this day, it's so hectic and there's so much hustle and bustle... it's getting to me." Fluttershy had always been highly sensitive, and it didn't surprise Rainbow to hear this. But something was still nagging at her...

"Say, I was on my way to lunch." She said. "Wanna come with?" She smiled at her old friend. To her surprise, the pink-maned pegasus shook her head.

"Well no, I think it might be better if I went home to rest... that is, if it's OK with you..." She trailed off. Rainbow frowned. Fluttershy had never turned down a lunch invitation before. She wanted to protest, to try and convince her otherwise, but she decided against it. She knew how sensitive she could be, and she didn't want her to misinterpret her actions as being pushy or aggressive, so she just nodded. Fluttershy noticed her frown though. "Though... I can go if you really want..." Rainbow cut her off.

"Nah, it's alright." She said. "You rest up." Fluttershy nodded.

"O-OK." She said, her voice seemingly growing more frail and weak. "I'll see you later, if you don't have plans or anything..."

"Actually, I was gonna head to Cloudsdale for a bit to go see my sis." She said. Fluttershy's expression fell noticeably, which caused Rainbow Dash concern, but she cut her off before she could say anything

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just going to ask if you wanted to get supper or anything/" She said. Dash opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off again. "OK, bye for now." She said. She walked off quickly before Rainbow could say anything else.

Rainbow's mouth opened in shock. In what was probably the biggest display of irony of all time, the shy pegasus was the closest of her five friends, having known her since they were fillies. She knew her better than anyone, and could practically predict every reaction just by looking at her. This was completely weird. Her voice, the way she was carrying herself, everything was out of whack. What was going on? Clearly something was bothering her, and from the looks of things it was really bad. Her element screamed at her to forget the trip to Cloudsdale, chase after her and find out what was bothering her, but another, more rational part of her told it was better not to push it right now. The sensitive pegasus might only feel worse if she was forced to reveal what was bothering her before she was ready. Rainbow ultimately elected not to push it, feeling it was better to give the pegasus some time to get her feelings in check before she asked her about it. She briefly flew back to her cloud house and left a note for her friends in case they went looking for her telling them where she was going, before she flew off in the direction of Cloudsdale, hoping that Fluttershy would be OK.

***

Fluttershy entered her cottage and plopped down on her couch. She curled up on the cushion and hunkered down into one of the pillows, trying to get comfortable. She sighed. She had tried to put on a brave face for her friend, but she just couldn't hide it anymore. She placed a hoof over her heart, as though she could feel it physically break in two. Unable to get comfortable, she walked up to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. She opened a drawer on her night stand and pulled something out, a small leatherbound object, and opened it. She took a look at the contents.

And then she started to cry.

***

"How's the reshelving coming, Spike?" Twilight Sparkle, the purple unicorn mare who ran the Ponyville library, asked her assistant, a baby dragon named Spike. He was currently helping out with the reshelving, which Twilight took care to do every week. He was currently working on a shelf of encyclopedias.

"It would be easier if Owloysious was awake to help out." He said, trying to balance on the ladder while at the same time holding a stack of books in his hand. "Whoa!" He said as the ladder wobbled. Twilight held it with her hoof.

"There you go." She said.

"Thanks." He said, quickly organizing the books and then climbing down. Twilight reshelved the last bit of books and decided to call it a day. It was too nice of a day to be cooped up in the library, so she decided to go visit her friends. Spike declined, wanting to take a nap to rest from his chores. Twilight gave him an affectionate nuzzle before stepping out into the gorgeous spring day.

A cursory glance at the Hearts and Hooves Day decor reminded her that she needed to find something for Caramel. Twilight wasn't always the best at finding gifts, but she did remember that he mentioned something about needing some new tools, so she decided to make a last minute trip to the hardware store. She purchased some fine new blacksmithing tools for him and placed them in her bag. After that, it was time for a visit to Carousel Boutique, to visit her friend Rarity. The white unicorn was sure to be busy, but she never refused a visit from Twilight. Twilight opened the door, ringing the customer bell overhead.

"Rarity!" She called. The white unicorn came running in, clearly frazzled from work. Her normally impeccable mane was sticking up in places, and she was panting as though she had just run a marathon.

"Oh, it's you." She said. "Thank goodness, I don't think I can take another order." Twilight frowned.

"Too much work?" She asked.

"Two wedding dresses, a dress and a suit for two fancy dinner dates, and that's just today." She said with a long winded sigh. "Oh, I love this holiday as much as anypony, but it can be so stressful."

"I know how you feel." She said. "Well, sort of. My poor father often ran himself ragged planning something extra special for my mother." She smiled. "It's almost noon, would a lunch break be alright?" She asked. Rarity smiled.

"I could use a break." She said. "Our usual spot?" Twilight nodded.

"I could go for a nice caesar salad." She said. The two mares left the shop, Rarity making sure to lock up.

"Oh, Twilight, I just remember something." She said. "Have you seen Fluttershy today?" She asked.

"No I haven't." Twilight said. "Why do you ask?"

"She came by my shop today." Rarity explained. "She wanted to ask if I could fix the clasp on the cape I made her a while back, but when she spotted the wedding dresses I was making, she suddenly changed her mind and left without saying another word."

"That's odd."

"I'll say." Rarity said, as they arrived at their favorite restaurant. To their surprise, their other two friends, earth ponies Applejack and Pinkie Pie, were already there. Both of them were munching on hay fries and talking in bewildered voices. Twilight and Rarity joined them.

"Howdy girls." Applejack said. "Taking a lunch break too?" Pinkie Pie shoved some more hay fries in her mouth.

"Why yes." Rarity said. "Um, forgive the intrusion, but what were you talking about?" Pinkie said something that they couldn't make out. Rarity winced.

"Um, Pinkie." Applejack said, pointing at some of the chewed up hay fry that landed on the table. Taking the hint, she swallowed the hay fries before repeating herself.

"Fluttershy was acting weird today." She said. "She came by Sugarcube Corner, and I thought she was gonna get her usual, but she didn't, just looked around at some of the H and H Day decorations and left lickety split like." She said, hopping out of her chair and striking and "up up and away" pose.

"The same thing happened to me." Rarity said. Applejack took a bite of hay fries.

"I saw her walkin' by the farm earlier." She said. "Gal was hanging her head and looked like she was about to tear right up." Twilight frowned. Fluttershy was sad? About what?

"Wait a minute." She said. "Rarity, you said she left because she saw you working on wedding dresses, and Pinkie, you said she left after she saw your decorations." It suddenly clicked. "Tell me, how is she usually on Hearts and Hooves Day?" They pondered for a moment.

"Now that I think of it, 'taint never seen her out on H and H." Applejack said. "You don't think she's shutting herself in because of it, are you?"

"I think we should ask." Twilight said. "We're her friends, and if she is upset, she's going to need us." Everypony nodded.

"Alright." Rarity said. "Lunch can wait, we must first see to our dear Fluttershy." The other two paid for their food and left with them for Fluttershy's cottage.

***

The cottage was silent. All the animals were strangely inactive, despite the fact that it was nearly feeding time for them. The girls swore that they could see the plants and trees drooping, like weeping willows. Even the very air felt melancholy. All in all, it was like sadness itself had descended upon the scene.

Twilight shook it off as she knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she knocked again. Still nothing. A third knock, and the door finally opened, only to reveal it to be angel. He was no different from the rest of the scene. His ears drooped, and his eyes looked like they had lost the fire of life. His lip quivered, which made his whiskers twitch. Twilight was surprised by this.

"Is everything OK, Angel?" She asked. Angel shook his head. He gestured for them to come inside. Everyone was suddenly concerned. If Angel was upset, did that mean something was wrong with Fluttershy? She didn't have very long to think, as Angel led them upstairs to Fluttershy's bedroom. He pointed at the door, his eyes beginning to glisten. They approached, and that's when they heard what was making everyone melancholy... muted sobs.

Everyone gasped when they heard that. Applejack knocked on her door.

"Fluttershy?" She called. "What's wrong, sugarcube?"

"A-Applejack?" Fluttershy called from inside. "P-Please don't come in... I don't want you to see me like this..." Applejack didn't listen, and opened her door.

"Sorry, sugarcube." She said. "We can't leave ya like this." Fluttershy said nothing, only looking up at them from eyes that streamed with tears no matter how much she tried to dry them. At that instant, the heart of every pony in the room broke into pieces. Pinkie Pie even felt herself start to get teary eyed. Applejack instinctively crawled into bed next to her and nuzzled her, trying to make her feel better.

"Please," Fluttershy said, "I don't want you to feel bad for me..."

"We just want to help, darling." Rarity said, getting a handkerchief from the nightstand and giving it to her to dry her eyes. Fluttershy thanked her and and blew her nose a bit before trying to dry her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Pinkie Pie, on the verge of tears herself, asked. Fluttershy shook her head. Applejack rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her.

"You can tell us." Twilight said. "We're your friends. We want to help." She smiled at Fluttershy, who managed to return it.

"OK." She said. She dried her eyes again and reached under her pillow, pulling out the leatherbound object from before. "I have to tell you a bit of story." She said.

"We aint going nowhere." Applejack said. Fluttershy sat up and opened the object. It turned out to be a holder for photographs, containing two of what appeared to be Fluttershy as an older filly. Next to her was a white pegasus colt with a blue styled mane and icy blue eyes. From what they could see, his cutie mark was ice blue dots, which they guessed were meant to be hail. In the photograph they first saw, he was making a goofy face at the camera, which elicited a giggled from Rarity.

"Quite handsome." She complimented. "You knew him?" Fluttershy nodded and pointed at the second photograph. In this one, he had his forelegs wrapped around a young Fluttershy, planting a kiss on her cheek, which as blazing red from blushing. "You mean he was..."

"Yes. His name is Hailstorm Tempest." She said weakly. "We met in intermediate flight school in Cloudsdale, a year or so after I got my cutie mark. It wasn't the best time for me, and pretty much my only friend was Rainbow Dash, until he came along and... I fell in love for the first time." She said wistfully.

"Awwwww." Pinkie Pie said. Fluttershy managed a smile.

"We were together for two years." She said. "We were... actually planning on getting married after school, so we could go on to university together."

"Oh darling." Rarity said, everything beginning to click in her head. "Did something happen? He didn't leave you, did he?" He asked.

"Oh no, nothing like that." She said. "Well, our relationship never ended, but... he ended up being selected for a very prestigious school and... I couldn't go with him." She sniffled. "He promised he would come back... that we would be together again, and all our dreams... would come true."

"But then you had to move to Ponyville." Twilight said. Fluttershy nodded, before bursting in full on tears.

"I miss him so much..." She sobbed, burying her face into her forelegs. Applejack snuggled her to comfort her, tears in her eyes. None of the others managed to keep their eyes dry either. They stayed there with her for what seemed like hours, trying their best to comfort her and ease her pain. Fluttershy continued to cry, drenching her sheets and comforter, until she finally managed to stop. "I'm sorry girls." She said.

"Please, sugarcube, 'taint nothing to be sorry for." She said. "What are friends for?" Fluttershy smiled, grateful for them.

"Thank you." She said. She then yawned.

"Do you need rest, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. She nodded.

"I think I'll be alright now." She said. Her friends nodded, and with some last comforting nuzzles, left their friend to sleep. Fluttershy hunkered down under the dry side of her comforter before falling into a deep sleep.

***

There were no dry eyes when they left the cottage. Applejack, Twilight and Rarity all sniffled, while Pinkie Pie, unable to contain it any longer, burst into tears, sobbing at the top of her lungs.

"Ah feel awful." Applejack said, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks.

"Oh my goodness." Rarity said, beginning to cry herself. "How could we miss this? How could we not see she was so heartbroken?"

"We never thought to ask because we never saw it." Twilight said. "She always stayed in and we never saw her." She began sniffle and sob. She felt so horrible for Fluttershy; to fall in love, and be loved so much in return, only to have it end because of necessity, and now she didn't know if she would ever have it again.

"What are we gonna do?" Pinkie asked, in between her sobs. Twilight shook her head.

"I don't know." She said. "I just don't know."

***

She spent the rest of the day in seclusion at the library. She kept thinking about Fluttershy and how much she was suffering. She wanted so badly to do something, anything, for her suffering friend. But she was just a pony, what could she do? This Hailstorm Tempest was probably long gone by now, to who knew what corner of Equestria. It would be like looking for a... she sat right up from her bed. No, she thought, I can't despair. Fluttershy deserved every ouch of her effort.

She knew what she had to do.

She quickly grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote a quick note, made some copies, and then woke up Owloysious to go deliver them. The owl took all the copies and flew out the window, saluting Twilight as he left. Then, she waited. She paced about the library, anxiously awaiting a reply, and was finally rewarded with a knock at the door, which she opened with her magic to reveal Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

"You called, Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight gave a determined grin.

"Pack your bags, girls." She said. "We're going to Cloudsdale."

Finding Hailstorm

CHAPTER TWO: Finding Hailstorm

"Cloudsdale?" They all cried out in unison. Twilight backed up a bit, surprised by the sudden outburst.

"What in the hay do you wanna go there for?" Applejack asked. Twilight sighed.

"It's Fluttershy." She said. "It... it really got to me, seeing her like that." She said. She started to get misty eyed, and Pinkie Pie placed a hoof on her shoulder. She placed her own over her friends.

"We were all hurt to see her suffering so much." Rarity said. "But why do you want to go to Cloudsdale for it." She said, and then suddenly the light when on in her head. "You're not thinking of trying to find this Hailstorm Tempest, are you?" She asked. Twilight nodded.

"That's exactly what I want to do." She said.

"We completely understand, Twi." Applejack said. "But you're talking about trying to find one pegasus in a city of dang near eight-hundred thousand. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I know." Twilight said. "But... I can't get the image of Fluttershy lying there with a broken heart out of my mind. I don't want her to feel like that, she doesn't deserve it." She said, blinking back tears. "I want her to be happy, to marry this colt like they promised each other so long ago. She's my friend, and I'll do whatever I have to to make her happy..." She would have continued, but Pinkie Pie interrupted.

"Well count me in." She said. "I don't want her to cry anymore either." She said. Twilight smiled.

"Thank you, Pinkie." She said. The two of them looked expectantly at the others, as though begging them to agree. Rarity and Applejack looked at each other. They both knew that finding this colt was going to be a challenge. Not only was Cloudsdale a huge city, but he might not even live there anymore, and, heaven forbid, he may have moved on. Still, it would make Fluttershy so happy to see her beloved again.

"If it means that much to you Twi, I'll help you too." Applejack said.

"As will I." Rarity said. "For Fluttershy." Twilight smiled.

"Thank you, all of you." She said. She gave each one of them a hug.

"I'd better get mah bags packed." Applejack said. "What time did you plan on leaving?"

"As soon as possible." Twilight said.

"I'll pack the party supplies!" Pinkie Pie said. Everyone stared at her. "Well, we gotta have a huge party when we find him." She said. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Pinkie." She said.

***

While the girls got their things together, Twilight packed her things and formulated her plan. She figured that they should start by asking Firefly. She lived in Cloudsdale her entire life, and most likely knew if he would have returned after Rainbow and Fluttershy left. She also worked at the city's largest employer, the weather factory, and her position as manager ensured that she knew a lot of people, folks who might know if he had returned to Cloudsdale, or at least where to start looking.

First things first, they needed to be able to walk on the clouds. Normally, only pegasus ponies possessed the ability to walk on clouds, but Twilight had learned a spell that allowed other ponies to do the same feat for three days, a spell which came quite in handy when Rainbow competed in the annual Best Young Flyer Competition. To make sure she still knew what she was doing, she practiced the spell on Spike, who would be coming with them. A few brilliant flashes of light later, and the spell was complete. To test it, she had the local mailmare, Ditzy Doo, bring a small patch of cloud into her house and allow Spike to walk on it. Success.

"Thank you, Ditzy." She said, offering the gray mare a fresh banana nut muffin with butter. Ditzy thanked her and pat Spike on the head before heading home to enjoy her treat.

"Now what?" Spike asked.

"Could you carry some of our things out to the balloon?" She asked. Spike nodded and carried some of their luggage out. Then she waited for her friends to show up, taking the time to write a note to Fluttershy saying that they were going out of town to go find her a nice Hearts and Hooves Day surprise. And indeed, they were. She had it all figured out; instead of just simply bringing Hailstorm to her (assuming they found him) they would arrange a party for her, and when the time came for her to get her surprise...

"We're here!" A musical voice rang out. Twilight jumped a bit at the sudden intrusion

"Oh, hello Rarity." Twilight said. "Is everypony ready?"

"Sure thing, sugarcube." Applejack said, two green saddlebags stuffed with supplies for the trip. Pinkie Pie bounced in after her, and Twilight rolled her eyes when she a balloon suddenly rise up from an open saddlebag. Pinkie noticed too, an giggled sheepishly before closing it. Spike returned and took everyone's saddlebags out to the balloon, then delivered Twilight's note, and they were off. The day was a bit windy, so takeoff was a bit hairy, but once they get to altitude, everything was smooth sailing. Twilight oriented their course for Cloudsdale and allowed Spike to fly the balloon, something he had been wanting to do for a while. The others settled in for the trip, Pinkie producing some snacks from Sugarcube Corner for them. The rest of the trip was spent talking amongst themselves and otherwise enjoying the peaceful flight.

***

The sight of the magnificent cloud city, the pride of the pegasi, never ceased to amaze those who got to see it up close, and the four ponies and one dragon now coming in for a landing were no exception. They had only been here once before, but it never failed to amaze them just how big the city was.

"It's simply gorgeous!" Rarity remarked as they approached the city.

"I'll say." Applejack replied, taking a look into the distance where the weather factory was located. They must have been at full capacity, because storm clouds were popping out of it left and right. "Hehehe, looks like we got ourselves a rip roarin' rainstorm a' comin'."

"Perfect." Rarity said. "My flower garden could use it. They've been looking so droopy." Pinkie Pie was too busy prancing around the balloon, excited to be visiting Cloudsdale again, to respond to anything they said. Twilight simply rolled her eyes at her friend's exuberance.

A helpful pegasus stallion guided the balloon down into land at the Cloudsdale Sky Harbor, a huge landing area that was the first point of entry for those coming in to the city. Spike gently brought the balloon down on the patch of cloud right next to him, and they disembarked. The pegasus was surprised to see two earth ponies, two unicorns and a dragon walking on clouds.

"Um..." He said.

"Magic." Twilight answered simply. He nodded, though still somewhat confused, as they left the landing area and entered the huge terminal. All around were shops selling food, souvenirs, and even electronics. Surprisingly, there was no roof, and the sun shone brightly into the building, bathing everyone in the warmth of it's gentle rays. The ponies, having only seen a small corner of the city that last time they had gone, and they were all amazed at the new things to be seen in the city, the Sky Harbor included. A pair of uniformed police officers, attached to the Sky Harbor Battalion of the Cloudsdale Police Service, stood nearby, apparently off duty, as they were chatting amongst themselves, until they caught sight of the gang. The officers stared at them as they walked past. Rarity smiled.

"Don't look now," she said, "but I do believe those rather handsome policemen are admiring us." She said, jokingly. Spike scowled a bit, eliciting a giggle from the unicorn.

"I think they're just surprised to see non-pegasi walking on clouds." She said.

"And too busy to notice all the stuff we're smuggling." Applejack said, chuckling. The police officers heard that, and rolled their eyes.

***

"Here we are." Twilight said. "This is the address Rainbow gave in her note." They stood in front of a modest cloud house, less grand than Rainbow's, though still striking with its castle-like construction and pink and blue crystal gardens woven into the clouds. Rarity oohed at that display.

"If I'm not mistaken, those are rose quartz." She said. "Not a precious stone but striking nonetheless."

"Wonder why this Firefly would go to all the trouble?" Applejack asked. "I imagine doing that with clouds takes skill." Twilight nodded.

"Come to think of it, we've never met her before." She said. "First time for everything." She walked up to the door and knocked... only to hear the soft fluff of the cloud. She laughed sheepishly as she remembered the fact that cloud didn't knock and looked for a doorbell button. It didn't take her long to find one. "OK, take two." She said, ringing the doorbell and waiting for an answer.

Nothing.

She rang again. Again, nothing. Curious, she pressed her ear against the door, and soon learned what was up; someone was playing loud heavy metal music inside. Twilight scowled.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked.

"Her music's too loud." Twilight said. "What do we do now?"

"Maybe push this button?" Pinkie asked, pointing at another button on the doorstep. Twilight looked. It was like a doorbell, but was marked "PUSH THIS IF I'VE GOT MY MUSIC PLAYING". Twilight shrugged, and pushed the button. The music she could hear playing suddenly skipped, and then started playing again. Twilight looked at the others as if to say "don't ask me" when the door suddenly flew open, surprising them. It was then that they got their first look Firefly.

At first glance, they couldn't really see the family resemblance. Firefly's coat was hot pink as opposed to cyan. Her mane was electric blue, and was cut short in the back. She wore a black headband around her head. Her eyes looked similiar to Rainbow's, albeit violet as opposed to magenta. She flicked her tail, and they could see that it was the same electric blue as her mane, and also cut short, though not as short as Big Macintosh's. Her build was similiar to Rainbow's; lithe and athletic, but unlike Rainbow she had callouses on her hooves. Apparently she did a lot of physical work. Her cutie mark was two electric blue lightning bolts.

"Hey, what's up?" She said. Her voice was distinct. It had a slight rasp like Rainbow's did, but was lighter and more cheery. Twilight also detected of hint of a higher pitch than Rainbow. Rainbow hadn't told them a great deal about Firefly, mostly because the subject rarely came up, but she did know that she was younger, and this confirmed it.

"Hello." She began. "I'm..."

"Twilight Sparkle." Firefly said. Twilight was surprised. "Rainbow's told me about you. She said you're an academic type." Twilight grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I do keep well read." She said. Firefly grinned.

"Yep, academic." She said. Applejack chuckled.

"Don't tell me, Applejack." Firefly said. "And the one standing next to you is Rarity."

"Why, yes." Rarity said, pleased that Firefly apparently knew them. Firefly next looked at Pinkie.

"Don't tell me, Pinkie Pie."

"Yepper skeppers!" She said, bouncing up and down, releasing a few drops of rain from the clouds. "How'd ya guess?"

"The mane gave it away." She said. "And Rainbow's done nothing but talk about her 'super awesome' friends every since she got here." She said with a chuckle. "I feel almost like I've known you guys all my life." She beckoned them to come inside.

"Is Rainbow Dash here?" Twilight asked, as the music came back on, albeit at a lower volume. Rarity winced at bit at the crunchy sounding metal music. She wasn't a fan of rock music of any kind, preferring classical and baroque music that she felt fit her personality more, but of course, she was a guest in the house, and didn't dare impose.

"You just missed her, actually." Firefly said. "She went over the corner store to pick up a few things." She took her head band off and brushed her short mane down. "You've caught us by surprise. I haven't got much..." She said, looking in her fridge.

"Oh, it's quite alright dear." She said. "We don't want to impose. We're actually here on important business."

"What kind of business?" Firefly said, fetching some diet cola for them.

"If it's at all possible, we'd like for Rainbow Dash to be here to hear that." Twilight said. "Not that we're keeping secrets, but we want everypony on board for this one." She said, graciously taking the offered drink with her magic. Pinkie, meanwhile, was looking around the room, her eyes settling on some plaques hanging on the wall.

"Employee of the month?" She asked, looking at them closely. Each of them bore the recognizable seal of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.

"Six months running." Firefly said, with an air of accomplishment.

"Oh, you work at the weather factory?" Twilight asked. "What do you do?"

"I run the rainbow works." She said, holding up her hooves. "Started as a lowly peon in the processing level before working my way up to manager." She said. "Calloused my hooves up from lifting and working machines, but it paid the bills." She said with a grin. "Now I mostly just patrol around the place and yell at people." They all laughed.

"Sounds like Granny Smith at Zap Apple harvesting time." Applejack joked. "Alright whippersnappers, hop to it! Go go go!" She said, imitating her grandmother. More laughing, followed by teary eyes and happy smiles, just as the door opened again. Rainbow flew in, carrying a load of groceries.

"I'm back." She said, dropping the load on the table. Her eyes went wide when she saw all her friends there. "Whoa, where'd you guys come from?"

"From Ponyville, silly." Pinkie said with a grin

"Duh, I know that." Rainbow said. "I meant what are you doing here?"

"They said something about 'business'." Firefly said. "Sounded important, because they wanted you here to talk about it." Rainbow was curious now, so she moved the groceries so they could talk before sitting down.

"What's up?" She asked. "And where's Fluttershy?"

"Back at home." Twilight said. "Rainbow, the reason we came here actually has to do with her. Have you noticed that she's been... troubled lately?" Rainbow's eyes widened with realization.

"You guys saw it too?" She asked.

"Yes we did." Rarity said. "What did you see?"

"It was more what I heard." She said. "Her voice was super soft, softer than usual. I could tell immediately something was bothering her, but I couldn't get it out of her. I didn't want to push it, anyway. You know how sensitive she can be." Rarity explained what happened with her and Pinkie Pie.

"Wow." Firefly said. Being Dash's sister, she too had known the yellow pegasus quite well. The three of them were a terrific trio back in their flight school days, and she was thrilled to hear that they had been reunited in Ponyville. This whole conversation was causing her concern as well. "What was up with her."

"That's what we were wondering." Twilight explained. "We decided to pay her a visit to see what was the matter, and when we got to her house...." She trailed off, her expression falling.

"What? What happened?" Rainbow asked, her concern mounting. Pinkie's eyes began to tear up, and she sniffled.

"Fluttershy was all alone in her house, and she was crying, and all the animals could feel it and..." She stopped when she started to sob again. Rarity placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"She told us about how she met this wonderful colt, a Hailstorm Tempest, and she showed us a picture of him." Rarity explained. "It all made sense then. With Hearts and Hooves Day coming up, she was being reminded all day of what she once had. The poor dear, to fall in love at such a young age, to meet the one you know you're destined to spend the rest of your life with, only to have fate snatch it away from you." Rainbow pounded the table with her hoof.

"I knew it! I had a feeling that was what this was about." She said. "It hit me as I was coming into Cloudsdale and seeing all the decorations, and it clicked. Guys, Hearts and Hooves Day was when they had their very first date." Everyone gasped.

"Oh no." Twilight said.

"No wonder she's hurtin' so bad." Applejack said.

"I remember it like it was yesterday now." Rainbow Dash said. "I was the one that convinced Fluttershy to make the first move." She looked out the window as she reflected.

Come on, Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash said as she pushed a reluctant yellow pegasus down a locker lined hallway, her pink mane hanging over one eye. Her cyan eyes were full of fright as she dug her hooves into the floor of the hall.

"B-b-but what if he says no?" Fluttershy said. "I don't think I can take it..."

"Come on, ya gotta stop being so scared." Rainbow Dash insisted. "You really like this guy right?" Fluttershy nodded.

"I love him." She said. Rainbow smiled.

"Then ya gotta go for it!" She said. "Nothing will ever happen if you don't take the initiative." She said, as they came around a bend. Fluttershy squeaked. There he was, Hailstorm Tempest, looking as dashing as ever. His mane was combed in grunge rocker pattern, which was accentuated by his leather jacket and the guitar case hanging over his back. Fluttershy felt her face grow hot. Her stomach began to fill up with butterflies, and her entire being seemed to tremble with nerves. Rainbow Dash gave her a nudge. Fluttershy squeaked again.

"OK, I'm going." She said.

"There ya go." Rainbow said. "Don't worry, you got this." Fluttershy nodded and gingerly tip-toed over to Hailstorm, just as he was closing his locker.

"Um... H-Hailstorm?" She said. Surprisingly, her soft voice was enough to get his attention. He turned around and flashed her a smile, that smile, the one that never failed to make her positively melt.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy." He said. "Where ya been all week?" He asked. She shivered from nerves.

"Oh, just going to class, taking care of the animals." She said. She twiddled her hooves in front of her.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just... Hailstorm, c-can I ask you something?" He smiled again.

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask you," she began, "that is, if it's OK with you... since the big dance is coming tomorrow... I was wondering maybe..." She froze. She couldn't get the words out. She knew what she wanted to say, but it just wouldn't come out. She began to sweat bullets. What was she going to do?

"Oh no." Rainbow Dash, watching from behind the bend, said. "She's dying out there!" She wanted to rush in and intervene, but she knew she couldn't. Fluttershy had to do this on her own.

Fluttershy felt a fireball rising in her throat. She blew it. This was the perfect opportunity, and she blew it. She was so close, too. She felt like running away, going to hide down in the woods, with her animals. But before she could do anything, Hailstorm placed a hoof on her cheek, an action which surprised her.

"Yes." He said softly. She stared.

"B-but, I didn't even ask you anything." He shook his head.

"It's OK, I know what you wanted to say." He smiled. "And the answer is yes." She gasped softly.

"You mean it?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said. "I was actually going to ask you myself, but you saved me the trip." He flashed yet another smile, and Fluttershy noticed a small blush appear on his own cheeks. She felt her heartbeat begin to quicken, and a smile cracked across her face.

"S-s-seven o' clock then?" She asked. He nodded.

"Cya then." He said, just as the final bell signaling the end of lessons rang. He leaned over and, to her surprise, gave her a gentle nuzzle across her nose. She blushed even harder than before.

"O-o-OK." She said, smiling. He flashed her one more smile before leaving. Once he was out of sight, she began to shiver, and then burst out in an uncharacteristically loud cheer and ran back over to her friend, enveloping her in a hug.

"Oof, careful, need to breath." She said with a laugh. Fluttershy cheered some more.

"Rainbow, he said yes!" She cheered. "He said yes!"

"I know, I saw." Rainbow said. "I told ya you could do it!" They both hugged each other some more, Fluttershy cheering and Rainbow whooping, both of them sharing the joy. Other pegasi watched them, wondering what the heck was going on, but that didn't bother them. All that mattered was that Fluttershy was so happy.

Rarity listened to Rainbow tell the story with a dreamy look on her face.

"That's simply romantic." She said. "Oh, how I wish I could have such a fairy tale romance." Applejack snickered.

"There she goes again." She whispered to Firefly. She laughed. Rarity glared at them.

"How rude." She said.

"You guys came here to look for him, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash said. Twilight nodded.

"I know it's a long shot, but we had to try." She said. "We just... couldn't stand seeing Fluttershy suffering so much." Spike put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him. "Thanks."

"But he moved away a long time ago." Rainbow said. "I don't think he's here anymore."

"Actually, I've been hearing a rumor he's come back." Firefly said. "The guy's cutie mark isn't just for show, he can literally create a hailstorm from scratch by himself. That kind of talent doesn't go unnoticed, not even here." The rest of the ponies lit up.

"You mean he might be here?" Twilight asked. Firefly nodded.

"Like you said, it's a long shot, but you could get lucky." She said. "And of course, I'll help in any way I can." Rainbow smiled.

"Thanks, sis." She said. "But were would we start?"

"If you could track down some of his old schoolmates, we might be able to start there." Twilight said.

"I'll go canvas." Rainbow said.

"Ooh ooh! Can I help?" Pinkie asked. Rainbow smiled.

"Alright, come on, Pinks." She said. Pinkie Pie bounced out the door with her.

"Rarity, you and Applejack come with me." Twilight said. "We could try some of his hangouts."

"I'll go with. Firefly said. "I know most of his old haunts." Twilight smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"Another thing." Firefly said. "He was always singing this one song in particular, Kick It Into Gear. You'll know it when you hear it."

"Good to know." Applejack said. "Come on girls, let's get going. This rodeo fittin' to roll out." Together, they left the house and took out to the streets, eager to accomplish their mission.

***

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie started their end of the search by looking for an old friend of Hailstorm's, Autumn Wind. A rather pretty golden mare with an orange and maroon streaked mane, her cutie mark was some leaves being blown by an autumn breeze. She had been gifted with an ability to clear leaves with her powerful wings like no other pony, and her mark showed it. Rainbow scanned the houses, trying to remember where she lived. It wasn't long, however, before they spotted her, cleaning up some litter with her wings that was left by some rather thoughtless pegasi.

"Farking street is a farking mess." She grumbled. Rainbow smiled.

"Hey, Windy!" She called out. Autumn Wind looked up, her maroon eyes soon locking onto Rainbow. She grinned, hastily picked up the trash, and flew over to greet her old friend.

"Rainbow Dash! How ya doing, ya old speed demon!?" She said, hugging her. Rainbow returned it.

"I was in town to see my sis." She said. "I was gonna pay you a visit later, but then my pals from Ponyville showed up." She said. "Oh, this is one of them. Pinkie, Autumn Wind. Windy, this is Pinkie Pie."

"Hi!" Pinkie chirped. Autumn smiled.

"Nice to meet ya." She said. "Ponyville, you say? That's a long way from here."

"Tell me about it." Rainbow said. "Anyway, I wish I could stay and chat, but I got work to do."

"We're on a mission." Pinkie said. "We're trying to find someone."

"Oh really? Who?" She asked.

"Hailstorm." Rainbow said. "You remember him right?"

"Hard to forget." Autumn said, smiling. "I remember every single girl in the school was gaga for him, yours truly included." She said with a wink. Pinkie scowled.

"Hey, he's Fluttershy's coltfriend!" She said. The two pegasi just laughed.

"Pinkie, she's just playing around." Rainbow said. Autumn laughed.

"It's ok." She said. "I was never really serious about it anyway. His heart was pretty much set on Fluttershy the minute he laid his eyes on her. I always respected that." She smiled.

"Anyway, Firefly says she's been hearing around that he's back in town." Rainbow said.

"Can't say I heard that myself." She said. "But I do know who might know." Pinkie's expression brightened.

"Oh really? Who who who?" She said, bouncing like a ball. Autumn snickered.

"I like this one, Rainbow." She said. "Never fails to get a laugh." Rainbow chuckled.

"That's Pinkie for ya." She said. "Element of Laughter to a T."

"Anyway, to answer your question," she said, "he's an old griffon who lives down the road. Always has an ear open for news. We call him Old Gunther." She said. "Lives just down the way, house number 622. Place is covered with feathers, ya can't miss it."

"Thanks, Windy." Rainbow said. "We owe you one."

"Don't worry." She said. "And don't be strangers."

"Oh don't worry." Pinkie Pie said. "We're gonna throw a huge party for Fluttershy and Hailstorm when this is all over. You wanna come."

"Why not?" Autumn said with a grin. "Cya guys around." Rainbow waved before they continued on down the street. They soon spotted the feather covered house.

"Oooh, messy." Pinkie said. Rainbow simply flew over and knocked on the door.

"I'm a comin'!" A voice said. The door opened to reveal an ancient looking griffon. His feathers, which may have been black at one point, were now speckled with gray and white. His body was thin, almost lanky, with joints that looked sore from age. Rainbow felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor guy. "Who are you, missy?" He asked.

"Missy?" Rainbow asked, a bit miffed. She didn't like folks using that name with her. "Who ya calllin'..." she began, then thought better of it. "I mean, you're name's Gunther?"

A grunt. She guessed that meant "yes".

"Name's Rainbow Dash." She said. "This here's Pinkie Pie. Autumn Wind told us you know a lot about what goes on in this town." Gunther appeared to smile at this.

"That I do, Mis... er, I mean Rainbow Dash." He said, mindful not offend her again.

"Ever hear of a stallion by the name of Hailstorm Tempest coming back into town?" She asked. "He's pretty well known." Gunther scratched his chin, taking a moment to think.

"Nay, the name ain't familiar with me." He said. Pinkie looked crestfallen. "Though, I did hear something about some stallion who could make his own hailstorms."

"That's him." Rainbow Dash said. "You know where he is?"

"What I hears is he's lodging up at this apartment complex on Mustang." He said. "Sunlight Terrace, methinks it was." Rainbow looked like she could hug the guy.

"Thanks." She said. "We owe you big time."

"Tink nothing of it." He said. "Oooh. Now if you excuse me, me old bones could use a rest." He said.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie chirped, and they left him to rest.

"Follow me, Pinks." Rainbow said. "I know a shortcut."

***

Pinkie and Dash raced up the stairs of the huge apartment complex to the listed apartment for Hailstorm. For Dash, this was no problem, but poor Pinkie was huffing, puffing and feeling the pain with each and every step, and was quickly falling behind.

"Come on, Pinks!" Dash said. "We're almost there."

"I...can't...last...much longer." Pinkie huffed, sweat pouring down her in rivers.

"Don't you quit me." Dash said firmly. "Not now, not when we're this close." She said, though she also cursed the apartment for not having an elevator. Another couple of flights of stairs, and they finally made it to the top, which came as a great sigh of relief to Pinkie, who promptly collapsed at the top of the stairs. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before picking her pink friend up.

"Thank goodness." She slurred. "We're here." Dash nodded.

"Come on, let's go." She said. They quickly located the apartment and rang the doorbell. They waited anxiously, but the expected answer never came. Dash tried again.

"Hey Hailstorm! You in there!?" She called. Still, they got nothing. An elderly pegasus stallion came around the corner.

"Can I help you folks?" He asked.

"Does Hailstorm Tempest live in this apartment?" Dash asked.

"I'm afraid he move out a long time ago, ma'am." He said. "Last I heard, he was livin' in Trottingham." Their expressions fell.

"Oh, OK." Dash said. "Thanks anyway." With that, they turned and left, going back down the stairs.

"Oh poo." Pinkie said. Dash pat her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we've still got other ponies to talk to." She said. "And maybe Twilight and them will have better luck." Pinkie nodded.

"I hope so." She said. "Oh, I hope we haven't missed him or anything."

***

"Here we are." Firefly said. They were standing outside Sky Fizzy's, which Firefly had told them was a popular bar/soda fountain for the younger set, mostly university kids on the weekends. Firefly told them that it was one of Hailstorm's favorite places to go when they were in school, as the establishment served a large variety of non-alcoholic drinks for the high school crowd.

"Looks nice enough." Twilight said.

"Small word of advice, order something." Firefly said. "Bartenders are more likely to talk to you when you buy something." The gang then entered the bar, the sound of music from a jukebox filling their ears as they approached the bar. A middle aged stallion with a shot glass as a cutie mark stood behind it, wiping down several mugs. He smiled when he saw Firefly approach.

"The usual?" He asked.

"Straight to the point, eh Shooter?" She said. "And yes." He grabbed a small mug and poured a brown ale into it, ensuring he had a good head on it before sliding it down the bar to her. She took a swig. "Ah, I love this stuff."

"Can I get anything for you, ladies?" Shooter asked the others. Spike, being a boy dragon, scowled, but stayed quiet.

"Would you happen to have any sparkling water?" Rarity asked. Shooter seemed confused. "No? Could I have a small glass of your good red wine?" She asked.

"I'll try whatever it is Firefly's havin'." Applejack said.

"May we have two root beer floats, if you can?" Twilight asked. Spike grinned.

"Comin' right up." Shooter said.

"Go ahead and put all that on my tab." Firefly said. Shooter made their drinks while conversing with one of the other patrons.

"You think he knows where Hailstorm is?" Applejack asked.

"He's a regular, he has to know." Firefly said. "Especially if he's paying with plastic." Shooter returned with their drinks. Applejack took a drink of the ale, tasting the bitter hops, which contrasted nicely with the taste of fire-roasted malts.

"Not bad." She said. Spike eagerly started sipping his root beer float, while Rarity sampled her wine. She smiled

"Marvelous." She said.

"If you don't mind us asking, sir, we're looking for someone, and we were wondering if you could help us." Twilight asked.

"I'll try." He said.

"Do you know of a Hailstorm Tempest has been here recently?" She asked. He thought for a moment.

"I heard he was supposed to be in town, moving into an apartment over on Mustang." He said. "But I've been out for the last few days, so I can't tell you if he's been in recently. I'll ask my servers when they get off break." He said. Twilight smiled.

"Thank you, sir." She said.

"Please, just call me Shooter." He said with a smile, before going back to washing the mugs. The gang were all smiles. Surely they had to know where he was. This had to pan out. The anxiously waited, downing their drinks, until a pair of mares stepped in from the back.

"You ponies looking for Hailstorm Tempest?" One of them, a sea-green maned yellow pegasus, said.

"That we are, ma'am." Applejack said. "We heard rumors that he was back in town, and we decided to check some of his old haunts. You seen him?"

"He used to come in here every afternoon." The other, a red pegasus, said. "Always ordered the same thing; Bluestone Lager with an order of those fried cheese stick things." She shook her head. "Poor guy's gonna have horrible cholesterol." The

"Used to?" Twilight asked.

"He moved to Trottingham a while back." She said. "I think he took a job with the weather team there, but I could be wrong."

"Swell." Applejack said. "We were hoping to talk him into coming back to Ponyville with us.

"Ponyville?" They asked. "How come?" Rarity explained everything.

"Awww." The red pegasus said. "That's so cute." The yellow pegasus hastily grabbed some note paper and wrote down some names.

"Here you go." She said, handing the paper to Twilight. "These guys are all the local town gossips. If anyone knows if these rumors are true, they will."

"Thank you ladies." She said. "Firefly, do you think you could give them a generous tip?"

"One step ahead of ya." Firefly said, paying for their drinks and leaving a tip for the helpful barmaids, before the gang left, eager to follow their latest lead.

***

"Sorry Dash, I haven't seen him." Said a tall lime green stallion, his yellow eyes looking down at them from the scaffold he was on, a brush for washing windows at his hooves. "And I couldn't tell about any rumors, I haven't heard any. Have you tried his old apartment? If he was moving back he might be there."

"Gunther told us that he was moving back into his old apartment, but when we got there the landlord said he moved to Trottingham."

"Ah." The pegasus said. "Gunther's a nice enough griffon but, lately he's been going a bit... scatterbrained."

"Thanks anyway, Squee-Gee." She said, leaving her friend to his work. Pinkie lost a bit of her color at this news.

"We'll keep looking." Dash said to her. "Don't lose hope now." Pinkie nodded, but it was getting harder for her to keep her spirits up. This was the fifth old friend of Hailstorm's they has asked, and it was a dead end.

Were they ever going to find him?

***

The rest of the gang wasn't having any better luck. They had tried three of his favorite hangout spots, and none of them had any idea if they rumors were true. They had also taken to following the town gossip leads, but so far, none of them had any information to offer them. They were now on their way to try another one, one Scoops, who was supposed to be the best at gathering information and verifying it. As it should be; she was a reporter for the Cloudsdale Examiner.

Twilight and her companions were led inside and to a small office to wait for her. Scoops was known for her punctuality, they were told, so they wouldn't have long to wait. Still, sitting in a boring, drab office for an hour was so boring, it felt like an eternity. But finally, their contact, a brown mare with a red mane and a newsman's hat for a cutie mark, entered the room.

"They told me you were waiting for me?" She asked.

"Yes." Twilight said. "Some ponies told us you were good at verifying rumors?"

"I would hope so." Scoops said. "It is my job."

"I heard that an old friend of mine, Hailstorm Tempest, was back in town." Firefly said. "He's the guy who can create hailstorms from scratch, first time in hundreds of years that someone could do that." Scoops thought for a moment.

"You sure?" She asked. "Because if that were true, I would know." She said. They looked almost crestfallen.

"I know the guy." She said. "Everyone in this city does. Next to Rainbow Dash, he's the most remarkable pegasus this city has produced. If he were back in town, I would be the first to know. The folks around her know me well enough that they would have told."

"Oh." Twilight said. "We're sorry for bothering you."

"Please, it's OK." Scoops said. "I wish I knew what else I could do, but I'm afraid I just can't help you."

"It's alright." Rarity said. "Thank you anyway." With that, they left. They plopped down on the sidewalk and sighed. Their search was turning out to be in vain. They had scoured all their leads. Now all that was left was trying to canvas around, showing a photograph and asking. It was the only option they had left, so they got up and started asking everyone they met.

It was better than sitting their, feeling the growing sense of defeat within them.

***

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie later joined up with them for dinner. They too, had had a run of lousy luck, as she explained to them. They had asked every single one of his old friends, and they had come up with nothing. They all either said they didn't know or that he had moved and had not come back. Pinkie Pie was taking it worst. Her coat was now a much darker shade of pink, perfectly matching her growing sadness. She felt like they were going to fail their friend. She didn't want to fail her friend.

"We've been trying too." Twilight said. "We've been reduced to showing a photograph around. It's not helping. Nobody knows anything. I'm about ready to just give up."

"We can't give up." Rainbow Dash protested. "We just gotta keep trying, for Fluttershy's sake."

"She's right." Applejack said. "We can't stop now. We have to keep tryin' to find Hailstorm."

"Hailstorm?" A male voice asked. "You mean Hailstorm Tempest?" They turned to see a uniformed police officer approaching. Apparently the cafe they had stopped at was on his beat.

"Who are you?" Rainbow asked.

"Name's Lock Down." He said. "Would you believe me and Tempest went to university together?" He said.

"You did?" Pinkie asked. He nodded.

"Why didn't you just come to me?" He asked. "I could'a helped you find him."

"You can!?" They said, all smiles. Officer Lock Down chuckled.

"It's a bit irregular, but I could put in a call to R&I for you." He said. "They'll be able to pull up a current work address. If he's here, he's got to have a job."

"Thank you so much officer." Twilight said. Officer Lock Down bowed respectively before walking over to a nearby police phone box to put in the call. They waited anxiously while he spoke to someone on the other end. Pinkie Pie's expression had brightened a bit, and she was hopping up and down waiting for the call to come back. If anyone could find him, the police certainly could. Lock Down soon finished his call and came back over to them.

"I'm afraid I have bad news." He said. "R&I says he's currently working in Trottingham."

"Trottingham?" They all asked.

"The Weather Service has him on permanent assignment in Trottingham." Lock Down replied.

"PERMANENT ASSIGNMENT!?" They asked in shock. He nodded, sighing a bit. That little bit of bad news did it. Pinkie Pie practically deflated. Her hair went flat, she last all her bright color, and her eyes lost their light, only tears of heartbreak remaining, perfectly symbolizing the breaking heart of every one of the Elements of Harmony. Lock Down gave them a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, ladies." He said.

"It's OK, Officer." Twilight said, her voice cracking. "Thank you for trying." Lock Down bid them farewell before continuing his beat. Once he was gone, Pinkie began to whimper, and finally cry full on, tears streaming down her face as she buried it in her hooves. Rainbow Dash tried to keep herself from crying, but to no avail, sniffling and wiping tears from her own eyes, while her sister tried her best to comfort her. Twilight and the others didn't even bother to try and dry their eyes, there were so many dripping from them.

"We're so sorry, Fluttershy." Rarity whimpered. "We failed you..." Firefly felt nothing but sympathy for them. They wanted so badly to reunite their friend, they gambled everything on finding him in Cloudsdale in time for Hearts and Hooves. But, they lost. It kicked her in the gut to see them upset, especially her sister, who was normally so composed.

"If you don't feel like going back today... you can spend the night at my place." She said. "It's not stylish, but it's comfortable." Twilight looked at her.

"Thank you, Firefly." She said, her eyes turning red from crying. They didn't even bother to order; they didn't feel any appetite then. They simply left for Firefly's home, tired and defeated.

***

Pinkie Pie had her eye on Firefly's clock. She watched the second hand move around the face of the clock on it's journey to count down another minute lost. She dried a single tear from her eye. They had all long since stopped crying, but the pain remained. They hadn't been able to get any sleep, so they simply stayed awake, commiserating. Firefly had done her best to comfort them, but the hurt remained. It was more than just sadness, it was defeat. They had failed their friend, and they all knew it.

Oh, what were they going to tell Fluttershy when they got back home?

With a ring, the clock struck midnight. The previous day and it's events were all over. It was now a new day, and a new beginning. Only, it didn't feel like it.

"Midnight." Pinkie said. "Hearts and Hooves Day." She felt as though a stake had been driven into her heart. They had well and truly failed. There was nothing they could do now. It was all over.

Her stomach began to growl. She was hungry, but for some reason, she just didn't feel like eating. However, it would be better if she did, if they all did. She walked over to where the others were sitting.

"If anyone else is hungry, I can get us a late dinner." She said. The others looked up.

"Might as well." Applejack said. "Better than just sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves." Rarity nodded. Firefly came over and gave Pinkie some bits.

"There's a 24-hour bakery around the corner." She said. "They make some pretty good doughnuts."

"Thanks, Firefly." She said, putting the bits in her saddlebags and leaving for the bakery. It was a short walk to the little hole in the wall place, and she almost missed it, but the smell of baked goods led her in. She entered, ringing a bell, and a kindly looking mare stood at the counter.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Could I have two dozen varied doughnuts to go please?" She asked.

"Of course dear." She said. "Is everything alright? You seem bothered."

"It's a long story." Pinkie said with a sigh. The mare took her order back to the kitchen.

"It'll be a little bit." She said. "You're more than welcome to have a seat." Pinkie thanked her before taking a seat. She laid her head down on the table, thinking about Fluttershy. It brought another tear to her eye when she thought about what would happen when they told her what they tried to do. Probably break her heart into a million pieces, she thought, if it wasn't already there before. She sighed again as the mare left to help with her order. Pinkie just buried her face in her hooves, ready to start crying again, feeling the fireball in her throat, when out of the corner of her ear, she hear someone singing loudly outside.

Had some money for a turbo drive.... It ain't the destination, it's the ride, ride, ride...

Curious, she looked up from her hooves and craned to listen, just as someone came in from off the street. Now she could tell it was a stallion.

Kick it into gear, kick it into gear
That's the only way you're gonna get on outta here
Kick it into gear, kick it into gear
Sometimes you just got to kick into gear

"That song... could it be?" She wondered. Before she could look, the mare came back from the kitchen.

"Oh my stars." She said. "Is that Hailstorm Tempest I see coming back in here?"

"Unless I have an evil, singing twin I don't about." The voice joked.

"I don't believe it! The Prodigal Son returns." The mare said. Pinkie Pie whirled around to see. She gasped.

The white coat. The blue mane and short cropped tail. The hailstone cutie mark. It was him!

Pinkie Pie felt a sudden surge of happiness go through her being, so much so that her mane burst back into it's usual poofiness, and her bright colors returned. Her eyes grew wide and shimmered with the joyous fire that now burned within her heart.

"Aaaaah!" She squealed. "I found you, IfoundyouIfoundyouIfoundyou!" She started hopping and bouncing around the entire bakery. Hailstorm grabbed his nicked ears and held them shut.

"Sure, you can murder my eardrums." He said. "Go right ahead." Pinkie Pie didn't notice, she was too happy.

"Hailstorm!" She squealed. "I can't believe it! We were looking for you all over the city for you, and we thought we couldn't, cuz you were in Trottingham, but now you're here and AAAAH!" She squealed. Hailstorm looked back at the mare.

"I don't know her, I've never seen her before in my life, and stop looking at me like that." Pinkie Pie bounded over and grabbed on to his hoof.

"Come on! You have to come with me! It's important!" She said. She looked at him with an insistent look in her eyes. Hailstorm grinned sheepishly, but though he had a strange mare he had never seen before trying to drag him out of the store, he felt he could trust her for some reason.

"Well, if it means that much to you..." He said, but Pinkie was already dragging him along before he could finish.

"Could you hold those doughnuts?" Pinkie asked. The mare was laughing.

"Of course, dear." She said.

"Thanks!" She said, dragging a stammering Hailstorm with her.

***

Rainbow Dash, feeling as miserable as ever, fluttered her way downstairs after washing herself up. The rest of the gang was trying to distract themselves with a card game, and she decided to join in.

"What are we playing?" She asked.

"Seven card stud, aces and deuces wild." Firefly said. Rainbow sat down and asked to be dealt in. They were just about to start the opening round betting when...

"I FOUND HIM!" Cards and poker chips flew everywhere as five ponies jumped in total surprise.

"Pinkie, what gives?" Rainbow asked. Pinkie just bounced like a ball.

"IfoundhimIfoundhimIfoundhimIfoundhim!" She chattered.

"Slow down, Pinkie Pie." Applejack said, just as someone began to come into view.

"Ugh." He said. "Alright, now that we've stopped, what the hay is so important?" He asked. Everypony's eyes suddenly went wide, especially those of Rainbow Dash and Firefly.

"Hailstorm!?" She said. He gaped.

"What the... Rainbow Dash?" He said. He would have said more had Rainbow not tackled him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"Aw man! We've been looking everwhere for you!" She said. "How ya been?"

"Fine." He said. "And I'll keep being fine as soon as you let me breath." She released her hug as the others began to crowd around.

"I can't believe it!" Twilight said, overjoyed. "It's really him!"

"Oh, he's even more handsome in person." Rarity said, causing Hailstorm to blush. "Fluttershy picked such a fine stallion..." Applejack said nothing, just looked at him with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" Firefly asked. "When were scouring the city, nobody could tell us where you were."

"We finally had to have a policeman call in to get your work address, but they said you have been placed on permanent station in Trottingham." Rarity said.

"Oh, that." He said. "Well, you see, they actually just reassigned me the other day. The Weather Service hasn't sent it in to R&I yet." He said. "I thought I'd drop in to see the old neighborhood before I left."

"Where are they sending you?" Twilight asked.

"Some little podunk town called Ponyville." He said.

"YAY!" Pinkie cried. "He's coming to Ponyville!"

"That's our hometown." Applejack said. Twilight beamed, then cleared her throat.

"Oh silly me." She said. "I haven't introduced us yet. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends." Applejack shook his hoof.

"Howdy, I'm Applejack." She said. Rarity smiled at him.

"My name is Rarity." She said. "You've already met Pinkie Pie." She said, pointing to the hyperexcited pink pony.

"You can say that again." He said. "So, if I might ask, why were you guys looking for me?" He asked.

"Wanna take a guess?" Rainbow asked.

"No, I stink at guessing games." He said. Rainbow chuckled.

"In that case," she said, "well, we were gonna ask you to come back to Ponyville with us tomorrow." Hailstorm cocked his head.

"But I'm not due there for another two days." He said. "Why tomorrow?"

"Well, since Hearts and Hooves gets kicked off in the morning, we figured you might want to see your old marefriend again." She said with a wink.

"My old wha..." Hailstorm began, but then it clicked. "What? Fluttershy? Fluttershy's in Ponyville?" He said. His voice cracked just a little bit.

"Yes, she is. " Twilight said. "That's why we came here. When we found out about you two, we just had to bring you back for Hearts and Hooves." Hailstorm pawed the floor.

"I haven't seen her in years." He said. "I doubt she even remembers me, let alone still loves me..." Rarity placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"Not only does she still love as much as she did before, darling," she said, "she's pining for you."

"What?" He asked.

"She's right." Applejack said. "She's all kinds of tore up inside from missin' you so much."

"Just devestated." Pinkie Pie said. "So please, will you come back with us tomorrow? Oh please please pleeeeeease?" She looked at him with a pleading look. Everyone else did as well. Hailstorm felt a smile crack his face. Fluttershy, his sweet little Fluttershy, the one who would give him butterfly kisses whenever she passed him, the one he promised he would marry someday, the one he promised everything he had to, was waiting for him back in Ponyville. He felt his heart begin to flutter at the thought of holding her again, of looking into those big cyan eyes, of sharing another kiss...

"I made her a promise." He said. "I promised her that I would come back to her. I promised her we'd never be apart, that I'd always be with her." He smiled. "I'll go with you guys." Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to explode.

"He said yes!" She cheered. "This calls for a PARTY!"

"Whoa there, sugarcube." Applejack said. "Ya gotta save that party energy for tomorrow."

"Ooh, right." She said. "And I know just what to do. But first, let's get doughnuts." She said. The others agreed. Firefly offered to allow Hailstorm to stay, which he graciously accepted. Pinkie Pie shot off and returned with the donut order, which everyone happily shared. Twilight told them about stopping Night Mare Moon and Discord, which Hailstorm listened to with rapt attention. After a hearty meal, they all retired. Blankets were set up, and one by one ponies drifted off to dreamland. Hailstorm in particular dreamed sweet things, about him, and the mare he loved and thought would never see again. He smiled in his sleep as the images filled his head.

"I'm coming home, Fluttershy." He said.

***

Hearts and Hooves day came to Ponyville with much fanfare. Ponies all across the little town were celebrating in their own way. Little parties were held at various locations, and at Ponyville's school, foals of all ages exchanged sweet little cards and candy with their friends. A few gasps and cheers were heard as marriage proposals were accepted, and hearts in general inflamed with love and passion.

The biggest celebration was yet to come, however. Applejack and her family spend the entire day setting up for Pinkie Pie's Hearts and Hooves Dance. She had invited practically the entire town there, and no expense was being spared. Even Mayor Mare offered to help out, generously donating some of her own money to help cover the costs. There was a bandstand for Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ PON-3, to use for her music, along with tables for the massive spread that was being prepared, and a special portable dance floor for the ponies to dance on, whether with a partner or without.

Rarity worked overtime preparing lovely dresses for the festivities, assisted by her friends and some of the local townsfolk. She designed an especially lovely one for Fluttershy to wear that evening, based on her Gala dress, since, after all, it was going to be about her. It brought a smile to her face when she thought of everything they had planned for her.

The hours ticked away, as work continued. Those who could help generously donated their time and talent, and nothing was left uncovered. Soon, everything was ready for the festivities. All that mattered now was to wait for the right time.

***

Fluttershy looked out the window. The sun was beginning to set below the horizon. Another Hearts and Hooves day was coming to a close... another Hearts and Hooves day without the one she loved. It tore her heart to pieces. She longed to see him again, the feel him holding her, nuzzling her, kissing her. She longed to hear his voice again... to hear him singing to her. Oh, how she loved it when he sang to her. He had the most beautiful singing voice. Every Hearts and Hooves Day after they met, he would call her on the phone that morning and sing to her. She remembered how she would be sure to wake up early that morning, just so she could hear it.

She sighed. But now he was gone, and she couldn't hear him sing anymore. She tried to keep them at bay, just to avoid the pain that always came with them, but they came anyway.

"Oh, Hailstorm." She said, pain in her voice as she began to recall that first moment they had as a couple, when she fell truly in love for the first time.

Hailstorm and Fluttershy walked together under the starry night sky. The local youth club had put on a Hearts and Hooves Day dance for the local students, and nearly everyone was there. Fillies and colts alike milled about or danced with their dates, either in the club itself or under the sky. Hailstorm and Fluttershy were no exception.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight." Fluttershy said. Hailstorm smiled.

"They're not nearly as beautiful as you are." He said. Fluttershy blushed.

"I'm not that beautiful..." She said. Hailstorm placed a gentle hoof on her cheek.

"In my eyes, you'll always be the most beautiful filly in Equestria." He said. She blushed again. Just then, a song came over the sound system. She smiled when she heard it.

"I love this song." She said, and she began to sing along

I just wanted you to comfort me
When I called you late last night you see
I was fallin' into love
Yes, I was crashin' into love
Oh of all the words you sang to me
About life, the truth and being free, yeah
You sang to me, oh how you sang to me

Hailstorm smiled at her, and joined in. It was time to let her know

Girl, I live off how you make me feel
So I question all this being real
'Cause I'm not afraid to love
For the first time I'm not afraid of love

Oh, this day seems made for you and me
And you showed me what life needs to be
Yeah, you sang to me, oh you sang to me

Fluttershy felt a tear come to her eye when she realized what he was trying to say. Just as the song broke into the chorus, they slowly leaned into each other, closed their eyes, and allowed the lips to touch.

And with that, they shared their first kiss.

Fluttershy had to stop reminiscing at that point. The memory was one of her most cherished, and yet it was also the one that caused her the most heartache. At this point, she just couldn't take it anymore. She desperately tried to force herself to stop remembering, even as the song, their song, played in her mind.

"Please stop." She said, her voice cracking. Just then, there was a knock at the door. She dried what tears there were in her eyes and walked over to answer it. She was surprised to see Pinkie Pie there, a pink envelope sealed with a heart in her mouth.

"Oh, hello Pinkie Pie." She said. "What's this?" Pinkie placed it in her hoof.

"It's an invitation to the big H and H day dance at Sweet Apple Acres." She said. "There's going to be dancing, and cakes and cupcakes and games and you're the guest of honor." Fluttershy froze.

"But me?" She said. "Oh, I don't know..."

"We have a surprise for you!" She chirped musically. Fluttershy couldn't help but crack a smile at her friend.

"Well, OK, since you went to so much trouble." She said. Pinkie Pie grinned.

"Seven o'clock sharp." She said. "Be there or be square." She said, bouncing away. Fluttershy smiled a bit more, before going back inside.

At least she still had her friends.

***

"Do I have to wear this?" Firefly asked. Rarity had dressed her in the formal gown she made for her, and to be honest, she just wasn't the formal type. But Rarity only nodded insistently.

"I know it's not your style, but I must insist on formal attire." She said, pointing at the pink and blue crystal studded white dress. Firefly didn't like it one bit, but she relented. This was for Fluttershy, so she would bear it.

"Is Flutters coming?" She asked Pinkie, who stood nearby. She nodded.

"She'll be here any minute now." She said. The pink pony bounced off to go talk to her other friends. They waited for about ten minutes, before they spotted someone coming over the hill.

"Is that her?" Rainbow Dash asked. Everypony watched as not one, but two figures came into view... ones they all knew quite well.

"Holy guacamole!" Firefly said. "Is that Soarin' and Spitfire?" Sure enough, the two lead Wonderbolts entered the party, surprisingly dressed in their flight uniforms. Rainbow Dash gasped. The two Wonderbolts made a beeline right for her. She squeaked as though trying to suppress a fangirl squeal. Spitfire smiled at Dash, but said nothing, instead nudging Soarin' in the ribs. He smiled and turned to Rainbow.

"Hey, uh, Rainbow Dash." He said. She squeaked at him remembering her name. "I uh... well, I brought you a little... something... happy Hearts and Hooves Day." He said. He uncurled his tail to reveal a bouquet of roses, furnished by the local florist, and passed it to her. Rainbow Dash felt her heart being to race so fast it felt like it was going to explode. Did Soarin', the Soarin', like her. She looked at the tag, which was singed with.... x's and o's. Firefly noticed it too.

"Stand back, she's gonna blow!" She said playfully. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash burst into a series of fangirl shrieks and squeals and pranced around on her hooftips, so much that one might mistake her for Rarity.

"I can't believe it!" She said. "A... Wonderbolt... has a... CRUSH ON ME!" Soarin' blushed and grinned, while Spitfire just smiled approvingly. Applejack laughed at her friend's spasm.

"Well then for goodness sakes, go dance with him already." She said. Rainbow wasted no time in practically dragging him out the dance floor. Firefly laughed.

"Soarin' for a bro-in-law?" She asked. "I like the sound of that." The others smiled, happy for their friend. Twilight held the hoof of her steady coltfriend, Caramel, sighing, knowing that this was about to be followed up by something even more wonderful.

They waited for about another twenty minutes, and then, right on time, Fluttershy, dressedin her beautiful green satin dress, came into the dance, looking self-conscience, but still pleased to be there. Twilight came right over.

"Fluttershy, I'm so glad you came." she said. Fluttershy smiled.

"Thank you for putting this on." She said. "I feels good to be out with my friends again." She said, though she certainly still hurt inside. Twilight smiled.

"Good, because we have something special planned." She said, producing a blind fold, clearing the dance floor, and placing her in the center of it before blindfolding her.

"Twilight?" She asked, a little afraid.

"It's OK." She said. "It's just that special."

"OK." Fluttershy said. Twilight then clapped her hooves. Fluttershy waited their, not able to see, but still able to sense something, or someone, coming up to her. She held her hooves out to receive whatever it was, but instead was greeted by a soft breath on her ear, and then she heard someone start to sing.

Sing a song she knew very well.

All the while you were in front of me I never realized
I just can't believe I didn't see it in your eyes
I didn't see it, I can't believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me ]

Fluttershy knew that song... and that voice! She felt her heart begin to quicken, she began to tremble.

"H-H-Hailstorm?" She asked, her voice cracking yet again. She didn't dare believe it to be true, it was too good to be true. It just couldn't be true. Immediately she tore off the blindfold and looked to her side.

And there was no mistaking the pegasus stallion who stood beside her.

Fluttershy's eyes began to flood with tears. Her heart beat a pace she didn't think was possible. Her breathing came in short, ragged breaths. She just couldn't believe it. There he was, standing right in front of her. Her lost love, her soulmate, the other half of her heart.

"Hailstorm, it can... is it really you?" She asked. "I must be dreaming." If she was dreaming, she didn't want it to end. Hailstorm gave her a gentle nip on the ear. She didn't wake up in her bed, with only her heartache as her companion. The other ponies watched them intently. Fluttershy's vision grew cloudy as more tears, this time tears of joy rather than heartache, flooded her eyes.

"It's me." He said. Fluttershy cried out happily and embraced him, finally letting it all out. Her body shook as joyous sobs coursed through her. Hailstorm wrapped his forelegs around her in a loving embrace, some tears of his own beginning to form.

"Oh Hailstorm," she cried, "I thought I'd never see you again! I missed you so much, it felt like I was dying inside."

"I missed you too, Fluttershy." He said. "There wasn't a day that went by that I wasn't thinking about you, nor a night where I wasn't dreaming of you." He said. "I'm so sorry I was gone for so long..."

"Please don't." She said. "I'm just so happy you're here now. But, how did you find me?'

"Well, I had a little help." He said, gesturing toward her friends. She turned to them.

"This was my surprise?" she asked. "You went and found him?"

"Well, more like he found us." Applejack said. Twilight nodded.

"We wanted you to be happy again, so we went to Cloudsdale to find him." She said. Fluttershy smiled.

"Oh, thank you." She said. "I can't even repay you for this." Hailstorm put a hoof on her shoulder.

"It's not over yet." He said. He took something out of his vest pocket and slipped it over her hoof. She gasped loudly when she saw it.

It was a hoof ring, but a special kind of hoof ring... one that asked a very important question. She squeaked as more tears flowed. Hailstorm smiled.

"I made a promise." He said. "I intend to keep it." He said. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Everypony there leaned forward, anxiously awaiting her answer. Pinkie Pie leaned so much, she flopped over on her face.

"Ouch." She said. Fluttershy looked at the ring, then at Hailstorm, and smiled, a true honest smile.

"Yes." She said. Hailstorm teared up even more as they embraced again.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash whooped. "Best day ever!" Everypony began to clap and cheer for them as Vinyl began to play their song. But they didn't hear them. They were too focused on each other. Fluttershy placed a hoof on his cheek, and just like on another Hearts and Hooves Day so long ago, they leaned toward each other.

And they shared a wonderful, passionate kiss.

***

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned something more wonderful than I can possibly describe. I learned just how powerful true love can be. Even after being separated by distance or even by the gulf of time itself, true love always prevails. The bond shared by two loving hearts is, when is pure and honest, is strong enough to withstand anything that life can send its way. And that is what makes it so wonderful to have.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

THE END

And the Bells Tolled for Them

BONUS CHAPTER: AND THE BELLS TOLLED FOR THEM

Many months had passed since that fateful trip to Cloudsdale. Summer turned to winter, and winter turned to spring. With the spring came Winter Wrap Up, where the citizens of Ponyville cleaned up winter and made the transition to spring. The white snow covered landscape was replaced by a verdant green, which eventually speckled with color as the wildflowers grew and bloomed. The animals returned to their previous state of activity from the long hibernation period of winter. Life had returned to the land.

But life had never left Ponyville. All through winter, the ponies had gone about their daily routines and rituals, and that continued unabated with the arrival of spring. As the sun began to rise over the horizon, a few shopkeepers opened their stores for business. Several pegasi took off for their early morning shift with the weather patrol, clearing some stray clouds to allow the light of the sun to bath the town with its warmth.

But for those who didn't run shops, or who weren't on the weather patrol, today was a very special day, one that was long in the making, ever since that fateful day back last spring.

Fluttershy was already awake, as was her custom, but today that custom was especially important. She brushed her teeth extra carefully, and even took the time to rinse with mouthwash before take a warm shower, drying off, and brushing her mane down, making sure everything was neat. After that, she went downstairs and bade her beloved animals goodbye, promising to return. She didn't bother with breakfast, there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, she had an appointment with Rarity, one that could not wait.

She walked briskly over to Carousel Boutique, where Rarity was waiting for her with a huge smile on her face.

"Fluttershy, darling." She said cheerily. "You're just in time." Fluttershy smiled.

"I hope there's enough time." She said. Rarity nodded.

"Yes of course." She said. "Don't worry darling, I'll have you ready in time for your wedding." She said those last words with a happy giggle. She couldn't help it. She was so happy that today was the big day. They had been planning Fluttershy's wedding for months, with Rarity, of course, leading the charge, including designing her a lovely wedding dress completely free of charge. She led her friend inside the boutique. Fluttershy caught the scent of fresh forget-me-nots, coming from baskets of petals laid neatly across one section of the floor. She guessed these were for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had volunteered to serve as flower fillies for the wedding. Their newest friend Pipsqueak would be serving as ringbearer. Fluttershy gave a soft but noticeable happy squee.

"I still can't believe this is all happening." She said. "I've never been more excited and joyous in my life." She fluttered into the air, her face split by a huge smile. Rarity giggled at her.

"As am I, and all our friends." She said. "Why, I'd say the entire town has never been happier." Fluttershy blushed.

"Oh... my." She said. Rarity led her back to the boutique's fitting area, where Fluttershy got the first look at the dress she had designed for her to wear on her special day. It was the usual white, but Rarity had added some twists to it. It was made of a soft, wavy silk, designed to look like it was flowing in the spring breeze. Forget-me-nots and rose petals were seamlessly woven into the fabric, and gave the dress a springtime scent to go with the springtime look. The train stretching out behind the dress was inlaid with gold thread in floral patters, and the veil was capped off by more forget-me-nots and was made of sheer silk. Fluttershy awwed at the sight of it. "It's... beautiful." Rarity smiled.

"Only the best for my best friend on her big day." She said. Then she suddenly seized up, as though trying to hold something in, but failed and began to hop up and down in one place, squealing like a schoolfilly who's crush had just asked her to the prom. Fluttershy watched her, a bit embarassed.

"Oh Rarity, please stop." She said, blushing and trying to suppress a giggle. "You don't want to put your dress on on when you're all sweaty do you?" She asked, but Rarity didn't hear her. She kept jumping up and down and squealing as the bell ran, indicating someone had entered the boutique.

"Has she gone full Pinkie yet?" Applejack's voice said. Fluttershy turned around to see the rest of her friends assembled. Apparently, Rarity had likewise summoned them early that morning as well. Rainbow Dash started cackling when she saw Rarity.

"Yep, she has." She said, in between her guffaws. Pinkie Pie started giggling.

"Gee, I thought I was the only one who was super duper excited." She said. Rarity finally stopped when she noticed everyone was staring at her.

"Oh, excuse me." She said sheepishly. "I'm just so happy, you know?"

"And now she's gone full Fluttershy." Twilight said. Everyone, Fluttershy included, laughed at that. Finally, Rarity clapped her hooves.

"Alright, enough chit chat." She said. "It's time to get ready." She said with a serious expression on her face. She started by dressing everyone in their clothes; Fluttershy in her wedding gown, the rest of them in their bridesmaids outfits. These were simple, but no less lovely, red gowns with pink sashes. Each one was set with rimestones and had a corsage of pink orchid pinned to the chest. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were decidedly uncomfortable wearing something so "frou-frouish" but they grinned and bore it. It was Fluttershy's big day, after all. They had no right to spoil it by griping.

Rainbow Dash busied herself by taking a moment to preen her wings. It was another unique ability of the pegasi, along with being able to walk on clouds. She delicately nibbled on each of her wing feathers, making sure they were clean and straight before finishing by preening the edge of her wings. Satisfied, she folded them back into her body. Fluttershy did likewise with her wings.

Twilight checked herself out in a mirror, making sure everything was straight. She smoothed out a few creases and perfectly centered her corsage. Applejack smiled.

"Prettying yourself up for mah cuz?" She said with a sly smile. Twilight blushed.

"Well, I might as well look neat right?" She asked with a sheepish smile. Applejack chuckled.

"Relax Twi, I'm just playing around." She said. Twilight giggled. Rarity came over and began applying makeup to her face, starting with some blush.

"Hold still please." She said. Twilight did as she was told. Rarity placed blush on her cheeks, did up her eyelashes and placed just a small amount of eyeliner on her. "Perfect!" She chirped, before moving on to the others. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and even Rainbow Dash were done up in a similar way, before she finally got to Fluttershy, whom she only placed a small amount of blush on, her reasoning being that Fluttershy was already "a natural beauty" and she needed little, if any, enhancement. Fluttershy turned crimson at hearing that.

"Careful." Rainbow said. "Someone's gonna mistake you for a strawberry." The girls shared a giggle at that, just as they heard a carriage pulling.

"Ah, just in time." Rarity said, spritzing herself with some classy perfume, and offering it to her friends. Everyone except Rainbow Dash and Applejack accepted, Applejack saying she brought her own, and Rainbow Dash simply drawing the line with perfume (she was never a big fan of perfume anyway). Applejack sprayed herself with a pleasant smelling modern scent before they went outside to greet their ride. They were in for a surprise when they saw who it was.

"Your majesties!" Rarity said with a gasp. Princess Celestia looked at them with a warm grin from her personal chariot, flanked by her sister. Both were dressed up in their finest; Celestia was dressed in an elegant wine red formal gown with gold highlights and jewels matching those on her crown encrusting the hem. Luna was wearing a black and midnight blue ensemble with a bottom half decorated with gold flake and real diamonds, giving it the appearance of the night sky itself. A pendant with her personal emblem, and pearl moon, capped it off. She was also wearing her formal crown in place of her normal tiara, made of pure silver and capped with a mother of pearl and two flawless sapphires.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world." She said. "Hello, Fluttershy." She said. Fluttershy smiled and bowed out of respect.

"Hello, Princess." She said. "I'm sorry if we seemed surprised, we just didin't expect you to come... you being so busy and all..." Luna cut her off before she could go on another apologetic ramble.

"Us? Allow silly things like 'royal duties' to get in the way of being there to see our dear friend on the biggest day of her life?" She said. "Preposterous! Perish the thought." She giggled.

"Oh, thank you." Fluttershy said. "Thank you so much." Celestia gestured toward the back, and they got their first look at the luxurious carriage being pulled behind the royal chariot. It looked like something out of a fairytale; seemingly made entirely of gold shaped into various patterns, they could see just enough inside that it had a red velvet interior.

"I was actually surprised we still had this one." Celestia said. "I've become so accustomed to the chariot I rarely use anything else. Lucky thing I was able to scrouge this old thing up." She said with a smile. "Only the best." She looked right a Fluttershy when she said this. Fluttershy turned crimson again.

"Oh, you don't have to." She said.

"Think nothing of it." Luna said, stepping down from the chariot. Her smile told Fluttershy that there was nothing to be apologetic about, that they were glad to do this for her, Luna seemingly especially glad. After all, it was Fluttershy and her friends who freed her from the corruption of Night Mare Moon and gave her her life back.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Rainbow said. "Let's rock!" She said, zipping into the carriage. The others rolled their eyes and boarded as well, the princesses sitting with them this time.

***

It looks like the entire town has come out for this one, Hailstorm thought as he paced about the outdoor garden where the wedding was being held. Indeed, the seating area was full of ponies dressed in their finest. Granny Smith was sitting front and center, alongside Twilight Sparkle's mother and father, Twilight Starshine and Nightlight. His parents were sitting on the other side of them, his mother already crying tears of joy. Next to them sat Fluttershy's parents; a rather large female pegasus, with her daughter's yellow coat and a mane of flaming red, named Steelheart, dressed in full Royal Guard uniform sans helmet, and her father, a smaller earth pony stallion with a white coat and pink mane, which matched his daughter's to a T. His cutie mark was a scroll and quill. In place of his wife's proud stance, he sat rather reservedly in his seat. It was obvious that Fluttershy took after him in personality.

Next to them sat another yellow mare, likewise with a pink mane. She had the same cyan eyes as Fluttershy, and looked so much like her that they could pass as twins. In fact, they were. The two had been born as fraternal twins, and their doctors were surprised just how much they looked alike. The only thing that marked the difference, other than Fluttershy being a pegasus and her sister being an earth pony, was their cutie marks. In pace of Fluttershy's butterflies, this mare had five pink tulips, her talent being gardening and raising flowers. She slouched a bit in her seat, getting a bit anxious at the crowd.

"Sit up, Posey." Her mother said gently. "Posture is important." Posey looked up at her mother, fiddling with the green bow in her mane.

"Yes, mother." She said. Like her sister, she took after her father in personality, though she was markedly less reserved than her sister. Still, she often got antsy in crowds, but that hadn't stopped her from coming. Her sister was getting married, and that was all that mattered. She shifted so she was sitting up straight. Her mother smiled and gave her a nuzzle. Despite her boisterous and outgoing nature, she was very gentle toward her two daughters and her husband, loving the butterflies out of all of them.

"I hope they're OK." Scribe, their father, said. "It's been such a long time.." He fretted, as he often did when it came to his darling daughters. Steelheart reached over and put a reassuring hoof on his shoulder.

"Relax, dear." She said. "Everything is fine. Fluttershy is nothing if not punctual." Hailstorm, meanwhile, was talking with his groomsmen. For his best stallion, he selected Big Macintosh, a close friend of the girls and sister of Applejack, and known across town as a stallion who could be counted on. Big Macintosh sunk himself into the role, even going so far as to help Pinkie Pie plan the reception.

Alongside Big Mac were Caramel, Doctor Whooves, and Braeburn, who was there at the invitation of Applejack. All four were wearing equally fine tuxedos, courtesy of Rarity, who had insisted on supplying the groomsmen's wardrobe as well as the bridesmaid's gowns. Hailstorm was beginning to sweat bullets, worried that Fluttershy would be late. Big Macintosh noticed.

"You OK?" He asked.

"Nervous." He said. Big Macintosh put a hoof on his shoulder and gave Hailstorm a warm smile. That appeared to help, just as a magnificent looking carriage pulled up. The crowd gaped at it, and even more so when the princesses stepped out and took seats at the front, right across from the gathered family. Braeburn hastily took off his hat and bowed, followed by the other groomsmen. Princess Celestia only smiled and waved to them to stand. Luna signaled a chorus of birds, which began to belt out the traditional wedding march. Hailstorm steeled himself. Here it comes, he thought, the biggest day of our lives.

From the back, the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, dressed in fancy country themed gowns loaned by the Apple Family, stepped and began to sprinkle flower petals along the aisle. Pipsqueak, beaming, followed them, carrying a cushion in his mouth bearing the two wedding hoof rings, one for Fluttershy and one for Hailstorm. He paused briefly to wave to Princess Luna, who smiled and waved back, before taking a spot near the groomsmen and across from the Crusaders, who finished their job by playfully throwing flower petals at the groomsmen, eliciting a laugh from everypony.

They were followed by Fluttershy's friends. Twilight led them, followed by Applejack and Rarity, with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. They took their spots behind the Crusaders, Applejack taking a moment to straighten Apple Bloom's hair bow. Twilight smiled across the way at Caramel, and mouthed "you look handsome" at him, which caused him to blush crimson. The other groomsmen snickered.

And then it was Fluttershy's turn to enter. Everypony stood up as she came in, slowly at first, but picked up her pace as she got closer, her eyes locked on Hailstorm, her heartbeat quickening. In a pouch on her chest, she carried her traditional bouquet, filled to bursting with forget-me-nots, her veil draped over her face in the customary manner. Hailstorm gaped as she entered. Never in his life, had he seen her looking as beautiful as she did now. As she approached, he walked over and escorted her the rest of the way, until they were facing an elderly pony wearing a collar around his neck, carrying a scroll. As as the music stopped, everypony sat down, and the elderly stallion opened his scroll, and began to read.

"Dearly beloved." He said, his voice slurred a bit from his age. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the matrimony between this stallion and this mare..." Everything else he said was drowned out by the two lovebirds as they gazed into each others eyes. Fluttershy's eyes began to fill with tears. The only other time she had felt so happy was when she had been reunited with Hailstorm. Those memories began to come flooding back, and that song, their song, began to play in her mind. She began to silently sing along with the lyrics, mouthing them out, with Hailstorm catching and following along, a tear in his own eye. Just as they got to the end, the stallion cleared his throat. They turned to see him looking at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. The stallion only gave her a smile and entered into the vows.

"Do you, Hailstorm Tempest, take this mare to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so you as you both shall live?" The stallion asked him. Hailstorm's reply was instantaneous.

"I do." He said, conviction in his voice. The stallion turned to Fluttershy.

"And do you, Fluttershy, take this stallion to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?" He asked her. Fluttershy sniffled a bit and dried her eyes, but she smiled.

"I-I do." She said, clasping Hailstorm's hooves in her own. The stallion gestured for Pipsqueak to come forward with the rings, and Big Macintosh and Twilight, who was serving as Fluttershy's maid of honor, each took Fluttershy's and Hailstorm's rings, respectively. Big Macintosh placed Fluttershy's ring in Hailstorm's hoof. He turned to Fluttershy.

"With this ring, I bind my life to yours, not in chains, but in cheer, precious as gold, never-ending as time. I love you, and this I take as my solemn vow." He said, slipping the ring on her hoof. Fluttershy began to cry in joy anew, as Twilight repeated the process with Hailstorm's ring. Her voice was shaky, but she pronounced her own ring vows with equal conviction. Several in the audience began to tear up, with Pinkie Pie taking the cake with her wails. Rainbow Dash and Rarity both produced umbrellas to block the cascade of tears that poured from her eyes.

"And now, inasmuch as Hailstorm Tempest and Fluttershy have demonstrated their commitment to one another and their desire to live their lives together through the taking of vows and the giving of rings," the stallion said," it is with great pleasure that I, through the power vested in me by all the powers of the heavens, now pronounce you Husband and Wife." He grinned. "You may kiss the bride." Hailstorm gently lifted Fluttershy's veil, and the two shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The entire audience burst into loud applause, joy for the new couple spreading about the room like the common cold. The Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped up and down and cheered, Fluttershy's bridesmaids clapped their hooves and cried, with even Rainbow Dash managing to shed a flood of joyous tears, and the groomsmen whooped and hollered.

"Jolly good show!" Doctor Whooves cheered. "One for the books, I say." Fluttershy and Hailstorm took a look into each other's eyes once again, as music began to play anew, and they took their walk down the aisle as newlyweds, ready to begin the rest of their lives together. The guests began to throw the traditional rice at them, eliciting giggles from the couple and the attendants who accompanied them. All in all, it was a joyous day, not only for the couple, but also for their friends and neighbors.

A fitting end to a most heartwarming story.

THE END