Eye of the Beholder

Chapter 8: Dinner and a Brawl

It is high noon on Sunday morning; Fluttershy’s clock rang notifying her that another hour had passed. In a few hours Silver would arrive to take her out to eat dinner at her favorite restaurant in town. Though she wasn’t sure if she would be able to eat much of anything, she could barely down breakfast thinking about the date. Although she and Silver had technically had a first date already, it was far too short to be considered a real date. Now she was wondering how the date would go, would she feel nervous, what would they would talk about, and several other questions she didn’t know the answer to.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking this…” Fluttershy said to herself, but she didn’t know if she was or not, she didn’t have any experience with dating. Among her circle of friends there was only one that knew the ins and outs of dating. “Maybe I should ask Rarity for some advice on this” she added as she looked out her living-room window towards town. If anything it was better than pacing her home wondering how the date would go. Fluttershy checked on the forest animals once more to be sure they had everything they needed then made her way into town.

Fluttershy was never one to particularly complain much, but just like any other pony; she was not very fond of Sundays. Although no pony could explain how it’s different than any other day, it always seemed to go by the slowest. Not only that, but there was almost always a sense of boredom in the air which wouldn’t go away till Monday. However bored was not the sensation she was feeling now, if anything there was a mixture of nervousness and excitement around her at the moment. She was at least glad that she wasn’t a nervous wreck like she had been a couple of days ago.

Soon enough Fluttershy finally arrived at Rarity’s boutique, opening the door caused the bell overhead to ring. She could see Rarity sitting by her sewing machine; she was reading a magazine with a bored look on her face. It looked like she hadn’t even noticed the sound of the bell.

“Um, Rarity?” Rarity raised her head from her magazine and blinked before turning to look at Fluttershy.

“Oh, Fluttershy, I didn’t even hear you come in” she said getting up from her chair and walking up to Fluttershy. “Is there something you needed to talk about?” she asked noticing the look of uncertainty on Fluttershy’s face.

“Well, I was wondering if I could ask you for some advice” Fluttershy looked around noting how empty the area is. “If you are not too busy that is” Fluttershy did know that even though at times the boutique would be empty but Rarity would have a list of orders.

“Not at all, I finished all my orders and I’m just waiting for somepony else to make one and for the orders to be picked up” Rarity motioned Fluttershy to come inside and lead her to her living-room. Fluttershy took a seat and Rarity took one directly in front of her “Now then, what was it you wanted to talk with me about?” she asked.

“Well, after being asked I haven’t gotten the chance to tell anypony other than Rainbow” Rarity tilted her head wondering what Fluttershy was talking about.

“Asked? Asked what?”

“Asked on a second date” said Fluttershy with a blush and smile, being able to admit that she had a date was still new to her. But she wasn’t the only one that was happy about the fact that she got asked out again.

“Oh how wonderful!” said Rarity as she grabbed Fluttershy’s hands “When was this, yesterday?” she asked.

“After we left with the roses actually, while he was walking me home he asked me out to dinner” explained Fluttershy.

“That’s a big step from coffee, where is he taking you?”

“Well he doesn’t know what restaurants are good, so he asked me to pick where we eat. I chose the restaurant behind sugar cube corner”

“I believe I know the place, their selections are quite delectable” said Rarity as she placed her hand to her chin. “It would seem you have everything planned out, so what exactly did you need help with?” as far as she could see it, Fluttershy didn’t need to do anything else but wait for the date to start.

“Well, I was hoping that you could maybe give me some pointers on what I can do during the date” Rarity could only smile. She could tell that Fluttershy wanted to be able to make this date perfect, but she was going at it all wrong. Rarity got up and sat down next to Fluttershy placing her hand on her shoulder.

“Fluttershy, I’m humbled that you would come to me for advice and I would like nothing more than to help you make this date perfect” Rarity’s face changed to look a little more serious. “But it is impossible for me or anypony for that matter to tell you what you could do during a date” Fluttershy looked disappointed at this.

“But you’ve always made them sound so easy” Fluttershy had heard Rarity talk about several of her dates; she made it sound like she knew what she was doing most of the time.

“Although I try not to show it, even I get a little nervous during a date now and again. This is because no matter how many dates you have, they will always be different from one another” Rarity leaned back on the sofa she and Fluttershy were sitting on. “You will never be able to predict how a date will go, a scary reality when you think about it” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “But that is also what makes it fun, not knowing what will happen next and enjoying the events that unfold” once Rarity finished she turned to Fluttershy who looked like she was thinking over what Rarity said. Fluttershy had never thought of it that way before, all this time she thought there was some secret nopony ever told her. Although she didn’t get an answer she was looking for, it didn’t change the fact that she was right to ask Rarity.

“So I just need to be ready for anything?” Fluttershy asked trying to make sure she understood what Rarity was saying.

“No darling, you just need to be yourself, let whatever happens happen and do what you would like any other day. That is the single most important piece of information you need to know when dating. If a colt cannot accept you for who you are then he is not worthy of you” Rarity said sternly.

“I’ve never thought about it like that before”

“Trust me; you can’t go wrong with being yourself” Fluttershy found herself thinking back to the note Silver had left her. The note did say that he wanted to get to know her, so it would mean he’d want her to be herself, right?

“Thank you Rarity, you have no idea how much that helps” said Fluttershy as she gave her a hug.

“Anytime Fluttershy” said Rarity as she patted Fluttershy on the back, she was glad that she could help her.

“Well, I guess I should head back home and see what I can do to pass the time” said Fluttershy as she got up from the sofa.

“Very well, come back anytime, I would enjoy hearing about how the date went” said Rarity as she walked Fluttershy to the door. Rarity waved Fluttershy goodbye as she watched her walk away from the boutique. “She’ll have a great time” Rarity assured herself, she saw the smile on Fluttershy’s face, she was ready for this. As long as nothing was to disrupt their date then she wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Another gong from his clock informed Silver that another hour had passed, as the time ticked on; he was starting to feel a bit nervous. Silver was trying to pass the time by playing his guitar but his foot tapping was throwing him off rhythm. Not only that, but it was also driving somepony else a bit crazy.

“Okay I’ll bite, what’s with the foot tapping?”

“Huh?” Silvers foot tapping came to a halt; it would seem he was doing it subconsciously.

“You’ve been tapping your foot for the last couple minutes, it’s driving me nuts.”

“Oh, I guess I’m a little nervous is all.”

“Nervous about what?”

“My dinner date with Fluttershy later today.”

“What’s there to be nervous about, it’s just dinner.” Silver turned his head towards Azure and stared at his direction for a couple minutes.

“Look who I’m talking to.” Silver turned his attention back to playing his guitar while Azure arched his brow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“When you’re in the same situation I’m in, then you’ll understand.” Azure raised a brow again, he wanted to know what Silver meant but he figured it would only confuse him further.

“If you say so, I’m going to head to the dojo now” said Azure as he got up and walked towards the door.

“Say hello to Dash for me” said Silver before Azure closed the door behind him. “So very clueless.” Silver added a couple of seconds later. There were still a couple of hours until he would have to leave to pick up Fluttershy, now he just needed to figure out how to pass the time.

It hadn’t been long after Fluttershy left her shop that Rarity began to feel uneasy. She was happy about her friend going on a date, but she feared that something could happen to make it a disaster. It was possible she was just being overprotective, but she just wanted to make sure Fluttershy would have a great time. But as much as she wanted it to be, this was something she had no control over, right?

“I just need to let things happen, it’s not my place to interfere with her dating life.” Rarity said out loud, not that anypony was around to hear her. She wanted to let it go and let Fluttershy’s date go on naturally, but there was something chewing away at her. You never know if something can cause a date to go to shambles, Rarity has had that happen to her enough times to know. “Of course nothing says I cannot drop by to make sure everything is going smoothly” Rarity said to herself.

Rarity turned her head towards her clock; Fluttershy’s date wouldn’t start for a couple more hours. Although she might need some help with this, but the question was who she would ask to help her. She figures that the others might have a problem with spying on Fluttershy’s date, but she was sure she could convince her friends that it was for a just cause. It would probably be easy to convince Pinkie, but Applejack would probably be a challenge. Rainbow had already done so much for Fluttershy that she figures she should let her have her day in the dojo. Going by order of distance from her home, Rarity made her way towards Twilight’s hoping that she would be willing to help.

The walk was pleasant, it would be another month or two until the temperature would begin to drop. Most ponies aren’t fond of the cold, but Rarity’s business would always thrive due to ponies having to put away their summer clothing and acquire some winter clothing. But for now she enjoyed the gentle warmth of the sun as she walked. It didn’t take her long to reach the library; once she arrived she gave the door three knocks and waited. Less than a minute later the door opened with Twilight being the pony to answer.

“Oh, hello Rarity, what brings you here?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you about something” Twilight gave Rarity a nod and backed away so she could enter.

“Now then, I’m not sure you are aware of this, but Fluttershy and Silver are in the works of becoming an item” Twilight blinked a few times before answering.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” said Twilight as she clapped her hands together, she looked happy, but not too surprised. Rarity was going to ask what was wrong, but she didn’t get the chance to say anything. “So did you come here just to tell me that?” she asked wondering why Rarity had to be the one to tell her and not Fluttershy herself.

“Well no, it’s just that I have some concerns is all”

“Wait, don’t tell me you have a problem with Silver” said Twilight now showing some concern on her face.

“No not at all! I’ve meet him and I must say he is quite the gentlecolt” defended Rarity, she didn’t want Twilight thinking that Silver was the wrong colt for Fluttershy. “It’s just that he and Fluttershy have a date later today, and I’m sure that the last thing we want is for something to go wrong.” added Rarity.

“Well I can understand that, but there’s nothing we can do about that.”

“Not exactly” Twilight tilted her head and raised a brow wondering what Rarity was talking about.

“What do you mean?”

“I was thinking that, maybe, the rest of us minus Rainbow, could watch over her date.” there was a look of uncertainty in Twilight’s eyes.

“I don’t know, isn’t it a little wrong to spy on them during their date?” not that she was one to talk seeing as she and Rainbow spied on Silver and Azure a few days ago. But that was a secret they promised not to tell anypony else.

“We won’t be spying on them, we would just be keeping an eye out for anything that could go wrong is all.” explained Rarity.

“Aren’t you being a little overprotective here?”

“Well, if that’s the way you see it, than I will just ask Spike to help me.” said Rarity as she crossed her arms.

“Spikes not here, he’s with Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo at the moment.” Rarity stared at Twilight and blinked twice.

“Very well, I guess I’m on my own here.” Twilight shook her head when Rarity made her way to the door, she hated when Rarity got this way.

“Okay…I’ll help” said Twilight with a sigh; she knew Rarity was going to go through with this anyway so it was better she tag along to make sure she didn’t go overboard.

“Splendid!” said Rarity as she turned around looking her normal self, if she didn’t know any better she’d have thought Rarity was just acting to play the guilt card. “Now then, we need to convince Pinkie and Applejack to help us too” the look of doubt filled Twilight’s face again, but she didn’t want to say it.

“Well, alright” not wanting to argue about Rarity’s intent to do this, the two unicorns exited the library and began to make their way towards sugar cube corner. As they walked, something else grabbed Rarity’s attention; it was what Twilight said earlier.

“Twilight, exactly when did Spike begin to spend time with Sweetie Bell, Applebloom, and Scootaloo?” she knew that the four were friends, but she’d never seen Spike spent much time with them.

“Well it’s sort of recent really, they came over saying they needed to borrow him for something” explained Twilight. “I started thinking it would do him some good to spend time with ponies in his age range” she added.

“Knowing those three, it most likely has something to do with another attempt to get their cutie marks” laughed Rarity.

“Maybe they’re trying to be dragon tamers now” Twilight pitched in and the two shared a laugh. The laugh however was short lived then they realized that they probably would attempt that at some point.

“We may need to talk to them about how far they are willing to go in order to get them” said Rarity.

“Right, but for now I’m sure they’re fine, Spike could probably talk them out of doing anything too dangerous” said Twilight to try to put Rarity’s mind at ease again. Leaving the thought to rest, Twilight and Rarity finally arrived at sugar cube corner and entered. When they were inside they got a pleasant surprise, not only was Pinkie there, but Applejack as well.

“Hey there!” said Pinkie with a wave of a hand when she noticed Twilight and Rarity had entered. Applejack turned around to see who it was Pinkie was talking to; when she saw Rarity and Twilight, she gave them a wave.

“Oh good, with you here too it saves us time”

“Saves us time for what?” asked Applejack wondering what Rarity was talking about.
“Well” Rarity explained the situation to both Pinkie Pie and Applejack, she told them about Fluttershy the note she found in the roses, and about how Fluttershy went back to the flower shop. The continued to tell them about Silver and Fluttershy’s second date that would happen later today.

“Huh, so that’s how it happened. To tell you the truth I actually had a run in with him yesterday” said Applejack “You know, after my apple cart ran in to him” she added with emphasis. The others looked confused about what Applejack meant; she thought it was best to clarify. She then explained how her apple cart rolled down hill and didn’t come to a stop till it collided with Silver’s side. Everypony else gave a wince from the thought of being rammed into by a fully loaded apple cart but didn’t say anything to let Applejack finish.

“So all in all I’d say he’s a nice fellow, never thought I’d meet a pony that could take a hit like that and not be a little sour about it” Applejack finished. Rarity couldn't believe that Silver was able to get up after being hit like that, but to be able to forgive and later help Applejack just showed her that he was a kind colt.

“Don’t you think you should ask them now?” Twilight asked which brought Rarity back to her original mind-set.

“Oh, right, the reason me and Twilight came here was because we plan to watch over their date today” Pinkie looked excited; rarely did she ever turn down the offer to help her friends. But Applejack gave Rarity the same look Twilight gave her when she first asked her.

“I don’t know Rarity, I mean, helping Fluttershy get a date is one thing, but spying on her while she’s on one seems a little much don’t you think?”

“Perhaps, but think of it this way, one cannot foresee what kind of outside force might intervene. I want to be sure that nothing goes wrong on what could be a day of romance for Fluttershy” responded Rarity. Applejack didn’t always see things the way Rarity did, but she could understand her want to protect Fluttershy, as overprotective as it may seem. Seeing how Twilight and now Pinkie was on her side for this, it would seem she got outvoted.

“Alright, I’ll help, just don’t make a habit of this” Applejack didn’t want Rarity trying to do something like this every time Fluttershy had a date.

“Oh course! This will be the only time we do this, I promise”

Fluttershy watched as the big hand on her clock moved with each passing minute, she the time couldn’t possibly move any slower right now. There was about thirty minute until her date with Silver was supposed to begin, meaning he will be around any moment now. She may still be feeling nervous, but she was sort of looking forward to her date. She always felt comfortable when she was around Silver, that and she wanted to eat the hay soup the restaurant was known for. Lucky for her she regained her appetite shortly after she left Rarity’s boutique and made her way home.

Other than picking what she would eat and one or two things that she could talk to Silver about, Fluttershy didn’t give it too much thought. She was just going to “go with the flow” as some ponies would say. Though not knowing what would happen did still scare her slightly, but she was sure she could handle it. Fluttershy checked the clock one more time, two minutes have passed since the last time, and she began to wonder if Silver was going to be late.

Knock Knock Knock

Fluttershy’s head turned towards the door, and for a moment her body was completely frozen in place. “C-coming” stuttered Fluttershy getting up from her sofa and making her way for the door. Fluttershy placed her hand on the door and could feel herself tense up a little; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and turned the knob opening the door. Once the door was opened she saw a tall colt standing in front of her.

“Hello, Fluttershy” said Silver; he was wearing black pants and a red shirt with the top button undone.

“H-hello, Silver” Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile when she saw Silver was at her door.

“I’m not late am I? I think I lost track of time.” Silver rubbed the back of his head as he tried to remember what time it was when he left his place.

“No, you’re right on time.”

“Great” Silver said with a sigh of relief “So, are you ready to go?” asked Silver motioning his thumb back towards town. Fluttershy gave him a nod and stepped outside before closing her door behind her. Though the date hadn’t technically started yet, she could still feel like it was going well. The rest of the walk was mostly silent aside from some small talk now and then, as they walked, Fluttershy noticed something. Now and again she would see some mares giving her a stare, not one of anger or spite, but almost like one of approval. At some point she could see a mare give her a thumb up, thought she couldn’t figure out why.

“Is this the place?” hearing Silvers voice put Fluttershy’s focus back on where she was going. She hadn’t noticed that they already arrived at the restaurant, the walk there passed by so quickly.

“Oh, yes, this is the one” Fluttershy and Silver entered the restaurant and the two took a seat by the table next to the windows. “They make the best hay soup I have ever tasted here” said Fluttershy.

“Really? Then I guess I know what I’m going to order” said Silver moving the menu to the side.

“Are you sure? I mean, there are plenty of other things on the menu”

“I’m sure, you said it’s the best soup you’ve ever tasted, and I think I’ll like it too” soon enough the waiter attended them and they ordered their soups. While they were waiting, Fluttershy decided to start a conversation this time.

“So do you have any hobbies?”

“I do actually” said Silver taking a sip out of his class of water “I play the guitar” he added.

“Really? How many songs do you know?”

“I’ve learned a couple other songs, but I mostly prefer to create my own from scratch. I could play some of them for you, if you want”

“I’d like that” the food hadn’t even arrived yet and she was already having a great time, she’d never though she didn’t think she’d feel this calm. Silver gave off a vibe that was calming to her, she couldn’t really explain it though.

“How about you, do you have any hobbies?”

“Well, I do like to sing, the animals really seem to like it”

“With a voice like yours, I’m not surprised” Fluttershy could feel her heart race and her face began to turn red again. She had never had a colt talk to her like that before; it was something she could really get used to. Before she could say something in return, their orders arrived and were placed on their table. Silver grabbed his spoon and took some soup in it and carefully cooled it before tasting it.

“Mmm, you were right, this is good” he said as he took another taste continuing to show his like of the taste. The two continue to enjoy their bowls of soup, now and again one would ask the other a question or make small talk, and on occasion they’d even share a laugh. The date looked like it was going to go on without any problems; this was good to know for four watching ponies.

“It looks like they’re having a great time” said Twilight who was hiding behind a bush with Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. They were watching the date since Fluttershy and Silver entered the restaurant.

“See, I told ya that you were just being overprotective” added Applejack.

“Well, I will admit that you were right, I guess there was nothing to worry about after all” said Rarity with a smile. She could see the smile on Fluttershy’s face; she was definitely having a great time with Silver.

“Um, I think you spoke too soon” said Twilight pointing to the side. The others turned their heads to see four jockey looking colts heading towards the restaurant. Three of them were earth ponies and the last one was a Pegasus. Normally a few friends entering an area wouldn’t be seen as a problem, but these four just had the word trouble written on their faces.

“Uh oh, what do we do now, Rarity?” asked Pinkie. Rarity looked like she was going to enter, but with the colts not entering the restaurant; she was quickly left without an answer.

“I’m, not sure…”

“So he really apologized?”

“Yeah, Azure’s not a bad colt, just a bit oblivious.” Fluttershy hadn’t talked to Rainbow since she asked her to feed the forest animals two days ago. She was curious to find out how things turned out between her and Silver’s friend.

“Oblivious?”

“Mostly towards mares, sometimes when he’s talking to them he doesn’t notice some of the things he says. For example, he thought what he said to Rainbow was a compliment, but he didn’t think it could be seen as an insult.” explained Silver.

“Well, I’m glad it was just a misunderstanding”

“Given Azure’s history, I should probably tell him to start wearing a sports cup.” joked Silver which got a laugh from Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus wasn’t the only one having a good time on their date; Silver was also having a blast. There was just something about Fluttershy that he couldn’t place his finger on, an aura that he enjoyed. But he his only question was if she felt the same way.

When the door to the restaurant opened Silver could hear laughter as four colts entered. It grabbed his attention momentarily but he quickly pushed it aside and turned his attention back to Fluttershy. Their soups had already gone cold but they were more focused on talking to each other. They were both having a great time and it seems that it would end without anything going wrong, or so they thought.

There was another laugh, only this time it was much louder and a bit obnoxious. Not only Silver but several other ponies in the restaurant turned their heads towards the four colts. A few of them had an annoyed look on their faces, but others just shrugged it off. It seemed like it was just a moment when a few friends just couldn’t contain themselves during a joke.

“Excuse me, but you need to keep your voices down” one of the waiters had walked up to the four colts asking them to lower their voices. The waiter was smaller than any of the colts and looked like he could be snapped like a twig.

“Why don’t you just mind your business!” said one of the colts as he pushed the waiter back. The waiter took a couple of steps back and would have stopped himself had one of the other colts not put his foot in his path. The waiter stumbled back and landed on the ground, followed by a laughing fit between the four colts. The waiter picked himself up and walked away, with signs of defeat on his face as he hung his head slightly.

The four colts continued to laugh by now all the other ponies in the restaurant were giving them a dirty look. Silver himself was particularly annoyed, and Fluttershy could tell when she saw him tense up.

“Are you okay?” the four colt’s antics had Silver’s attention at the moment, but after he took a deep breath he calmed himself and turned back to Fluttershy.

“Sorry, I’m not very fond of bullies” The idea of somepony picking on another because they were bigger than them never sat well with him. Fluttershy herself was no stranger to bullies; she knew what it was like to be on the wrong side of them. She hopped that it would be over or they would leave, but it was never that easy. The four colts continued to act obnoxious, though this time they were obviously doing it to spite the workers and consumers. A few of them left not wanting to deal with this and the other waiters didn’t have the gall to confront them.

“M-maybe we should just go” Fluttershy feared that something bad could happen if they stayed there too long.

“Okay” said Silver, he noticed Fluttershy was getting uncomfortable and that wasn’t something he wanted to happen. Both of them got up from their table and walked up to the register where Silver paid for their meals.

“Thank you sir, sorry for the um, less than quiet dining” said the cashier also showing his annoyance towards the loud visitors.

“Can’t be helped I-“

“Hey girl” A voice from behind Silver cut him off and gained his attention. One of the colts at the table had he arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder. “How’d you like to hang out with me and my friends” he added. Fluttershy had never felt so uncomfortable before, nor did she think being flirted with could send a chill down her spine.

“N-no thank you” said Fluttershy as she tried to get free from the colts arm.

“Come on, it’ll be fun” said the colt tightening his grip slightly to prevent Fluttershy from slipping free.

“I’m sorry, but I think you might have a hearing problem” the colt felt a hand be placed on his shoulder with a firm grip. “She said no, so I suggest you leave her alone” the colt turned to see a glasses wearing unicorn standing behind him. The colt let go of Fluttershy who took a few steps away from him, he then turned to face Silver.

“Or else what?” the tension in the air became so heavy that one could cut it with a knife. The other customers couldn’t take their eyes off the two colts fully expecting one to throw a punch. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the three other colts that came in with him looked like they were ready to jump in at any moment. Silver was fully prepared to deal with the colt if he needed to be, however before anything could happen, she felt something grab hold of his arm.

“S-Silver” Fluttershy knew where this was going and didn’t want to see Silver have to fight. She wrapped her arms around his and could feel the tension on his muscles; it felt like a bomb about to go off at any moment. “L-let’s just go” she said tugging slightly on his arm, the first tug didn’t even move him; it was like trying to pull a support beam. However the second time she tried was more successful, she could feel Silver move in her direction. Silver let out a breath and followed Fluttershy out of the restaurant leaving the angry-looking colt behind.

“Think you can just walk away, do you?” the colt thought to himself as he say Fluttershy and Silver exit the restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie let out a breath they were holding as they watched the events unfold inside the restaurant. “Shoot, that could have been ugly.” said Applejack as removed her hat and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“Indeed, I’m glad that Silver was able to stay level headed.” said Rarity.

“At least we know he’s not afraid to defend her.” added Twilight.

“He should have punched him.” the others turned their head towards Pinkie; they didn’t think they’d hear that coming out of the party ponies mouth.

“I think he made the right choice, fighting would have just made the situation worse.” said Twilight. The four mares watched as Silver and Fluttershy exited the restaurant, Rarity took note that Fluttershy was still holding on to Silvers arm. There may have been a hiccup in their date, but it the date still promised to end well. However all hopes in that thought vanished when Rarity saw the colt Silver confronted exit the restaurant walking towards them quickly.

“Come on, I have a feeling this won’t end well” said Rarity as she began to make her way towards the three ponies. The other followed close behind, but they wouldn’t be able to reach them in time to stop what was going to happen.

“Hey, I’m not finished with you!” said the colt as he got closer to the two ponies. Silver came to a halt when he heard the other colts voice, it was clear to him that this wasn’t going to go away on its own. Fluttershy could tell that Silver was ready to fight if needed, something she was trying to avoid. But the only way for that to happen was if the other colt would go away.

“P-please just leave us-“Fluttershy tried to plead with the colt to go away, but she got cut off when he pushed her aside. Fluttershy got caught off guard with the sudden push and lost her balance causing her to fall hard on the ground. Fluttershy let out a short yelp of pain and had a look of discomfort on her face. Her friends had drawn closer and saw what had happened; Twilight and Pinkie looked worried while Applejack and Rarity looked grew angry. They were fully prepared to give the colt a proper thrashing; however Silver beat them to the punch, literally.

Fluttershy being hurt by the colt pushed Silver over the edge and he struck him in the face hard enough to send him stumbling back. Once the colt was on the floor, Silver walked up to Fluttershy and gently helped her up. “Are you okay?” she asked her, though Fluttershy was a little shocked and it took her a moment to respond.

“I-I’m okay, it didn’t hurt too much”

“Fluttershy!” yelled her friends once they were close enough to her. Due to the level of emotions they had from seeing their friend pushed they each embraced her simultaneously.

“You’re not hurt, are you darling?”

“N-no, I’m fine”

“That’s a relief”

“Um, not that I don’t like seeing you all, but what are you doing here?” the others grew silent for a bit, they didn’t want Flutershy to find out they were spying on her date.

“You’re going to pay for that!” the colt Silver had struck got back on his feet and was now accompanied by his three friends. Silver grit his teeth and clenched his fists turning his head slightly to the other colts.

“I’ll be right back” said Silver as he turned around taking a step towards the colts.

“W-wait!”

“Let him go, sugar cube. He aint going to let something like this go now” said Applejack. They watched as Silver walked up to the other colts with no sign of hesitation. A one on one fight was one thing, but they had a hard time thinking that Silver would be able to handle four colts, three of whom were earth ponies. A crowed had formed by the time Silver was face to face with the other colts, it would seem there was no backing out now.

“I thought Unicorns were smart, you do see that you’re outnumbered four to one here, right?” mocked of the colts.

“Hmmm” Silver’s head moved left and right as he surveyed the four colts that stood in front of him. Eventually he stopped on one other the three earth ponies, a moment later a smirk appeared on his face. Before any of them could respond, Silver threw a left punch which made contact with the colt’s throat. The colt bent over ready to put his hands around his neck and try to catch his breath, but before he could he was hit in the face by Silver’s right hook knocking him back on the ground. The other three colts watched with surprise as their friend fell to the ground unconscious.

“One down” said Silver as he quickly back up from the other three colts knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to do that a second time. The Pegasus of the group was first to respond as he lunged towards Silver. He threw several punched which Silver was able to deflect or dodge with ease. While Silver was occupied with the Pegasus, one of the two remaining earth ponies was running up behind him prepared to attack. But it would seem that Silver knew he was coming when he grabbed the Pegasus by the shirt and tossed him so that he would collide with the earth pony. The crowed was amaized at how well he was handling himself in the fight that he was out numbered in. However once Silver made the Pegasus collide with the other pony he was suddenly hit by the third.

“You’re not so tough” said the earth pony as Silver stumbled back a bit from the force of the punch.

“Coming from the pony that had to blindside me to land a hit” this only furthered the colt’s anger as he charged towards Silver. Some would see this as a mistake; however it was part of Silver’s plan. The colt earth pony threw several punches and kicks at Silver at random, but the harder he tried to land a hit, the easier it seemed for Silver to avoid them. Soon enough the earth pony gave Silver the opening he was looking for. Silver lunged forward and tackled him in the chest causing him to lose balance. Silver was going to follow-up with a punch to the face, but he was unable to due to being grabbed from behind.

Silver was so focused on avoiding the attacks that he didn’t notice one of the earth ponies sneak up behind him and put him wrapping his arms under his and locking his hands behind Silver neck. Silver tried to shake himself free, but the earth pony had a strong hold on his arms making it impossible for him to break free.

“Hold him still” said the earth pony that Silver pissed off; he cracked his knuckles as he walked up to Silver. The colt began to land one punch after another to Silvers stomach, with a cynical grin on his face. Some of the watching ponies in the crowed were booing the dirty tactic but he didn’t care. Fluttershy on the other hand was having a hard time watching as Silver continued to take the punches.

“What, no smart comments?” said the colt noting that Silver hadn’t made a noise since the assault started.

“I’m sorry, I was enjoying the massage” grunted Silver, it was clear that each punch hurt, but he wasn’t going to give the earth pony the satisfaction of knowing that. The earth pony grew annoyed again and went for another punch, only this time he was aiming higher. It looked like he was going to land a punch to Silver’s face, but before he could the Unicorn bowed his head and hunched over. Before he knew it, the face of the colt that was holding him was in the path of the punch. The other earth pony was unable to stop in time and he landed a hard punch to his friend’s nose.

The other colt let go of Silver and placed both hands over his face in pain. Silver took advantage of the brief moment of surprise and landed an uppercut to the colt in front of him. The crowd cheered when they saw how Silver got out of his predicament, but he wasn't out of the woods just yet. He may be able to outsmart them, but it wouldn’t be long till his stamina would give out from having to battle three ponies at once.

“I could use some back up…”

Rainbow was making her way back from Fluttershy’s home; she looked relieved that it was over with. “Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Probably would have been if I hadn’t asked Fluttershy to leave me everything I would need” she said as she dusted off some bird seed from her shirt.

“I still can’t believe she tamed a bear…” the colt that was walking with Rainbow was Azure, somehow she convinced him to accompany her on the task, though he still doesn’t know how it happened.

“Not so surprising compared to the other things she’s tamed”

“Other things, Like what?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you” Azure wanted to know, but when he heard the sound of cheering, he changed his focus.

“What’s with the crowed?” asked Rainbow as she pointed up ahead where a large number of ponies had gathered.

“Only one way to find out” said Azure as he began to fun forward with Rainbow flying low behind him. It didn’t take them long to reach the crowd, but once they did, Azure was able to see what they were watching. However now that he was closer, Azure could hear the familiar sound of fists making contact with a pony body. “Sounds like a brawl” said Azure as he turned to Rainbow who was high in the sky now.

“Yeah, and your friend is in the middle of it!” Azure’s eyes shot open when he heard this. Not wanting to waste time, Azure turned back and a blue hue shrouded his horn indicating he casted a spell. Rainbow was going to ask what Azure was planning on doing, but before she could Azure suddenly jumped up and over the crowed. The height and distance of the jump was greater than anything Dash had seen a pony do before. It looked like he cast a jumping spell or something, but Rainbow didn’t want to spend any more time thinking it over and flew towards Silver and Azure.

Silver was breathing heavily, his attempts to fight off the three other colts were impressive, but he was still outnumbered. The other colts weren’t untouched either; they all had signs of taking damage and also looked tired, but not as much as Silver did. They knew it would only be a matter of time till the unicorn they were fighting would be too tired to fight back.

“Looks like you’re having some trouble, eh Silver?” the three colts turned around to see another unicorn walking towards them.

“I’ll admit; I may have bitten off more than I can chew.” said Silver trying to catch his breath again.

“Mind if I lend a hand” said Azure as he cracked a few knuckles, it was a sign that he wasn’t going to take no as an answer.

“Sure, just leave that one to me” said Silver as he pointed towards the colt that started it all. Azure gave a nod before charging forward towards the other earth pony. Though he didn’t know who this other unicorn was, he didn’t care; the earth pony accepted Azure’s challenge and charged forward towards him as well. Once Azure and the other colt were close enough they quickly locked hands and attempted to out muscle one another. The earth pony was clearly tired from fighting Silver, but he still had plenty of strength left over. Now wanting to leave it to chance, Azure pulled the earth pony using his momentum against him when he struck him in the stomach with his knee. The force of the knee knocked the wind out of the earth pony and he dropped to the ground holding on to his stomach in pain. The other two colts were surprised to see their friend had been taken down so easily.

“So, where were we?” said Silver as the colt in front of him turned back to face him. They were already having a hard time fighting one unicorn when there were three of them, now a second unicorn joined in and evened the numbers. However even though their numbers were even, it was looking like they were completely outmatched, and the Pegasus colt thought it was time to cut his losses and took for the sky.

“Going somewhere?” the Pegasus came to a halt when he saw a cyan Pegasus with rainbow hair flying in his path. “So, you jump a unicorn then fly away with your wings between your legs when things don’t go your way, what a coward” said Rainbow with her arms crossed. The Pegasus colt was did not want to deal with this right now; he quickly charged forward and attempted to fake out Rainbow so he could get away. However thinking he could outfly the best flyer in Ponyville was another mistake he made.

Once he thought he got passed her, felt something grab on to his wings stopping him from moving forward. He turned to see Rainbow hadn’t fallen for his fake out attempt and was now unable to get free. Rainbow placed her foot on the colt’s back and forced him downwards till his face was met with dirt. With that done, all that was lest was the colt that started it all, and now he was shaking where he stood.

“Now it’s just you and me” said Silver as he took a step towards the colt who took a step back in fear. All the big talk that came from the colt, he was the colt that bullied the waiter, the colt that tried to pick a fight with Silver, and the colt that pushed Fluttershy, now that he was staring somepony stronger than him he was finally showing how weak he was. Silver made a sudden movement as if he were going to hit him and the colt fell back in fear. Silver shook his head in disappointment and walked past the colt and towards Azure and Dash.

“Thanks for lending a hand” said Silver as he gave Azure a high-five.

“No problem, what was that all about anyway?”

“The one shaking on the ground pushed Fluttershy on the ground an-“

“He did what!?” Rainbow looked like she was ready to stomp towards the colt and claim a trophy.

“Whoa there, he’s already injured and embarrassed, let’s just leave it at that” said Silver as he placed his hand on Rainbows shoulder. Rainbow looked over to the colt, he was already a laughing-stock to the crowed, and it seems as though he already got what he deserved.

“That was one heck of a tussle” said Applejack as she and the others walked up to Silver, Azure, and Rainbow. “Good thing you two joined in though, I wasn’t sure Silver would have been able to hold up much longer, no offence” she added.

“None taken, it was getting hairy back there”

“You’re not hurt, are you?” asked Fluttershy taking note of the scuff’s and tares on Silvers shirt.

“My stomach might be bruised later, but I’m fine” Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief being thankful that Silver wasn’t hurt too badly.

“That’s good to hear” said Fluttershy as she once again grabbed hold of Silver’s arm. Now that the two were having a moment, the others thought it was best to make themselves scarce.

“Well then, I suppose I should head back home” said Rarity as she walked away from the group.

“Us two” said Twilight, Pinkie, and Applejack as they also walked away.

“I guess we should go too, right Azure?”

“Um, right, I need to get something from sugar cube corner anyway” said Azure as he and Rainbow followed behind Pinkie.

“Huh, so he’s not totally oblivious” Silver thought to himself as Azure walked away. “Well, I guess I should walk you home now” he said out loud getting a nod from Fluttershy. With the crowd gone as well as the four colts that must have run off when nopony was looking, Silver and Fluttershy began to walk back to Fluttershy’s home.

Most of the walk back was quiet, but Fluttershy was still holding on to Silver’s arm. The unicorn colt had a feeling in the back of his mind that he screwed up somehow. He could tell that Fluttershy didn’t want there to be a fight, but he fought anyway. If she was angry or disappointed, he couldn’t tell.

“Fluttershy, I’m sorry” Fluttershy turned her head slightly to look at Silver.

“Sorry about what?”

“About the fight, must have ruined the day for you…” said Silver as he bowed his head slightly.

“Not at all, I mean, I don’t like it when ponies fight, but you were just defending yourself.” Silver felt relieved that Fluttershy wasn’t disappointed, but he felt that he needed to correct her.

“I wasn’t defending myself actually” Silver stopped walking and Fluttershy let go of his arms when he moved his arm. Silver placed both hands on her shoulder, and even though he was wearing sunglasses, she knew he was looking her in the eyes. “I fought them because I was defending you.” he added.

“M-me, why?”

“When that colt pushed you aside causing you to fall over and hurt yourself, I found myself angrier than I’ve ever been. I may not have known you too long, but I know I can’t stand the idea of somepony hurting you” Fluttershy blushed from Silver’s words; she had never had a colt talk to her like that before. She didn’t want him getting hurt for her, but there was a warm feeling she got in knowing he would. As happy as she felt thought, she found herself frowning when a question rose to her mind.

“S-Silver, where is this going?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, are we dating now, c-can I call you my coltfriend?” Fluttershy looked down for a moment. She had never asked something like this before, she didn’t know if it was the right time or if it was too early, all she could do was hope. A few seconds passed before Silver placed his hand under Fluttershy’s chin and gently pushed it up so she could raise her gaze back at him.

“Of course, but, on one condition” Fluttershy stared at Silver, wondering what it was he wanted in return. “I get to call you my marefriend” the feeling of joy quickly filled Fluttershy’s heart as she jumped forward to give Silver a hug.

“Okay!” she yelled in glee tightening her grip around Silver’s torso.

“Easy there, still sore from the fight” laughed Silver as Fluttershy lightened her grip slightly.

“Sorry, I’m just happy is all” eventually Fluttershy let go of Silvers torso and the two walked the rest of the way to her home. Once Fluttershy was standing in front of the door to her home, she felt as though this day couldn’t get any better. “I had a great day Silver” said Fluttershy as she turned towards Silver again. When she looked as Silver she saw him place his hand on her shoulder and move in closer. Fluttershy didn’t move an inch as Silver’s head moved close to hers and he planted a kiss to her cheek. Fluttershy’s face turned redder than an apple and her heart was beating at a mile a second.

“So did I” said Silver as he took a step back from Fluttershy who was still recovering from the kiss. “I’ll see you around, okay?” Fluttershy finally snapped out of is but was still red in the face.

“O-okay, good night” she said stepping inside her home and closing her door behind her. Once Fluttershy was inside her house, Silver turned around with his hands in his pockets and began to walk back. There was a wide smile on his face as he thought back to his day, he didn’t see the fight coming, but he enjoyed everything else that happened. He didn’t expect Fluttershy to ask what she did, but he was glad she did all the same. It was a question that was on his mind for a while now, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Now he was walking home with a feeling of accomplishment over him. Right now, Silver was soaring high amongst the clouds, and nothing could pull him down.