Eye of the Beholder

by FictionFreek

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Original Character, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Anthro, Main 6, Alternate Universe
Length: 75902

Is love truly blind? Find out as Fluttershy attempts to find the pony of her dreams, with a little help from her friends.

Fluttershy was always shy when it came to doing almost anything or talking to sompony she didn't know. She wouldn't have done half the things she had accomplished if not for the love and support of her friends. But now that a new stallion has moved into town, it's up to her long time friend Rainbow Dash to help her find love. and maybe find something herself along the way.

(Note: anthropomorphic ponies)
Edit: Sad to say but I have to discontinue this fic, looking back I see that I could have done so much better with this. So that is what I plan to do, some time in the future I will be releasing another story which will be a reboot of this one.

Published 2013-03-10 01:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-10 23:33:42 UTC

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: To be noticed

It was a normal day in Ponyville, Celestia’s sun shined down from the sky giving just the right amount of warmth. The residents of Ponyville went on their day like they normally did without a care in the world. Even in the sky another pony was enjoying her day as she usually did by flying around freely in the sky.

“Oh man this is perfect, just the right amount of sun and almost no headwind” said the cyan Pegasus Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was wearing her usual dark blue work out clothing with a rainbow lightning bolt on the stomach. She had been flying for a while now and had worked up a good sweat from it. “Nothing like a good workout to start a day” said Rainbow Dash. She leaned back in the air with her arm behind her back and one leg over the other. Rainbow took a moment to rest up in the sky before turning over to look down to the ground. As she looked about at the ground bound ponies walking around, one in particular stood out.

Down on the ground Rainbow Dash spotted a small frail looking pony that was hiding at the side of a building. The pony had long pink hair, a green dress with butterflies on it, and on her back were a pair of wings. It didn’t take a bookworm to know that it was Rainbow Dash’s longtime friend Fluttershy. “What’s she doing?” Rainbow asked herself as she scratched her head trying to figure out what her Pegasus friend was up to. Rainbow Dash descended slowly from the sky getting closer to the ground. Soon enough she was only inches from the ground and was right behind her meek little friend whom hadn’t noticed her yet.Fluttershy was staring at something but Rainbow just couldn’t figure out what it was that had caught her friend attention. Her curiosity had eventually reached its peak; she just had to figure out what Fluttershy was looking at.

“Hey Shy!” said Rainbow Dash quickly as she moved in front of Fluttershy so that she could see her. “What are you-“she couldn’t continue what she was going to say as Fluttershy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her till they were both behind next to the wall.

“Not so loud or he’ll hear you!” said Fluttershy in a soft whisper as she had a panicked look in her face. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and wondered if she had heard Fluttershy correctly.

“He?” she asked plainly showing she was a little confused about what it was that Fluttershy was talking about. Fluttershy stiffened up a little as if she had just said something she was not supposed to.

“Oh uh, what I mean is…” Fluttershy ran her finger around her hair and averted her eyes from rainbow as she tried to figure out what to say. Rainbow tilted her head as she stared at her friend still a little confused.

“Come on Shy, out with it” said Rainbow Dash as she leaned in closer showing she was intent on finding out what Fluttershy was hiding. Fluttershy was still a little nervous as she receded to her thoughts on what to do.

“Should I tell her? I mean, she is one of my best friends…” she thought to herself not seeing any reason not to tell Rainbow. Fluttershy looked at her friend and she could see that she’s determined to find out what it was she was doing. Eventually Fluttershy let out a sigh “Okay, but please be discrete about it” pleaded Fluttershy as she agreed to tell Rainbow what she wanted to know.

“Yeah, Totally, I’ll be as discrete as possible” said Dash ash she pumped her arms with the victory she had achieved. “Now spill it girl!” she said excitedly on edge waiting for Fluttershy to spill the details. Fluttershy turned around and peered her head around the corner; A few seconds later Rainbow Dash did the same floating in the air a bit so she would be able to see over Fluttershy. She looked around but she still couldn’t see what Fluttershy was looking at.

“Well?” she asked starting to get a little impatient.

“Over there, at the flower shop” said Fluttershy as she pointed her finger to the far off flower shop. Rainbow Dash moved her eyes quickly till she spotted the flower shop that her friend was pointing at. It took her a while to figure out what was so special about the flower shop, all she could see was the roses and such placed outside for show.For a moment she was going to ask if she was missing something, but before she could, somepony emerged from inside the shop. It was a tall colt, definitely taller than her or Fluttershy, he had a dark blue tone of fur, and his hair was as white as snow. The colt was wearing a black employee T-shirt, brown pants, and sunglasses for some reason. It was as clear as the horn on his head that he was a unicorn.

Rainbow Dash looked down at her friend with a question on her mind, but as she did she noticed something on her face. Her cheeks were starting to turn as red as Big Mac the longer she stared at the dark blue colt. Rainbow flew back a couple of feet as she gasped with the realization of what caused her friends face to burn.

“Oh my gosh! You have a crush on him don’t you!?” Rainbow yelled excitedly over the thought. Fluttershy turned around quickly pleading her to keep her voice down as he face began to turn redder. “You do! That’s so awso-“Rainbow couldn’t finish yelling as Fluttershy placed her hand over her mouth.

“R-Rainbow please, not so loud” said Fluttershy frantically as her face continued to turn red and she flapped her wings in embarrassment.

“Wow, she’s really riled up over this…” Dash thought to herself as Fluttershy finally removed her hand from her mouth and moved to check around the corner again.

Fluttershy looked at the flower shop again; she could see the colt tending to the flowers as he gently sprayed water on them. Since the first time she met him, she couldn’t stop her heart from beating quickly. Ever since the first time she met him, Fluttershy would always find herself thinking about him now and then.

“Have you ever tried talking to him?” Fluttershy heard from behind her, she quickly turned around to face her Pegasus friend.

She looked down to the ground for a bit after being asked “N-no…well” she stuttered in her words.

“Well…?” Rainbow Dash repeated the last thing she said clinging to the word.

“I-I did try…once” said Fluttershy as she looked back up to her friend. The look on Rainbow Dash’s face showed that she wanted more details. “It was about a week ago…but I got nervous and ran off” she began.

“And what happened?” Dash said moving a bit so she would be in Fluttershy’s field of vision again.

“I…chickened out at the last second and walked passed him…” she responded sounding embarrassed over the memory. Rainbow knew Fluttershy didn’t do so well around ponies she didn’t know, but she had thought she would have learned to cope with it after a couple of years. So when she heard Fluttershy’s failed attempt she could not stop herself from face palming.

“Uh, I have to say Shy’ I’m a bit disappointed” said Rainbow Dash as she placed her hands on her sides and stared at Fluttershy.

“I’m sorry…” said Fluttershy sounding down on herself; in truth she felt disappointed in herself as well. She wanted to talk to the colt so much, but her own fears got the better of her and in the end she just couldn’t do it.

“Do you at least know his name?” asked Rainbow Dash which snapped Fluttershy out of her self-pity.

“Oh, y-yes, I was able to see his name tag” she said smiling slightly “His name is Silver…” she added. Rainbow rubbed her chin as she began to think to herself, she searched her memory for the name for a while but nothing came up.

“I don’t think I know anypony by that name, come to think of it I’m not sure I’ve seen him before today” Rainbow said finally. She had lived in Ponyville for years and has seen a lot of the ponies that lived there as she flew about in the sky.

“Me neither, until about a week ago when he started working there” Fluttershy responded.

“Hmm, could be that he…” Rainbow stopped for a moment she realized what Fluttershy had said. “How often have you been doing this…?” she asked Fluttershy with a look of worry on her face. She knew Fluttershy had a hard time talking to colts…but this seemed like the worst case yet.

“I-It’s not like I spend all day here…” Fluttershy said trying to defend her case. “I just come here at around the same time…trying to work up the courage to talk to him” she said as her voice trailed off towards the end.

Rainbow Dash was glad to see that Fluttershy was trying so hard to talk with the colt, but she’s seen her linger over a crush before and they all ended up the same way. Eventually the colt would fall for a different mare unknowing of Fluttershy’s feelings. This would lead to the yellow Pegasus being depressed for days, angry with her-self over not being able to summon up the courage to talk to them.

“M-maybe I should just give up” Fluttershy said sounding defeated. Rainbow Dash stared at her friend who was already looking like she would cry. “He’ll never notice me, I should just face the facts” Fluttershy continued.

Fluttershy began to walk away, as she did this Rainbow had a look of shock on her face “She’s giving up already!?” Rainbow thought to herself as her shock turned to anger. Fluttershy continued to walk but soon she felt something grab her by the wrist and pull her.

“Come with me!” she heard as she turned around to see Rainbow Dash pulling on her arm with clear signs of anger in her face.

“W…where are we going?” Fluttershy asked unable to resist the pull of her rainbow haired friend.

“We’re going to get you help!”

As the day went on, Silvers shift finally came to an end so he changed out of his employee shirt and put on his regular red T-shirt with a blue unzipped hoody over it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Mrs. Tulip” said Silver as he began to walk out of the store with his back pack on which held his shirt.

“Have a nice day deer, oh, and did that mare show up again today?” asked a female voice coming from inside.

“Yeah, a friend of her’s showed too I think” said Silver in response.

“Her name is Fluttershy isn’t it? Oh I heard she’s so sweet, but why haven’t you talked to her if you know she’s been watching you?” asked Silver boss.

“She seems so shy, I don’t want to scare her” Silver said back.

“That’s understandable, but you cannot allow her to go on like this…” responded Mrs. Tulip. Silver stood there for a moment and thought to himself, the mare that had watched him was clearly too shy to talk to him. One time he recalled her walking up to him but she then walk pass him instead. He wanted to talk to her for a while now, but she seems so shy that she might run away if he confronted her. But Mrs. Tulip had a point; he felt that if he waited too long she might give up on trying talking with him.

“You’re right; just give her a few more days. If she doesn’t try talking with me then I will go up to her” said Silver.

“That sound just great, oh I do hope it’s not too late” said his boss as Silver finally made his way out of the shop.

“I hope so too…”

Author's Note

Had to go back and fix any errors in grammar, hopefully I got them all for this chapter and I plan to fix the others. I hope you enjoyed the read and I would enjoy knowing what you think about the story.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who is Silver?

Fluttershy was still being pulled by Rainbow Dash, she had asked where she was taking her but Rainbow had just told her she was getting her help. Soon enough they reached their destination, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy into sugar cube corner and finally let her go. Tending to the counter was Mr. Cake who was setting up an order.

“Hello girls, what brings you here?” said Mr. Cake with a wave when he noticed the two mares walking up to him.

“Hey Mr. Cake, is it alright if we see Pinkie Pie for a moment?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Oh sure, she’s up in her room getting ready” said Mr. Cake as he pointed towards the stairs showing that they could do upstairs.

“Thanks!” said Rainbow as she and Fluttershy took the stairs to the second floor of the building so that they could see Pinkie. When they reached her room they saw it was open, a quick peek to make sure she was decent and they knocked on the door.

“Come in!” said Pinkie happily as she normally sounds, Rainbow and Fluttershy stepped inside her room about a second later.

“Sup Pinkie” greeted Rainbow.

“Hello Pinkie” said Fluttershy right after. Pinkie turned around from the mirror she was using while she combed her hair and quickly gave them both a hug.

“Hey girls, how’s it going?” said Pinkie before taking a step back. She was wearing a baby blue blouse with a while apron and a short yellow skirt. She had on white knee socks tied to a bow knot and a pair of light blue shoes. In her hair were three clips, each of them looked like a party balloon.

“We came to ask you something Pinkie” said Rainbow Dash; afterword’s Pinkie tilted her head in wonder as she waited for what it was they wanted to ask her.

Dash explained the situation Fluttershy was under; she told Pinkie about the hiding and the colt who works in the flower shop. Pinkie had made it clear several times in the past that she makes an effort to know every pony in Ponyville. If this colt was new to the town then it was likely that Pinkie knew something about him.

“So that’s pretty much the situation” said Rainbow who was now sitting on Pinkies bed. Fluttershy was leaning against the wall slightly red-faced from embarrassment. Pinkie on the other hand felt overjoyed after being told about Fluttershy’s little crush.

“Oh that’s so cute Fluttershy!” said Pinkie as she gave the meek Pegasus a warm hug. Fluttershy only wished she could be as happy as Pinkie was about this.

“So seeing as you seem to know everypony in town, do you know anything about this unicorn?” ask Rainbow. Pinkie let go of Fluttershy and gave a confirming nod to Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, he moved into town a few weeks ago with another unicorn colt” said Pinkie as she thought back to the day she first saw them. “They were both walking side by side holding suit cases, they looked like they were friends” she added. It sounded innocent from Pinkies point of view, but Rainbow Dash’s mind thought up something else.

“Two unicorns move into town at the same time…” Dash began to think to herself as she tried to piece something together. “I could just be over thinking this…” she continued not wanting to go further into the thought in her head.

“D…did you throw them a party?” Fluttershy asked not remembering Pinkie mentioning any party she may have thrown for the two unicorns.

“I tried to, but they said they had something they had things to take care of now that they were in town” Pinkie answered.

“Well it’s not the first time somepony turned down a party” said Rainbow. “Do you know anything else about him, like where he’s from?” she proceeded to ask.

“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to ask them, they seemed like they were in a rush” she answered. Finding out where they two unicorns were from wasn’t so much necessary, but a pony’s personality can sometimes be figured out based on where they are from. If Pinkie didn’t know then the only other way to find out was to ask one of them directly, but if Fluttershy had the guts to do that then they wouldn’t be in Pinkies room in the first place.

“So Fluttershy, are you going to ask him out?” Pinkie randomly asked, small question to most but to Fluttershy it was like striking her with a log.

“I-I don’t know, maybe, or not….” Fluttershy began to ramble to herself not quite sure on how to answer. “I mean…I haven’t even talked to him before…” Fluttershy said bringing up the underline problem.

“I was hoping that if we find something out about him then Fluttershy would have a bit of an easier time mustering up the courage to talk to him” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well sorry…but that’s all I know about him” said Pinkie as she went back to her thoughts to see if she forgot anything. “Oh if I think I’ve seen them go to the library a few times” Pinkie said finally recalling haven seen the two unicorns after that.

“Library huh? Maybe Twilight can tell us where they’re from” said the rainbow haired pegasus. If somepony went to the library to check out a book then she would have to know their names or something. “Thanks for the help Pinkie, come on shy’” said Rainbow as she got up from Pinkies bed and made her way out of the room.

“Good luck!” said Pinkie as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash left the shop so they could make their way to the library.

Inside the library, the Unicorn Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a good book as she normally does. As usual she was wearing her white blouse with a purple vest over it and a black skirt. On the left bosom of the vest was a custom stich of her cutie mark. This was how she normally spends her days if she can, most ponies would be driven crazy spending all day every day reading, but she found it relaxing.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Can you get that Spike?” Twilight said not taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. There was only silence after that, Twilight was going to call for dragon assistant again when it she recollected something. “Oh that’s right, Spikes with Rarity today” she said finally remembering. She let out a sigh and placed a book mark before closing the book.

“Always at the good parts…” said Twilight as she got up from her chair and began to move to move towards the door. When Twilight opened the door saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy waiting outside, the latter looking uncomfortable, probably more than usual. “Hey girls, what brings you here?” she asked, Rainbow did not usually visit the library if it didn’t involve her crashing into it.

“Hey Twi’, we need to ask you something” said Rainbow Dash as she waved her hand. Twilight raised a brow as she backed up and opened the door so she could let them inside.

“What was it you wanted to ask me?” asked Twilight as she closed the door behind her. Rainbow Dash looked like was going to say something, but then she turned to Fluttershy and tapped her side with her shoulder. It was clear to her that Rainbow wanted her to tell Twilight what they were doing, but she was having a hard doing so.

“Um…Twilight, do you know A unicorn named Silver?” Fluttershy finally said after having difficulty saying what she had to say.

“Blue fur, white hair, and wears sunglasses?” Twilight said describing the unicorn that Fluttershy was talking about.

“Y-you’ve met him?” asked Fluttershy sounding a little more upbeat but not by much.

“Yeah, he and another unicorn visited the library before” said Twilight as she walked up to her table and picked up a journal.

“What did they want?” asked Rainbow as Twilight flipped through the pages of the journal. She continued to search through it until she finally found what she was searching for.

“They came here twice, the first time looking for a map and the second time to check out a book” said Twilight as she turned the journal so that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could see it. “Although the book is under his friend’s name, his name’s Azure”

“Okay so we know who the other unicorn is, but do you know where they’re from?” Asked Rainbow Dash as she checked to see if the journal said it or not.

“Oh, they’re from Canterlot like me” Twilight said with a little smile. A far as she knew she used to be the only pony from there, she was a little glad to know that wasn’t the case anymore. “Azure seemed okay, though Silver was a little…odd” Twilight added. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at Twilight as they wondered what it was that she meant by ‘odd’.

“Odd? Odd how?” asked Rainbow Dash, she started to wonder if the unicorn Fluttershy was a weirdo.

“Well, both times he and his friend visited the library…he did the same thing” Twilight said as she thought back to that day.

“Which was?” asked Rainbow wanting Twilight to continue with the story.

“Well while Azure searched the library for what they needed, he sort of just…stood there” Twilight said not quite sure how else to say it. Standing in itself wasn’t strange so they waited to see if there was something more to it. “I mean sure it doesn’t sound strange…but he just stared off into space, he didn’t look around or anything” said Twilight.

“Maybe he just doesn’t like to read like reading books” said Rainbow “Remember how I used to be before I started reading the Daring Do series” she added. Although Twilight couldn’t understand why some ponies didn’t like reading, it made sense to her.

“Maybe…wait why are we talking about him again?” Twilight said figuring out that they never did tell her why they were searching for information about them.

“Oh, Fluttershy has a crush on him” said Rainbow Dash as she placed an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy forced a smile, at the very least Rainbow Dash was trying to make this easier for her by getting her friends to help.

“That’s great Fluttershy! Have you talked to him?” she asked, it was looking like this question would continue to haunt Fluttershy for a while.

“She tried, but backed out at the last second” said Rainbow Dash “you know how she gets when around somepony she doesn’t know” she added. Twilight didn’t know Fluttershy for as long as Rainbow Dash has, but she’s known her long enough to know how she gets sometimes.

“I’m sorry to hear that, what do you intend to do?” asked Twilight wondering if they were planning something.

“Right now I’m just trying to keep her from giving up before even giving it a fighting chance” answered Rainbow. It was a commendable gesture of friendship from Rainbow Dash, but a lot harder said than done. She knows that Fluttershy is capable of doing almost anything when she sets her mind to it. Like when Fluttershy trained herself so she could help the other pegasi create the tornado so they could give Cloudsdale the water needed for the raining season.

Although she wasn’t able to match the other pegasi in terms of speed, she was able to greatly increase her flying strength in a short amount of time. Even though they didn’t beat the record, Rainbow was still proud of her friend for having her back. And it wasn’t the first time Fluttershy helped her friends when they needed her. Now it was Rainbows turn to be the rock Fluttershy needs.

“Well if it’s romantic advice you’re looking for I’d tell you to ask Rarity, but she and spike are out gathering jewels again. And I’m not sure anypony else knows much when it comes to this kind of thing” said Twilight. Of all of her friends only Rarity has ever dated anypony before, and she had no experience herself.

“Ah come on, you spend all day reading books. Have you ever read a romance novel or something?” asked Rainbow. Twilight looked away for a moment as she thought back to all the books she’s read.

“Well, I have read a few…” she said a little ashamed to admit “I’ll admit there was a time where I got curious, but not sure how a fictional story can apply here” she continued.

“Not like we have a lot of options, how do they go?” asked Rainbow who was taking any advice she could get her hands on if it would help Fluttershy.

“Well in one story I read there was a rich mare that falls in love with her father’s gardener” Twilight started as she thought back to what happened in the book she read. It was starting to sound promising, the rich part may not fit but Fluttershy was definitely too shy for her own good and the unicorn she like works in a flower shop.

“That sounds almost exactly the same! He works in a flower shop, this might be easier than I thought” said Rainbow with a smile. But she should know that nothing is ever that easy.

“Not exactly…” said Twilight with a half-smile which just read that it was not what they thought it was. The two pegasi stared at Twilight waiting for her to tell them what happened to the mare of the story. “You see after almost a month of trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings…” she continued now sounding a little awkward.

“He turned her down…didn’t he…” said Fluttershy now sounding a little depressed from thinking this.

“Well yes…but not because he didn’t like her or already had a lover…” Twilight said before clearing her throat. “You see, it turned out he didn’t go that way…” she finally said now regretting bringing up the story in the first place.

“How is that supposed to help us!” yelled Rainbow Dash as she took a step closer to Twilight.

“Sorry! I didn’t remember that part till now” apologized Twilight as she placed her hand behind her head. “Look I can say for sure that it won’t be as dramatic as the books I’ve read, all I know is one of the mistakes the mare makes is waiting too long” Twilight said to rebound from the bad first attempt at helping.

“See, if you wait too long then it will end up being a repeat of the other times you’ve had a crush on somepony” said Rainbow as she turned to Fluttershy.

“B-but what if he rejects me?” asked Fluttershy as she rubbed her shoulder. Of the many things she feared, rejection was definitely close to the top of that list. It’s the main reason she had a hard time making friends or asking a colt out.

“Come on shy’, you can’t let what if’s run your life” said Rainbow as she place her hands on her friend’s shoulder. “Every now and then you have to take a chance!” she continued, but the look of defeat was still on the meek Pegasus face.

“She has a point Fluttershy” said Twilight as she took a step closer to the two pegasi. “Hey, what if Rainbow and I go with you to talk to him?” suggested Twilight. Rainbow turned to Twilight with an open smile.

“That’s perfect! If we all go with you then you won’t feel as nervous!” she said as she turned to Fluttershy again. “Come on let’s go!” she continued as she began to push Fluttershy from behind towards the door.

“W-wait! His shift should be over by now…”said Fluttershy as she dug in her heels to prevent Dash from pushing her. Rainbow stopped pushing at this time and removed her hands from her friends back. With no more support behind her Fluttershy fell back on the ground with a light squeak.

“Then I guess we have to try tomorrow…” said Rainbow as she helped Fluttershy up from the ground.

“Sounds like a plan, maybe we can ask the others if they can spare some time to help” said Twilight. “Surly if all of us are around then maybe you’ll feel a little bit more at ease” she explained.

“See Fluttershy, we got your back” said Rainbow with a thumb’s up. Ordinarily this might work with anypony else, but this was Fluttershy they were talking to.

“Oh but I don’t have time tomorrow, I have to make sure all the animals are okay so I will be busy. And some of the birds have new eggs that could be born any day now so I need to prepare for when they do. So maybe we should reschedule for another time, next month works just fine.” said Fluttershy as she began to inch her way towards the door. Before she could get any further she felt two arms wrap around her and lift her from the ground.

“Oh no you don’t, if you don’t agree to this then I’m going to lock both of you in a room until you talk to him!” threatened Rainbow Dash as Fluttershy struggled to get free.

“You wouldn’t dare!” said Fluttershy with a gasp as she turned her head so she could look at Rainbow.

“Oh yes I would, in fact I’m taking you to his boss so we can find out here he lives” responded Rainbow as she began to walk towards the door. Fluttershy is very light for somepony her age so lifting her was in no way difficult for Rainbow who was more athletic.

“No, no, no, no!” pled Fluttershy as Rainbow continued to walk while carrying her off the ground. Twilight was going to interject and tell Rainbow that this approach was taking it a little too far, but she didn’t get the chance to. “I…said…NO!” Fluttershy finally yelled with more determination in her voice than she had all day. The next thing she knew it, Rainbow found herself looking up to the ceiling from the library floor.

“Uh…what just happened?” asked Rainbow as she sat up from the ground rubbing her head.

“Fluttershy, flipped you, and then ran off…” said Twilight still shocked from the sight of the meek Pegasus overpowering Rainbow.

“Jeeze, she always seems to amaze me with the things she can do” said Rainbow as she got up from the ground and dusted herself off. The meek Pegasus has done some amazing things before from staring a dragon to submission, to now flipping Rainbow who was a black belt. Fluttershy could do anything with the right motivation, if only they could find a way to make it work when they needed it to.

“So what do we do now?” wondered Twilight.

“Leave her for now…” said Rainbow as she took a few steps towards the door and looked to see if she could spot Fluttershy. “If we’re going to help her than we to gather the others, I am not going to let it end like this” said Rainbow confidently.

“This is great; I might even learn a lesson on friendship that I can send to the princess!” said Twilight.

“Worry about you’re lessons later, we need to focus on Fluttershy’s problem first” said Rainbow as she crossed her arms.

“Right, sorry” said Twilight as she gave an apologetic smile. Now that they had a plan, all that was left was for them to tell the others and meet at the same place the next day. Rainbow Dash agreed to tell Pinkie Pie and Applejack while Twilight said she’d tell Rarity. All that they could do was hope that combined they could give Fluttershy the courage to talk to Silver. But when it comes to making Fluttershy do something she doesn’t want to, it’s always easier said than done.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Whose team is he on?

It was the morning after Fluttershy had flipped Rainbow Dash and ran out of Twilight Sparkles Library. Fluttershy was not one who liked to get physical, she was sorry for what she did to Rainbow but she did not want to go through with what she had planned. After she got home she tended to her animal friends trying as hard as she could to forget about Silver.

The sound of a rooster woke Fluttershy from her sleep; she stirred a little and covered her head with her blanket. She wanted to stay in bed; she knew that Rainbow was not somepony who would let her give up on something so easily. However she didn’t have that option and had to feed the critters their breakfast.

Fluttershy removed her covers and let out a yawn as she stretched. After getting up and making her bed, Fluttershy made her way to the bathroom so she could prepare for the day. After brushing her teeth, Fluttershy entered her shower and stood there as the water ran. The temperature and the sound of the rushing water was calming to her, it allowed her gather her thoughts.

She was glad that her friends were going out of their way to help her, but began to have second thoughts. They are trying to get her to talk to Silver, but even if she does walk up to him, even if she is able to say hello…then what?

There was no way she would be able to bring herself to do anything further. And she knew that Rainbow wouldn’t let her leave it at that, she didn’t know how far she would take this really. And even if she did somehow gain the courage she needed to ask the colt out, there was no guaranty he would say yes. Quite frankly she would prefer not to go through with the heartache of being rejected.

After getting out of the shower and drying off, Fluttershy put on a green blouse and a pair of dark blue jeans. Regardless of what was on her mind, she still had a duty to care for the critters in and around her home. Pushing what she was thinking of to the back of her mind, Fluttershy began to feed breakfast to the animals.

While Fluttershy was going through her normal morning routine, she didn’t know that she was going to have some visitors. Standing at the front door of her cottage stood Rainbow Dash who was wearing her casual clothing. She was now wearing a white tang top under an opened cyan sweater and black shorts.

“Okay so everyone’s clear with the plan right?” she asked as she turned to face her friends. Pinkie and Twilight were there, they had already been pulled into this and wanted to continue to help Fluttershy.

“For the third time darling, we know what to do” said Rarity, she was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse and brown dress pants. When she had heard about Fluttershy’s crush on a colt she couldn’t help but be overjoyed. She would always tell Fluttershy about any date she had, now she had the chance to be the one who could listen to Fluttershy talk about one, if all could go according to plan that is.

“What make’s yall think she won’t run off?” asked Applejack, she was wearing an orange shirt under a brown vest. She was also wearing a brown skirt over blue jeans, and as always she had her cowgirl hat on. When it came to doing something scary Fluttershy almost always the first to run off, she recalled a time she heard that the meek Pegasus jumped out her window to keep Rainbow from taking her to get spike back during the dragon migration.

“That’s where you come in…” said Rainbow Dash as she pointed at the rope she had told Applejack to bring with her. Applejack knew what Rainbow meant, it seemed a little extreme but it was probably going to be necessary. After making sure that everypony was ready Rainbow Dash turned around and knocked on the door.

There was a small pause before she could hear movement coming from inside the cottage. Applejack has a small urge to circle around the cottage towards the back to make sure Fluttershy didn’t bale out already. But thankfully it looked like she didn’t have to chase the meek Pegasus down and restrain her.

“H-hello?” they heard from inside.

“It’s us Fluttershy, we came to talk to you” responded Rainbow Dash. They waited for a little longer before they heard the sound of a lock coming undone. The front door cracked slightly and they could see Fluttershy looking through the crack.

“Oh, hello girls, what brings you here?” asked Fluttershy playing dumb.

“Come on Shy’, you know why we’re here” said Rainbow as she looked back at Fluttershy threw the crack. Fluttershy had a sudden urge to close the door so she could run and hide in her room, but she faught against it.

“Rainbow tells us that you’re having trouble talking to a colt, we just want to help darling” said Rarity who walked up next to Dash so Fluttershy could see her.

“T-that’s okay, it’s nothing to worry about…” said Fluttershy but her friends were not convinced.

“Please Fluttershy, we just want you to be happy and you can’t do that if you let fear take control of you everytime” said Twilight. Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. The others waited for her to say something, to either agree to or turn down their offer to help her talk to the unicorn at the flower shop. Eventually the door opened wider and they could see the sad look on Fluttershy’s face, a small gesture but it showed them she was still willing to try.

Fluttershy and her friends went to her living room; she sat down on her sofa while the others sat around it in a circle. Although there was a small chance of it happening, Applejack thought it best to lock the window. Rarity made tea with permission of Fluttershy to use her kitchen; they wanted to make sure Fluttershy was a comfortable for this as possible. Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and she looked like she was beginning to calm, soon enough, she spoke.

“S-so do you really think you can help me do this?” Fluttershy finally asked. Rainbow placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Of course, we’re all going to do our part to make this easier for you” said Rainbow as she motioned to the rest of their friends. Each of them gave an affirmative nod of their head showing Fluttershy that she had their support. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile and blush slightly from knowing that they had her back on this.

“They’re willing to go out of their way to help me…the least I can do is try…” Fluttershy thought to herself. “S…so what’s the plan?” she asked, her friends smiled now knowing that Fluttershy was onboard for this.

“Well, tomorrow you and I are going to attend our spa day early this week, not only will it help you relax more, but it will allow you to look your best” said Rarity. She had also wanted to style Fluttershy’s hair and make her a dress for the occasion but the others voted against it; they agreed that it was best that she went casual.

Pinkie Pie and Twilight were going to teach Fluttershy some breathing exercises that help slow the heart rate. This was so Fluttrshy could calm herself down if she felt she was going to panic at any time. Strange enough it was Pinkie who originally taught it to Twilight after she had stressed herself out trying to find a lesson on friendship to send to the princess.

Applejack and Rainbow would serve as a blockade, namely to prevent Fluttershy from backing out at the last second. The others would be standing outside of the flower shop as spiritual support, if they all were to go in at the same time it would look suspicious. The set up looked promising, but when it came down to it, it was up to Fluttershy’s ability to say something to the colt.

“Okay so we have everything we need to prepare Fluttershy, but what are you going to say?” asked Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy looked down to the floor and began to think about that, just saying hello wouldn’t be enough she would have to have a real conversation with him. But the question is what would there be to talk about?

“I-I’m not sure, I don’t even know what he likes” Fluttershy said finally as she looked back up to her friends. They knew his name and they knew where he came from, but that’s about all that they knew.
“Actually, I do think I recall seeing the unicorn in question a few days ago” said Rarity as she leaned back on her chair and placed her hand to her chin. “If memory serves I’ve seen him and another unicorn exiting the record store” she continued.

“Okay, so he likes music, how about you Applejack, do you know anything?” asked Rainbow Dash. Applejack looked up as she went into her thoughts; lnew when the colt moved to Ponyville so it didn’t take her long to filter through the time frame of then and now.

“Ah do remember seeing' him once” she finally said “He was buying groceries with a green haired unicorn if ah remember correctly” she added. Although it wasn’t very helpful in Fluttershy’s case, Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Those two unicorns seem to do everything together, we sure they play for our team?” joked the cyan Pegasus.

“Rainbow!” yelled Applejack snapping Rainbow Dash out of her laugh fit. She turned to see Fluttershy looking depressed again. She forgot about the romance novel that Twilight had told them about for a moment, this joke was definitely too soon.

“I was just joking, I’m sure they are just close friends is all” said Rainbow as she placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Maybe they’re roommates or something” she added.

“Of course, they’re still new here so they probably haven’t had the chance to make new friends just yet” added Rarity.

“Hey, that’s right!” said Rainbow after hearing what Rarity said. “Chances are he hasn’t seen all the sights just yet, you can offer to show him around!” she added swiftly. Everypony else gave a smile from this, it seemed like the perfect way for Fluttershy to talk to Silver. It also offered her a way to get some form of alone time with him.

“B-but just talking to him will be hard enough, how will I be able to show him around without feeling nervous?” asked Fluttershy. She agreed to talk to Silver, but that was because the others would be around. If she offered to take Silver on a tour and he were to say yes, then she would have to do it alone. “I won’t be able to do that on my own…” she said looking down at the floor again.

“You won’t have to, I can watch you from the sky” said Rainbow as she hovered a few inches off of the floor. Silver would be too focused on the sights to notice her, and if he did look up she could fly out of sight before he could see her.

“Thank you, Rainbow” said Fluttershy with a sigh of relief, at least she’d have one of her friends watch over her if it came to that. But the question still begged, would Silver agree to go on a tour of Ponyville with her. However there was one other question on Fluttershy’s mind, one that she was a little embarrassed to ask.

“D-do you think he’ll…like me?” she asked softly, her face turning red slightly as she did so. There was a brief silence, Fluttershy sat there unable to look at her friends as she waited for them to answer. After a little while longer she heard movement, suddenly she was in a warm embrace. All her friends had run up to her in a group hug; they felt that words alone weren’t enough.

“Of course he will, darling, what colt in his right mind would turn you down?” said Rarity. He blouse was probably going to get wrinkled from the group hug, but she didn’t care at the moment. Right now all she cared about was making sure one of her best friends got the encouragement she needed.

“Trust us Fluttershy, he’ll say yes and you’ll have a great time” reassured Twilight.

“See Shy’, you’ve got nothing to worry about” said Rainbow Dash who was also in the center of the hug with Fluttershy.

“T-thank you” said Fluttershy as she gave a large smile, she didn’t know how it would go but at least she knew her friend were there for her. The hug lasted a couple more minutes before they all let go.

“I can’t wait to throw you and him a party! Soon you’ll be dating and smooching!” said Pinkie as she placed her hands together and placed them to the side of her cheek.

“L-let’s just take it one step at a time, Pinkie…” said Fluttershy still smiling but blushing slightly from what Pinkie was saying.

“We just got her to calm down, don’t get her worked up again” said Applejack as she glared at Pinkie pie. Pinkie placed her hand behind her head while sticking her tongue out playfully as she apologized.

“Oh jeez, sorry Shy’ but my shift is about to start soon” said Rainbow Dash as she took a quick glance at the clock.

“And I need to get back to finishing an order for a client today if I wish to attend our spa day tomorrow” added Rarity. They wanted to stay longer to make sure Fluttershy had all the encouragement she needed, but they still had jobs to attend to.

“It’s okay, I’m fine now” assured Fluttershy, the others could see she was still a little nervous but still looked a little confidante. Everypony gave Fluttershy one last hug before they all made their way out the door. “Thanks again” said Fluttershy as she waved her friends goodbye, they all returned a wave as they made their way back to town.

The five friends continued their way back to town; Rainbow could have flown off but decided to walk with the others. They all had high hopes for Fluttershy, she believed that when the time came she would do what she needs to.

“Ah have to say Rainbow, this is a good thing you’re doing for Fluttershy” said Applejack breaking the silence of the walk.

“Yeah, well, I just want her to be happy is all” responded Rainbow with a smile. “Besides, I’m sure she’d do the same for me” she added. Granted she probably wouldn’t have the same problem as Fluttershy, but she was sure she would help anyway she could.

“I just wish we knew more about Silver, could have given Fluttershy some idea about what to talk about” said Twilight.

“I’m sure it’s fine, not knowing is part of the fun” stated Rarity. “It allows them to ask questions about each other, you cannot believe how long a conversation can go once it begins” she added with confidence. The others couldn’t really argue over this case, Rarity definitely knew more about dating than they did. When it came down to it, they just needed to trust Fluttershy’s ability to fight her shyness.

Once they reached the town everypony said their goodbyes and went their own ways. Tomorrow would be the day they prepare Fluttershy for when she will talk to Silver the day after. But for they each had their own jobs to do and so they did. However one of them was not expecting to get a surprise come the end of her shift.

Rainbows day at work was simple enough; her team was set to clear some oncoming storm clouds that were coming in from the Everfree forest. It was a large one but Dash was able to clear them with little trouble, only problem was a stray bolt that Derpy had caused. It didn’t strike anything important so Dash let her off the hook for it.

It took a couple of hours but soon enough the job was done and the weather team was then allowed to head home. The sun was going down but there was still a few hours of day light left so Rainbow decided to do some free flying. The winds were a bit chillier than the day before but it was hardly any bother.

Eventually she decided to drift in the sky for a while as she began to think of the plan she and her friends came up with. From her point of view it seemed foolproof, all Fluttershy had to do was stick to it and everything would be great.

She knew that Fluttershy had a tendency to go into a panic when she felt like her back was against a wall, but Rainbow made it clear of what she would do if Fluttershy backed out. She didn’t want to have to force Fluttershy, and she probably wouldn’t, but she figured that if Fluttershy thought she would then it would push her not to chicken out. The only question is what kind of pony Silver would turn out to be.

She knew that he was from Canterlot, she didn’t know a lot of ponies from there but Twilight’s brother lives there and he was a nice colt. All she could do is give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that Silver was too. And if he turned out to be a jerk then he’d have to answer to her.
Eventually the sun got close to setting so Dash decided it was time for her to go home. As she flew home she looked town to see there were still some other ponies still outside while others were still heading in. She continued to watch as she flew, but as she drew closer to her house, she noticed something.

“Wait, is that, oh my Celestia!” Rainbow was filled with shock and she quickly turned around and began to fly back to town. She saw something and she couldn’t believe her eyes, she had to tell somepony.

Back in the library Twilight was enjoying another book, as she read Spike was attending to his usual chores. Spike didn’t usually wear clothing but as he began to get taller he started to wear a purple and green sweater. Twilight had told him about what was going on with Fluttershy and how she liked the colt who had visited the library a few days ago. He still couldn’t believe that their meek Pegasus friend was going through with the plan.

“So, if this does work, you think you can help me score a date with Rarity?” asked Spike. He figured that if they could help Fluttershy score a date then they could probably do the same for him. Twilight looked up from her book for a moment to try and think of what she could say to her dragon assistant.

She knew about his crush on Rairty for a long time, but even now she didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth about what she thinks about it. She didn’t think that his being a dragon was a reason for it not to work, but because of the age gap between them was so big. As to how Spike didn’t figure that out himself she’ll never know, but she didn’t want to make all his hopes come crashing down.

“Well…I’ll have to talk to the others about that, but first we need to see this through to the end with Fluttershy” said Twilight. There was a look in Spikes eyes that looked to her as him taking it as a maybe. Although he dropped the subject and continued with his chores, she wished he would find somepony his age to crush on. He and the Crusaders were about the same age and they were good friends, she could see it working with any of them.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

There was a loud banging on the door, it sounded as if something was trying to break it down. Spike quickly put down the books he was carrying and ran up to the door so he could answer it. As soon as he opened it slightly it was quickly forced open knocking him on his back before he could react.

“Twilight!” yelled the cyan Pegasus Rainbow Dash as she ran inside of the library with the look of shock on her face.

“Rainbow, be careful, you could have hurt Spike!” yelled Twilight a little annoyed at the sudden barging in. Rainbow Dash looked at the ground to see Spike on his back looking dazed from the sudden knocked back.

“Sorry Spike!” Rainbow apologized as she picked Spike up from off the floor. He was still a little dazed as he rubbed his head.

“No big deal…” said Spike as he made his way out of the room, he needed an ice pack after what had happened.

“What’s with you, you look like you’ve seen a ghost” said Twilight as she looked at the expression on Rainbow’s face.

“I wish I had Twilight” said Rainbow as she looked back to where Spike was at. “I need to talk to you in private” she whispered so that Spike could not hear her. Twilight tilted her head wondering what was wrong but she agreed to talk in privacy and the two of them went up to her room.

“Okay so what’s-“

“He’s playing for the other team Twilight!” yelled Rainbow as she grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and shook her as she yelled. Twilight was having a hard time understanding what it was that Rainbow was saying.

“What are you talking about? What team?” Twilight asked. Rainbow let go of Twilight and took a step back.

“I’m talking about Silver, he’s a coltcuddler!” she yelled again and Twilight gained a blank expression on her face. Twilight blank a few times trying to make sure he heard her friend correctly, the colt Fluttershy had a crush on couldn’t be into other colts…could he?

“Take a deep breath Dash, tell me what happened” said Twilight as she motions Dash to sit on her bed. Rainbow sat down and took a deep breath so she could calm down, she thought back to what she say and began to talk again.

“I was heading home when the sun was close to setting, everything seemed fine.” Dash began now able to talk calmly. “But when I got closer to home…I saw something” she said looking at Twilight.

“Saw what?” asked Twilight sitting down next to Rainbow.

“Well I saw him, and the other unicorn, Azure right?” she asked making sure she got the name of his friend correctly. Twilight gave her a confirming nod still waiting for Rainbow to get to where she was going with her story.

“Well I saw them walking towards town, they were sweaty, shirtless, and Azure was riding on Silver back” Rainbow finally said. Twilight looked at Dash for a moment; at first she looked serous but then the let out a laugh.

“Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions here?” she asked.

“Think about it Twilight, they both moved to Ponyville, they are always seen together, and Silver works in a flower shop!” explained Rainbow Dash. “What does that tell you?” she added looking at Twilight for an answer.

“Come on Rainbow, you said it yourself, they’re probably just roommate” she said getting up from the bed. “ Weren't you and Fluttershy roommates at one time?” she asked and suddenly the look of anger filled her face.

“Are you calling me a fillyfooler!?” she yelled getting in Twilight’s face.

“There you go jumping to conclusions again” said Twilight returning the gaze. “Ever think that they were both going for a run or something and Azure sprained his ankle or something?” she asked. Rainbow looked away as if she was thinking about something, Twilight waited for her to respond.

“There’s only one way to be sure” said Dash looking back at Twilight. “Tell Pinkie that you need to do something tomorrow so she’ll have to take care of Fluttershy’s breathing exercises herself” she continued. Twilight blinked as she saw the look in Rainbow’s eyes, she definitely had something planned.

“Okay, and what will I be doing?” she asked.

“Tomorrow we’re going to follow Silver and his friend and find out what they do when they’re alone”

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Everypony has their secrets

It was a little passed noon on the day after Rainbow Dash had spotted Silver and Azure and came up with a conclusion about both colts’ preferences. She had told Twilight about what she saw and was completely convinced that she was right, however Twilight saw some holes in her story. She believed Dash about what she saw but her cyan colored friend had a tendency to jump to conclusions before getting all the facts.

None the less Rainbow wouldn’t budge on the subject so she came up with a way to figure out if it was true or not. Dash suggested that she and Twilight follow Silver and his friend to find out what they do in the afternoon. Twilight was hesitant at first but she didn’t want to leave Rainbow to do something like this alone and end up doing something rash so she eventually agreed to go.

The hard part was making sure that Fluttershy would be occupied during this time so they wouldn’t have to worry about her finding out what they were doing. They told Rarity to reschedule their spa day so it would be around the time Silver’s shift was over, that alone would give them enough time to find out what the story was. Secondly they told Fluttershy not to head over to the flower shop today, it wasn’t hard to convince her without suspicion. They made it clear that if she saw Silver again before tomorrow then she could end up getting nervous again. With everything else planned out the only thing left for them to do was to find out if what Rainbow saw was a misunderstanding or not, and for Fluttershy’s sake, they hope that it was.

“You couldn’t have used a bigger cloud?” a feminine voice could be heard, it was the voice of Twilight who was nowhere near the ground at the moment. However up in the sky where a few clouds were floating, one of which is being used as cover.

“Why didn’t you just use one of the other clouds?” said Dash who was sitting down next to Twilight on the same cloud. The cloud was barely big enough for the two of them to sit on and Twilight was holding on to Dash’s arm. Twilight had used the walking on clouds spell before being placed on the cloud outside of town. On the night before, Dash moved a couple clouds into town when nopony was looking. This was to make it easier for her and Twilight to hide on a cloud without the suspicions of there being only one cloud in the sky.

“Although I trust the spell I cast, you are the only thing that can keep me from falling if I were to slip” said Twilight in a low tone to prevent ground bound ponies from hearing her. Dash rolled her eyes; at least Twilight wasn’t like Applejack who would sometimes suffer from a case air sickness. And they only had to sit there until Silver’s shift ended and he met up with his friend and head where ever it is they go. “Are you sure that they will even go out-of-town again?” she Twilight.

“I asked around, they do this Monday through Thursday every week, so we barely made it in time this week” answered Dash.

“Lucky for us I guess…” said Twilight as she looked down towards the flower shop to make sure Silver hadn’t left while they were talking. She wasn’t afraid of heights but she still made sure to be careful not to lean too far over. As she looked down she was able to spot somepony standing on the outside of the cloud. Sure enough Silver was tending to the outside flowers spritzing them with water.

“How long till his shift ends?” Twilight asked as she continued to watch the unicorn.

“Hmm, it shouldn’t be much longer” said Dash looking at the sun to figure out more or less what time it was.

“I stick by what I think, but have you thought about what you would tell Fluttershy if it turned out you were right?” asked Twilight as she turned to look at the Pegasus next to her. They were all doing their best to help Fluttershy to talk to a colt she was crushing on; she shuddered to think about how crushing it would be for her. She could imagine how she’d feel if she prepared to do something she was dead set on only to never be given the chance.

“I’m not sure…” said Dash sounding a little low; even now she regrets ever seeing what she did yesterday. If she had just gone straight home after work then she probably wouldn’t have seen the two colts at all. But she did and there was no going back, she had to find out if she was just jumping to a conclusion or if it was true. “But for Shy’s sake, I hope that I’m wrong” she said finally after a moment of silence.

“See you Monday Mrs. Tulip” they were just barely able to hear this over their conversation. They both looked around the cloud to see the unicorn waving goodbye to somepony inside of the shop. He had changed out of his work shirt and was wearing his casual clothing again and was now walking away.

“There he goes” said Dash as she fly above the cloud and placed her hands on the cloud.

“So how are we going to” Twilight was cut off by the sudden movement of the cloud which caused her to fall back first on the rest of the cloud. There was a little panic from the thought that she was going to fall but after she was sure she was safe on the cloud she calmed down. Dash was flying next to the cloud pushing it forward so that they could follow Silver.

“Don’t follow so close, what if he notices us?” said Twilight lying down on her stomach and looked down again. At the moment they were more or less right on top of him and she feared he would spot them.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like he’s just going to turn around and look up for no reason” said Dash as she continued to push. They continued to follow Silver as he made his way towards his destination, at first he stopped inside a building that the concluded to be his house.

“Well now we know where he lives” said Dash as she and Twilight waited to see if he was going to come back outside or not. Soon enough they saw the door open and Silver walked out and continued to walk. They weren't sure if Silver was going to meet up with his friend Azure or if they were more than friends, but they intended to find out today.

While Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to follow Silver to find out what he does outside of town, Rarity was making her way to Fluttershy’s cottage. She obliged to Rainbow and Twilight’s request although she still wished she knew why there was a sudden change to the plan. However they did say that she would be informed later and decided to leave it be for now.

Regardless of the reason she couldn’t wait for her spa day with Fluttershy, she always enjoyed their day of being pampered in the local pony spa. It allowed them both to talk about what’s on their minds and relieve the stress on their bodies. And Celestia knows that Fluttershy had more than likely built up a fair amount herself over the last few days.

She also looked forward to a day where Fluttershy could share the details of a time she and colt spent together. She prayed that all will go according to plan and Fluttershy would find the colt of her dreams. But for now she had to play her part in helping Fluttershy relax as much as possible during their day in the spa.

Eventually Rarity reached the cottage; she could see some animals enjoying an afternoon snake that looked like it was recently handed out. It would seem Fluttershy made sure to finish attending to the animals before Rarity could come to pick her up. Rarity walked up to the front door and gave it a few knocks before taking a step back to wait. Soon enough the door was unlocked and Fluttershy stepped outside sporting a smile on her face when she saw Rarity.

“Good afternoon darling, are you ready?” asked Rarity making sure Fluttershy didn’t have something else she needed to take care of first.

“Hello Rarity, I took care of everything before you showed up” said Fluttershy as she closed the door behind her and locked it. “They should be just fine for a while” she continued as she turned around.

“Splendid” responded Rarity as she and Fluttershy began to make their way back towards Ponyville. As they walked, Rarity couldn’t help but think about what could happen tomorrow between Fluttershy and Silver. She may be getting ahead of herself but she just couldn’t help it.

“So tell me dear, are you still nervous?” asked Rarity breaking the silence. She remembers how nervous she was when she first asked out a colt, she could only assume it was much worse for Fluttershy’s case.

“A little, but not as much as before” said Fluttershy which made Rarity feel proud of her friend. If she continued the way she was going then she would be able to stay in control and talk to Silver when the time comes.

“I just hope I don’t mess it up…” said Fluttershy, she didn’t look very sad but Rarity could see that she still had some doubts about her ability’s. Rarity placed her hand on Fluttershy shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

“You’ll do just fine, trust me”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight had been following Silver for a couple of minutes now, eventually they came to a stop. After Silver exited the town he came to a stop in front of a pond, he sat down and had spent the next couple minutes skipping stones across the water.

“How does he do that?” asked Twilight as she watched each stone make it to the other side with little trouble.

“It’s all in the wrist “said Dash as she mimicked the arm and writs motion that Silver was using. Twilight tried to copy it as Dash did but she wasn’t quite able to do it correctly, she wondered if arm strength was a factor too. The two continued to watch Silver for a couple more minutes wondering if his friend was going to show at all, however soon something happened.

“He’s getting up” pointed Twilight as Silver picked himself up from the ground and dusted off his pants. They watched Silver and wondered what it was that he was going to do; he had one stone on his hand and looked like he was ready to skip it. With a flick of his wrist Silver threw the rock a lot harder than the last ones he threw.

From the other side of the pond another stone was thrown but they couldn’t see who it was that threw it. Both stones hit the water and flew upwards; the stone Silver threw was heading in the direction the other stone came from while the other stone was heading for him. It looked like the stone was going to hit him but Silver quickly moved his hand and caught the oncoming stone.

“What took you so long?” said Silver, Twilight and Rainbow looked around trying to find out who he was talking to. From behind a tree they saw somepony walking into their view till they could finally make out who it was. It was another unicorn colt who was wearing a green shirt and light blue pants that almost matched his cyan fur color. And his hair was as green as the grass he stood on, if not a bit greener.

“That’s Azure” whispered Twilight as she pointed at the colt.

“Sorry, but it took me a little longer to finish up at work” said Azure as he made his way around the pond. As soon as the two of them were close enough they shared a high-five and then began to walk.

“So what’s the plan for today?” asked Silver as the two colts walked to a destination unknown to their followers.

“Only one way to find out” said Azure as he began to quicken his pace slightly.

“Same as always?” asked Silver as he matched the increase pace his friend set.

“Same as always” Suddenly both unicorns burst forward in a full run which caught Dash off guard for a second but she quickly began to increase her flying speed. She could keep up with them by flying but she had to both push Twilight and make sure not to gun it too much and cause her to fall off so she had to deal with the pace she had. They continued to follow the two running unicorns for a couple of minutes, however soon the number of trees on the ground got too heavy and they lost sight of them.

“Great, just great….” Said Rainbow Dash as she flew up a bit higher hoping she’s be able to spot see if she could spot the two unicorns. They weren’t near the Everfree forest but there were still a large amount of trees blocking their view. “What do we do now?” asked Rainbow as she went down to about eye level with Twilight.

“Well we won’t be able to spot them from up here, so we’re going to have to walk from here on out” she said. There didn’t seem to be any other way around it so Rainbow grabbed the cloud again and began to push it downwards. Once the cloud was just barely over the ground; Twilight moved over and jumped back on the ground.

“You sure they won’t notice us following them?” asked Dash as she landed next to Twilight.

“Well they were running so we probably won’t see them until we find wherever it was they were heading” answered Twilight. They didn’t have any other option so the two began to walk in the direction the two colts were heading before they lost sight of them.

Fluttershy and Rarity had finally made it to the spa, Lotus and Aloe were a little surprised to see them early this week but they were able to fit them in today. The two mares changed out of their clothing and entered the steam room wearing towels. Fluttershy was enjoying the gentle warmth and seclusion of the room. There was nopony else around that could bother her, nothing around that could scare her, and nothing that could make her stress. Or so she thought.

“Fluttershy, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Fluttershy pulled out of her little moment of silence when she heard Rarity speak.

“Um, I guess not; what do you want to know?” answered Fluttershy trying to spot Rarity but was having trouble doing so due to the steam.

“Well it has to do with Silver” Fluttershy felt herself tense up again from the mere mention of his name. Not that she could blame Rarity about bringing it up; she knew that she would have asked at some point during the day. “That is, if you feel comfortable about talking about him” Rarity added after hearing what she thought was a sigh coming from her friends direction.

“No it’s fine” she responded, if she was ever going to work up the nerve to talk to Silver; then she would at least need to be able to talk about him without being nervous.

“Splendid, well my first question is about your crush on him” Fluttershy didn’t quite know where Rarity was going with that but decided to wait to see if there was more before saying anything. “I understand that you like him, but you do not strike me as somepony that would fall for a colt based solely on looks. What I’m asking is; have you ever had any interaction with him before?” Rarity finally asked. There was a short pause, Rarity waited patiently for Fluttershy to respond.

“Well, there was one” of all her friends there was only one who could have caught a hole in her story and it Rarity. “It happened almost a week before I found out he was working at the flower shop” she continued.

“I knew it, go on dear and don’t hold back any details this time” insisted Rarity as she leaned in on her seat in anticipation. Fluttershy took a deep breath and thought back to the day she first met silver.

“Okay, this is what happened…”

Two weeks ago it was a regular summer day in Ponyville and Fluttershy was in town searching for her bunny Angel. The rebellious rabbit had a case of the sniffles and had bolted from her home when she tried to give him some medicine. She is not as forceful as him but Fluttershy didn’t want to give up until she made sure he drank it. But finding a small white rabbit in a large town was not going to be easy and he knew it.

“Angel, it’s only one little teaspoon, It’ll make you feel better!” said Fluttershy as she walked around hoping that the rabbit could hear her and come out from hiding. He could hear her loud and clear but he was not going to let her give him that medicine. Fluttershy looked around for a moment before continuing on to look for him at another area in town.

A few moments later a very small sneeze was heard, its location, From behind a stack of boxes containing carrots. The white rabbit stuck his head out from behind the boxes where he was hiding whipping his nose with his arm. As to how his owner didn’t think to check around some boxes of carrots when searching for a rabbit was beyond him. But so long as it means he didn’t have to drink that foul-smelling medicine, he didn’t care.

Angel made his way around the crates and looked towards the direction his owner was heading. He could still see her but she was still walking away from where he was standing. The rabbit’s first thought was to head home thinking it would give him a couple of hours to himself before the yellow one returned. But as soon as he did, he heard a loud snap from next to him and he quickly turned to see what it was. One of the wooden planks on the crates had come off and a few carrots spilled out.

“Lunch” the Rabbit would probably have said at the time if he could talk but the look on his eyes did all the talking for him. Angel took a quick look around to see the pony who owned the deli was too busy talking to somepony else to notice him. He saw this as his chance and quickly went to grab a carrot; however this would prove to be a mistake. As soon as Angel grabbed the carrot there were two more loud snaps from more wooden planks coming undone. The bottom crate could not handle the weight and finally gave way; the rabbit looked up to see the others toppling over ready to crush him.

“Maybe I should have just taken my medicine…”

Fluttershy was still walking, looking around to try to see if she could spot Angel, and knowing him the search would go on for a while. She thought that maybe she should head home and wait for him to return but feared that his cold could get worse as time went on. She was going to see if maybe one of her friends had seen him, she was close to sugar cube corner so she was going to ask Pinkie Pie.

However before she could make her way to the bakery, she heard the sound that resembled somewhat of a crash and crumble. Whatever it was, it caught her attention so she turned around to try to see what caused the sound. When she turned she saw a colt on the ground, buried by carrots and broken wooden crates. It covered most of his back and some of his legs, his arms were extended and it looked like he was holding something.

“Hey buddy, you okay?” said the deli owner as he moved quickly and began to move the crate pieces and carrots off his back.

“Yeah I’m fine” said the white-haired colt as he got off of the ground. “How about you little guy?” he said as he opened his hands to reveal Angel who was still covering his face. It took a bit but he eventually removed his hands to see who was holding him. He let out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t in the big carrot patch in the sky right now.

“Hmm, you don’t seem hurt” said the colt as he began to pet Angel. The rabbit was not fond of being touched, there was a short list of ponies who he would allow to pet him, and even his owner was just barely on that list. However there was a feeling of comfort when he while being petted by the strange colt. He didn’t know who he was, but he was definitely on that list now.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay Angel?” said Fluttershy as she ran up to him and the colt holding him.

“He’s fine” began the colt before Angel let out another sneeze “well mostly” he said with a little chuckle. She had been so worried about her pet’s well-being that she didn’t notice the colt holding him till now. She looked up to see him smiling back at her, for a moment she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Are you okay?” asked the colt as he raised an eyebrow at the silence. Fluttershy wanted to say something but was having a hard time doing so. The colt himself was going to say something else but before he could, something ran passed him striking him in the shoulder.

“You’re it!” said the other colt with a triumphant smirk on his face as he backed away from the colt he had tagged. The white haired colt also gained a smirk as he gently handed over Angel to Fluttershy.

“Sorry but I have to go, see you around okay?” said the colt with one last smile.

“O-okay…” Fluttershy was finally able to say before the colt turned around and chanced after the other one. As the two colts ran off Fluttershy stood there watching them, as she did she felt a little disappointed at what she didn’t do.

“I never got to say thank you…”

There was a small moment of silence after Fluttershy had recanted her story. There weren’t much detail of what happened but Rarity was able to piece it together by what she heard. For Silver to be buried under crates of carrots, Angel must have been in danger of them falling on him so the colt saved him at the last second.

“So this attraction was because of him saving Angel?” she asked making sure she was following correctly.

“Well that was part of it, but mostly the way he acted towards him and the way he smiled at me. I can’t explain it, but he seemed so kind and gentle, even though he looked though on the outside” explained Fluttershy.

“I suppose one would have to have been there in order to understand, though I still don’t know what the colt looks like” said Rarity. There was another moment of silence, Rarity had placed her hand to her chin and began to think for a moment. Suddenly she snapped her fingers which caused Fluttershy to flinch lightly. “I do believe we found our ice breaker” said Rarity with the outmost confidence.

“What do you mean?”

“You said you never got the chance to thank him for saving Angel, sounds like a conversation starter to me” explained Rarity. She was right, Fluttershy hadn’t thought about it till now but it looked like it could work perfectly.

“Looks like this won’t be as hard as I thought, thank you, Rarity” said Fluttershy as she let out a sigh of relief, now that she found something she could use to talk to Silver, it felt like a weight was off her shoulder.

“Anytime darling, now, we have two mud baths with our names on them waiting for us” said Rarity as she got up and began to make her way to the door.

“Okay”

Twilight and Rainbow had walked for about half an hour still trying to figure out where it was Silver and Azure had run off to. Rainbow had come up with some…colorful, theories about what the two colts were doing at the moment. At first Twilight could tell she was joking but as the jokes ran on she was starting to grow a little disturbing.

“Can we please change the topic, and about that last theory...wow, just…wow” said Twilight not wanting to repeat what she heard.

“What? All I said was”

“Don’t repeat it!” said Twilight covering her ears to block out her friends disturbing theory from haunting her. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh at Twilights reaction to what she had told her, though she had to admit some of her theories were a little too detailed even for her.

“Alright I’ll give it a rest” she decided that Twilight had suffered enough for now; she figured a change of topic would be best. “You think Rarity will be able to give Fluttershy any good advice during their spa day?” she finally said.

“Well it’s possible, if she’s able to help Fluttershy find something she and Silver can talk about then it will make things a whole lot easier” said Twilight glad that they changed the topic. All they could do for now is trust that Rarity could figure something out.

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow, you know; if everything works out okay”

“You’re not going to let this go are you?”

“Sorry, but I need to know, I don’t want to leave it to chance and have Fluttershy get crushed”

“Well I guess, but I’m sure this is will all turn out to be a misunderstanding” the two mares continued to talk amongst themselves. Rainbow wanted to believe Twilight, that she had jumped to a conclusion again. But she needed to see it for herself so that she could be sure if she was wrong or not.

The two mares continued to walk wondering just how far the two colts had gone, or if they had changed direction at some time. They were about to question if they should continue on but they soon started to hear some sounds.

“You hear that?” said Dash in a whisper as she stopped walking and turned to face Twilight. The unicorn stayed silent for a moment trying to figure out what the sound was, she couldn’t place it exactly but it did sound like movement.

“It’s coming from up ahead, come on!” Twilight began to run forward with Dash following close behind her. Soon enough they could see light coming from an opening in the woods, the noises stopped but they were sure it was coming that direction. When they finally reached the end of the woods and reached the opening, but they didn’t expect what they saw next.

“What is all this?” said Dash looking at what was occupying the open plain of the woods. There were some tires placed on the ground, rope climbs, wall climbs, and several other pieces of equipment that seemed to match an army training course.

“Well, it looks like a training course” pointed out Twilight as she looked around to see what else was here. “What is this doing out here?” she wondered as she placed her hand on her chin to think. However she didn’t have long as she felt herself being pulled to the ground with a quick motion. She was going to yell but a hand covered her mouth to keep her from doing so.

“keep your voice down” she heard Rainbow said next to her, she was a little annoyed from the sudden mare handling and for a moment contemplated biting her, but she then heard movement again. She looked forward through the bush that Rainbow had hidden them behind and could see two figures running. Both of them were shirtless, on was light blue with green hair, the other was dark blue with white hair and wore sunglasses; it was without a doubt Silver and Azure. Both colts were running along the course, Azure was a little ahead of Silver but not by much and the two of them were clearly tired.

“Come on Silver, is that all you got?” said Azure as he continued to run trying to widen the gap between them.

“Big talk for somepony that twisted his ankle yesterday!” laughed Silver running behind Azure as they both made it to the tires on the ground. As this went on Twilight can’t help but smile, she knew that Rainbow was just jumping to conclusions and this proved it.

“See I told-“Twilight couldn’t finish as she was struck in the face by a fluffy blue object. The next this she knew it she was spitting out some blue feathers. “What’s that all about?” she asked as she pointed at Rainbows extended wings which she quickly closed again.

“N-nothing…” said Rainbow with a little awkwardness in her voice as she looked away from Twilight. “I’m just glad to see I was wrong” she said after a bit with a smile, now she didn’t have to worry about Fluttershy getting crushed by some bad news. Twilight raised an eyebrow at Dash for a moment wondering what caused her wings to open like that. However she was pulled back to what the two other colts were doing once they began to scale a rope wall.

“I never would have thought any of them were this physically fit” said Twilight as Azure and Silver got over the rope wall and began to climb down. “You think that maybe they want to join the royal guards?” she asked turning to Dash again.

“Maybe, but whatever the reason at least I can let go of my original theory…” said Rainbow as she began to get up from the ground. As she did this she didn’t notice a rock before she stepped on it causing her to slip and fall back, letting out a yell as she did so. Although she covered her mouth right after it was still loud enough to catch both colts attention.

“Did you hear that?” asked Azure as he stopped running in a skid as he heard the noise. Silver had pulled a head but did the same as soon as he notice Azure had stopped.

“Yeah I’m pretty sure it came from over there” Silver pointed in the exact direction where Dash and Twilight were hiding. There was a moment of shock for the two mares; they didn’t want to be found out before Fluttershy got the chance to talk to Silver. And even if they didn’t bring that up they would still need to figure out how to explain why they were spying on them.

“I think it might be whatever stole our shirts yesterday!” said Azure as he began to walk towards the bush. At this point the two mares were contemplating getting up and running away hoping that they wouldn’t be recognized. However there seemed to be some luck on their side.

“Oh just leave it be, not like we’re going to get them back” said Silver. “Let’s just finish the last couple laps we have left then head back” he continued as he readied to continue their race. Azure took one last step them rubbed the back of his head before turning around.

“Eh, sure” he began to make his way to where Silver was waiting seeing the point that he had given. “Winner still buying lunch?” he continued as he stood next to Silver taking a running start pose.

“As always” stated Silver as he took up the same pose, he and Azure stayed in that pose for a couple of seconds before they both took off again. Twilight and Rainbow let out a sigh of relief now that the two colts had gone back to their run.

“Come on, let’s go while we still have the chance” said Twilight tugging on Rainbow’s arm. They were pretty much given a hint as to how long Silver and Azure would be running before they would make their way back to Ponyville.

“Right” said Rainbow as she got up from the floor and followed Twilight as the two began to make their way back. “At least it was worth the close call, now I don’t have to worry about it anymore” she said with a smile.

“I guess you’re right, for once”

“First time for everything I guess”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Probably get something to eat, I skipped breakfast this morning” Rainbow’s stomach growled at that very moment and the two shared a laugh.

“Lunch does sound good actually; I’ll treat you when we get back”

“Really? Thanks!”

“After being such a good friend to Fluttershy, you deserve it”

The rest of Fluttershy and Rarity’s spa day went on like any other, by the time it was over they were both completely relaxed.

“Thanks again for the spa day Rarity” said Fluttershy in a relieved smile.

“It was my pleasure dear, I hope it helped you relax” responded Rarity. Though she didn’t have to ask, she could clearly see it on Fluttershy’s face that she far more relaxed than when they started.

“It did, I just hope Pinkie doesn’t do anything to make it worse” joked Fluttershy which got a laugh from Rarity.

“I’m sure she’ll do just fine teaching you that breathing exercise” assure Rarity. “Now then, I must make my way back home, my parents are dropping off sweetie bell later today” she added before bidding Fluttershy farewell.

Fluttershy may not have been too sure about all this yesterday but as time went on and her friends showed how much they wanted to support her, she began to feel the confidence she needed. She had done greater feats in the past, if she could stare a dragon into submission, then she could talk to a colt without so much trouble.

“I just have to stay confident and look on the bright side” Fluttershy thought to herself as she began to make her way home. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

The day went on and eventually the sun had set, everypony had done what they could for Fluttershy so all they could do for now was to wait till tomorrow. Twilight had gotten an update from both Pinkie and Rarity; Fluttershy seems to be relaxed and ready for tomorrow. They just had to hope she doesn’t regress back to a panicked mess when the time came. Rainbow was raring for this happen, she was probably more eager for Fluttershy to do this than she herself was.

At the moment Twilight was reading a book trying to purge the mental images that Rainbow had planted into her head. For the most part it was working, but now and then she would flash back to one of them which would make her cringe. She needed something that could keep her mind out of it, and she did not want to try sleeping while the images continued to haunt her head. However she didn’t know what she could use that would catch her attention enough to make her forget what was on her mind.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The knocking at Twilight’s door pulled her out of her reading, at this time she didn’t know who it could be. She figured that it could probably be Rainbow again, though she hopped that it wasn’t. Spike had gone to sleep early after haven completed his long list of chores so Twilight got up to answer the door. When Twilight opened the door she was suddenly surprised to see who was knocking. The pony was male, had dark blue fur, white hair, and sunglasses; it was the very pony Twilight and Rainbow had spied on earlier today.

“Oh, hello, Silver was it?” said Twilight trying to play the scene calmly so to not seem suspicions to him.

“Yeah, listen can I talk to you for a second?” asked Silver, he seemed a little off at the moment which Twilight picked up on.

“Sure” she said taking a step back so Silver could come inside. “So, what is it you needed to talk about?” she asked while closing the door. Silver stood there for a moment rubbing the back of his head, he seemed to be thinking of how he could say what was on his mind. Eventually he let out a sigh and spoke.

“Can you keep a secret?”

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The day of reckoning

Ever been in a situation where you find yourself awake but have no memory of either falling asleep or waking up? Well, Fluttershy did. She found herself standing outside for some reason, but she doesn’t remember how she got there. The sun was up, the sky was partly gray for some reason, and…she was in Cloudsdale?

“How did I get here?” Fluttershy’s voice echoed as she spoke, she looked around to see other pegasi walking around. She hadn’t been to Cloudsdale in so long; however nothing seemed to have changed. It took her some time but she was able to figure out where she was exactly.

“This is near the park I used to play in…” Fluttershy began to walk as if some strange forced were beckoning her forward. The walkway was filled with pegasi, but oddly enough the sky was empty of any others. So many faces, all of them of ponies she didn’t know but at the same time she felt that she had seen them before. They all carried the same smile on their faces, as if there wasn’t a care in the world, it seemed so welcoming, but at the same time scary.

Fluttershy continued to walk forward only occasionally looking to her sides to see a face that she thought was familiar. She didn’t notice it but as she walked, the area behind her would begin to fade into darkness, as if it were stalking her; waiting for the right moment to strike. How long did she walk? It felt like hours, she didn’t know exactly where her body was taking her, but she had a small hunch. Soon enough her body came to a halt and she could now see where it was her body was taking her. Across the way from where she was standing was the very park she had gone to as a filly.

She could see the swings, the slides, and the cloudbox where she would build cloud castles and pretend she lived in them. For a moment she felt the warming sensation of nostalgia fill her and she felt herself smile. She couldn’t remember how she got to Cloudsdale, but at the moment it didn’t seem to matter. Right now she just wanted to think of fun she had in this park in the days before she went to flight school. Soon enough she began to move again, heading closer to the park. As she drew closer, she began to see young ponies that she didn’t notice before having a great time in the park.

Fluttershy stopped walking again; she looked around at all the young pegasi running around without a care in the world. She couldn’t help but hold a great smile at the innocence of younger ponies. Some of them ran while others attempted to fly, they were still small and their wings weren’t developed enough for flight. Fluttershy felt like she was in the perfect world at the moment, no hate, no anger, and no fear…just happiness. She couldn’t see how anything could pull her down from how she was feeling at the moment, that is not until he spotted a certain pony; and her world came to a halt.

“No…” Fluttershy was staring at a canary yellow Pegasus, body still as small and frail as she remembered, it was her. Fluttershy couldn’t believe her eyes, she was staring at herself as a young filly, and to her horror; she knew what she was about to do. The young Fluttershy was holding a card with a heart on it in her hands, in front of her was a brown colored Pegasus colt with yellow hair. Fluttershy wanted to move, she wanted to run so she wouldn’t have to see what was to come…but her body wouldn’t obey her.

“Please no, don’t do it!” Fluttershy yelled with fear in her voice, she could hear herself clearly but it seemed nopony else could. Young Fluttershy took a step towards the brown colt who was conversing with his friends. Young Fluttershy tapped the colt on the shoulder and he turned around to face her. She was blushing but there was still a smile on her face, it was one of the rare times Fluttershy had ever felt confident in her life. The colt looked at Fluttershy for a moment and saw the card in her hands, young Fluttershy wanted for him to take it but he didn’t move.

The colt gave a nervous smile, his friends taunting him as they saw the affection he was getting from a filly. Older Fluttershy remembered how it was at this age, colts hung out with other colts and fillies hung out with fillies; interaction of the sexes was almost taboo to them. This time was no exception to the fact; the brown colt could either take the card and be mocked by his friends, or follow the crowed, his choice came quick. Without a second thought the brown Pegasus turned around and ran away from Fluttershy. The shock of the moment caused her jaw to drop, and she let go of the card, letting it drop to the ground.

Tears began to form on Fluttershy’s eyes, the moment was heartbreaking, but it was what came next that she didn’t want to relive. One of the other colts that had taunted the colt that younger Fluttershy wanted to give the card to had picked it up from the ground. He began to read it, young Fluttershy tried to get it back but was unable to. Soon the bully finished reading and stuck his tongue out mimicking a sickly feeling. He then passed the note on to one of the other colt who began to read it as the previous one began to laugh.

“I don’t want to see it anymore, make it stop!” yelled Fluttershy as she dropped to her knees, she couldn’t even look away. One after another, the note was then passed on to both colts and fillies who laughed at the contents of the note. They all pointed and laughed as they stood around younger Fluttershy who was now starting to cry. Even older Fluttershy was now crying, her heart breaking from having to relive that horrible moment again. The world around her began to fade into darkness until all that was left was her sitting on a small cloud. It was as if she was floating in the void that had formed in her heart. She regained control of her body, almost as if it had grown pity for her after seeing what happened. She closed her eyes and covered ear, but the laughs continued to echo around her.

It was her first of almost everything that day, her first crush, her first love note, and the first time she tried to celebrate heart and hooves day. She had all of her hopes up just to have them crushed in a single instant, since then she was too afraid to try again. She feared that if she did, then it would end the same way as it did the first time. Nopony else knew about that day, not even Rarity of Rainbow who Fluttershy felt she could tell anything without being judged. She had almost forgotten that it had happened herself, maybe it was her minds way of trying to cope with the traumatic moment.

Fluttershy continued to cry, the tears running down her chin and landing on the small patch of cloud she was sitting on. With each drop of water the cloud seemed to dissolve, Fluttershy was far too sad to notice it before it was too late. The cloud had dissolved to the point where it could no longer support any weight; Fluttershy’s body began to fall. The sudden drop caught her by surprise, she reached up as if she had expected somepony to grab her hand and save her, but nopony was there. She could feel herself falling, due to the dark void it seemed as if she was just floating, but she could tell she was falling by the way her hair moved. Fluttershy covered her face, as she fell praying that this could all be over.

“This is a dream, it has to be!” she thought to herself not seeing any other way this could all be happening. “Please just wake up!” she just wanted to wake up in her bed so she wouldn’t have to go through with this anymore. Fluttershy hesitated for a moment; she wanted to move her hands but feared that she was still in mid nightmare. After a few deep breaths, Fluttershy finally removed her hands from her face and could see the light of the sun. She was on the ground now, looking around she noticed that she was back in Ponyville. She got up and looked around, trying to remember what part of town she was in. Eventually she turned around and spotted something that caused her heart so skip a beat.
“No, not here” She was now standing in front of the flower shop where Silver was working at. She looked around to see that none of her friends were around like they her promised they would be. In her mind this was the worst case scenario on how this day could go, she would have to face Silver alone. Once again her body began to move on its own, its aim was to go inside the shop. Try as she might; Fluttershy could not stop herself from moving, and each step increased the fear in her heart.

“I-I’m not ready for this, please, I don’t want to do this!” Fluttershy plead to her own body hoping she could regain control and run away. When she was finally inside she couldn’t see any flowers around, just empty vases. Behind the front counter was Silver who was talking to somepony else. Fluttershy turned her head to see it was a Pegasus, her fur was cyan, and her hair had a rainbow patter on it.

“R-Rainbow?” asked Fluttershy raising her hand towards her friend who was talking to Silver. It looked like they were having a good talk, but Fluttershy could not hear what it was they were talking about. Both ponies were talking, smiling, and laughing in a way that seemed innocent to Fluttershy, until it happened. Fluttershy felt the horror creep up on her again as she saw Rainbow lean forward towards Silver and vice versa. Soon both met in the middle for a long kiss with one another.

Fluttershy’s heart all but stopped from the sight of her best friend kissing the colt she had a crush on. The feeling of betrayal was too much for her to bear as Fluttershy began to cry with full force. The sounds of screaming and crying filled the air around Fluttershy as she tried desperately to wake herself up from this nightmare. Why did she have to relive one of the worse moments of her life, why did she have to see her best friend betray her right in front of her? She didn’t know; all she wanted was for it to stop.

It seemed as though she would be stuck in a never ending nightmare forced to see horrors unfold before he eyes forever. She didn’t know how much more she could take before she would completely lose it. But thankfully her nightmare came to a halt as she felt a rush of cold cover her head. Fluttershy’s eyes opened in a gasp as she sat up from the laying down position she was in. She looked around to see that she was back in her room, she was breathing heavily and covered in sweat, no doubt caused from the nightmare she was having. To her side she could see Angel who was carrying an empty cup; he also had a look of worry on his face.

“O-oh, Angel, did I wake you?” she said in a studded, her heart was still racing from the ordeal she had dealt with. Angel hopped on Fluttershy’s lap and embraced her, he was not always known for compassion but from the screaming he had heard even he knew that she needed some comfort. Fluttershy looked surprised for a moment but soon smiled and hugged her rabbit back as she sighed in relief.

“It’s okay Angel, mommy’s okay now…”

After she had calmed herself down and showered to cleanse herself of the cold sweat she worked up, Fluttershy was tending to the animals. She tried to push what she dreamt about out of her mind, but it was a difficult task. She would find herself flashing back to what happened in her nightmare, she could still feel the sting as if it had just happened. She thought she had come to terms with what happened when she was younger, apparently she was wrong. However that didn’t feel nearly as bad as seeing Rainbow of all ponies stabbing her in the back.

“No, she would never do that to me!” Fluttershy thought to herself as she shook her head of doubt. “Rainbow is doing everything she can to help me, she wouldn’t do all that if she wanted him for herself…” she continued. Rainbow Dash is the element of loyalty; she would never betray any of her friends, much less Fluttershy. She continued to tell herself that as time passed on, she knew that she had Rainbows support in this.

It was difficult due to having to force herself not to think about what happened in her dream, but eventually Fluttershy finished feeding the forest animals. Fluttershy sat on her sofa and took a deep breathe, she could feel herself becoming nervous again and she could not allow that to happen. Crossing her legs, Fluttershy took up the pose Pinkie had thought her the day before. Mimicking the breathing exercise Pinkie showed her; Fluttershy began to feel herself calm again. It was surprising just how effective it was for her, each breath took some of the edge off.

“I really need to thank Pinkie for this, it works wonders” she was still a little nervous, but she was able to work out the worse of it. Now she felt like she would be able to make it through the rest of the day without worry. However as she sat down it occurred to her, she was never told what time the plan would begin. She thought that maybe she should head over to Twilight’s place and ask, but figured that they would come to get her.

Fluttershy grabbed a snack and began to think to herself as she waited for her friends to come get her. Although she knew it was too early to start thinking about it, Fluttershy wondered what a date with a colt would be like. She had read plenty of romance novels before and first dates in them seemed fun, at least until something dramatic happened. However she doubted something dramatic like finding out the colt was actually the evil twin trying to get revenge or some cliché like that would happen.

There were some other romance novel cliché’s she probably wouldn’t mind seeing. She had read a few books where two colts would end up fighting for the hand of the mare. She laughed slightly at the thought of two colts fighting for her heart, though she would never want somepony to get hurt because of her. But in the end she decided that she didn’t need any kind of drama like that, she just wanted to have somepony she could hold, somepony that she could share her life with.

Three knocks on the door caught Fluttershy’s attention pulling her out of her thoughts. It seemed it was time for her to head into town so the plan could take place. As she walked up to the door she could feel her stomach turn a little, but she didn’t let it get to her. She opened the door to see Rainbow Dash standing outside.

“Hey Fluttershy, just came to check up on you” said Rainbow with a wave of her hand.

“Oh, hello Rainbow, please come in” Fluttershy took a step to the side letting Rainbow inside. She didn’t want to admit it, but the moment she saw Rainbow, she felt her stomach turn a little as the memory of what happened in her dream returned to her.

“We still have a little time before we need to head into town, but I just wanted to make sure you were still in the zone for this” said Rainbow as she turned to face Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus felt like slapping herself for still having doubt. If it weren’t for Rainbow she wouldn’t have gotten the help she needed to pull this off. “You okay?” asked Rainbow seeing the small frown on her friends face.

“Y-yes” Fluttershy quickly put up a smile though she staggered a little when she answered. “Just thinking is all” she added right after, not that she was lying to her.

“Okay, now I need you to think positive” Rainbow placed her arm around Fluttershy and moved her towards her sofa. “Rarity told me she found out what you can do to get the conversation started?” she hadn’t asked what it was from Rarity and wanted to hear it from Fluttershy.

“Yes, you see he once saved Angel from being badly hurt. I kind of got a little nervous and never got the chance to thank him” answered Fluttershy. It was a little embarrassing for her to admit, but Fluttershy did have a small smile on her face as she said it.

“This is the first time I’ve seen her talk about him with a smile on her face” Rainbow thought to herself unable to fight off a smile herself. It showed that she had made some progress from when she was too scared to see him only a few days ago. The two continued to talk for a couple of minutes, but soon enough the time had come.

“Alright Fluttershy, are you ready?” Fluttershy felt her stomach turn slightly with anticipation; she hopped that she could keep herself under control.

“Yes”

Fluttershy and Rainbow began to walk their way back to town; Rainbow told Fluttershy that the others were already in place. When they arrived, both Rainbow and Applejack would step inside first and begin to browse, and then Fluttershy was to enter. Fluttershy had walked this path several times before, but it had never felt as long as it did now. She was clearly walking foreword, but the path just felt like it was getting longer with each step.

“Calm down, you can do this” Fluttershy thought to herself feeling her body begin to tense up again. She had expected that she’d feel nervous but she didn’t think it would be to this level after all the preparation she had done. She began to take deep breaths again but they weren’t working like they did before.

“You sure you’re okay?” Rainbow saw the look on Fluttershy’s face and began to worry; she was hoping that Fluttershy wasn’t starting to have second thoughts.

“Y-yes, just a case of the jitters I guess” or rather that’s what she wanted to believe it was. Right now she was doing all she could to keep herself level so she wouldn’t end up losing it before she talked to Silver.

“Don’t worry, this will all work out in the end, trust me” reassured Rainbow with a smile.

“I trust you”

“Hey I know; what if I talk to Silver first, then you jump in to the conversation” the mere thought of Rainbow Talking to Silver caused Fluttershy to flash back to the nightmare.

“No!” Rainbow flinched slightly from the sudden hostility; Fluttershy quickly realized what she had done. “I mean, no, I need to do this” Fluttershy added trying to recover from the slight overreaction she had.

“Well, just remember I’ll be there if you need any backup” responded Rainbow wanting to make sure Fluttershy understood that she was there for her.

“Thank you” Fluttershy’s stomach began to feel worse now, not because of being nervous about talking to Silver, but for the first time in her life no matter how brief, she felt she couldn’t trust her best friend.

The walk to town was a bit difficult for Fluttershy, but eventually she and Rainbow made it back and were heading for the flower shop. The nervous feeling she had been starting to grow worse, she was having a hard time getting the nightmare out of her head. She couldn’t stop the image of Rainbow kissing Silver from flashing in her mind repeatedly. She wanted them to stop so she could just focus on the task at hand.

“Alright Fluttershy, we’re here” Fluttershy was snapped out of the recent flash back she was having to see that they were close to the flower shop. She looked around to see if she could spot the rest of her friends. At first she wasn’t able to see them but eventually she was able to pick them out from the crowed. She saw Rarity sitting at one of the tables outside of a café looking at the flower shop. In the seat right next to her was Pinkie who was adding never-ending spoons of sugar to her drink. She looked around further and spotted Twilight with spike by a shop a little out-of-the-way.

“Ya’ll ready to do this?” Applejack had just arrived and walked up to Rainbow and Fluttershy without them noticing.

“You bet, how about you Fluttershy” Fluttershy was taking deep breaths again; she seemed to be needing to do so more often as she got closer to the shop.

“Y-yes” Fluttershy gave a nod showing that she was ready to do what she had prepared for.

“Good, alright Applejack you’ll go in first and I’ll walk in a couple of seconds later” Applejack had no objections; she gave Fluttershy a reassuring tap on the shoulder and made her way to the shop. Fluttershy watched as Applejack walked towards the flower shop, her heart rate began to increase with each passing second. The time was finally drawing closer and the anticipation was starting to get to her.

“Alright I’m next, give me about a minute after I enter and then go inside, okay?” Fluttershy just gave a nod in agreement; she didn’t think she’d be able to say anything at the moment. Rainbow turned around and made her way inside of the flower shop leaving Fluttershy alone to wait for her turn. Left alone, Fluttershy found herself back into her own mind, something she had tried to avoid. She was once again thinking about the nightmare that she had, only now she kept thinking of the moment she saw herself younger self try to give a colt a heart and hooves day card. The never ending laughter that she had been the center of after her card was read by everypony echoed in her head.

“No, it’s not going to end like that, we’re older and more mature…” Fluttershy assured herself. Back then almost anything you did could cause others to mock you; now she was going to ask out a mature colt. She had to keep telling herself that in her mind till the laughing echoes died down, it was a trial but they eventually stopped. After words she looked around, she wasn’t keeping time and wondered how long it took for her to snap out of it. She figured she had waited long enough; the longer this took, the harder it was starting to become to keep the dream out of her head.

As Fluttershy walked towards the flower shop her friends that were standing outside were able to catch sight of her. They had done everything they could, and now all they could do was be there in spirit. Although they were at a distance, they could see just how nervous Fluttershy looked; it was an unnerving view but they just had to have faith that Fluttershy would be able to fight it off. Fluttershy stood outside of the flower shop and took several deep breaths, the effect they had were starting to falter but it was enough to get her to step inside.

Once inside Fluttershy was able to get a good look at what the shop looked like, it was definitely bigger on the inside than it seemed. There were other ponies inside looking through the vast option of flowers; eventually she spotted Rainbow who gave her a subtle nod. She turned her head to the front counter and saw a mare earth pony with white fur and red hair standing behind it. Moving so to not look suspicious she continued to look around but she was unable to spot Silver anywhere.

“Fluttershy” it was a very low voice but she was able to identify it as Applejack. “Don’t turn just look around, Silver’s in back, he gets called when somepony asks for flowers. Just go up to the mare in the front counter and order something simple” She had seen it happen twice while she was waiting for Fluttershy and both times Silver had handed the flowers over directly.

“Okay…” Fluttershy said walking around Applejack and making her way towards the front counter. It seemed simple enough, ask for a small stack of flowers and she would be able to talk to Silver. Then again it seemed simple yesterday too, but for some reason today just didn’t want to help her out in the slightest. Her nerves were all screaming as the anticipation began to get to her again. She was shaking slightly but she finally reached the front counter where the owner stood.

“Can I help you with something dear?” she said with a friendly smile, admittedly it helped Fluttershy calm down slightly. She thought to take another deep breath before answering, but she had a hunch it wouldn’t work anymore.

“Um, h-half a dozen roses, please” she said sheepishly.

“Right away, Silver come out here for a moment” there was the sound of a stumble coming from the back room.

“I’m okay!” could be heard from the back room, a few seconds later Silver walked out and was readjusting his sunglasses.

“Half a dozen roses if you please” Silver seemed to turn his face towards Fluttershy for a moment and gave a small smile.

“Right away” Silver grabbed some clippers from under the counter and made his way towards where the roses were displayed. Soon enough he grabbed six roses from the stack and made his way back to the counter. Fluttershy watched as Silver prepared the roses, flowers with torn covered stems, yet he didn’t have the need to use safely gloves. It showed just how careful he was able to handle a delicate but at the same time dangerous flower. The time was right in front of her, Silver was just about finished wrapping the roses and it would be her time to do what she had been prepared for. But on the day where she needed one the most, Fluttershy just couldn’t catch a break.

“I can do this” time seemed to slow down around her, all she needed to do was use the conversation started and go on from there. “I-I can do this” she sounded less sure of herself as Silver finished preparing the roses and walked up to her. To her horror the laughs in her head began to echo yet again showing that her doubt was causing her to weaken. “I” Silver was in front of Fluttershy now, though the counter was between them, it did not help.

“Here you go” said Silver with a smile as he motioned the flower towards her. There was a pause from Fluttershy; her chance was staring right at her.

“I…I can’t do it” as much as she wanted to, Fluttershy just couldn’t bring herself to do much anything else but grab hold of the roses. Most ponies would smile and take in the aroma of the roses, but Fluttershy could only see them as a pity prize.

“That’ll be three bits please” Silver said finally, Fluttershy made sure to keep herself under control, at least until she got out of the shop. She reached into her pocket and handed over the price asked of her. “So, are these for anypony special?” asked Silver as Fluttershy handed him the money.

“No, thank you…” responded Fluttershy meekly as she turned around and made her way towards the door. As she did this, Applejack was prepared to do her part and act as the barricade to keep Fluttershy from backing out. However once she was able to see the glassy glow on her friends face, she knew that she didn’t have it in her and let her walk out.

“So close…” Rainbow thought to herself as she saw Fluttershy walk out of the shop. She was a little disappointed but right now the last thing Fluttershy needed was a lecture from anypony, right now she needed her friends.

Rainbow and Applejack followed behind Fluttershy prepared for what could possible turn into her weakest moments. As they did, they didn’t notice what was happening behind the counter where Silver and his boss stood. Silver had a smile on his face while his boss stared at him with her arms crossed and a raised brow. She extended her hand towards Silver and cleared her throat to catch his attention. Silver then reached into his pocket and placed seven bits in her hand which the then placed in the register.

“Are you just going to let her walk away?” she asked placing her hands to her sides. The smile on Silvers face did not falter as she said this, he seemed fully confident.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already made my move”

Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Rarity had moved since Fluttershy entered the Flower shop. They were now all standing outside of it waiting at the side for Fluttershy to walk out. A few minutes had passed, and soon enough they saw Fluttershy walk out carrying a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Their first thoughts were that Silver had given it to her, but when they saw the look on her face they knew something had gone wrong.

“What happened?” asked Rarity as Fluttershy walked up to them, she was looking down at the bouquet the entire time.

“She couldn’t go through with it” said Rainbow who walked out right behind Fluttershy. Fluttershy gave a small whimper and closed her eyes; she was trying with all her might not to cry in public. “It’s okay Fluttershy, we can try again when you’re ready” Rainbow said placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“It’s not too late, what if we all go in with you?” suggested Twilight. However Fluttershy seemed to have already made up her mind. She shook her head and gave the bouquet one last look before throwing them aside. It felt like it was mocking her as she held on to it; she didn’t need a reminder of how weak she was feeling.

“Thank you, all of you; but, I just can’t do it” Fluttershy began to walk not giving her friends time to say anything.

“Wait, you can’t just-“Twilight seemed determined to keep Fluttershy from giving up, bust Rainbow placed a hand on her shoulder cutting her off.

“Let her go Twilight” said Rainbow with a sigh “Pushing her to do it won’t help” she added. Right now Fluttershy obviously wanted to be left alone, and Rainbow just had to respect that for now.

“Poor dear…” said Rarity with a frown, a few seconds later she turned to the bouquet that Fluttershy had cast aside and levitated it off the ground till she was able to grab hold of it. “Exactly how did she come to possess these?” Rarity asked; if the plan had failed than she wondered how Fluttershy ended up with a half-dozen roses. Applejack explained what happened inside of the flower shop, and how Fluttershy was right in front of Silver only to back out at the last second.

“That’s so sad, to get so close just to give up…” said Pinkie, she wasn’t the best when it came to her choice of words but her friend’s knew her heart was in the right place.

“So what do we do now?” Applejack asked as she and the others turned their attention towards Rainbow. It was clear from her face that even she didn’t know what she could do at this point; she didn’t spend any time thinking of what to do if the plan were to fail.

“Honestly I don’t know, I guess we should give her some time to recover and hope she’ll be up to try again” she said sounding almost defeated. They didn’t know what else to do, Flutterhsy wanted to be alone for now and they didn’t have a backup plan.

“I guess we should just go home, sorry for taking up your time” it was rare for Rainbow to say she was sorry, however this time she didn’t need to.

“No need to apologize, we’re just glad we could help, even if the result wasn’t what we were looking for” said Rarity.

“Well if that’s that, then I need to be heading back at the farm, I think we should check on Fluttershy later though” said Applejack. The others agreed that it was best to make sure she was okay after she had some time to herself. Rarity held on to the roses as she said her farewells to the others.

“You’re going to keep them?” asked Pinkie.

“Just because the plan was not a success does not mean they need to suffer because of it”

“I guess so”

“You should put them in a vase as soon as possible” suggested Twilight. Rarity gave a nod to Twilight’s suggestion; she knew the perfect place to put them. Twilight watched as her friends made their way back home, Spike stood next to her with a look of disappointment on his face.

“Well that was a bust…” said Spike referencing the mission failure. Normally Twilight would chew him out because of this, but she wasn't moved.

“Don’t count her out just yet, the day is still young” said Twilight as she turned and began to walk. Spike felt like he had missed something raising an eyebrow at Twilight as she walked away wondering what she knew.

Rarity had finally made it back home from the flower shop still holding on to the bouquet that Fluttershy had bought. She placed them on the counter before moving towards the kitchen with an empty vase. She still felt bad that Fluttershy was unable to bring herself to talk to the colt when the time came, but there was no sense in hanging on to the past. All she could do now is hope that she would be willing to give it another try it before it was too late.

“Hey Rarity, back already?” Sweetie Bell was staying with Rarity while her parents were out on vacation again; she had almost forgotten she had left her home alone.

“Yes Sweetie, did you do anything while I was gone?” she asked trying to make some small talk.

“No, just drew for a while to pass the time”

“I see; be a dear and hand me the roses on the counter” Sweetie turned around and spotted the roses. She grabbed them and moved them towards Rarity being careful not to damage any of them. “Thank you” said Rarity as she grabbed on to the bouquet with her magic, she then removed the roses from the holding wrap. As she placed the roses inside of the vase, she didn’t notice something drop on the ground.

“What’s this?” Sweetie had seen what dropped from the ground and had picked it up. Rarity turned to see what she was holding; it was a small piece of paper folded over.

“Where did you get that?”

“It fell when you pulled the flowers out” Rarity grabbed hold of the paper with her magic and moved it closer to her. Grabbing the piece of paper Rarity opened it and saw that there was something written on it.

“Oh my” there was shock in her face which quickly turned to a smile which Sweetie found a bit creepy. “Sweetie, please place this on the front counter” she said quickly as she began to run towards the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked wondering what was on the piece of paper that was causing Rarity to act so strangely. However she didn’t get an answer as Rarity had already bolted out of the door going Celestia knows where. Rarity was not one to exert herself physically; she would prefer not to run if given the choice. However there was no time to worry about getting sweaty, she needed to get to Fluttershy’s home and fast.

Outside of Fluttershy’s home were the animals she cared for, all of them had seen when she came back and the look on her face. For the past couple minutes they could hear the cry’s coming from inside the home, they all had look of worry on their face, but knew not how to help her. Eventually the sounds of crying had died down and all they could do now was stand outside to see if she came out again.

Inside the Pegasus in question was up in her room, she had slammed the door behind her and was in her bed under her blanket. At the moment she just wanted to disappear so she wouldn’t have to deal with this. Part of the reason she was so depressed was due to letting another crush slip through her fingers, but it was mostly due to the frustration she had about herself. All she needed to do was talk to the colt, it was something so simple for her to do, but in the end she just couldn’t do it. As she walked back home the sounds of laughter had continued to echo in her head, as if mocking her for failing. She didn’t have it in her to fight it off anymore and just let the laughing continue until they stopped on their own.

“All I had to do was thank him for saving Angel, if I had done that then maybe I could have done the rest” she thought to herself. Such a simple task and she wasn’t able to bring herself to do it when she needed to. All of the planning and preparation that her friends went out of their way to help her do, just to let them down. All she wanted to do was stay in bed forever so she wouldn’t have to deal life anymore, but it was her job to take care of the animals so she forced herself to get out of bed.

Fluttershy washed her face out but her eyes were still red from the crying, nothing she could do about that. It was still too early to feed the animals again, but she herself was a little hungry and decided to eat something. Fluttershy was making her way to her kitchen when suddenly something was banging at her door. The knocking at the door was so fierce that it scared Fluttershy a little and she hesitated as she walked up to it.

“W-who’s there?”

“Fluttershy, it’s Rarity, I need to show you something!” Fluttershy sighed in relief that it was just one of her friends. However she noticed something in her voice that seemed odd, it sounded like she was trying to catch her breath. Fluttershy opened the door to see Rarity hunched over with one hand on the door frame taking deep breaths.

“Oh my, what’s happened!” she asked worriedly, she never saw Rarity in this kind of shape before.

“I’m fine, may I come in, I believe I need to sit down” Fluttershy backed up and allowed Rarity to come inside. After she sat down, she gave her some water and waited until her breathing had finally calmed down. “Thank you, I’m afraid I’m not used to running such long distances” she was finally able to talk without having to stop for a breath.

“Why did you run over here, did something happen?”

“Yes, something splendid happened and it’s about you” Fluttershy blinked at what Rarity just said.

“What do you mean?” Rarity began to reach into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

“Read this” she said as she handed the paper over to Fluttershy. Grabbing the paper she could feel her heart race again, she didn’t even know where the paper came from or where Rarity had found it but she opened it and saw something had been written on it. It was a relatively small piece of paper and it only contained a few words.

“I’d like to get to know you better” it was a short sentence but it seemed to hit her hard, she didn’t quite know what to say.

“I-I don’t understand” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s hands and looked her in the eye with a big smile.

“Come now isn’t it obvious?” she asked but by the look in her face she could tell that Fluttershy was drawing a blank. “This whole time he was planning on asking you out dear!” she said happily. The realization caused Fluttershy’s eyes to shoot open and she blushed lightly, she had never had somepony ask her out before.

“A-are you sure, maybe the note was written for somepony else” she was having a hard time believing all this.

“The note was hidden inside of the bouquet of roses you bought; he wanted you to find it. It was fortunate that I decided to take them after you discarded them” explained Rarity. She didn’t care why Rarity took the roses, but she surely did feel grateful that she did.

“I-I guess it was worth tree bits”

“Three bits?” asked Rarity with a raised brow “Half a dozen roses should cost over twice that” she said placing her hand under her chin. Didn’t take her long to come up with a conclusion about what may have happened. “That means he must have given you a discounted price, no doubt he probably had to pay the rest out-of-pocket if his boss was watching” she explained. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the note, a colt she liked actually showed interest back at her.

“What do I do now?”

“Don’t make him wait any longer, go confront him” Fluttershy hesitated a bit; she backed out last time do to her fear of being rejected. But after seeing the note he had written to her, that fear seemed to subside.

“W-will you come with me?” she had the others around for support when she tried it a while ago. She felt that it would be easier if she had at least one friend there to back her up.

“No dear, you need to do this on your own” said Rarity letting go of Fluttershy’s hands. Fluttershy was a little disappointed, but she knew that Rarity was right about refusing to come with her. This was something that Fluttershy had to do; she couldn’t rely on her friends to be there whenever she was going to talk with Silver.

“Okay, I guess I’ll go back” she said getting up from her seat; Rarity could see that she was still a little nervous.

“Come, I’ll walk with you to town, but after that you must do the rest under your own strength” said Rarity.

“Okay”

Rarity and Fluttershy made their way back to Ponyville, both of them talking among themselves as they did so. Rarity wanted to make sure the mood stayed light so Fluttershy would hold on to the smile she had. Eventually they reached town and it was time for Fluttershy to go on the rest of the way on her own.

“Good luck Fluttershy, and do come by sometime to pick up the roses, after all this I’m sure you’ll be wanting them back”

“Thank you Rarity” Fluttershy waved Rarity goodbye and began to walk towards the flower shop for the second time today. She looked back at the note that was left for her and was relief over how lucky she was that Rarity took the bouquet with her after she had thrown them aside. It was like she was given a second boost of confidence, and she did not want to let it go to waste. Soon enough she found herself in front of the shop once again. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy made her way inside of the shop not feeling the tension she did last time. The inside of the shop was void of any other pony looking to buy flowers, it was a little unnerving but she didn’t let it get to her. Right behind the counter was Silver boss who had already noticed her.

“Welcome back, did you need something?” said the owner as Fluttershy walked up to the counter starting to feel the jitters again.

“Um, can I speak to Silver?” she asked looking away slightly. The owner gave Fluttershy a smile before turning and walking toward the back.

“Silver, somepony wants to talk to you” could be heard from the back room. She waited in front, looking around to see if anypony else had walking in, but no, there was nopony else around. Soon enough Silver walked in from the back room, Fluttershy could feel her heart rate increase as her second chance was at hand.

“Hey there, you wanted to talk to me?” asked Silver placing his hands on the counter. Fluttershy stared at the smile he was giving her, it was the same kind smile he had the first time she met him, and it was warming to see. Fluttershy extended her hands forward showing the note that Rarity had found.

“Did, did you write this note…for me?” Silver reached out and grabbed the note, his hand brushing slightly against hers. The mere thought of her and Silver holding hands caused a knot to be tied in her stomach. Silver opened the letter and ran his thumb over it before answering.

“Yeah, it didn’t creep you out did it?” she asked rubbing the back of his head. “This was the first time I ever tried to ask a mare out” Fluttershy’s face began to turn read, Rarity was right; Silver was trying to ask her out.

“N-no, it’s just, I’ve never had somepony ask me out before” she said sounding a little embarrassed to say.

“I have a hard time believing that” as if she wasn’t blushing already, but now Silver seemed to be flirting with her. Fluttershy didn’t know what to do right now, frankly she couldn’t believe she had gotten this far. There was no turning back now; she needed to see this through to the end.

“S-so now what?” she asked finally, Silver turned his head up and seemed to be thinking to himself for a bit.

“Well, how about something light, would you like to get some coffee?” he asked finally.

“But, don’t you have to work?” she asked him. Silver gave a small laugh at this as he scratched the side of his head.

“The truth is, my shift ended over an hour ago”

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Open mouth, insert foot

“Really, all your friends helped?”

“Yeah, sounds silly doesn’t it…?”

“Not at all, they sound like great friends” Silver and Fluttershy had talked for about half an hour now. Thanks to Rarity taking home the roses that Fluttershy saw as a trophy of shame and finding the note left for her, she was able to find the courage she needed to give it another chance. And now she found herself drinking coffee with the same colt she found out wanted to ask her out as well.

“They’re the best friends a pony can ask for, I felt really bad when I ended up giving up in the end” Fluttershy looked down at her drink, her reflection looking back at her.

“To tell you the truth, I almost backed out myself when I placed that note in the roses, I was afraid it would seem creepy” said Silver before taking another sip of his drink. Fluttershy didn’t want to bring up how close she was to missing out on reading that note, mentally she gave thanks to Rarity again.

“I-I’m glad you didn’t” Fluttershy smiled and blushed as she said this, she still felt nervous while talking to Silver, but there was a level of comfort she could feel when around him.

“So am I” Silver had put his cup back down on the table, however he didn’t notice that he left something behind. Fluttershy looked at Silver face to see he had a mustache made of the cream on his coffee, she couldn’t help but grin. Soon enough Fluttershy found herself giggling over how funny it looked.

“What?” asked Silver a little confused about what was causing her to laugh.

“Um, you’re lip” said Fluttershy pointing to her own at the same time. Silver quickly placed his hand over his lip and felt the moisture of the cream over his lip. Silver quickly grabbed a napkin and whipped his lip clean of it.

“Well now I’m the one who’s embarrassed” Silver couldn’t help but laugh at his own misfortune. Soon even Fluttershy joined in the moment and share a laugh with him as well; she couldn’t believe just much fun she was having. She couldn’t believe how close she came to missing out on this today.

While Fluttershy was enjoying her coffee date with Silver, a certain cyan colored Pegasus was having a hard time keeping steady over what happened. Rainbow wanted to give Fluttershy space, but she needed to make sure she was okay or else she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Rainbow landed right in front of Fluttershy’s home and knocked on the door hoping that she would answer.

After waiting for about a minute, she assumed that she probably didn’t hear her knocking, or was avoiding talking to anypony else. Not to give up, Rainbow flew around the house till she was in front of the window to Fluttershy’s room. She moved in closer to the window pressing her face against the glass as she tried to look around inside. It was dark but she was able to see the inside just enough to know what’s around.

“Where is she?” she asked herself unable to spot Fluttershy anywhere, she wondered where it was she could be hiding. Rainbow continued to check each window of the house trying to see if she could spot Fluttershy but each check came up with the same results. The only other place she could think Fluttershy was hiding in was her bathroom, and if that was the case then she didn’t know how she would be able to get to her. “Come on Fluttershy, don’t give up!” she yelled once again at the front door hoping that she would listen to reason.

Soon enough, Rainbow heard a click at the door and she couldn’t help but smile knowing that Fluttershy had heard her. However it wasn’t Fluttershy who opened the door, but her rabbit Angel who was hanging from the doorknob. “Oh it’s you” said Rainbow sounding less than enthusiastic to see Fluttershy hadn’t opened the door herself.

“Nice you see you too…” was probably what Angel was thinking based on the way he rolled his eyes at the cyan Pegasus who had woken him up from his nap.

“Hey, where’s your owner?” Angel had hopped down on the floor so Rainbow had to bend her knees so she would be a little closer to him. Angel quickly pointed forward and Rainbow thought he was pointing at her for a moment. However when she turned around to see the path taken to get to and from Fluttershy’s home, it hit her. “She’s in town?” she asked turning to look back, however she was then surprised by the sound of a slam which caused her to jump. Looking back she saw that the door had been shut by Angel no doubt.

“I guess I’ll take that as a yes” said the annoyed Pegasus as she flew off towards town wondering what Fluttershy could be doing. As Rainbow flew off towards town, Angel was watching her to make sure she was gone.

“Good reddens” was probably what he was thinking as he yawned and went back to continue his nap that had been interrupted.

Rainbow was flying over town trying to see if she could spot Fluttershy but it was proving difficult. The town may not have been crowded at the moment, but being unable to spot her probably meant she was indoors somewhere. If Fluttershy was inside somewhere then she would need to walk and look inside each store or shop she passed by. She figured the best place to start was sugar cube corner which she was closest to at the moment.

Once she reached the store she looked through the glass to see that Fluttershy wasn’t in there either, same for Pinkie Pie, who was probably in her room at the moment. Rainbow continued to look around the town wondering if she should ask the others if they had seen her, she figured she could ask Rarity or Twilight first. Rainbow continued to walk until she found herself standing right in front of the flower shop where this had all started. Rainbow bowed her head as she thought back to the look on Fluttershy’s face when she couldn’t pull it off in the end.

“I should have given you more time to prepare, I’m sorry Fluttershy” she couldn’t help but beat herself up and blame herself for the mission failing. She knew how Fluttershy gets sometimes and should have come up with a better idea to help her thought this. She saw that Fluttershy was acting strange but was so sure that the plan would work that she didn’t give it a second thought when she should have. Now Fluttershy was Celestia knows where and probably crying her eyes out over all this. Or rather that’s what she thought until she heard a laugh that seemed a little familiar to her.

“Fluttershy?” she asked herself trying to make sure she had heard it correctly as she turned towards the direction of the laugh. Once Rainbow had turned and looked around to see where it was the laugh came from, her eyes suddenly shot wide open from what she saw. Across the way, at the café was Fluttershy who had a smile on her face. This was not what Rainbow thought she would look like when she found her, but she was glad it wasn’t. She wondered what exactly it was that she was doing at a café until she saw who was sitting with her.

“Silver!?” she said in shock as she quickly moved from out of the open to prevent them from spotting her as she watched them. “How did this happen?” she couldn’t believe that Fluttershy was actually on a date, not that she wasn’t happy to see it, but she wondered how it happened. Not too long ago Fluttershy had given up and looked like she was going to break down and cry, and now she’s smiling and laughing. She wanted nothing less than to run up to Fluttershy and give her a congratulatory hug, but she fought back the urge not wanting to ruin the moment.

Rainbow watched for a few more minutes before she took off heading home, she could feel that she was going to have a good night’s sleep tonight. Come tomorrow she was going to Fluttershy’s home again in order to find out the details about what happened. For now she was going to let Fluttershy enjoy her date, something she had deserved for a long time now.

“Oh, I forgot to thank you” said Fluttershy now remembering what it was she was originally supposed to say to Silver back in the flower shop.

“Thank me, for what?”

“For when you save my rabbit” Silver thought back for a moment to remember what happened that day.

“Oh that, no need to thank me, I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt” said Silver rubbing the back of his head. There was a look on his face as if he was trying to hold something back; Fluttershy tilted her head wondering what was wrong. “And there is another reason that I’m glad” he said finally.

“Oh, what is it?”

“Well, I got to meet you” Fluttershy’s face turned bright read when Silver said this, but the smile on her face still wouldn’t fade.

“I-I’m g-glad too” she said finally as she tried to keep her heart from popping out of her chest. She couldn’t believe how well the date was going, she was having the time of her life and wanted it to go on forever. But as a wise pony once said, all good things must come to an end, and Fluttershy came to realize this when she saw the lighting outside. “Oh no, I have to go” said Fluttershy as she got up from her seat.

“Huh, was it something I said?” said Silver getting up as well as he wondered if he had done something wrong.

“N-no, I was having a great time, but I need to feed the animals”

“Really, are you a vet?”

“Sort of, I take care of the animals of the forest that can’t take care of themselves. I also help other ponies with their pets if they get sick” she explained.

“Well, can I walk you home then?” Fluttershy stopped for a moment, this day was giving her one surprise after another.

“Y-you don’t” Fluttershy paused and stared at the smile on Silver face, she didn’t want the warm feeling she got when she saw it to stop just yet. “O-okay, if you want to” Silver paid for their drinks and soon she and her were walking out of the café.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe how the first time she walked this path today all she wanted was for it to be a quick as possible only to want it to last as long as it could this very moment. Silver and Fluttershy were making their way towards her house so she could take care of the animals there. The sun was close to setting and there was a gentle breeze in the air as they walked, it seemed like it was going to be the perfect end for a day that started so badly.

“So um, you’re from Canterlot, right?” she asked trying to start another conversation as they walked.

“Yeah, my friend and I grew up there, but eventually we decided it wasn’t the place for us. The town was too noisy and other ponies were either strict or snobs for lack of a better term. When we heard of Ponyville and all the crazy events that seem to happen here, we thought that it would be a fun place to live. And so far I have to say that I don’t regret the decision to move down here” said Silver as he turned to face Fluttershy. Fluttershy was not a stranger to knowing what it was like to grow up somewhere only to find a home somewhere else. Though this is the first time she ever heard of somepony willing moving to a place because the dangerous events that had unfolded there.

“Oh, I see, well I’m originally from Cloudsdale, but I moved where when I saw how nice it was on the ground” said Fluttershy. Fluttershy could swear she heard Silver say something under her voice, but before she could say something they had arrived in front of her house.

“So this is where you live?” he asked as he turned his head seemingly looking around the area, it was hard to tell due to him wearing sunglasses. “Nice place you have here” he said finally.

“Thank you, well I have to take care of the animals now, but I hope we can do this again” said Fluttershy with a hopeful look on her face.

“I’d like that” responded Silver, the two of them bid each other farewell and Silver made his way back to town and Fluttershy closed the door behind her. Fluttershy watched Silver leave from her window, soon she jumped with joy over the day she had. Her moment of celebration was cut short when she saw Angel glaring at her with his arms crossed while tapping his foot.

“Oh, hello Angel, did you need something?” there was an infectious smile on her face, infectious to everypony but Angel who still looked displeased. Angel opened his mouth and pointed towards it so Fluttershy could take a hint. “Oh that’s right, I’ll get your dinner right away” said Fluttershy as she made her way towards the kitchen. Overall it was one of the best days Fluttershy has had in a long time, as she fed the animals humming a happy tune; she hoped that she could have another day like it soon.

The sun rose on a brand new day, some ponies saw it as just another summers day, while a few woke up feeling overjoyed. One of whom was a cyan Pegasus who woke up with a restless feeling over her, the afternoon before Rainbow saw a jaw dropping sight. Fluttershy, the Pegasus who had seemed to fail in her attempt to ask a colt out was actually on a date with him. Unsure as to how long the date would go on, Rainbow had head home after watching for a couple of minutes to let her friend enjoy it. But now it was a brand new day and she couldn’t wait to head to her friend’s home to discuss with her friend over what had happened.

“Man I can’t wait to find out the details” said Rainbow as she got out of the bathroom after a morning shower. Not wanting to wait any longer than she had to, Rainbow got dressed quickly and grabbed a granola bar before heading out the door. After making sure to lock it behind her (though not really needed but just as a precaution) Rainbow jumped off the edge of the cloud base of her property and made her way towards Fluttershy’s home.

Speaking of a certain cannery colored Pegasus; Fluttershy was already awake and handing out breakfast to the animals of the forest. Her mood was light, probably lighter than the very air she breathed. Fluttershy had another dream last night, and this dream was everything the nightmare she had wasn’t. Fluttershy and Silver were sitting on a park bench as other ponies walk by, some of which looked like couples. Fluttershy’s eyes were closed but a smile was still on her face as she leaned her head on Silver chest. Silvers left arm was wrapped around her shoulder and his left hand holding on to Fluttershy’s right hand.

The dream was mostly silent, except for the occasional laugh that the two of them would share. Eventually Fluttershy looked up at the white-haired colt who was still wearing his sunglasses. In a couple seconds however he moved his hand to grab on to the shades he had been wearing and gently removed them. His eyes were crimson red, they looked fierce but at the same time gentle, Fluttershy blushed at the sight. It was a simple moment, but Fluttershy couldn’t imagine of a better time than this. Soon both ponies began to move closer to each other, closing their eyes softly as they drew closer. Their lips parted slightly when they were only inches away from one another, nothing could have broken this perfect moment, or so she thought.

Sadly enough for Fluttershy that was the very moment she had woken up, embarrassing to herself however, she found herself kissing a pillow. Still she blushed lightly Fluttershy couldn’t and didn’t want to stop thinking of what happened, or rather what had almost happened in her dream. She also wondered if she and Silver would ever be able to get to the point where they could do something like that. Furthermore she wondered what the relationship between them could be called now, they had only gone out for coffee so was it too early to say that they are dating?

Fluttershy thought over this for a while, she would really like to think that they were, but she didn’t know for sure. However Silver did say he would like to do that again sometime, so her hopes were up. Fluttershy continued to think this over for a bit, she was probably getting ahead of herself but she didn’t care.

“Ahem!” Fluttershy’s thoughts came to a halt as she turned her head to see Rainbow staring at her with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

“Oh, hello Rainbow, what brings you-“Fluttershy was cut off but her cyan friend tackling her in a friendly embrace.

“You did it Fluttershy!” she had wanted to say this to her for hours now, though it probably would have meant more had she done it after the date, but she didn’t care.

“D-did what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, I saw you on a date with Silver yesterday!”

“Y-you were spying on us?” said Fluttershy as her face turned red from the thought of Rainbow spying on her date.

“What? No!” said Rainbow as she let go of Fluttershy so she could explain. “I came here yesterday to try to talk to you but Angel pointed me to town so I started looking for you. I walked around for a while trying to see where it was you had gone, eventually I spotted you at the café with him” she finished.

“Oh, I probably should have left a note, I’m sorry”

“You have nothing to apologize for, I’m just glad your day turned around” she said placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. “So tell me, how exactly did it happen?” Dash moved in closer which caused Fluttershy to wince lightly but recovered quickly.

“Well…”

While Fluttershy explained to Rainbow how a bad day turned into one of the best she has ever had, Silver was enjoying his time off from work. The colt was sitting on his sofa tuning a guitar he was holding on to. It was an older western model with a worn down looking wood design with a black outline, however it looked like it was well taken care off. Silver would adjust the string tension a little before testing the tune; it was proving difficult for a bit. However he was getting closer with each attempt on testing the tension.

“It’s open Azure” he said suddenly before strumming the guitar one last time giving off the sound he wanted to hear. A few seconds later the door opened revealing Azure holding two bags and an annoyed look on his face.

“I hate it when you do that” he said placing the two bags down on the counter and turning to lock the door behind him.

“What? It’s your turn to buy breakfast so of course you’d at the door” he said as-a-matter-of-factly to which Azure rolled his eyes.

“Oh just take your bucking breakfast” he said which got a short laugh from Silver as he got up and grabbed his bag. From inside his bag he pulled out a cup of coffee and cherry Danish which he quickly took a bite of.

“I tell ya, the deserts here taste a lot better than in Canterlot” she said before taking a sip of his drink. “As does the coffee, you can just taste the freshness” she added right after.

“Considering most produce get shipped from here, it makes sense that they would taste fresher over here” replied Azure.

“You have a point” said Silver as he sat down on his sofa again and continued to eat his breakfast.

“Speaking of coffee, I’ve been hearing other ponies talk about seeing a sunglasses wearing colt on a date with somepony named Fluttershy?” Silver paused for a moment over how quickly word gets around in this town.

“Yeah actually, she’s the mare I told you about” he said turning his head towards Azure.

“Oh her, I didn’t know you liked her”

“Turns out she liked me too” said Silver as he took another sip of his drink.

“How’d you figure that out?”

“Because I’m not as blind as you when it comes to mares, dude” he said with a laugh. Azure rolled his eyes once again before finishing his breakfast and throwing out his trash.

“Well I’m going to the dojo, my Gi and white belt came in yesterday”

“Hah, white belt…” laughed Silver at what Azure said, his friend didn’t give a response this time and walked out closing the door behind him. Silver grabbed for his guitar again and started to play it as he thought to himself. “Speaking of dating, I wonder if she would be free for another one anytime soon” he asked himself.

Rainbow and Fluttershy were sitting on the floor as the latter explained how her day turned around for the better. Rainbow had a big grin on her face by the time Fluttershy had finished her story.

“So he put a note for you in the bouquet huh, a little corny, but effective” she said finally. “Do you still have the note?” she asked wondering if she could see it.

“Yes, after I got home I put it between the pages of a book so I wouldn’t lose it”

“Can I see it?”

“Sure” agreed Fluttershy as she and Rainbow got up from the ground and made their way into her house. Once inside, Fluttershy walked up to her book shelf and pulled out one of the books from the collection. Fluttershy opened the book to about the middle page and pulled out the note she had placed there. Fluttershy handed the paper over to Rainbow who opened it and read what Silver wrote on it, Fluttershy hadn’t specified what it said in her story.

“Well I give him an A for effort, but his hand writing could use some work” she said handing the note back to Fluttershy.

“Well you’re hand writing is no better…” joked Fluttershy which caught Rainbow by surprise. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t-“Fluttershy was cut off by Rainbow laughing at what Fluttershy had said.

“You got me good there Shy” she said as she wrapped her arm around her friend. “And come on, jokes between friends is nothing you should apologize for” she assured her.

“O-okay”

“So tell me, have you two made any plans yet?” she asked her.

“Plans?”

“You know, like for another date” Fluttershy thought for a moment on how she should answer.

“Well like I said, he did say he wanted to do something like that again, but we never planned to do anything else” she responded. She may have been unsure, but Rainbow could feel that everything would work out fine for Fluttershy is she let things move naturally.

“Well I’m going to get out of your hair now, going to head over to the dojo for some body training” she said walking over to the door. “Got to look the part if I want to join the wonderbolts” she said flexing her arm, she gave Fluttershy a wave goodbye before flying off towards town. Left alone again, Fluttershy placed the note back in the book and closed it; she could now see the title.

“Coping with animal disabilities” was the title of the book she had randomly chosen to hold the note. Fluttershy blinked before opening the book and removing the note yet again, she then began to search for a book with a less depressing title to house it.

Rainbow had to make a quick stop at home so she could pick up her bag that carried her Gi and black belt. She had joined the dojo a few years ago to keep the rest of her body in shape, and it had proven effective. Although she had only been a member for a few years, she spent most of them as a blank belt. So far she has the record of being able to acquire the rank of black belt in the shortest amount of time.

Once Rainbow landed in front of the dojo she could hear the sounds of pad striking and sparing, a sound she had come to enjoy hearing. She quickly made her way to the locker room where she changed into her Gi.

“Hey there Rainbow” Dash turned around to see Cloud Chaser standing behind her wearing the same white Gi and a brown belt.

“Hey Cloud, what’s new?”

“We got a new member today”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, some Unicorn from Canterlot; kind of cute if you ask me” Rainbow paused for a moment. “It couldn’t be, could it?” she asked herself “Exactly what color hair does this Unicorn have?” she asked.

“Green, why, you know him?”

“Sort of, well I’m going to start my warm up” she said closing her locker door and walking out of the room. The dojo did not have many members, not because of a lack of ponies interested in learning martial arts, but rather from not being able to last longer than a week. Because of this it would often prove difficult to find a partner. Looking around Rainbow could see that everypony had already partnered up and where sparing, everypony but one that is.

Away from the sparing ponies was a single Unicorn that was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and each palm placed against one another. The cyan fur and green hair proved it; it was Azure, one of the colts she and Twilight had spied on a few days ago. She suddenly remembered what he looked like when he wasn’t wearing a shirt; however she dispelled the image with a shake of the head.

“Well it looks like I found my sparring partner” she said to herself with a smirk as she walked up to Azure. After walking around him she saw that he had his eyes closed, clearly he was in deep meditation, how deep has not yet been determined. “Hey there” she said in a friendly tone with a wave of her hand, however her friendly smile turned to an annoyed look when he didn’t answer. Bending her knees till she was at almost eye level she began to wave her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention to no avail.

“Hey, wake up!” she said in a sharp tone but he still didn’t react to her distractions. The way she saw it, he was either so far into meditation that he couldn’t hear her or he was just ignoring her till she went away, she was leaning on the latter. Rainbow leaned in closer till their faces were only a few inches way from one another, for a moment she contemplated physically waking him from his meditation.

“Can I help you?” Azure’s eyes opened suddenly as he spoke which caught Rainbow off guard causing her to fall back.

“Oh, so it speaks” she said getting up from the ground “Come on, you’re my sparring partner for today” she said as she began to walk.

“I’m going to pass if that’s okay with you” Rainbow stopped in her tracks and turned to see he hadn’t moved.

“What, afraid I’ll kick your butt?” she asked with a smirk as she placed her hands on her sides. “I may be a black belt, but I’ll go easy on you” she said with a small smug smile.

“Funny, you think the color of your belt means something”

“It means I’m better than you” she said, at this point the other members began to eavesdrop on the conversation going on.

“It means you’ve been a member longer than me, besides, sparing with you goes against my code”

“Meaning!?” she said sounding a bit more annoyed than she was at first.

“I don’t hit mares” he said plainly, this was followed by several “oooo’s” by the colts that were listening in. Rainbow quickly turned around glaring daggers at the others who quickly went back to what they were doing pretending they didn’t know what was going on.

“Okay that’s it” she said walking up to him and grabbing the back of his Gi. “We’re sparring whether you like it or not!” she added sharply. Azure had tried to get back to his meditation but due to the constant distractions couldn’t and let out a sigh.

“You’re not going to leave me alone if I say no, aren’t you?”

“Take a guess” she said letting him got and taking a few steps back.

“Alright fine” he said getting up from the ground and stretched his legs slightly “But I’m not going attack back” he said taking up a ready pose which caused Rainbow to narrow her eyes in annoyance again. The two stood in front of each other without making a move, the others making sure glances to see what was going on.

Rainbow made the first move attacking Azure with several punches which he was able to deflect. However as the attacks continued it was showing that he was having some level of difficulty staying on the defensive.

“She’s better than I thought” Azure thought to himself taking a step back as Rainbow advanced forward. As the two continued the others began to watch the spar, Rainbow was one of their better members so seeing somepony last this long against her was a rare sight.

“What’s wrong, you were talking big just a little- whoa!” while she was talking, Azure was able to find an opening in her attacks. During one of her punches, she had left herself wide open and Azure was able to grab on to her arm, right after he was able to force her to a knee with her arm behind her in a wrist lock.

“You were saying?” Azure wasn’t applying too much pressure but it was enough to keep her from moving. As Rainbow tried to figure out how to escape the lock she was in she couldn’t help by smirk.

“Not bad, for a white belt”

“I may be a white belt here, but I was a black belt in Canterlot”

“I see” Rainbow stalled long enough to find what she was looking for and was able to sweep Azure’s legs fee with her leg. Not wanting to fall Azure let go of Rainbow so he could catch himself and get back up quickly. “Then I guess I won’t have to hold back anymore” she added taking up another fighting pose.

“Is a day of silent meditation too much to ask for?” Azure asked himself as he readied himself for whatever it was Rainbow had planned.

On days when he was off work, Silver would always like to pass the time with one of several interests. Silver chose today to play his guitar and probably learn to play another song, but he had trouble focusing on it. Currently all he could think about was the cup of coffee he had yesterday. He really did enjoy the short time he had with Fluttershy; he hadn’t spent any time with any of the locals till then.

“I wonder what she’s doing now…” he asked himself slouching back on his sofa with the look of boredom on his face. “Is it too early to see her again” he asked again not quite sure on what the steps to dating a mare were. As far as he knew, that coffee date was the first time either of them had gone out on a date so none of them would have any experience with it. Not wanting to sit home all day with nothing to do, Silver decided to get some exercise.

Putting on his hoody and placing his key in his pocket, Silver walked up to his door, only he didn’t unlock it. Silver made sure the bolt lock on his door was secure before turning around again towards the balcony window. Silver opened the window with his magic and bolted foreword jumping through the opening.

The window was on the second floor of the building, and recently Silver began to use it in a fun way. Some of the ponies saw him jump out of the window and one of them screamed as he drew closer to the door. Soon as Silvers feet touched the ground he quickly reduced the momentum with a foreword roll and getting back up unharmed. Silvers horn glowed as he closed the window to his place once again. The white haired Unicorn then began to walk away while other ponies watched him leave with confusion on their faces on what had just happened.

“I should probably stop doing that…” he said to himself wondering how long till somepony sent in a complaint about him. He soon decided to think it over later, so he picked up his pace and began to run outside of town.

Fluttershy was sitting home with nothing to do to pass the time, it was far too early to feed the animals again and Angel was asleep. It seems that all she had to do to pass the time was listen to the ticks of her clock with each passing second. This however only seemed to help her through a couple minutes before she grew bored once again.

“Maybe I should read something” she said getting up from her couch and walking up to her book shelf. She looked through the books she had in her collection, but she soon realized that she had already read every book she owned. It seems she had gone through one too many boring days using reading as a way to pass time. “Maybe I should go to the library and check out something new to read” Fluttershy asked herself wondering what kind of book she could check out. She eventually decided to think it over as she made her way out her door and began to make his way towards town. There was a nice breeze in the air as she walked the path to town; the day seemed to match her mood this morning. As she walked she turned over to see some flowers growing on the side of the path, and that’s when it hit her.

“Oh, I need to pick up the roses from Rarity” so much had happened recently that it completely slipped her mind. Rarity’s boutique was closer than the library but she figured it was better that she retrieve it on her way back. During her walk Fluttershy found herself passing the café again which further upped her mood as she thought back to her date again. She had such a great time that afternoon she wondered how long till she would have another day like it.

Not wanting to get caught up standing in front of the café, Fluttershy continued her way to the library. Soon enough she was in the front door and gate it three good knocks and waited for somepony to answer. Eventually the door opened revealing spike who was wearing his pink apron again, however he quickly removed and chucked it when he noticed who was at the door.

“Oh, hey there Fluttershy, what brings you here?” he asked nervously hoping she didn’t see him wearing the apron.

“Hello Spike, I wanted to check out some books”

“Come right in” he said opening the door wider so Fluttershy could come inside. “You sure look chipper considering what happened yesterday” he said looking at the smile on her face.

“I’ll say” Twilight had walked in to the room with several open books levitating around her as she walked. “Did something happen after you left?” she asked, Fluttershy rubbed her hands a bit before answering.

“Well, you see, Rarity came to my house not long after and she showed me a note that was left in the roses that I bought. When I read it I saw that it was a note left for me, it said he wanted to get to know me” Fluttershy’s face turned red slightly as she continued. “I went back to the flower shop after that and asked him about the note and he said it was from him. The next thing I knew it, I was on a date with him at the café” Twilight had a smile on her face once Fluttershy finished.

“Oh that’s so wonderful!” he said giving her a hug “So now what, are you officially dating?” she asked backing up a bit.

“Well, I’m not sure, but he did say he would like to do something again after he walked me home”

“He walked you home without being asked? That’s so nice!” she continued not hiding her glee. “So what exactly brings you here anyway, shouldn’t you be with him?” Twilight didn’t know much about how dating worked so she just made a guess.

“I’m not sure really, I’m just going one with my usual routine till something happens I suppose. I was at home and got bored and decided to look for something to read, but I’m out of books I haven’t read at home”

“Say no more, go ahead and look around” responded Twilight motioning to her vast collection of books on the shelves. Fluttershy looked around for a while and eventually settled on three different books, two adventure books, and one romance novel.

“I think these will last me for a while”

“Great, just bring them back when you’re done with them” said Twilight taking note of each book Fluttershy was holding. “So are you heading home now?” she asked.

“Yes, but first I need to stop by the boutique so I can pick up the roses from Rarity” she said walking towards the door.

“Oh, I’ll come by some time to cast an everlasting spell on them, I’m sure you’ll want to keep them as long as possible” Fluttershy nodded in agreement and exited the library bidding her friends farewell. As she made her way to the boutique, Fluttershy wondered which book she would read first. She had read her fair share of romance novels which was the reason she took two adventure books, so she should probably read one of them first. While contemplating which one to read first, Fluttershy blindly took the next corner.

“Look out!” she heard in front of her, she quickly looked forward to see something heading towards her quickly. Dropping the books, Fluttershy placed her hands over her head and ducked slightly waiting for impact. A few seconds passed and she heard a thump from behind her, turning around she saw a colt on his back.

“Silver!?” she said walking up to the colt covered in dirt wondering how he got in the floor in the first place.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy, what brings you here” said Silver sitting up from the ground as she rubbed dirt off his face. Fluttershy noticed that Silver wasn’t wearing his sunglasses and looked around finding them a few feet from him. Fluttershy grabbed the sun glasses and cleaned the lenses with a cloth she had in her pocket.

“Um, here are your sunglasses” still not opening his eyes, Silver reached out and gently took his shades and put them back on.

“Thanks”

“Um, how did you end up on the floor?” Silver got up from the ground and patted some dirt off of his cloths.

“Well I running when you took that corner; didn’t have a lot of time to react so I had to jump over you. I was off balance in the air so I wasn’t able to make a clean landing, so I ended up rolling on the ground” he said with a small laugh.

“Oh, I’m sorry”

“No need to apologize, it’s happened to me before, sometimes I would accidently run into somepony” Silver took a few steps forward before kneeling and picking up the books that Fluttershy had dropped. “If anything it should be me that needs to apologize for scaring you like that” he said turning to Fluttershy.

“It’s okay; I wouldn’t say it scared me, just surprised is all”

“Still, how about I carry your books for you?”

“Oh my” Fluttershy thought to herself, she had seen colts carry books for their marefriends back in flyschool; but she never thought a colt would ever offer to do the same for her. “Um, Okay, I just need to make a quick stop on the way home, if that’s okay” she said finally.

“Lead the way” Silver said with a smile, not long after; Fluttershy continued to walk with him next to her. As she continued to walk, Fluttershy realized she forgot why she was going to visit Rarity in the first place.

“Oh no, if we go to the boutique he’ll find out I didn’t take the roses home” Fluttershy began to panic slightly; she didn’t want him to know she had thrown them aside. “I could ask him to wait outside, but he’d still see me walking out with them, plus that would be rude” she didn’t quite know.

“Are you okay, you seem tense” said Silver breaking the silence.

“I-I’m fine, thank you for asking” Fluttershy tried her best to hide it, but Silver wasn’t buying it.

“Come on, what’s wrong” Silver stopped placing his hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder softly. Fluttershy blushed lightly from being touched by him, she also didn’t quite know if she should tell him what she did. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him she threw away the roses, but it seems he would catch her if she lied.

“Um, you promise you won’t get mad?”

“I promise” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before she finally spoke.

“Well you see, after I backed out, I sort of threw away the roses” Silver frowned lightly but remained silent. “It’s not because I didn’t like them, but I was so down on myself that the roses just reminded me how I chickened out. Later Rarity, one of my friends, came by and showed me the note that was in the roses. It turned out that she took them with her before she went home” there was a short silence after Fluttershy finished, which she took as a bad sign.

“Well I guess I owe her my thanks” Silver said with a sigh of relief.

“You mean you’re not mad?”

“Why would I get mad? It’s not like you knew the note was in it. If you hadn’t been told about the note then it would have been my fault for not just coming out and saying it” he answered. Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief from seeing that Silver didn’t seem bothered by what she did. “See, you were worried over nothing” Fluttershy nodded in agreement, with that behind her she continued to Rarity’s boutique with Silver following next to her. The bell on Rarity’s door rang, opened by Silver’s magic “Thank you” said Fluttershy as she walked inside. Not soon after they were both inside had Rarity walked up to the front counter.

“Hello Fluttershy and-“Rarity’s attention turned towards the colt standing next to Fluttershy. “And who may I ask is your friend?” she added with a smile toward Fluttershy.

“This is Silver”

“Oh so this is Silver, I must say dear, you have good taste” Silver grinned slightly as he rubbed the back of his head while Fluttershy’s face turned red again.

“R-Rarity!” she said feeling embarrassed.

“Come now, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about” at this point it was hard to tell if Rarity was just teasing her a little. “Now then, I assume you’re here to pick up the…order?” she had to pause for a moment to remember Silver didn’t know about what happened to the roses. “It’s not finished just yet, but I can have it delivered to you later if you-“

“It’s okay, I already told him what happened” said Fluttershy cutting Rarity off.

“Thanks for that by the way” added Silver right after.

“I see, well they are in the kitchen, go ahead and fetch them while I keep Silver company” Fluttershy hesitated slightly, not quite sure she wanted to leave Rarity alone with Silver, but she didn’t see what harm could come of it and made her way to the back. There was an awkward silence between the two.

“So, Fluttershy told me about how you and some other friends of hers helped her out” said Silver breaking the silence.

“Yes, you’ll find we will do just about anything for our friends, which is what I’m doing when I ask you this” Silver raised a brow wondering what it was that Rarity was going to ask him. “What are your intensions with Fluttershy?” Rarity didn’t know much about Silver, but if he was going to be involved with Fluttershy, she needed to make sure it was genuine.

“Look, I know where this is going so I’ll tell you this; I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I don’t know if you can say we’re dating or in a relationship yet, but I’d like to someday” Rarity took in each word, checking facial expressions, and even though he was wearing his sunglasses she could tell what he was saying was the truth.

“Very good, I apologize if it seems I was misjudging you”

“That’s okay, you’re just watching out for your friend” the conversation stopped once Fluttershy was seen walking into ear shot of them.

“Thanks again for taking care of the roses Rarity; I’ll be sure to give back the vase when I can”

“No worries, I have another one just like it”

“Okay, thank you” Fluttershy walked up to the door which Silver opened with his magic again.

“You sure know how to pick them Fluttershy” said Rarity after the door closed and the two visitors left. As the two left there was a calm silence between them, Fluttershy couldn’t help but stare at her trophy.

“Um, Fluttershy” now Silver seemed sound nervous as he spoke, Fluttershy turned her head toward him.

“Yeah?”

“Are you doing anything this Sunday” Fluttershy’s stomach did a flip at the question.

“Um, no, why?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner” Fluttershy stopped moving as her heart raced at a mile a second. She didn’t think that she would end up being asked on another date so soon after their first one. “Y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to” Fluttershy began to think that Silver was taking her silence the wrong way.

“N-no, I-I would love to” Fluttershy’s face turned red again as she smiled and looked down slightly,

“Really? That’s great!” said Silver excitedly the two soon began to walk once again. “So I don’t really know a lot about the restaurants in town, so how about you pick which one we eat at?” he asked.

“Oh um, well I know one place that makes the best soups in town”

“Sounds like a date”

The spar between Rainbow Dash and Azure had gone on for a long time, the rest of the dojo had stopped what they were doing in order to enjoy the show. So far Azure hadn’t thrown a single punch but seemed to use grapples at his form of defense. Needless to say it was looking like a battle of the sexes as the watching colts and mares silently cheered for their own team. Even though they had a crowed, neither sparer noticed them as they were too focused on what they were doing.

“Never met a mare this tough before” said Azure as he continued to avoid each of her punches; silently he took back his comment about her black belt. Even Rainbow had to admit that Azure was proving better than most of the other colts. Rainbow was having a hard time landing a hit so she needed to try something else, grabbing on to the collar of his Gi, Rainbow was going to attempt to flip him. Rainbow placed her foot on Azure’s stomach and attempted to shift his weight, however Azure seemed to prepare for it at soon as she tried. Azure planted his feet firmly on the ground and adjusted his angel making it impossible for Rainbow to move him.

Seeing his chance to end it, Azure grabbed Rainbow by her collar and did almost exactly what she was going to do to him. The next thing she knew it, Rainbow found herself in the air and on her back soon after. Rainbow didn’t want to give up just yet and was planning a way to turn this around, however that came to a halt when she saw a fist heading straight for her. Rainbow closed her eyes waiting for the hit to come, but when it didn’t she opened one eye to see the fist only inches away from her head.

“I think I’ve made my point, don’t you?” said Azure still not moving his fist.

“Okay, you win” said Rainbow with a small sigh of relief that she didn’t end up being punched in the face. Still silent the colts in the room all nodded taking that as a win for all colt kind in Ponyville while the mares looked disappointed. Azure backed up a little and his fist opened up to a helping hand helping Rainbow get off the ground. “I have to say, not bad for a Unicorn from Canterlot” said Rainbow as she playfully hit Azure on the shoulder.

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know, for a mare” the room fell silent again as collectively every other colts jaw dropped from Azure said. Even the mare stood in shock from what they had just heard. Rainbows face went from shock to pure anger and as a reaction she ended up hitting Azure where it hurt. The sudden hit caught Azure by surprise and he fell to the ground holding his pride. Every other colt that saw it looked away covering their own pride as if feeling what he was.

“Even I felt that…” said Cloud Chaser as she grit her teeth imagining how much main Azure is probably in at the moment. Rainbow stomped away still looking angry from the sexist comment Azure had said. Needless to say every colt quickly stepped out of her path so to not be another victim. Once they were sure they were safe, a few colts went to check on Azure dragging him out of the sparing area, one of them was carrying an ice pack.

“W…was it something I said?”

After walking Fluttershy home again and setting a time for their date, Silver was walking home with a smile on his face. Although he knew what he was going to do on Sunday, he wondered what he was going to do tomorrow. Silvers thoughts however came to a stop when he noticed somepony sitting at the entrance to the apartment complex he lives in.

“Azure, why are you sitting outside?” Azure sitting was hunched over and didn’t feel liked looking up at the moment.

“I; forgot my key to the front door” he said with signs of pain on his voice.

“What happened to you?”

“I’ll tell you inside, just help me up” Silver arched a brow wondering what had happened to Azure but decided to help him in before asking anything further. Wrapping Azure’s arm around him Silver helped him inside, he seemed to be having a hard time standing. Soon enough Silver was able to get Azure into his apartment, lucky for him he at least remembered to bring that key. Silver walked Azure to his living room and sat him down, Azure grunted in relief then slowly tilted till he was on his side.

“Alright so what happened?”

“Well, I was sparing with a mare with rainbow colored hair”

“I thought you didn’t hit mares”

“I don’t but she was persistent, just let me finish” Azure seemed to not but in the best of moods so Silver let him continue. “Anyway, I was able to beat her without hitting her, afterword’s I helped her up and she said “Not bad for a Unicorn from Canterlot”” he continued.

“And you said?” Silver had a vague idea on what happened but wanted to hear it from Azure.

“All I said was, not bad, for a mare” there was another silence before Silver facepalmed.

“How many times do I have to tell you, there are things you do and do not say to a mare”

“Well how am I supposed to know?”

“How about you make a list, I think that classifies as something not to say” said Silver somewhat sarcastically. “So then what, did she kick you in the stomach?” he asked wondering if that’s why Azure was sitting hunched over.

“Lower…” Silver displayed a facial expression of discomfort over knowing what Azure meant, though he wish he hadn’t asked. “So did you apologize?” he asked after brushing off the pity pain.

“Why should I? She’s the one that hit me”

“Because you said something sexist, I would think even you could pick up on something like that”

“I was giving her a compliment, you know how rare it is to meet a mare who can match colts in terms of fighting ability” argued Azure.

“That’s not entirely true, but I see you’re point, however you don’t go around saying something like that. Not everypony will be able to see what you see from your point of view and can end up taking it the wrong way” explained Silver. Azure still wasn’t quite sure what he did wrong but he did know that if he didn’t try to fix the bad blood between him and the cyan Pegasus, then he would have a bad time in the dojo.

“Okay, so what do I say to her?”

“I’m just giving you the bread crumb here; it’s up to you to know where to place them”

“I hate it when you talk in metaphors”

“What I mean is, that’s something you need to figure out” the pain subsided enough for Azure to sit up again.

“Well I’ll think it over, on another note, you looked like you were in a good mood when you were walking home” he said changing the topic.

“Oh that, I have another date on Sunday”

“With Fluttershy?”

“Yup, we’re going out for dinner”

“I see, well I’m going to sit here for a while to think over what I’m going to do tomorrow” Azure planned to go to the dojo on Fridays through Sundays and wasn’t sure if the Pegasus he spared with was also going to be there, so he needed to figure out what he was going to say.

“Alright I’ll leave you to your thoughts” said Silver as he made his way out the door so he could get back to his own place. Azure thought to himself on how he would apologize to the mare the next time he saw her, he just hopped that she would accept one.

“Well she doesn’t seem stuck up like most mare back in Canterlot so she might forgive me if I admit I was wrong. I doubt somepony that cute could hold a grudge” Azure paused for a moment to think until he realized what he had just said.

“Wait, what?”

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: It only takes one word

Rainbow Dash spent the better part of her Friday in a foul mood. This was because of a comment she heard from a certain green haired colt. Though some would say that her reaction was a bit too much but she didn’t see it that way. The way she saw it Azure was just another jerk that couldn’t handle the idea of a mare being good at something athletic. Now it’s Saturday and she was still a bit grumpy about what happened.

“For his sake I hope he steers clear of me” said Rainbow referring to Azure while she sat in her kitchen eating breakfast. It has been a long time since she had been this annoyed by a colt. In her history a few of them would always turn out rotten. Rainbow would have continued on her silent rant but a knock at her door grabbed her attention. She took her hay sandwich with her as she walked up to answer her door.

“Good morning Rainbow” though not much of a surprise to see that it was Fluttershy who was knocking, Rainbow didn’t expect her to visit today.

“Hey Fluttershy, come in” said Dash walking back inside and finishing her sandwich before heading to get something to drink. “So what brings you here?” she said after taking a swig of apple juice.

“I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“Well I won’t be home during the late afternoon; do you think you can feed the forest animals?” Rainbow didn’t have the same gift for taking care of animals like Fluttershy did. So before she could answer she needed to ask something.

“Well I guess, but why won’t you be home at that time?” Fluttershy looked away slightly with a smile.

“Well you see, Silver ask me to go on a dinner date tomorrow”

“A second date already, Aren’t you supposed to wait a couple of days or something?”

“Well I’ve never dated before, all I know is I had fun when we drank coffee together and I just want to enjoy something like that again” responded Fluttershy as she blushed lightly. She was really taking a step forward from being that Pegasus who would have a hard time doing something she was not comfortable with. Rainbow was happy for her but she found herself thinking back to what happened yesterday and worry soon took control of her.

“Listen Fluttershy, if Silver ever acts like a jerk I want you to let me know and I’ll set him straight” said Rainbow as she clenched her fist. Fluttershy blinked twice at the sudden aggression coming from Rainbow towards Silver.

“W-why, did he do something that would make you think he would?”

“No but I just want to make sure he’s not like his friend” Fluttershy tilted her head wondering what Rainbow was talking about.

“What do you mean, have you met his friend?”

“Yeah and he was a total jerk!”

“Hold on what exactly did he do?” Rainbow explained what happened the day before starting with when she found out he joined the same dojo she goes to. She later explained how she tried to get him to spar with her and how she got him to agree. Soon enough she explained how she lost the spar and the last transaction they had before it all exploded. Once she was finished Fluttershy was left with a shocked expression on her face.

“Y-you kicked him in his…pride, why would you do such a thing?”

“He was asking for it!”

“B-but you were picking on him first, you said he didn’t want to fight you but you pushed him to it” said Fluttershy thinking back to the story.

“That still doesn’t excuse what he said”

“Okay, maybe that last part was a little hurtful but you didn’t have to kick him there” Rainbow leaned back on her chair and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah well, I guess”

“Do you think you could at least apologize?”

“Why should I? He’s the one who needs to apologize” said Rainbow starting to get defensive.

“I guess, but if he does say he’s sorry do you think you could forgive him?” Rainbow opened her mouth several times to think of a protest but she was having a hard time thinking of one. Something in the back of her head told her that he probably wouldn’t have admitted what he said was wrong. “Please Rainbow he’s probably the only friend Silver has in Ponyville, I’d like you to at least make friends with him” pleaded Fluttershy. The look Fluttershy was giving her almost perfectly emulated the face of a sad puppy begging for a treat. She couldn’t find it in her heart to refuse.

“Okay fine, but only if he apologizes fist”

“Thank you” she couldn’t force Rainbow forgive Azure but she knew that she could take her word. She could only hope that he’s not the kind of colt Rainbow portrayed him as, and that he feels sorry for what he said. Rainbow later agreed to feed forest animals under the condition that Fluttershy leave her the proper instruction for her before she arrived. Once their conversation was over, Rainbow grabbed her bag and made her way towards the dojo.

Azure had a hard time figuring out what he would do if he ended up seeing the Rainbow haired Pegasus again, so far he couldn’t come up with anything. Currently he was just hoping that she wouldn’t show up today and he could have some piece while he trained. All he knew is that he didn’t want to have a hard time during his dojo visits, so he needed to find a way to put yesterday’s event behind him.

“I wonder if she’ll even accept an apology…” considering that her response to what he said was a swift kick to his pride, he didn’t know just how mad she was. He just had to hope that she would have had enough time to cool off before he met her again. Azure entered the dojo and was relieved when he noticed that she wasn’t around, it means he could enjoy his day and have more time to figure out what he was going to do.

While Azure made his way towards the locker room, he noticed some looked from the other members, he could swear they looked surprised to see him there. On occasion he would hear a few giggles but he tuned them out as he went. Once in the locker room Azure was found with a somewhat surprise when he reached his locker. Taped to the door were an empty ice pack and a sports cup for reasons he could guess.

“We figured you might need them” said a colt earth pony with golden fur and black hair as he wrapped an arm around Azure’s shoulder. This colt in question had a red belt and a smug expression that Azure just didn’t seem to like.

“Funny” said Azure with a small chuckle “Now let go” Azure turned his head and gave the colt a fierce gaze which caused him to back off quickly.

“Okay, okay, just take it easy” he said as he raised his hands defensively and backed up before making his way around the lockers. Azure made it clear that he wouldn’t lay a hand on a mare, but he wouldn’t let another colt attempt to mess with him. Any other colt that were watching or may have been a part of the prank quickly turned when Azure shifted the focus of his gaze. Azure may be new to their dojo, but he was nowhere near being a scrub. Once he finished changing and made sure his belt was properly tied, Azure made his way out of the locker room to a sight he didn’t expect to see.

“Oh no” he said as he looked down towards the other side of the dojo to see a cyan Pegasus talking to another Pegasus mare. He didn’t expect to see her when he saw that she wasn’t in the dojo. She had her back was towards him so she didn’t notice him; he began to weigh his options on if he should walk up to her and talk to her. This became harder to decide once she moved on towards the punching bags and began to attacking while the other Pegasus held it to keep it from moving around. As this was happening they were in mid conversation, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“Don’t you think you were a little hard on that colt yesterday?” said Cloud Chaser as Rainbow’s attack on the sand bag went on.

“Oh not you too”

“Seriously, I’ve heard colts say worse to you; why did that set you off so much?” Rainbow paused for a moment but she then continued to attack the bag a bit harder.

“I don’t know, it just did” she said not quite sure about it herself, come to think of it she hadn’t thought about it till now. She had taken her fair share of hazing that were a lot worse than what Azure had said, so why did she take it so hard?

“Well if that’s the case, don’t you think you should meet him half way and say you’re sorry for kicking his…pride?”

“I already made a promise to somepony else that I would if he apologizes first” Rainbow delivered a hard kick to the sand bag which nearly knocked Cloud Chaser off.

“Yup, she definitely looked angry” Azure said to himself as he began to make his way towards Rainbow. He still didn’t know what he was going to say; now he was just hoping she wouldn’t be looking for a second round. Azure continued to move forward getting closer to Rainbow; he felt a sudden panic from not knowing what to do. At the last moment when he was a couple of steps away from her, he quickly changed course and began to walk away from her again. Azure face palmed as he walked away not quite sure why he suddenly backed out at the last second.

“That was weak, dude” Azure looked around when he heard somepony talking around him, didn’t take him long to figure out who it was.

“S-Silver!?” he said in a whisper as he looked around trying to figure out where he was.

“Over here” Azure saw a wave of a hand coming from behind a high stack of blue floor pads; he looked around to see Silver hiding behind them.

“What are you doing here!?”

“Two reason, first I wanted to make sure you apologized to her, you probably didn’t know, but that’s Fluttershy’s best friend” Azure paused for a moment and took a second glance at Rainbow.

“How do you know that?”

“She told me about her, and I’m not sure she’ll like it if my best friend and her best friend were at each other’s throats” explained Silver. Azure rubbed the back of his head and looked around to make sure nopony else could hear the conversation or were looking their way.

“Okay and the second reason?” There was a short pause as Azure waited for an answer; soon he heard a light laugh.

“I was bored”

“And spying on me was your way of coping with that?”

“It’s proven effective so far, but back to the matter at hand, what do you plan to do?” Azure placed his hand to his chin as he thought to himself.

“I don’t know, not quite sure how to apologize really”

“How about you just say you’re sorry and take it from there?” Azure paused as he thought it over; it couldn’t possibly be that easy.

“I doubt it would be that easy”

“Have you tried?”

“No but-“
“Then give it a try to see what happens” Azure continued to think it over, this was definitely not something he had experience in.

“How do I know she won’t still be angry?”

“Thinking about it won’t help, just go” Azure was going to protest but he didn’t get the chance. “Or would you prefer I send a letter to your parent’s telling them about this dilemma, I’m sure you mom would love to give you her two bits”. There was another moment of silence and eventually Azure began to walk toward Rainbow once again.

“Did I just get black mailed?” Azure wondered to himself as he tried to recall what had just happened. As to whether or not Silver would actually go as far as to send his parent a letter was questionable, the mere thought was enough to get him to try at least. Azure walked up to Rainbow who still hadn’t noticed him, however Cloud Chaser did. The Pegasus motioned her head for Rainbow to look behind her, which she did.

“Oh it’s you” she said with a less than happy tone of voice. Azure winced a little; it seems she hadn’t cooled up enough just yet. He wasn’t sure how this would go, but he was already on top of the high dive, all that was left was to hold his breath and jump.

“Listen, can I talk to you for a second” Azure looked over to see Cloud Chaser still watching. “Alone?” he added trying to sound polite as he did so. Lucky enough for him she was able to take a hint when given one.

“I’ll just leave you two alone” she said as she began to walk away from the two, Azure waited till she was out of ear shot before turning back to the mare in front of him.

“Okay so we’re alone, what did you want?” she asked as she arched her brow and crossed her arms.

“Well, you see” Azure paused trying to figure out what he could say, trying to see if there was some special way to say it so she’d believe him. After thinking it over for a couple of seconds he could see she was growing impatient and decided to just come out and say it. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said yesterday” Azure looked at Rainbow to see a look of shock on her face.

“C-come again?” Rainbow was at a loss for words, she didn’t expect to hear an apology from him after what had happened.

“I was trying to compliment you, but I probably should have chosen my words better” Azure extended his hand towards Rainbow. “Thank that maybe we can start over?” Rainbow stared at his hand, any hostility she had towards him seemed have faded away in an instant. Though she couldn’t explain why it happened, she did agree to forgive him if he were to apologize first.

“Sure” she said as she shook his hand “And I should probably apologize for what I did, it was, uncool” she added.

“Well everything’s still…intact, so I guess no harm done” Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“Well now that we’ve let bygones be bygones, what do you think about another spar?”

“I think I should have worn that cup…” Rainbow laughed as she began to push Azure forward.

“Come on, I promise to aim high” she said as she moved Azure towards the floor mats. “My name’s Rainbow Dash by the way” this had all gone a lot better than he expected it would go, he couldn’t help but smile as she pushed him.

“My name’s Azure Courage”

With Azure’s problem resolved, Silver found himself wondering what he could do to pass the time again. He had already gotten something to eat from sugar cube corner, although his visit was a little strange. The pony at the register seemed to act strange when around him, as if she knew something he didn’t. Silver did remember hearing Fluttershy tell him that one of her friends named Pinkie Pie worked there so he assumed that was her.

One thing’s for sure, he was wondering when something crazy would happen, he’s been living in Ponyville for a few weeks now and not even a public disturbance had occurred. He was hoping to have something out of the ordinary to happen, but it seems like the town suddenly became normal before he got there. Not that he was complaining, he still preferred it over Canterlot and he’s had his fun since he arrived.

“I guess I could always go to the training spot, I can probably burn a couple of hours that-“

“Look out!” Silver was about to take the next corner, he didn’t notice what was waiting for him until it was too late. Silver was suddenly struck from the side and he felt himself be knocked to the side with great force. The hit was enough to knock the wind out of him and he was unable to figure out which way was up before he landed on the ground. The white haired colt rolled on the ground several times before skidding to a halt. The ground under him was spinning as he tried to regain his focus and try to figure out what happened.

Applejack had been chasing after her apple cart for a while now and thought it was only a matter of time before it came to a halt. However before it got the chance she saw somepony walk into its path. She tried to warn him but the cart was too close and it rammed into him knocking him back till he hit the ground. The cart stopped after that but it was no longer on her mind as she ran passed it to check on the pony it hit. It did not take long for her to recognize the colt that was on the ground.

“Silver!?” she panicked slightly as the thought that her cart might have ended up hurting the colt that Fluttershy liked. Even though she hadn’t seen Fluttershy in the past couple days, Applejack had a hunch that she still liked him and probably wouldn’t like to find out he had gotten hurt. “Are you okay?” she said once she was within ear shot of the white-haired colt.

“What hit me?” groaned Silver as he turned over so he was on his back. Lucky enough for him that the spinning had stopped and he was able to regain focus.

“Sorry, the breaks on my apple cart came loose and it rolled down a hill” explained Applejack as she helped Silver off of the ground. “You’re not hurt are you?” she asked looking around to see and there were any visible damages.

“A little sore, but I was able to brace myself the moment I heard you yell to watch out” said Silver as he motioned his body to make sure there was nothing broken. “But I think your cart got the worse end of the deal” said Silver as he pointed towards the apple cart. Applejack followed his finger till she looked at her cart to notice that it had tipped over, and the apples inside had spilled to the ground. Applejack walked up to the cart with Silver following close behind, she looked around for any damages.

“Ah shoot; one of the wheels broke off” the weight of the cart landing on the wheel seemed too much for it so it snapped off. Silver had heard her talk enough by now to notice her southern accent.

“By any chance, is your name Applejack?” Applejack turned over to stare at the colt, how and when did he learn her name?

“Yes, how’d you know that?”

“Fluttershy described you to me, southern earth pony that owns sweet apple acres right?” Applejack nodded in agreement but there was a look of confusion on her face.

“If you don’t mind me asking, when did she tell you this?”

“A couple of days ago, while we were having coffee” Applejack froze for a moment when Silver used the word date. But the shock quickly turned to happiness as she tilted her hat back and a smile filled her face.

“Well shoot, she actually did it” Applejack thought to herself wondering what happened after she went back home that day that caused Fluttershy to give it another go. She wanted to know and there were only two ways to find out. She could either go to Fluttershy, or ask the colt she had gone on a date with. Taking into account that this was the first time she had ever had ever talked with him and her cart had just struck him, she was better off waiting till she next saw Fluttershy. Applejack continued to survey her cart till she noticed something from the back-end that struck Silver, the wood was slightly dented and there was a crack.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked looking back at the colt.

“Yeah, why?”

“Cart hit you so hard it left a dent” Silver walked up to the cart and placed his hand on the dent.

“Whoa, didn’t think it hit me that hard” chuckled Silver as Applejack wondered how something could hit him that hard and not leave a mark. However he did tell her that he braced himself at the last second so it’s possible he was able prevent his body from getting badly hurt. Not seeing any reason to believe otherwise, Applejack began to put the apples back in the cart with some help from Silver. Eventually they finished cleaning up the mess and placed the cart back on what was left of the wheels.

“I appreciate the help”

“No problem, but how are you going to move this with a missing wheel?” as far as Silver knew, there was no way she could pull it and keep it leveled.

“I guess I’ll have to leave it here and get my brother to help me”

“Or” Silver grabbed on to the empty spot where a wheel used to be and lifted it till the cart was level. “I hold this part up and save you a trip” that was something she didn’t expect, not that she didn’t like a helping hand.

“You don’t have to go out of your way like that”

“Seeing as it’s partially my fault your cart got damage, I think it’s only fair” Applejack wasn’t sure how he could feel blame when her cart hit him, but he seemed determined to help. Seeing no reason to refuse, Applejack grabbed on to the other end of the cart and began to pull. It was a little hard getting their pacing in sync but soon the trip became easier. They were making good time, however it would still take time to reach the farm. There was silence between them which Applejack found a little awkward, but she would only think of one way to break the silence.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you and Fluttershy end up going out for coffee?” she finally asked.

“Well it started when I left her a note in the bouquet of roses she bought, about half an hour later she came back with it and that’s when I asked her” Applejack looked confusedagain, she had seen Fluttershy toss them when she exited the flower shop so how did she end up with the note?

“I see, well wasn’t that nice of you” she was glad that she had her back to him, or else he might see the horrible poker face she put up.

“But I wouldn’t have gotten that chance if you and the rest of her friends didn’t help her”

“She told you about that?”

“Well I noticed when you and another mare walked out behind her, I was curious so I asked if she knew you two” apparently they she and Rainbow weren’t as well hidden as they thought. Though by the time Fluttershy backed out there was little need for them to try to blend in with the other customers.

“Well I’m glad to hear it all worked out for her in the end”

“That makes two of us” chuckled Silver as he and Applejack continued forward towards the farm. The rest of the trip took some time but haven kept the conversation going it felt like it went by quickly. Eventually they were able to get the cart inside of the barn so it could be repaired later.

“Thanks for the help, saved me a lot of time”

“No problem” said Silver cracking a few fingers that had stiffened slightly from holding on to the side of the cart.

“And listen, Fluttershy’s a good mare and a better friend, so she needs a colt that can treat her right”

“I understand, and I intend to” Silver gave Applejack a wave goodbye before exiting the barn making his back. This was the first time Applejack had met Silver but when it comes to first impressions he certainly showed promise. Her only now was exactly how did Fluttershy find the note if she threw out the roses. She planned to talk to her about that the next time they met up.

“Well that took some time, maybe I’ll just head home for now” unable to think of anything else to do for the day, Silver made his way back home.

Back at the dojo Azure was having an eventful day of training. Rainbow had proven again that she’s a very capable sparring partner. Although he still wouldn’t try to hit her during their spar, regardless of how hard she tried. The watching colts and mares were surprised to see this due to what they saw happen yesterday. But at least Rainbow was no longer in a bad mood, last time she was having a bad day she beat down every sparring partner she had. Even now they were somewhat afraid to spar with her.

“So tell me, why leave Canterlot for Ponyville?” asked Rainbow while continuing their spar.

“Canterlot is fine an all, but the ponies there are a bit too high class for my taste”

“I hear that” Rainbow had only been to Canterlot a few times, but they almost always required her to wear a dress which was something she wasn’t fond of. Then there was the fact that some ponies up there are of a higher class and that it had gotten to their heads. Rainbow couldn’t see herself living up there for too long without going crazy.

“Needless to say my parents didn’t like the idea of me coming down here due to the chaos that seems to be drawn here. But lucky for me a friend of mine also wanted to get out of Canterlot to get away from the noise, then knowing we’d have each other’s back made it easier on our parents” Rainbow grabbed on to Azures arm and tried to force him off-balance but he was able to counter this with a sweep to Rainbows legs. Rainbow fell back but was able to get back up quickly with a ground flip.

“Understandable, though Ponyville has been quiet lately” said Rainbow as she put her guard back up. “But given the history, I’m sure something is bound to happen” Rainbow lunged at and threw several punches which he guarded.

“Well I can wait, it’s still better here than in Canter lot for me. I have a Well-paying job, ponies hold on to traditions, and whoa!” Azure got caught off guard and was suddenly on the ground, his arm locked in an arm bar. “And the mare’s aren’t afraid to get dirty” he chuckled as he tried to get free from the lock.

“There are a few ponies that would argue with that last part but you’re right” she could feel the strain on Azure’s arm as he tried to get free but she wasn’t going to let that happen. “Come on Az, you know you can’t get out of this” she said tightening her grip. Azure’s eyes looked up and to the left as he began to think of how he could break the lock, eventually he saw that there was only one way out.

“Alright” Azure tapped his free hand on the mat three times and Rainbow finally let go of his arm.

“And with that, it’s one win for each of us” said Rainbow as she helped Azure off of the floor. “So are you up for another one tomorrow?” she asked, she wanted to break the tie they had but Azure was on a different page.

“Don’t get me wrong, this was a good spar” started Azure as he rotated his arm a bit. “But sometimes I prefer some silent meditation” this time he was trying his best not to say something he would regret. Rainbow crossed her arms and had a look of disappointment on her face, but soon let out a sigh.

“Alright I’ll let you meditate” Azure was glad to hear he could meditate to himself without being disturbed, but thing weren’t always that easy for him. “On Sundays, but on Fridays and Saturdays you’re my sparring partner” Rainbow added as she poked Azure on the chest. This caught him off guard and he didn’t have time to say anything before she turned around and began to walk away.

“Wait, don’t I get a say in that?”

“Nope” Azure stood in place as he watched Rainbow enter the locker room. Try as he might there was only one thing he could think to say at the moment.

“What just happened?”

Silver spent the rest of his day learning how to play a new song on his guitar, this one was proving difficult. So far he was only able to play the first two pages but he was making good progress. He figured he’d be able to learn how to play it by memory within the next few months if he was able to keep up this pace. While he focused on learning the song there were three knocks on the on his door.

“Coming” Silver put his guitar down and made walked up to his door unlocking it as soon as he was in front of it. Once Silver opened the door it revealed Azure who still looked confused “Hey Azure, how’d it go with Rainbow?” he asked letting Azure walk in.

“Well she accepted my apology”

“Told you she would”

“Then we sparred for a bit”

“Did you win?”

“No”

“Interesting, if she’s able to beat you then I think I should try not to get on her bad side” joke Silver as he sat back down on his sofa. “So what happened after that?” Azure paused as he thought of how to answer the question.

“Well she sort of reserved me for Fridays and Saturdays” Silver tilted his head as he turned it face Azure.

“She what?” Azure explained what happened after he had tapped out during the spar. He told Silver about how she agreed to let him meditate alone on Sundays but that he would have to spar with her on Fridays and Saturdays. During which time Silver would laugh now and then for reasons Azure couldn’t understand.

“So exactly how do I go from being on her hit list to her reserving me as a sparring partner?” asked Azure trying to make sense of it.

“Maybe she just likes sparing with you; it’s possible that the other members aren’t able to keep up with her” Azure pondered over this, he remembered how he was able to scare off some idiot with just a glare. “Besides, maybe it would do you some good to spar with somepony that can match you in terms of skill” added Silver.

“I see” Azure placed his hand to his chin and thought it over for a bit. There aren’t a lot of ponies that could hold their own against him; even Silver could barely match him in a fight. “Well I guess it couldn’t hurt” he said finally.

“I knew you’d see things my way” laughed Silver.

“Silver I don’t thing anypony can entirely see things your way” Both friends shared a laugh at the sun set for the ends of another day.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: An official welcoming

Three days have passed since Silver and Fluttershy’s dinner date, since then they haven’t had much time to see one another. This was not from a lack of trying however, although she left her clear instructions, Rainbow had somehow managed to make a mistake when tending to the animals. Rainbow ended up giving some of the animals the wrong food which caused several of them to develop a stomach virus. Since then Fluttershy has spent her time insuring that they heal.

“Your fever is gone now, Harry” said Fluttershy after checking the thermometer that was in the bears mouth. The bear put up a happy smile, he had spent the past couple days feeling miserable with stomach pains. Being one of the bigger animals in Fluttershy’s care, it took him longer than the others to heal up. “So how do you feel?” Fluttershy didn’t need to wait long for an answer when she heard the bear’s stomach growl. She wasn’t surprised at this; he had barely eaten anything since he got sick.

She was glad that her animal friends were better now; it was a challenge to take care of them all at first, but it got easier over time. There really was no question on Fluttershy’s ability to take care of animals. As much as she enjoyed taking care of sickly animals, Fluttershy enjoyed it more when they were healthy. Fluttershy gathered some fish in a large bowl before handing them off to Harry to eat.

“Looks like they all made a full recovery huh?” Fluttershy turned around to see Rainbow standing behind her.

“Mhmm, Harry was the last of the sick ones and now he’s all better”

“Good to know, sorry about messing up the instructions”

“It’s not your fault; it was just a stomach virus, nothing to feel bad about”

“Speaking of stomach, I never asked, how did your dinner date with Silver go? I know there was a fight but did anything happen after that?” Fluttershy thought back to her date, she remembered the taste of the soup, the fight, and what happened on the walk home. Rainbow noticed a sparkle in Fluttershy’s yes and a smile on her face, and there were some clear signs of pink forming on her cheeks.

“Oh something happened alright!” Rainbow thought to herself. Rainbow didn’t want to interrupt whatever flash back Fluttershy may have had, but she didn’t want to just stand there and wait for it to be over. Rainbow extended her hand so that it was just in front of Fluttrshy’s face, she then snapped her fingers.

“Huh?” said Fluttershy as she blinked into focus when she heard the sound coming from in front of her.

“I asked you what happened after your date and you sort of zoned out!”

“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking” there was an aura around Fluttershy that just screamed that something good happened. When Rainbow left Fluttershy and Silver alone she had just helped the colt, with help from Azure, to fight off some troublemaking colts. Getting sucked into a fight is the last thing somepony wants to happen during their date, so she just needed to know what happened afterword’s the salvaged it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Well, Okay” Fluttershy took Rainbow inside her cottage, she didn’t expect anypony to hear her, but she just wanted to be sure. She started with how the date started, she explained how Silver picked the same soup she did and why, and she told her about their discussion about Azure. Thought Rainbow didn’t need to know every detail of their date, Fluttershy was just doing so to lighten the mood before she told her about the colts that entered the restaurant.

Though Fluttershy didn’t enjoy talking badly about anypony, even she had to admit that the four colts behavior was immature. The talked about how they bullied the waiter, which wasn’t a big surprise to Rainbow, and she explained she tried to get her and Silver to leave.

“Okay so how exactly did it get from paying for the food, to Silver having to fight four colts alone?”

“Well, while Silver was paying, one of the colts came up to me and started flirting with me” Fluttershy showed discomfort in her face as she thought about it. “When he put his arm around my shoulders it gave me a chill, the bad kind. I tried to get away from him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” The colt in question was lucky Rainbow didn’t know all of this back then, if she had, Silver probably wouldn’t have been able to talk her into leaving him be.

“So what happened next?”

“That’s when Silver stepped in, he told him to leave me alone, and it looked like he was ready to make him”

“I would have loved to have seen that” Rainbow thought to herself, it was comforting for her to know Silver won’t hesitate to defend her.

“I didn’t want him to fight, but I convince him to let it go and leave the restaurant. And, well, you know what happened after that” although that cleared up the details on what caused the fight, it didn’t fully answer her question.

“While it’s nice to know Silver stood up for you, I feel like you’re beating around the bush with your story. What happened after the fight?” Fluttershy’s expression changed back to what it looked like the last time Rainbow asked her. “Come on, don’t zone out on me again” she said snapping her fingers several times.

“Sorry, but I still have a hard time believing that it happened”

“It?”

“Well two “its” really” Rainbow was starting to grow a little impatient with the run around, she wanted to know what “it” was and she wanted to know now.

“Out with it already, I’m dying to know!”

“Okay, Okay, it started when Silver and I were walking back from the restaurant” Rainbow listened intently as Fluttershy recounted what happened. Rainbow couldn’t believe that Fluttershy was bold enough to ask Silver what she did. She was even more shocked when she heard what Silvers response was.

“Whoa, so it’s official now?”

“Ahuh…”

“Now I feel worse about causing the animals to get sick…you spend these past couple days taking care of them when you could have spent them with him” Rainbow’s head hung slightly in regret.

“It’s not so bad, he stopped by yesterday to help, the animals really seem to like him. Besides, I don’t want to seem clingy” she and Silver had only been dating for a little over a week, as much as she like being around him, she still had her duties to the animals in Ponyville.

“Well I guess it not all bad then, so how long until you two start kissing?” Rainbow intended this to be a joke to cause Fluttershy to blush. Fluttershy did indeed blush, however the look on her face was different from what she expected.

“About that…” Rainbow’s eyes shot wide open and her jaw hit the floor.

“Wait, you mean you?” Fluttershy shook her head “So it was him that” Fluttershy gave her a nod.

“B-but it was just a kiss goodnight, on the cheek!” Fluttershy clarified before Rainbow could respond.

“Oh, well still doesn’t change the fact that you have a coltfriend now!” Rainbow yelled happily “I’m pretty sure Pinkie’s probably going to throw you a party when she finds out” she added with a laugh. Jokes aside, the party going pony had probably already come up with the plans for one when the time came. They knew it was only a matter of time before she would find and start giving out invitations.

Knock Knock Knock

The quick, rapped knocking at Fluttershy’s door caused her to jump slightly “I wonder who that could be.”

“I’m not sure”

“Maybe its Silver” Rainbow said with a smirk, this caused a hopeful look to appear on Fluttershy’s face. Fluttershy got up from her sofa and walked up to the door to see who was knocking.

“Hell-“
“Who said party!?” Fluttershy was suddenly grabbed by her shoulders by a pink haired pony in front of her. Pinkie pie was breathing heavily and sweating, but there was an intent look on her face.

“Oh, hello Pinkie”

“Yeah, yeah, hello to you too, now who said party!?”

“Uh, how did you know I said that?”

“My Pinkie sense is how, soon as it warned me that somepony said party I had to find it!” she said zipping past Fluttershy and stopping short in front of Rainbow.

“But I just said it like a second ago, how did you, you know what, never mind” Pinkie Pie was known to do things that nopony could explain. Rainbow gave up on trying to understand some of the things she’s somehow able to do and learned to roll with it. “Okay yes I said it, just relax a bit” said Rainbow as she sat her party pony friend down to catch her breath.

“I’ll relax when you tell me what kind of party you’re planning” Rainbow looked over to Fluttershy, she didn’t want to tell Pinkie if she wasn’t ready to tell. Fluttershy gave Rainbow a small nod in agreement; the secret was bound to get out eventually.

“Okay, so this is it in a nut shell”

Silver had a day off from work today, his boss had to go to some kind of contest where she would display a flower she had been working on. As to what that flower was; he didn’t know, she kept it a secret from the other workers. Azure was still working at his own job so Silver could only think of one thing to do, and that was visit his marefriend, Fluttershy. Last time he visited her she was still nursing the sick animals back to health, he wondered if there was anything he could help with.

Animals had taken a liking to him since he was younger, even the animals Fluttershy cared for have gotten used to him. Although of all the animals in this part of Ponyville, there was one that had taken a closer liking to him. And once Silver felt something land on his head, he knew that it came to welcome him.

“Hey there” said Silver as he tilted his head slightly to greet the bat that landed on his head. Although bats were nocturnal creatures, this one had actually woken up to greet him the last time he visited Fluttershy. The meeting was short, Silver gave the bat a treat and it flew off, most likely to go back to sleep. There weren’t any other animals around at the time; chances are they were just off somewhere else. Silver walked up to Fluttershy’s door and was prepared to knock, however he never got the chance.

Before Silvers hand could make contact with the wood of the door, it shot open and a pink blur rammed into him knocking him on the ground. “What just happened?” Silver groaned as he tried to get gather himself.

“Hey there Silver, funny meeting you here!” unfortunately for Silver, he just happened to knock when Pinkie was running out of Fluttershy’s home.

“Uh, hello…Pinkie Pie right?”

“That’s right!”

“Great, um, can I get up now?” this whole time Pinkie was on top of Silver with their faces only a few inches away. Although Pinkie thought nothing of it, Silver was starting to get a bit uncomfortable.

“Whoops, Sorry!” said Pinkie as she hopped off of Silver allowing him to get up from the floor.

“Heh, if I hadn’t seen it happen, I’d say you’d have a hard time explaining that one” Rainbow joked as she stood at the frame of the door. “Then again it was Pinkie, so saying that she ran into you is a believable story” she added.

“Are you okay Silver?” asked Fluttershy as she walked outside.

“Yeah, it just caught me by surprise” said Silver as he dusted himself off.

“Well get un-surprised! So that you can get re-surprised later…got to go!” yelled Pinkie before running off faster than the others could react to.

“I think I’m going to head out too, don’t have too much fun you two!” said Rainbow causing Fluttershy’s face to burn bright red. Rainbow flew off before Fluttershy could say anything leaving her and Silver alone.

“Your friends are unique. Back at Canterlot you don’t see a lot of diversity in ponies; they are so focused on getting ahead in life that they never learn to enjoy it.”

“Some ponies say Pinkie Pie might enjoy life a little too much” Fluttershy joked which got a laugh from Silver.

“Well she does seem hyperactive everytime I see her, what was all that about being re-surprised?”

We’ll throw a “Fluttershy’s first coltfriend” party!

Do you really have to call it that?

What else would it be called; he is your first coltfriend right?

She had a point, Fluttershy

Still…it’s a little embarrassing

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about; Dashie never had a coltfriend either

Hey!

Well it’s true, anyway, I’ll set up the party at sugarcube corner and invite the others, Rainbow do you think you could invite Azure?

Why me?

Because you know him better than I do

We’ve only been going to the same dojo for a couple of days

Pllleeeasssse?

Okay, okay, just don’t give me that sad puppy look

Thank you, now, I need to go get the decorations up, Fluttershy, bring Silver over in about an hour but don’t tell him about it. Same for you Dash, this party will also officially welcome them to Ponyville so it needs to be a surprise!

“Fluttershy?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy got caught up on her flash back to the conversation she had with Rainbow and Pinkie only a couple of minutes ago.

“You were unresponsive for a while, everything okay?”

“Oh, yes, I was just…thinking about our last date” it was a quick and believable answer, one that ended with both ponies blushing.

“You mean when I did this?” Silver kissed Fluttershy on the cheek the same way he did a few days ago, and Fluttershy’s face grew redder still. For a moment Fluttershy’s imagination took over, she envisioned Silver gently placing his palm on her cheek, turning her head slightly as he did so. After they stared at one another, or at least she assumed he was seeing as he’s still wearing his sunglasses, Azure moved in closer. The two moved in closer and closer, their lips parting slightly welcoming one another. However Fluttershy broke out of her vision when she lost balance slightly.

“Whoa there” said Silver as he held on to Fluttershy to keep her from falling, her face was burning hot. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Silver placed his hand on Fluttershy’s forehead “You’re burning up; you think you could have caught something from the animals?” she had spent the last few days tending with sick animals, something like that must have taxed her considerably.

“N-no, I’m probably just a little tired is all”

“Come on, you should rest” Silver took Fluttershy inside; he carefully walked up to her sofa to insure she didn’t fall again. Once Fluttershy was sitting down he filled an ice bag with ice-water and had Fluttershy lay on a pillow on his lap before placing the bag on her forehead. “How’s that feel?” Fluttershy wasn’t sick, but she wasn’t going to complain, she had to stall for an hour anyway, so she might as well enjoy this for a while.

“That feels great” she said as she closed her eyes and let out a relaxing sigh. Although she wasn’t sick, she enjoyed the idea, her coltfriend sitting by her side nursing her back to health. She loved taking care of sick animals, but she never knew being on the other side could feel quite like this. Not that she to make a habit of sick just so that Silver could take care of her till she was better. It was just nice to know that there was somepony that could be there if she ever did get sick.

“Oh, I have to pick up an order from Sugar Cube Corner in about an hour”

“Mind if I tag along?”

“Not at all” the only question was what they would do until then, none of the animals needed tending to, and she was enjoying being cared for. “So, is there anything you want to do till then?” Silver thought for a moment, he wanted Fluttershy to rest till then if she had to go pick up her order, but there was something they could do till then.

“Remember that song you sang yesterday?”

“Yeah?”
“Think you can sing it again” when Silver visited the day before, he heard Fluttershy sing, and didn’t hide how much he enjoyed listening to it. It was the first time Fluttershy had ever heard somepony compliment her on her singing.

“I’d love to”

At another part of Ponyville, just outside of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, the three young fillies were gathering materials. Apple Bloom was wearing blue overalls with a yellow T-shirt and as always, she was wearing her row bow in her hair. Scootaloo was wearing a darker yellow tang top over an orange T-shirt and short gray pants. And Sweetie Bell was wearing a white dress over a purple long-sleeved blouse. The three friends are filtering through a stack of cloths, fabrics, and anything else donated by Rarity to prepare for their newest plan to gain their cutie marks.

“Why am I here again?” Spike was searching through a different stack, the look on his face showed he’d rather be somewhere else. Although it was summer, he was wearing his purple and green sweater; heat never bothered him in the slightest.

“Because we need your help with this”

“What exactly is this stuff for?” Apple bloom grabbed the book she and the others checked out from the library. The book’s title read “Hot Air Balloons for Dummies” Spike raised a brow and could take a guess about what they were planning. “Let me guess, you’re going to build a hot air balloon aren't you?”

“And fly it over Ponyville, that’s where you come in”

“huh?”

“It says here that hot air is lighter than cool air, you use fire to heat the air inside the balloon so that it can fly.”

“So in short, I’m just a walking burner?” Spike didn’t like the idea of being used, though he would never pick up on the irony in that.

“Don’t be like that; we wanted your help because you’re a dragon” explained Scootaloo, thought it wasn’t helping.

“What she means is, you know how to work fire a lot better than we can” added Sweetie Bell, which was an understatement. When it came to using fire, they had the potential to make a blaze that could make a fully grown dragon envious. “You’re able to make your own fire, so we don’t have to worry about it getting out of control”

“Well I guess that makes sense”

“So you’ll help us?” Sweetie Bell gave Spike a pleading stare, her eyes could probably bend anypony to her will, add that with the fact that there was a slight resemblance to Rarity’s only made it worse for Spike.

“Okay, just don’t give me that look” said Spike turning his head to keep himself from looking into her eyes.

“Good, now help me stitch the fabrics we need to make the balloon while Applebloom and Scootaloo build the basket”

“You know Twilight actually owns a hot air balloon, can’t we just ask her to borrow it?”

“Do you really think she’ll let us borrow it?” Scootaloo said sarcastically.

“Er, good point”

“Besides, where’s the fun in that?” added Apple bloom, she and the other crusaders weren’t ones to take the easy rout.

“Still, with everything that needs to be done, we won’t be able to finish before sundown” it was already mid-afternoon and they hadn’t even started yet. Even though there were four of them, it would take a few days to complete the build.

“We’ll just get as much done as we can today, and then we can pick up where we leave off in the morning”

“Alright, I hope you know how to sow, Sweetie Bell” Sweetie Bell looked a bit wounded.

“I may not be as good as Rarity, but I do know how to make a good stick” she said pointing the needle at Spike as if she would attack at any moment. There was no chance that she could hurt him with that needle taking his scales into account. But that didn’t stop Spike from backing up slightly and raising his hands defensively.

“Easy there, I take it back”

“Good, now help me here” Spike figured it was best just to go along with their plan, at least it got him away from chores for the day.

It’s about ten minutes before the Pinkies party was intended to begin, and Rainbow still hasn’t figured out how to get Azure there in time. Though when she tried to convince him to help her feed the animals, it was as simple as pushing him against his will. While there was some resistance, he still went along with it when he figured out that there wasn’t any chance of her letting him go.

“Where the hay is he?” Rainbow was able to learn that Silver and Azure lived in different apartments in the same building, but she didn’t know what floor he Azure lived on. She tried checking the windows, but each floor came up empty. She could only assume that he was out somewhere, which made getting him to sugar cube corner harder. There was only one other place where she could think to search for him, the secret training ground that the two colts go to outside of town. If that was the case, then there was no way she’d be able to get him back in time for the party to start.

“Rainbow?” The cyan Pegasus turned around to see just the colt she was looking for. Azure was wearing his usual clothing and a hard hat; she had only seen the construction crew wear hats like that in town.

“Oh, Az, I’ve been looking for you”

“When did she start calling me that?” Azure wondered to himself “Um, really?”

“Yeah, I need your help with something” Azure looked at Rainbow with a confused look on his face.

“How did you know where I live?” Rainbow’s eyes shot open, the only reason she knew about this building was because she and Twilight followed Silver that one time. But there was no way she could tell him that and come off as some kind of stalker. And letting him know why she followed them would only make the situation more awkward.

“I saw you leave this place once when I was on the job, I work with the weather team you see”

“Oh, well isn’t that something” Rainbow had no idea if Azure was being sarcastic or not, but as least she was able to think of something. “So, you said you needed my help?”

“Yes, I made an order and the package was delivered to Pinkie Pie’s place, I tried to pick it up, but, it’s too heavy…” The last thing Rainbow wanted to do was admit to something like that, even if she just made it up, but she needed her lie to sound believable.

“Couldn’t you have asked one of your other friends?” Azure figured it would have been easier than trying to find him. Regardless of how much that made sense, Rainbow couldn’t help but feel a bit wounded.

“Well excuse me for wanting to ask one of my newer friends, fine, I’ll go as somepony else” Rainbow turned away as if she was going to fly away.

Oh crud did I just do it again!?

“W-wait, I didn’t mean it like that” Rainbow turned around with an annoyed look on her face “I’ll help you, just don’t get mad”

“Was that so hard?” said not looking for an answer in particular “Okay, right this way” she added as she began to walk. Azure couldn’t see it as he followed Rainbow to their destination, if he could he would notice the smirk on Rainbow’s face.

“The guilt trip works everytime…”

Silver and Fluttershy were back in town, the yellow mare held on to Silver’s arm lightly as they walked.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Like I said, I was just a little tired, I’m fine now. I’ll make sure to get a good night’s sleep this time to be sure” it was a lie, she hadn’t lost much sleep from having to tent to her animal friends. Taking care of animals was more natural to her than flying; she’s always able to keep a regular sleep schedule, even if she needed to change it up a bit every now and then. But she was glad that Silver was worried enough to have her rest on his lap while he help a bag of ice to her forehead.

As much as she liked the feeling of being taken care of, Fluttershy had lost track of time and almost missed the time for them to head back to Sugar Cube Corner. But now they were almost there with a little less than ten minutes left. As they walked, Fluttershy wondered if Rainbow was able to convince Azure to go to the bakery. She didn’t have to think about it for too long as they took the next corner.

“Exactly how did a package you ordered end up at her place anyway?” the voice came from the corner, and Silver recognized it in an instant.

“Azure?” once they took the turn they saw Azure and Rainbow only a few feet in front of them. Both of them turned around when they heard somepony call towards their general direction, when they did they saw Silver and Fluttershy.

“Oh hey you two” Rainbow started trying to sound surprise to see them. “What brings you to this part of town?”

“Oh, um, remember the order I made before Pinkie left earlier?”

“Oh, right, going to pick that up I see. We’re going there too actually, Az here is helping me carry a package” she said pointing her thumb at the colt next to her. “Come on, we might as well walk together” with no objections, the four ponies continued towards their destination. As they walked, Silver slowed his pace till he was next to Azure, Rainbow and Fluttershy were talking amongst themselves a few steps in front of them.

“So, how did she convince you to help her?”

“Well, after she asked me for help I sort of said the wrong thing again. The next thing I knew it I was feeling guilty and ended up agreeing to help”

“You’re learning, good for you” said Silver with a laugh. Azure gave Silver an annoyed look, though he didn’t have a chance to comment.

“We’re here” the four ponies stood outside the shop; however Azure noticed something was off.

“Are you sure anypony is in there? The lights are off” he said pointing at the dark windows of the bakery. The two mares knew exactly why the room was dark, but they played along and continued to hold on to their little white lies.

“Let me check” Rainbow walked up to the door and knocked a few times before stepping back. A few seconds later, the door was heard unlocking and it opened revealing Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, hey girls!”

“Hey Pinkie, what happened to the lights?”

“Bit of a power outage, but don’t worry we have some candles lit inside. Come on inside, just make sure to watch your step” Pinkie opened the door wider and the four other ponies walked inside. Once they were inside, Pinkie closed the door behind her leaving them in complete darkness.

“I thought you said you lit a candle, can’t see my hand in front of my face” said Azure as he treaded carefully.

“At least it’s temporary” laughed Silver which for some odd reason caused Azure to go silent.

“I’ll fix that right now” they could hear Pinkie moving, rather quickly taking into account that she couldn’t see where she was going either. Suddenly there was a flash as the lights were turned on which was followed by a loud unison scream of several ponies yelling.

“SURPRISE!”

The combination of a blinding light and screaming surprised Azure enough that he tripped over himself and fell on his rump. This was pleasing to Pinkie; it wouldn’t be a surprise party if nopony got surprised, though she noticed that Silver didn’t react the same way.

“Don’t tell me you weren’t surprised” Pinkie said sounding a little depressed.

“Huh, oh no, I was surprised, it’s just that I don’t usually act it sometimes” he said rubbing the back of his head. “But trust me when I say I didn’t see it coming”

“Well next time I’ll surprise you so hard it will knock your sunglasses off” she said with no hint that she was exaggerating.

“P-Pinkie, why are there so many ponies here, I thought you were just going to invite our friends” Fluttershy looked around and it seemed as though half of Ponyville were attending this party.

“Well I did, but then somepony overheard and I said he could come and to invite his friends, and to tell his friends to invite their friends and…well here we are” if you look up the term “escalated quickly” in a dictionary, chances are you’ll see a picture of Pinkie next to it. The party pony always means well, but sometimes she tends to lose control of herself.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, this party is just to welcome the guys to Ponyville, remember?” Rainbow assured Fluttershy to keep her from looking nervous.

“Oh that reminds me” Pinkie walked up to the two colts and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. “Let’s give a warm welcome to Silver and Azure everypony!” at the same time everypony in the room gave a loud “welcome to Ponyville” for the two colts. Silver and Azure thanked the crowed for their kindness. Azure was not a pony who would attend a lot of parties, but seeing how much effort Pinkie put into it, he agreed to enjoy this one.

“See, nothing to be worried about” Rainbow added after seeing the display.

“Yeah, you were ri-“Fluttershy was suddenly grabbed by Pinkie and pulled towards Silver till the two were pressed together.

“And let’s not forget a congratulations for Fluttershy being in her first relationship!” the room was filled with cheers and some slightly flirtatious whistling. Both Fluttershy and Silver were blushing from the sudden revealing of their relationship, though Fluttershy’s face far redder. “How about a kiss from the happy couple” and once again Pinkie showed her inability to do anything half way. Fluttershy did not like being the center of attention, that was made clear during her modeling carrier, and now she was being watched again and was expected to kiss her coltfriend in front of everypony.

It seemed as though Fluttershy was put on the spot with no way out, but luckily for her, she knew the perfect way to respond…she fainted. Losing consciousness the meek Pegasus began to fall back, but she didn’t hit the ground. “Whoa!” a hand was placed under her head keeping her from hitting the hard floor. Lucky for her Silver had fast enough reflexes to catch her in time. “Um, I think she might need to lie down” said Silver as he lifted her from the floor.

“Sorry about that…” Pinkie said sticking her tongue out playfully. Pinkie Pie took Silver to a different room away from the party where he was able to lie her down.

“I’m going to stay here and wait to see if she wakes up” said Silver he sat in a chair next to the sofa. Pinkie had a warm smile on her face, she was glad that Fluttershy found somepony that would take care of her, Celestia knows she deserves it.

“Okay, but try to have some fun when you can, this is your party after all”

“I’ll make sure to” wanting to give the two some space, even though one of them was unconscious, Pinkie made her way back to the party.

Silver sat down next to Fluttershy waiting for when she would wake up, he wasn’t sure how long it would take but she did seem to get a big shock from what happened. Although he didn’t have to wait long, only about then minutes have passed before she began to groan. “Hey there” he said softly, as Fluttershy opened her eyes.

“Silver? What happened?”

“You sort of fainted…”

“Really, how come?”

“Pinkie kind of told everypony about us, you passed out a couple of seconds after that” Fluttershy couldn’t remember that happening, at first that is. After thinking about it for a few seconds, the memory of that moment came back to her.

“O-oh my, she asked us to kiss right in front of everypony!” Fluterrshy’s face turned red again as she remembered it.

“Easy there, no need to get worked up, Pinkie said she was sorry.” Fluttershy sat up on the sofa fixing her hair that had become a bit of a mess from sleeping on it.

“So, did I miss the party?”

“No, you haven’t been out very long, the party is still going if you want to join in” Fluttershy gave a nod and stood up. Silver got up as well and the two made their way towards the door of the room.

“I’m sorry I fainted, it must have been boring waiting for me to wake up” Fluttershy said with the feeling of guilt over her.

“No need to apologize, besides” Silver gently kissed Fluttershy on her forehead “What kind of coltfriend would I be if I left my marefriend alone like that?” Fluttershy didn’t respond, all she could do was give a big smile as they rejoined the party.

The party stretched on for several hours, the two colts were almost run dry with all the party games Pinkie had lined up. They both had higher than average stamina than most ponies, but the party ponies seemed limitless. But unlike her stamina, the party eventually came to an end and ponies began to head home.

“I have never met anypony quite like Pinkie before…” said Azure as he walked with the group of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Silver, and himself.

“Yup, she she’s one of a kind” laughed Rainbow.

“Just like another pony I know” said Silver as he held on to Fluttershy’s hand. Fluttershy blushed from the suddenly flirting, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be used to it.

“Well if I wasn’t tired before the party, I am definitely spent now…” Azure said with a yawn.

“Well then head home, I need to walk Fluttershy back first” said Silver, they were only a couple of building lengths away from their apartment complex.

“N-no, it’s fine. You’ve taken care of me a lot today already; I can walk back on my own”

“Are you sure?” Silver had come to enjoy the alone time with Fluttershy when he walked her back to her cottage. However he was shown that there was no argument to be had here when Fluttershy kissed him on his cheek. Silver blushed slightly while Rainbow’s jaw dropped from seeing Fluttershy being so forward, even if it was just a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m sure”

“I need to head in that direction anyway, so I’ll keep an eye on her” added Rainbow. She could simply fly to her house, but she wanted to congratulate Fluttershy on her latest bold move. Once Silver and Azure reached their stop, the two colts said their goodbyes to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“See ya Silver, you too Az” said Rainbow as she and Fluttershy waved goodbye.

“Why does she keep calling me that?”

“Not answering that one, you’ll have to figure that out on your own” Azure hated it when Silver knew an answer to his question but refused to give it. He knew that arguing would lead to no avail so he let it go, for now.
“Anyway, a group of fillies showed up near the construction site asking for some building materials earlier today”

“Did you give them some?”

“Just the left over wooden from the framing, they would have probably been thrown out anyway”

“I wonder why they wanted them” Silver placed his hand to his chin as he thought that over.

“I’m guessing they want to build something”

“Well duh, but what exactly?”

“Who knows, I doubt they could get into any trouble thought”

Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What goes up

A few weeks have passed since the party that not only welcomed Silver and Azure to Ponyville, but also revealed Silver and Fluttershy’s relationship. Since then the two have been on a few more date, fight free to their delight, and Silver offers to help Fluttershy care for the animals when he can. From everything that their friends have seen, they looked like the perfect couple. But now that Fluttershy’s situation was cleared, another one with a different pony seemed to arise. And it was that very reason that Rarity was standing outside of the library.

The door opened, however unlike usual, it was not the young dragon that opened it. It was instead Twilight who had her eyes glued to a book. “Hello Rarity, come to check out a book?” said Twilight as she magically placed a book mark and closed the book.

“Not this time, I wanted to talk to you about something”

“Okay, come on in” she said walking back from the door to allow Rarity to step inside. While Rarity closed the door behind her, Twilight put her book down on the table. “So what’s up?” Rarity looked around, noting a lack of presence.

“Is Spike here?”

“No, he’s with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom again” Rarity knew of Twilight’s attempt to have Spike spend more time with ponies his age, although the dragon could be very mature for his age, it could do him some food to have some fun. Spikes days were usually filled with chores, sure it wasn’t uncommon for fillies and young colts to have chores, but even those who have a lot of them would have fun sometimes. However lately, Rarity had grown some concerns.

“They sure have spent a lot of time together lately”

“Yeah, Spike says he’s having fun”

“I can imagine; does he ever talk about the any of them particularly?” it seemed like a strange question to ask, but Twilight thought about it for a moment.

“Well, he did say he’s gotten to know them a lot better, I think they’ve really become closer friends now” she said proudly. “Why, had Sweetie Belle been talking about Spike?” she asked.

“Well, yes, quite a lot actually” Rarity did not sound too happy to say this, there seemed to be something else to it.

“Something wrong, Spike isn’t being mean to her is he?” said Twilight sounding a little angry from the implications.

“No, not at all!” Rarity said quickly, she placed her hand to her chin and began to think for a bit, wondering how to phrase what she would say next. “You see, I am starting to think that she’s growing too close to Spike” she said finally; however Twilight wasn’t able to follow what she meant.

“Isn’t it a good thing for friends to grow close to one other?”

“Well, yes, but I’m talking about a different kind of close actually” Twilight looked at Rarity with confusion. She was unable to understand what she was talking about, was other kind of close could to friends be?

“I’m sorry but I’m just not…” Twilight paused for a moment, as if something had just lit up in her mind. “Wait…you don’t me, close, close…do you?” Rarity simply gave he a nod, Twilight’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa, and all this time I thought he, well, you know” Rarity knew what Twilight was talking about.

“It didn’t take me long to figure out his…attachment towards me, at first I thought it as a childhood crush, it wasn’t until he went through his hording phrase on his birthday that I found out how deep it runs.” Rarity couldn’t help but smile when she remembered his words. “At times, he can be a lot more mature than most colts our age, but age was and still is an obstacle he’s forced to deal with.” Rarity knows this, Twilight knows this, and all of their friends knew it too.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that actually, have you ever figured out how to, you know, let him down easy?” Rarity shook her head.

“I have given it some thought, however, I’m not sure that there is an easy way to do so, I fear it will end with him being crushed. The boy would walk to the ends of the earth and back for me if I asked, how do you tell someone who is that love-struck that it can never be?” Rarity looked towards Twilight for an answer, but she didn’t have one.

“I’m sorry, maybe if I’d have explained it to him earlier, it wouldn’t have escalated this far”

“Don’t blame yourself, nopony could have predicted this.”

“Okay, then maybe it isn’t a bad thing that Sweetie Belle might have a crush on Spike, if he has one on her too, then it would mean he’s moved on”

“I want to believe that, I really do, but I can’t help but worry that he might be…settling” Twilight looked confused again.

“What do you mean by settling?”

“Well, she is my sister” Twilight seemed to stare into space; she thought it over for a bit and was still unsure.

“True, but, you two aren’t exactly mirroring copies of one another” Rarity blinked a few times and thought it over. “And besides, we don’t know that Spike has a crush on her or anything like that. I mean, I could always ask him whenever he gets back home if that’ll help” Twilight offered. It would be a lot simpler than just making assumptions based on what one pony says.

“I’m not so sure that he’ll admit it right out, and if he doesn’t have a crush on Sweetie Belle, there are still two more fillies that he could.”

“Then what do you suppose we do?” Rarity knew that Sweetie Belle had been talking about Spike a lot more than before, but she didn’t know about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

“Perhaps we should ask Applejack if Apple Bloom has been bringing up Spike more often too

“It’s finally done!” Apple Bloom said happily as she looked over the basket that she and Scootaloo had been building. For a pony with not much prior experience in construction, the basket was well crafted. It was wide enough to hold the three ponies and dragon, and could probably hold a cow without breaking.

“I thought we’d never finish this thing” complained Scootaloo, a few of her fingers had bandages on them. Needless to say, the hammer did not want to agree with her throughout the construction process.

“How are you two doing?” asked Apple Bloom as she turned towards Spike and Sweetie Belle. Spike was holding up a cloth while Sweetie Belle was working a thread and needle on it. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked around to see what she was stitching right when she finished.

“Done!” she said in glee as she and the others beamed at their cutie mark crusaders symbol stitched to the cloth. The cloth was then pinned to the basket and the four fillies plus one dragon got to see their completed project. All that was left was to mount the balloon to the basket and they would be ready for a test flight.

“Okay, not let’s tie the balloon to the basket” said Apple Bloom as she grabbed on to the rope for the job. Nodding in agreement the others grabbed the balloon and carried it over to Apple Bloom who started making knots. The balloon wasn’t much in terms of looks compared to the basket, but they only cared that it would hold without tearing. It didn’t take Apple Bloom more than a couple minutes to tie it to the basket, which was good because the others were starting to get a little restless.

“Well I’m not as good as Applejack, but these should hold just fine” she said pulling on the rope to insure they were properly knotted.

“Awesome, now let’s get this baby in the air!”

“Hold on, there are too many trees here, we need to set up in an open area” interjected Spike which put a damper in Scootaloo’s mood.

“Fine, let’s make it quick though, help me put this on the wagon!” she said with an impatient grunt. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walked up to it and tried to lift it off the ground, but it was heavier than they expected. “How about a little help from the heavy lifters?” Scootaloo grunted still unable to get the basket off of the ground.

“That’s our cue” said Apple Bloom as she grabbed in to Spike’s arm and pulled him with her towards the others. Spike and Apple Bloom each took one of the empty corners and began to lift, surly enough, the basket got off of the floor. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle weren’t exactly lightweights, but Apple Bloom was a lot stronger than them due to the farm work she does with her family. Spike was also in the same boat in a way, the constant lifting of heavy books on top of the natural strength he gains with age made him stronger than he looks. Soon enough they were able to place it on top of the wagon.

“Great, it should be easier to move now” said Scootaloo as she grabbed on to the handle of the wagon. “So where should test this at?” she asked looking back at the others for an answer. The all thought about it for a moment, eventually Spike spoke up.

“I know the perfect spot, just head straight ahead for a bit” said Spike pointing forward. The others agreed and began to push the basket forward, or pull in Scootaloos case. While they weren’t sure where Spike was going to take them, they couldn’t wait to get their hot air balloon in the air and see if it’ll land them their cutie marks.

Rarity and Twilight made their way to sweet apple acres so they could talk to Applejack about Apple Bloom. “I still don’t know why I have to go too” said Twilight, but for some reason Rarity insisted.

“Come now, you’re telling me you aren’t the least bit interested in the thought that Spike could be forming feelings for somepony?” asked Rarity.

“We still don’t know if there are any feelings to form” Twilight pointed out. “For all we know they could just be close friends now” she added.

“Oh don’t be so closed-minded” responded Rarity which got an eye roll from Twilight. When they arrived at the farm they spotted Applejack carrying a cart filled with freshly picked apples.

“Hey Applejack!” Twilight called as she waved at her friend. Applejack turned her head to see Twilight and Rarity walking towards them and give them a friendly smile.

“Hey there girls, what brings you here?”

“Rarity’s got something she wants to ask you” said Twilight as she pointed at the mare standing next to her. Applejack turned her head towards Rarity wondering what she wanted to ask her, and had a slight feeling she wasn’t going to like where this was going.

“Well, as you know, Spike has spent a lot of time with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo lately.” Rarity began.

“Oh yeah, Apple Bloom says she’s been having fun spending time with him” with that, Rarity’s first question was answered. Now she knew that Sweetie Belle wasn’t the only one that had been talking about Spike lately.

“I see, has she said anything specific about him?” Applejack wasn’t sure what Rarity meant by that, but she thought it over for a bit.

“Well, she says that he’s funny and a lot stronger than he looks” there was a small twinkle in Rarity eyes that the others didn’t notice.

“Could Spike be trying to put the moves on Apple Bloom?” she asked herself.

“Why did you want to know anyway?” asked Applejack.

“Rarity thinks that Spike might be crushing on one of the girls”

“Is that so?” said Applejack readjusting her hat “And here I thought he’d never get over you, no offence” she added towards Rarity.

“None taken, I just hope it’s true”

“Still don’t know how to let him down easy huh?” Rarity wasn’t surprised that Applejack knew, chances are half of Ponyville knew.

“Not without it ending with him being crushed…” some would say she thinking highly of herself, but it was true. If she were to try and let him down easy, it would just end with him being heart-broken. It was a nice thought, to be able to have a scapegoat that could prevent you from doing something you dread, but it wasn’t that easy.

“Sorry to say this Rares, but there’s no way you’re going to get out of that” Rarity simply blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the little guys drive to be with you could rival Rainbow’s drive to join the wonderbolts” Applejack explained.

“And that’s saying something” said Twilight.

“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating a bit?” said Rarity.

“No, I think Applejack is right, Spike is just too into you, what with all the false hope he keeps getting from you” Rarity got caught off guard with that one.

“False hope? What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s the nick name, the way you baby him, and every time he sees you wear the jewel he gave you his eyes sparkle like a star” Rarity stared blankly at Twilight, she never thought about it till now, but she was right.

“Oh my…I’ve been leading him on…” guilt suddenly overtook Rarity, all this time she was hoping he’d move on at some point, but it turned out she was making things worse.

“It’s not like you intended for this to happen though” Twilight tried to reassure Rarity.

“Of course not, but still, you have a point”

“Don’t let it get to you Rares, who knows, maybe your right about Spike and the girls and this will turns out for the best” said Applejack. Rarity appreciated her friends attempt to cheer her up, but she knew they were right, in order for Spike to move on and find somepony he could be with; there was something she would have to do first.

Spike and the crusaders finally reached their destination, an open plain that Scootaloo knew all too well. “This is where Rainbow comes to practice her awesome stunts!” she yelled happily as he looked to see if she could spot her Pegasus idol.

“Yeah, a lot of open space so we can make sure we have a clean spot to land after the test” said Spike. After finding the perfect spot, Spike and the crusaders lifted their hot air balloon from the wagon and placed it on the ground.

“Alright, do we have everything we need?” Spike said turning to Sweetie Belle who was carrying the check list.

“Looks like it” she said looking through the list to see if they were forgetting something.

“Alright, let’s do this already!” said Scootaloo who was already climbing inside of the basket. Seeing no reason to wait, Spike and Apple Bloom climbed in as well. As sound as the construction was, Apple Bloom neglected to build a door to it, but this was not a problem, well to most of them anyway.

“Little help here” said Sweetie Belle as she tried to climb in to the basket, unable to get a good hold on to it.

“Here, grab my hand” Sweetie Belle looked up to see Spike extending his hand for her. Once she grabbed it, Spike pulled with enough strength to lift her off the ground.

“Whoa!” Sweetie Belle tried to keep her balance when landed inside of the basket, but the momentum caused her to lean forward a little too much causing her to fall. The next thing she knew it, she had bumped into spike and the two fell to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle looked up to see that hers and Spike’s faces were only inches away from one another. This was the first time she had ever gotten a good look at the dragon’s eyes; she never noticed how pretty they were.

“Uh, yes, I’m fine” she said getting up quickly, Spike didn’t get a good look, but he could swear he saw a shade of red on Sweetie Belle’s face. When he looked at her again however, he wasn’t able to spot it and figured that he imagined it.

“Help me hold up the balloon, Scootaloo!” said Apple Bloom as she stood on the frame of the basket. They needed to make sure the hot air would inflate it and make sure that Spikes flames didn’t ignite the balloon in the process. Once they both got a good hold of the balloon and angles it properly, it was then time for the hot air.

“Alright Spike, you know what to do” making sure that they were all in a safe position, Spike began to feed his flame into the opening to the balloon that they made for him. Spike made sure to use and nice and even flow of flames allowing the hot air to enter the balloon. Eventually the balloon began to inflate and ride enough that Scootaloo and Apple Bloom no longer needed to hold it open. Soon enough he balloon had inflated enough that it was fully open and had already floated about a foot off the ground.

“Alright, nothings burst into flames yet!” This was saying something when one was talking about the crusaders. Their past attempts to achieve their cutie mark have always ended up with very unlikely results. Like the time they tried high diving and through some unknown force, they were able to set fire to the water. To this day experts are still trying to figure out how in Celestia that was even possible.

“Alright Spike, ready to take us higher?” Scootaloo asked the dragon.

“Actually, given our track record, maybe we should test this basket a bit to make sure it won’t fail on us” added Sweetie Belle.

“How do we do that?” Spike asked, he got his answer about a second later when the two fillies began to jump up and down. The basket trembled and tossed with the out of rhythm jumps, but it showed no sign of giving way, even the ropes help on strong.

“I’d call that a pass” said Apple Bloom noting the lack of give in any of the hot air balloons key points. “Alright Spike, take us up” the said to the dragon who was checking one last time to make sure everything was secure.

“Alright, next stop, the sky” said Spike before letting out another stream of fire, this time he made sure the blaze was a bit hotter. It took a little time, but eventually the balloon began to ascend once again, the fillies looked over the frame to see themselves getting farther from the ground by the second.

“Okay Spike, I think that’s high enough” said Apple Bloom as she tapped Spike on his shoulder. Spike discontinued his flames and joined the others to get a look at the view around them. They were high enough that they could touch a cloud, had one passed them, and they were high enough to see Ponyville out at the distance. The three fellies were ecstatic to see how smoothly this was going, though one of them were a little too in a rush to find out if any of them had gained the fruits of their labor.

“Did it work; did we get out cutie mark?” Scootaloo was used to checking to see if her cutie mark had formed whenever she was alone with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom that she forgot something.

“Whoa there!” said Apple Bloom as she grabbed on to both of Scootaloo’s arms “Remember who else is here” Scootaloo looked over to Spike who wasn’t paying attention at the moment as he was watching the view of the ground from the sky.

“Whoops, that could have been embarrassing” said Scootaloo.

“We’ll check later, for now, just enjoy the ride” Scootaloo couldn’t wait to see if all this had gotten them their cutie mark, but it looked like she didn’t have a choice. The three friends were going to join Spike and take in the sights, but that’s when the dragon spoke.

“You know, I have to admit, when Twilight suggested that I hang out with you three, was a little on the fence about it. I thought I would have been bored out of my mind the whole time” he couldn’t see them standing behind him, but there was a mix of hut, sad, and annoyed looks being given to him. “It didn’t take me long to see that I was completely wrong thought” all three fillies expressions changed to surprise when Spike said this. “It’s never a dull day with you three; I had a lot of fun building this thing with you. I guess what I’m saying is” Spike turned around now, there was a smile on his face and his eyes closed. “I really like being around you three”

They didn’t know what to say, they never expected to hear Spike say that to them, sure they were friends, but there was still an impact in his words. They hadn’t thought or talk about it till now, but after spending a few weeks with him, getting to know him better, they’ve grown to enjoy his company as well, probably more than they would admit. Almost in perfect sync, their face began to grow a shade of red, this did not go unnoticed.

“Is it too hot in here, your faces are a little red” he couldn’t tell for himself, heat never really affected him. All the blinked and gave each other a look before breaking eye contact, they didn’t even know their faces had become flushed.

“Um, yes, must be because of all the hot air!” Scootaloo said quickly before trying to laugh it off. The three fillies felt a little awkward, though no one of them couldn’t figure out why.

“Well stand over here then, I’ll see if I can get a breeze going” said Spike as he moved away from where he was standing. They weren’t sure how he was going to do that, but they did what they were asked and saw Spike move to the other side of the basket.

“What are you going to do?”

“Just give us a little push” said Spike before she looked out towards the opposite direction and began to let out a breath of fire. This time the fire was a lot stronger, the others started to wonder what he was doing, but their question was answered when they felt the hot air balloon shift.

“We’re moving!” Sweetie Belle said in glee, it wasn’t record breaking, but they were moving at a good pace.

“Good thing too, we didn’t think of a way to steer this thing” added Apple Bloom. Though it was probably something they should have given thought during the construction process. But it was good to know that there was nothing to worry about in the end.

“Hey, take us close to town so we can show everypony what we did” said Scootaloo. Although the idea of showing the town that three fillies and a dragon were able to build a working hot air balloon, she also hoped to spot a certain cyan colored Pegasus.

“On it” said Spike as he changed the path of the flame slightly so that the balloon would start to move towards town.

“Hey, think you could make it go a little higher?” asked Apple Bloom, she wanted to see just how high they could take it.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” wondered Sweetie Belle.

“What could possibly go wrong?” said Scootaloo with no sense of worry in her voice. “Take us higher, Spike!”

“Okay”

The four friends have been up in the sky for what was probably half an hour or so, the concern that they could get in trouble overpowered their want to show off so they had Spike stop the balloon. Regardless of that, they were still enjoying the sight around them, but as much as they liked it, they couldn’t stay up there forever.

“Okay, I think it’s time we get down. Applejack’s gonna be angry if I don’t do my chores” said Apple Bloom.

“Okay, where’s the parachute valve?” Spike asked looking around but unable to spot it. There was a short silence, one that made Spike feel uneasy. “You did remember to add one, right, Sweetie Belle?” he said looking at the unicorn in question. Sweetie Belle however, was unable to make eye contact with him.

“P-parachute valve?”

“You didn’t add one…did you?”

“W-well I…I may have…forgotten…” Sweetie Belle said looking away from the others.

“What’s a parachute valve?” asked Scootaloo.

“It’s like a plug on the hot air balloon that can be undone manually to let out the hot air letting the balloon go down” explained Spike. This caused Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to worry; now they knew that they had no way to return the balloon to the ground.

“How could you forget to add something that important!?” yelled Scootaloo.

“I-I don’t know” said Sweetie Belle.

“Easy, easy, it’s not like we’re stuck up here, we just need to let the air inside the balloon cool down. It will take a while but we’ll get back to the ground eventually” said Spike making sure to keep anypony from losing their cool. The three let out a sigh, at least it wasn’t as bad as they thought it was.

“Can’t we like, make a hole in the balloon?” asked Scootaloo.

“Not unless you want to crash down to the hard ground” all the fillies gulped at the idea of a crash landing from this height.

“Right, so we wait” not knowing what else they could do, all four sat down and talked to help the time pass. Spike asked them about all their attempts to gain their cutie marks, he figured that there would be enough of them to keep them busy till the balloon was low enough.

“And then the royal guards took it away…” Spike was left speechless at one of their stories.

“You actually tried to go to the moon…can’t say I put it past you” said Spike to their story. He had to admit though, if there was a cutie mark for never giving up, he was sure that all three of them would have one by now. The girls were going to tell Spike another story, but they didn’t have the chance.

“Whoa!” they all yelled when the balloon suddenly shifted causing them all to slide in one direction till the hit one of the four walls of the basket.

“What’s going on!” yelled Apple Bloom, they could feel it, the balloon was moving, and this time it was a lot faster. Although the basket was off-balance, Spike was still able to get himself to stand.

“We’re caught in a strong head wind!” he said as he felt the wind flow around his head when he stood. “Hold tight, I’m going to see if I can slow us down!” said Spike as he turned around a bit but still making sure he had a tight grip of the basket. Spike then tried to use his fire to stop the balloon was moving, or at least slow it down, but it led to no result.

“We’re getting pushed too far; I can’t even see Ponyville anymore!” yelled Sweetie Belle when she was able to look over the basket walls.

“Forget where we aren’t, look at where we are!” yelled Scootaloo. Although they didn’t want to, the other three looked down an immediately felt their hearts stop. They were no longer within the safe area of Ponyville, there were now over the Everefree forest, and the winds were taking them even deeper.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Where ponies fear to tread

They weren’t sure how long they were being pushed; the winds were so strong they feared they would be knocked off at any moment. Eventually the rushing winds had mercy on them, and the balloon came to a halt. They were all fine, but the fear of falling caused their hearts to rush at great pace, it took some time before they were able to calm themselves. It took them a while longer before any of them was able to speak again.

“Are you all alright?” asked Spike as he got up from the basket floor.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright” said Scootaloo.

“Me too” said Apple Bloom. A couple of seconds passed and Spike still hadn’t heard from the remaining filly.

“Sweetie Belle?” said Spike as he turned to see the alabaster filly, she didn’t respond, she was still holding on to the basket, and she was trembling. “Hey, are you alright?” he said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Immediately after feeling him touch her, Sweetie Belle let out a gasp and flinched slightly. “Easy, can you stand?” he asked her, though she didn’t look like she wanted to move at all.

“I-I think so…”

“Here, let me help you” Spike gently grabbed on to Sweetie Belle’s hand so he could help her stand. It took some coercing, but eventually he was able to get her to try. Soon enough she was standing on her own, but her legs were trembling slightly and she hadn’t let go of Spike’s hand just yet.

“You alright, Sweetie Belle?” asked Apple Bloom placing a hand on her shoulder. The alabaster unicorn took a couple of deep breaths, but eventually she was able to compose herself, and the trembling stopped.

“Yeah, I’m okay now” Sweetie Belle said between breaths, this was a relief to the others; they didn’t want her to panic.

“Good, now if you don’t mind, I have a little question to ask” Scootaloo asked gaining the others attention. “Where the hay is Ponyville!?” she yelled, though it was less of a panic tone than it was one of anger. The others looked around as soon as Scootaloo brought it to their attention, they checked all sides, but all they could see was forest, the Everfree forest to be exact.

“Just how far did that wind take us?” Spike asked to himself, the wind hadn’t pushed them for very long, only a couple of minutes or so, but they were moving at a great speed during that time. “Whatever the case, we need to start heading back before it gets dark” said Spike as he noted the position of the sun; at most they probably had two hours before sunset.

“How? We don’t even know which direction Ponyville is!” Scootaloo yelled once again.

“Yelling’s not going to help us, just take a breath” said Spike as he placed his hand on Scootaloo’s shoulder. The Pegasus was obviously frustrated, but who wouldn’t be after being stuck in an unfamiliar area. Although not everypony reacts the same way, this made clear by Sweetie Belle’s loss of composure.

“He’s right, if we all calm down we can probably figure out how to get back home” said Apple Bloom.

“Ponyville’s in that direction” Spike said immediately afterwards, the others looked at him and could see he was pointing in the direction in question. The look on his face showed he was completely sure he was right.

“How do you know that?”

“Rainbow’s training area is north-west of Ponyville, we moved north when got in the balloon, and the head wind pushed us south. Looking at the sun it looks like it’s close to setting, and because the sun sets in the west, it would mean that Ponyville is that way” all three fillies tilted their heads.

“Since when were you this smart?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well, Twilight grew a fear that I would get lost on my own, so she made sure I’d be able to find my way back. You wouldn’t believe how many things she taught me over the years” Spike answered. The girls were generally impressed, even if he hadn’t proven yet that he was right, they still felt that knew what he was talking about.

“Looks like we have our own little egg-head now” said Scootaloo as she placed her arm around Spike’s shoulder.

“Uh, okay” Spike said with a little chuckle “Now, let’s get moving before it gets dark, who knows what comes out at night over here” he added as he moved to the other side of the basket.

“Ah come on, what could possibly get us from up here?” asked Apple Bloom. Spike didn’t answer at first; he placed his hands on the frame of the basket and looked around for a bit, as if he was expecting something.

“You don’t want to know…”

The trip to get back to Ponyville was looking like it would take hours, Spike was doing his best, but he could only push the balloon with so much strength. Eventually the young dragon had done as much as he could and needed to take a break.

“Are you okay, Spike?” asked Apple Bloom when she say the dragon drop to his knees panting heavily.

“Yeah…Just need to rest for a bit” he said between breaths. “Breathing fire for long periods of time take a toll on me” he added. Although they weren’t dragons, they could only assume that it was like magic and would need time to recharge after a while.

“Take as long as you need, I think I can take it from here” said Scootaloo as she positioned her back against the basket wall. She was facing the direction the balloon was supposed to be heading, the others wondered what she was planning, but once her wings began to flap rapidly, they knew exactly what she was doing. Although Scootaloo was unable to fly, her wings were able to give such a strong push of wind that she was able to use it to move on her scooter as a great speed. It took some time, but eventually the balloon began to move forwards again and roughly the same speed Spike was able to push it.

“Way to go Scootaloo!” said Apple Bloom.

“If you two switch between breaks, then we can get back faster” said Sweetie Belle.

“You the mare, Scootaloo” said Spike extending a fist which Scootaloo gladly bumped with her own. Whether or not she would be able to push the balloon as long as Spike did or if they would be able to keep an average had yet to be seen, but the more they moved the better.

“Good thing it’s still light out” said Sweetie Belle, she could only imagine how scary it could be to be around there at night.

“Or…is it?” Apple Bloom added, they couldn’t explain it, even with the sun going down they still had a lot of sunlight to see, and now, the light is starting to fade.

“Night already? How is that possible?” asked Scootaloo.

“It’s not, the sun didn’t go down, it’s be blocked!” said Spike as he ran to the other side of the basket and looked up. Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo joined him to get a look at what he was talking about. They saw storm cloud blacker than a moonless night was forming above them as if out of nothing. And if the thought of being in a storm this high up in the sky wasn’t scary enough, they suddenly heard a bone chilling roar echo around them.

“W-what was that!?” asked Apple bloom, she had never heard something like that before. Spike looked up at the clouds, his eyes searching around them as if he was trying to spot something among them. Eventually his eyes locked on to something and grew wide, he pointed his claw and the others followed to see what he was pointing towards. They weren’t able to make out a lot of details, but there was something in the clouds, something big, and something with wings.

“It’s a thunder bird!” yelled Spike before a bolt of lightning stuck missing the balloon by a few feet.

“A thunder what!?” asked Sweetie Belle, though this was not the time to be asking question.

“No times to explain, we need to get this balloon out of the storm quickly, Sootaloo, help me here!” said Spike. Soon enough both the dragon and Pegasus continued to propel the balloon, through their combines efforts they were able to double the speed, but the danger was increasing by the second. The lightning was getting closer to them with each strike, and the fear of a direct hit was increasing.

“Hurry!” yelled Sweetie Belle in a panic.

“We’re giving it everything we’ve got!” said Scootaloo with a note of strain in her voice as she flapped her wings as hard as she could. Spike didn’t say a thing; he was too focused on using every ounce of fire he had in him to get the balloon to safety.

“AH!” yelled Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom when another bolt struck right in front of them missing the basket by a few inches.

“That was a close one!” said Sweetie Belle letting out a sigh of relief, thought a small one due to them still being in danger.

“I think you spoke too soon!” said Apple Bloom as she pointed up, it was barely visible, but through the opening in the balloon, a tear could be seen. Suddenly the basket began to shift; the hot air in the balloon was starting to leak out, and fast.

“We’re going down!” yelled Sweetie Belle and she and the others grabbed on to the basket with all their might. It was slower than a dead drop, but it was still fast enough that they could float out if they didn’t hold on. A gust of wind from the storm pushed the balloon fiercely as it fell. It didn’t take long for the basket to cut through the trees, however instead of the balloon getting caught in the branches, they instead snapped from the weight. By chance Spike opened his eyes to see the path the basket was taking and was shocked to see what was ahead. A large rock formation was in their way and they were far from slowing down.

“I can probably handle the crash without taking too much damage, but them…” they weren’t weak fillies, but they didn’t have iron-hard scales to protect them like he did. Spike reacted without thinking; he grabbed all three of them and wrapped his arms around them tightly. Spike was the only thing between them and the oncoming collision, all he could do was hope for the best, and wait.

“Have you spotted them yet?”

“I couldn’t find them anywhere!”

“Where are they, they never just disappear like this!” it was already sunset, and the crusaders, and Spike were nowhere to be found.

“Twilight; has Spike maybe told you about what they were doing?” asked Rarity, she was starting to look like she would go into a panic at any moment. Twilight thought back to everything Spike did since he and the crusaders began to spend time together.

“They checked out a book, it was a how to guide to…building a hot air balloon!” she said finally.

“A hot air- why the hay would you let them try that!?” yelled Applejack, now she was more enraged than worried, though worry probably caused the rage.

“I was sure Spike would be able to keep anything from happening!” Twilight yelled back now sounding angry.

“Hey!” the three looked over to see Rainbow overhead, she also looked annoyed, but not for the same reason. “We’ve got three fillies and a dragon to find, and we won’t be able to do that if we’re at each other’s throats!” a look of guilt covered their faces; they knew Rainbow was right, which was a rare thing from her.

“Right, we better ask Fluttershy for help, she can probably ask the animals around Ponyville if she’s seen them.” said Twilight.

“Good idea, I’m going to ask Az for help”

“What about Silver?”

“Well, him too!” she said before flying off. The others were a little confused about Rainbow’s reaction, but they didn’t have time to think about it. With Rainbow securing more help, they all made their way to Fluttershy’s cottage as fast as they could.

Behind the cottage where Fluttershy lived, the yellow Pegasus was lying down on a blanket placed on the ground, next to her was Silver. The two were enjoying each other’s company as the sun was setting at the horizon.

“Don’t you just loved the colors of a sunset?” asked Fluttershy as she turned to see Silver. The unicorn was smiling, though he had his head tilted upwards as he rested it on his arms. “Silver?” she said wondering if he had fallen asleep at some point.

“Hmm?” he said turning his head toward Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, I was just enjoying the sound of the nocturnal animals waking up” he said “I’ve never taken the time to listen to them till now” Fluttershy was going to ask again of what he thought of the sunset, but decided against it. However another question replaced the first one and that about his sunglasses. They have been dating for a while now, but she hasn’t seen what were behind the shade he wore.

“Um, Silver”

“Fluttershy!” both the Pegasus and Unicorn sat up to the sudden frantic call, at the distance Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight were running up to them.

“We’re sorry if we are interrupting something, but we desperately require your assistance!” said Rarity trying to catch her breath.

“Why, did something happen?” she asked getting up quickly.

“Spike, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, we can’t find them anywhere!”

“Oh my” said Fluttershy with concern in her voice. “I’ll ask the animals to see if they’ve seen them today” she added before flying off to do so.

“Okay, while she’s doing that, do you think you can lend us a hand, Silver?” asked Applejack.

“Sure, I should ask Azure too”

“Rainbow’s already on it, come on, let’s check the forest around town to make sure we didn’t miss anything” said Applejack as she and Rarity turned to run. However Twilight and Silver hesitated for a moment.

“Are you sure?” asked Twilight.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them” assured Silver, however Twilight’s look didn’t fade.
“You know that’s not what I’m talking-“

“I said, don’t worry” Silver repeated placing a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. The tone in his voice was strange; it was a serious one, only at the same time calming. Twilight still looked unsure, but gave the colt a nod and the two ran after Applejack and Rarity.

“So how long ago did they go missing?” asked Silver as he and Twilight were running.

“We’re not sure, the last time we saw any of them was this morning. It’s a normal thing for them, but they always show before curfew.” Twilight explained. “All we know is that they were building a hot air balloon” Silver came to a quick stop, he slid slightly before coming to a full fault.

“Hot air balloon?” Twilight gave him a nod “Well, then how many places outside of town could be used to fly one safely?” he asked. Twilight placed her hand to her chin as she began to think this over for a bit.

“Well, they’d need a lot of space to get airborne, so they’d need a spot with a wide open plain at all corners.” While Twilight talked to herself, Applejack and Rarity had turned around to see what was keeping the two.

“What’s the hold up, we don’t have time to stand around!” protested Applejack.

“Hold on, she’s trying to narrow down the places we need to search” said Silver. At that moment Rainbow and Azure reached them.

“I couldn’t find-“Rainbow stopped when she saw Silver was already there. “Oh, well, was Fluttershy able to find out anything?” she asked.

“She just set out not too long ago, right now Twilight is trying to figure something out” Rarity answered.

“Do you know what they look like, Az?” asked Applejack.

“Yeah, Rainbow filled me in, but I’ve actually seen them before today” said Azure “They took some left over building material from the construction site” Applejack suddenly looked angry again, as did Rarity.

“So you’re the one that gave them the supply’s to build a hot air balloon!” said Applejack taking a step closer to him.

“Hot air, what?” said Azure taking a step back. “I didn’t know they were going to use it for that, I figured it was for something like a ramp to do stunts with their scooter” he continued.

“Stunts!” said Twilight with a gasp; she then turned her attention to Rainbow. “Rainbow, the spot you use to practice your stunts, that has plenty of open space for them to test a hot air balloon” she added.

“Well then, let’s go check it out” said Applejack as she and the others began to run in the direction in question. The sun set was almost over, there was probably only a couple of minute worth of light left before it got dark, those who were missing somepony close prayed that they were at the spot, probably stuck, but still safe.

Once they arrived at Rainbows training spot, they made sure to search every inch of the area, but once again their searches would come up empty. Still missing with not even a clue about where they would end up, both Rarity and Applejack grew more and more uneasy.

“Darn it, nothing, anypony else having better luck?” called out Rainbow as she tried to see if she could spot and of the fillies of dragon from above.

“Nothing!” Called out Twilight “They’re not here either…” she added sounding low. There was a sudden banding sound which caused Twilight to jump. She turned to see Applejack had struck a tree hard, it’s clear that she was having a hard time coping with the idea of her sister being missing. Rarity was in no better shape, although she was trying to suppress it, she looked as though she’s break down at a moment notice.

“Is there anywhere else they could be?” asked Silver. Twilight thought it over for a moment, but she couldn’t quite figure out where else they could be. They already searched all over town, probably twice; there was no place else in town to check, and that was what Twilight feared.

“Hey!” once they heard the high-pitched voice, they all turned to see Pinkie Pie running towards them with Fluttershy flying close behind. Pinkie was always somepony to carry a smile on her face at all times, but this time, it was nowhere to be seen, and that caused a sinking feeling in the hearts of the mares that had somepony missing.

“Glad you can join us, Pinks, and Fluttershy, did any of the animals see anything?” asked Rainbow.

“Yes, but-“

“But what!?” Applejack had run up to Fluttershy before anypony could notice, she knew that “but’s” were never good. Fluttershy flinched lightly but kept control of herself as much as she knew they wouldn’t like it, she had to tell them what she learned.

“Mr. Bird saw them earlier; he says that they were floating in the air with the hot air balloon. But then, a very strong gust of wind pushed them over the…”

“No, please tell me it’s not where I think it is!” Applejack was sounding desperate now, she did not want to find out the thing she was dreading was true.

“In the Everfree forest, the winds pushed them until he couldn’t see them anymore!” Applejack felt like something hit her square in the chest with a hammer. The Everfree was not a place most ponies could survive in alone. Let alone three fillies and a baby dragon with little life experience.

“Then we have to go after them!” yelled Applejack.

“How, we don’t even know where in the Everfree they could be!” pointed out Twilight.

“Then we’ll search every inch!”

“Applejack, I know how you might feel, but we have to think this through or else we’ll be back to square one”

“Then what do we do, stand around and wait for them to come back!?” Applejacks anger was understandable, nopony could blame her.

“Easy, first we need to get back to the library, I have an idea”

Although Applejack and Rarity didn’t like the idea of having to waste time going to the library for an unknown reason, they went along with Twilight. Once everypony was inside they stood waiting while Twilight found some parchment to write on.

“Your plan is to write a letter?” asked Applejack in an annoyed tone “Then what, we have to wait for you to mail it and get a reply?”

“Would you just trust me” Twilight said as she began to write on the paper. “If it makes you feel better, I’m sending this to Spike”

“Really, but I thought Spike was the only one that could send letters, and that he could only send it to Celestia?” questioned Rarity.

“Well, that’s how it was at first, but not long ago I went through a little phase after reading a book and decided that we should be able to get into contact with each other should we ever be separated.” Explained Twilight as she finished the note and began to roll it up.

“What kind of book did you read that it caused you to go through a phase?” questioned Azure.

“I’d rather not say” Twilight grabbed the note with her levitation magic and began to focus. Soon her horn began to glow brightly, as did the letter. The others watched as the glow around the note intensified until it vanished in a flash of light. Twilight let out a breath of air and whipped some sweat from her forehead. “Gonna take some time before I’m used to that” she said getting up from the chair.

“Now what?” asked Applejack.

“Now we have to wait until he writes me back” waiting was not something she felt they could afford to do, but she didn’t have a choice. Everypony found a seat, all but Applejack who leaned against the wall. Each passing minute felt like an eternity to them, they wondered why or what was keeping Spike from writing back. Applejack was able to hide her worry, but Rarity wasn’t able to do the same. The alabaster mare rested her head on Fluttershys lap as tears ran down her face, Fluttershy did what she could to keep her calm.

“Exactly how is he going to be able to write back to you?” asked Silver, he was told that her spell could only send letters, so it would be hard to send a reply.

“All I can do it assume that he’ll figure something out, really just him sending it back would be enough to let us know they’re okay.” A few seconds later Twilight’s horn began to glow and a purple flame started to form in front of her. The flame took shape and the color began to change until another scroll formed in its place.

“He wrote back!” said Twilight as she grabbed the note prepared to open it to see if Spike had written something on it. The others gathered behind Twilight to see the note, they noticed that it had been rolled in opposite direction. Twilight untied the scroll and unrolled it to reveal that there was in fact something else written, however nopony could feel easy.

“W-why is the ink r-red?” asked Fluttershy, the others could feel their hearts sink at that very moment. Twilight gulped lightly, she fears that whatever was written on this note would leave them feeling worse than they already were.

“Before you freak out, the ink I’m using was made from crushed red berries” Twilight and the others let out a sigh of relief. “We’re okay, nothing worse than a few bumps, It took me some time but I was able to figure out how to head back home, for now we’re going to take refuge in a small cave until morning” she continued.

“Good, now we can go in and get them, send them a letter telling them we’ll get to them as soon as we can” said Applejack sounding calmer now that she knew her sister was safe.

“We can’t do that, a lot of dangerous creatures hunt at night in the Everfree, it would be a lot safer to go while the sun is up” Applejack felt like rushing Twilight and shaking some sense into her, it took a lot of self-control to keep herself from taking action.

“Are you suggesting that we let them spend the night alone in there?” the tone of Applejacks voice hinted that if she didn’t like the answer, something bad would happen.

“Applejack, darling, I know how you feel, but do not take it out on Twilight” had anypony else said that she might had punched him or her, but the look on Rarity’s face was enough to keep her from doing something she would regret.

“I-I’m sorry” said Applejack after taking a deep breath.

“It’s okay; I know this can’t be easy on you. Look, right now we know they are safe, I’m going to send him a letter telling him our plan and to use it to let us know if anything changes” said Twilight.

“Hey Twilight, there are some numbers written on the other side of this” Twilight turned around to see Rainbow holding the letter. She walked up to the cyan Pegasus to see what it was she was talking about. There were numbers written on the other side, she had hardly used up any space on it when she wrote on it.

“Spike you clever dragon!” she said happily.

“What?”

“Spike used the location of the stars to roughly pinpoint his location, and left instructions on what path they would take the following morning.”

“You thought him how to do that?”

“Like I said, I went through a phase, and it looks like it paid off “she said still proud to know that Spike was able to use what she had taught him.

“Well, how far into the Everfree are they?” asked Silver

“According to this, it could take us two days to find them where they are. But because they will be walking in the opposite direction, it should cut that by almost half the time” said Twilight looking over the directions.

“We’re still going to need some supplies for the trip” said Azure as he placed his hand to his chin.

“Hold on, I couldn’t possibly ask you two to come with us” a voyage into the Everfree was dangerous; she wouldn’t allow her friend to go with he if she thought for a second they’d listen. She didn’t feel comfortable to ask two colts she had just met to do the same.

“Sorry, but I need to see this through, wouldn’t feel right to turn back and let you all do the dirty work” replied Azure.

“I’m with Azure on this, and there’s no arguing with him when he makes up his mind” pointed out Silver. They seemed heart set on helping them rescue the missing children, but Twilight still had her doubts.

“I say let them come, we’ll need as much muscle as we can afford if we’re forced to fight something” said Rainbow. She may not know half of the species of creatures that lurk in the Everfree, but she did know that a lot of them were looking for something to sink their teeth into. Twilight could tell that there would be no way to talk them out of it now that the two colts had made up their minds, she let out a sigh.

“Alright, but I can’t be held responsible if anything happens to you” said Twilight. The two colts simply shrugged their shoulders, though they knew of the dangers of the Everfree forest, they didn’t seem to care. “Okay, we’ll need to gather food supplies for the trip” Twilight pointed out, the rescue mission could take a few days, and most things in the Everfree were not safe to touch, let alone eat.

“I’ll take care of that” said Applejack, but the look on her face showed that there was something else she wanted to see. “And, Twilight…”

“Yeah?”

“Can I sleep here?” Twilight looked surprise to the offer “If I sleep at home, I think I might end spend all night in her room worried about her…” Rarity looked towards the floor, Sweetie Belle was entrusted to her by her parents while they were on vacation, she wasn’t sure she could handle telling them she was lost.

“How are you going to break it to Granny Smith and Big mac?” asked Twilight, the look on Applejack’s face proved that she wasn’t sure.

“I’m not sure if I should tell them, it’s not good for Granny’s health for her to worry, and Big mac might rush into the forest himself if he hears”

“You can’t keep this from them, Applejack, you won’t be able to hide the reason why you’ll be missing for a couple of days” Applejack knew Twilight was right, but didn’t make it easy for her.

“What if we all come with you?” Applejack turned towards Rarity “If we can show them that they are safe, and that we will save them, then maybe it will ease them slightly” Applejack wasn’t sure if it would work or not, but she didn’t have any other option.

“You’ll all do that?” Applejack asked to see all her friends, including Silver and Azure give her a nod. “Thank you” she said with a smile, she felt glad that she wouldn’t have to go through this alone when she herself could hardly keep herself under control. With nothing left to say, the group accompanied Applejack to her farm so she could break the news to her family. As soon as Celestia’s sun shined again, they would venture into the Everfree in order to save the missing youths.

“Spike!”

“Hey, can you hear us?”

“Can I hear you?” Spike had a strange feeling, he couldn’t see what was around him, but he could faintly hear somepony talking around him.

“I think he just moved”

“I hope he’s not hurt”

“Why would I be hurt?” Spike asked himself, he tried to figure out what was going on, but he couldn’t seem to remember anything. “Am I on the ground?” Spike could feel the cold sensation of the floor and the grass around him, but he couldn’t remember why he was laying on the ground to begin with.

“He’s been out for too long, maybe we should move him?”

“We don’t know if he broke something or not, after a crash like that I’d be surprised if he didn’t”

“Crash, what cra-“ soon enough the memories began to flood back into the dragon’s head, he remembered the balloon flight, the wind pushing them away from Ponyville, and the balloon falling fast. “That’s right, we were falling into the Everfree, then we were about to crash and I did something” Spike continued to remember, but the last detail escaped him for a moment.

“The girls!” Spike yelled as he jerked up towards a sitting position, his eyes opened fast and he looked around franticly.

“Easy there!” Spike heard from a southern accent, it took some time for his eyes to refocus, but when they did he could see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle holding on to his shoulders.

“W-what happened?” Spike asked rubbing a sore spot on the back of his head.

“You got sandwiched between three fillies and a hard place” said Scootaloo motioning towards the large rock formation besides them.

“Oh right, I remember now” Spike groaned as he attempted to get up from the ground.

“Don’t try to get up, you might have broken something” warned Sweetie Belle, but that didn’t stop Spike from doing so.

“Don’t worry, it would take a lot more than that to do any real damage” said Spike as he attempted to stretch out the stiffness on his back. Soon enough there was a loud pop which scared the three fillies into thinking something was wrong. But when Spike let out a relaxed sigh they were able to calm down.

“So how long have I been out?” asked Spike noting that the stars were out and Princess Luna’s moon was in the sky.

“We’re not sure, maybe an hour or so?” their sense of timing had vanished the moment panic set in when Spike was knocked out.

“I see, how about you three, are you okay?”

“A lot better than the hot air balloon” stated Apple Bloom. Spike scanned the area until he spotted the balloon in question. The basket that Spike would argue was top quality was not in pieces.

“Jeez, must have been a nasty crash”

“That’s an understatement, when we heard the crack we thought it was you that broke!” said Scootaloo.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Apple Bloom asked still not convinced that Spike was able to get out of the crash without serious injury.

“Yeah I’m f-“Spike was suddenly cut off when he felt something building up in his stomach. Spike’s mouth opened as he let out a belch and a purple flame which quickly took the form of a rolled up scroll.

“I thought your fire was green” pointed out Scootaloo.

“Normally it is, but whenever the letter is to or from Twilight, it turns purple” said Spike as he picked up the scroll and unrolled out.

“Dear Spike, we’ve been searching for you, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom for hours. Everypony is worried about what could have happened to all of you and I think Applejack is ready to punch me, send this back as soon as you receive it; Twilight”

“You don’t think Applejack would really punch Twilight, do you?” Spike asked as he arched his brow.

“I don’t know; she can be overprotective at times” said Apple Bloom.

“Well, send it back to her so they can know we’re okay” said Scootaloo.

“Shouldn’t we try to write them back?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Not unless you have a quill to write with” said Scootaloo. Spike held on to the letter but he seemed to be looking for something. Eventually his head stopped turning and a smile spread on his face.

“Ah hah!” Spike took several quick steps forward; the others watched as he walked up to a large bush filled with berries.

“Is this really the time to eat?” asked Scootaloo as she saw Spike pick several berries from the bush.

“There not for eating” Spike placed the berries in the pockets of his sweater and began looking along the ground. Spike picked up several rocks and examined them before putting them back on the ground. Eventually Spike found a rock that he was content with and the grabbed a smaller one as well.

“Are you going to fill us in on what you’re trying to do?” asked Scootaloo who was still trying to figure out what he was planning.

“I’m going to put these berries in this rock, and then crush them like this” Spike placed the berries inside the larger rock with was concaved a bit. Using the smaller rock Spike began to crush the berries repeatedly until it was rendered into a sauce. “And there you go, makeshift ink” said Spike as he showed it to the others.

“Wont red ink freak them out a bit?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Especially Twilight” added Apple Bloom. Spike was going to object, but taking Twilight’s tendency to over react, he knew that they had a point. Spike looked up, the stars were out and in clear view; this gave him an idea.

“I think I know how I can tell them where we are, while I’m writing back can you three try to find a cave or something we can hide in for the night?” asked Spike.

“You want to spent the night in this forest!?” questioned Scootaloo.

“We don’t have a choice, it’s even more dangerous here at night” said Spike only for the echo of several howls to be heard. The howls sent shivers down the spines of the three fillies; there was no need to argue. While the others began to search the area, Spike looked up to the sky and began to write on the paper using his claw as a quill. Carefully he took account for each star position before writing on the letter.

“We found something!” Spike turned around to see Sweetie Belle calling him, behind her was Scootaloo and Apple Bloom moving a large rock out-of-the-way. Behind the rock was an opening, though it was too dark to see what was inside.

“Hold on” Spike looked around again and found a branch that had snapped off the tree when the balloon crashed. Spike picked it up and used his fire to set it on fire like a torch. “Hold on to this” Spike handed the letter to Apple Bloom before walking towards the hole. Spike put the torch in first to make sure there wasn’t something in there that wasn’t friendly. The light from the torch revealed that it was a lot bigger on the inside, Spike could also see that the cave wall on the other side.

“Alright, looks like we have a safe place to stay for the night” Spike stepped inside the cave and checked around it for a bit in order to be sure. Once he was sure it was safe he exited the cave and put out the torch. “Now I’ll just write to them so they can know that we’re okay” said Spike as he continued to write on the other side of the letter. Spike made sure to include an explanation on why the ink is red. Once Spike finished writing what needed to be written, she rolled up the note and sent it back to Twilight.

“Okay now that you took care of that, can we get inside before something decides to pop up?” asked Sweetie Belle as she continued to hear the sounds of other creatures of the forest.

“Right, let’s get some wood so we can have a fire” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were already ahead of Spike with arms filled with fallen branches. With nothing else needing to be done all four entered the cave and a fire was started. For added measures, the rock moved so it would be in front of the exit of the cave to prevent anything outside from seeing the light from the flames.

“So, how long will it take to get back to Ponyville if we walk?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Realistically speaking, it could take us about two to three days at most” this was something the others did not want to hear. “Look, I know it’s a little scary to be in here, but I’ll make sure nothing happens to you” Spike was no older than they were; yet, they felt like they could trust him.

“Don’t count us out as defenseless fillies, we can take care of ourselves too you know!” said Scootaloo putting up a tough expression.

“I don’t doubt that for a second” said Spike and the others shared a laugh. Even when in a situation that could be dangerous, it was never good to lose ones sense of humor, it’s what could keep somepony from going crazy with fear. They all spend the next few hours talking; they did everything they could to keep their minds off their situation. Soon enough the fire had gone out and they grew tired; they closed their eyes letting themselves drift into the land of dreams, all but one.

Sweetie Belle was having a hard time falling asleep, even though they were in the cave, she could still hear the sounds of the forest. She envied her friends; she wasn’t as strong as Apple Bloom or Spike, or as confident as Scootaloo. She was sure she wouldn’t last long if she was in the forest alone. The others were sleeping soundly; she wished she could feel secure as they did. She felt like she was when she was younger, how she would be too scared to sleep in her own room and would sneak into her parent’s room.

“M-maybe he wouldn’t mind…” said Sweetie Belle as she got up from where she sat and moved carefully so to not wake her friends. Sweetie Belle found a comfortable position to lie down and soon she was finally able to closer her eyes and slip into a deep sleep.

Chapter 12

A new day in Equestria, Celestia’s sun was already beginning to rise, spreading light and warms around Ponyville. One piece of light found its way through the glass of the second floor window of the Ponyville library. The ray snuck its way along the floor of the room, slowly but surely, it found its mark, the ray of light came to a stop right over the face of a blond-haired mare. Applejack stirred slightly, but she had trained herself to always wake when the light of the sun hits her face. Applejack opened her eyes and repositioned herself so that she was now sitting on the bed. It took her a moment to register that the bed she sat on, was not her own.

She looked to her side to see Rarity was also on the bed, though there was a look of worry on her sleeping face. Blinking several times to get her eyes into focus, Applejack finally saw that she was in Twilight’s room, the mare in question was on her own bed on the other side of the room. It didn’t take long for her to remember why she was in Twilight’s room; she and Rarity were there because they couldn’t stand to sleep in their own homes knowing that their little sisters were lost in the Everfree.

“I hope you slept okay, Apple Bloom…” Applejack thought to herself as she looked out the window next to her. She was still worried for her sister, so much so that she didn’t have an easy time falling asleep. But right now she couldn’t let herself feel low, the sun was up, and now she and the others had a rescue mission to accomplish.

“Alright, wake up you two!” yelled Applejack as she clapped her hands loudly. Rarity woke up quickly with a sort of panic from being awoken so suddenly. Twilight had a similar reaction, but rather than sit up right she instead rolled off her bed landing on the ground.

“I’m okay!” yelled Twilight before getting up quickly, her hair was a complete mess from bed head however.

“Sorry, force of habit” for a farmer, there was no better way to wake up everypony than with yelling and loud noises to make sure they would wake up on full alert.

“Give me a moment; I am not used to waking up this early” off hand, it was most likely five-thirty in the morning, not many ponies would wake up this early if they had the choice. Even though they made sure to sleep early so they would be well rested in the morning, there was no doubt that Rarity hadn’t gotten get much sleep.

“Alright, we should get our supplies packed for the trip and get ready as soon as we can; the earlier we leave the better.” said Twilight now fully awake. It didn’t take long for Rarity to shake of the tired feeling she had.

“Right then, let’s hope the others will be ready when we are” said Rarity as she finally got out of bed. While they were getting ready to go on the rescue mission, the newer member to their circle of friends were already up and preparing to set out.

“First aid?”

“Check”

“Rope?”

“Check”

“Bottled water?”

“Check”

“Dehydrated food, lantern, and flints?”

“Check, check, and check”

“Don’t you think they’ll question why we had all this stuff prepared?” asked Silver as he placed a few more bottles of water in his bag.

“So we’ll just tell them the truth…” said Azure as he double checked his check list to make sure nothing was missing.

“The truth is we were already going to camp in the Everfree a few weeks from now…not something most ponies in this town would see as a sane idea” Silver pointed out.

“Yeah, well, why follow the crowed?” joked Azure.

“Good point, we have everything we need?”

“Everything from what I can see, pretty sure the others will bring their own supplies as well” said Azure. They had everything they needed; now all that was left was to head towards the library so they could meet with the others.

“Az, Silver, you two awake!?” Azure and Silver heard the voice of a mare coming from outside. Azure walked over to the window and opened it, looking down he saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy standing at the door to the building.

“Yeah we’re up, we’ll be down in a second, do us a favor and back away from the door” said Azure. Rainbow and Fluttershy weren’t sure on why he asked them to back away, but they did so anyway. Both were looking up at the window waiting for the two colts to show, they expected them to come out through the door, but then.

“Eeep!” Fluttershy yelped when she saw Silver jumping out from the window. Through the surprise, neither pegasi were able to react, but as soon as Silver’s hooves touched the floor he quickly rolled forward and stood up straight only inches away from them.

“Morning!” said Silver as if nothing had happened, though what he did was normal for him, it was the first time Fluttershy or Rainbow had seen anypony do that who wasn’t a Pegasus.

“Don’t do that!” said Fluttershy as she wrapped her arms around Silvers torso. She held him tightly and the sound of her voice made it clear that it had upset her.

“Hey, hey, no need to be upset, I do jumps like that all the time” Silver held on to Fluttershy gently rubbing her back.

“Why would you do something so dangerous?” she wondered.

“It’s only dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing”

“I see what you’re saying” Rainbow pitched in, it wasn’t a surprise, she’s used to preforming stunts that were dangerous if done wrong.

“Just…don’t do it in front of me, okay?” said Fluttershy.

“Okay, I’m sorry if I scared you” eventually Fluttershy let go of Silver.

“Alright Silver, heads up!” said Azure as he threw down one of their bags which Silver was able to catch. Once the second back was also secured, Azure jumped through the window landing the same way Silver did.

“Not bad, if you were a Pegasus I think I would have some competition” said Rainbow with a grin on her mouth.

“I’m pretty capable in the air too, maybe I’ll show you someday” Azure said plainly, he didn’t mean anything by it but Rainbow saw it as a challenge.

“When this is all done, I’ll be waiting” said Rainbow as she began to walk away leaving Azure with a confused expression.

“Okay I think I know what I did this time” said Azure.

“You’re learning” said Silver with a mix of mockery and pride in his voice.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just go…”

Silver and Azure weren’t the only ones prepared for a trip into the Everfree, Twilight herself had shown she was also prepared for just an occasion. “Um, why do you have so many bags prepared down here?” asked Rarity, Twilight had taken her and Applejack to her basement where she kept her supplies.

“I like to be prepared, I try to make emergency kits and or strategy’s for almost any problem” said Twilight as she levitated two bags handing one to Applejack and Rarity. “For example, I’m looking into spells that regrow crops in case Applejack’s farm and crops burn down in a fire” Twilight said plainly.

“Uh, thank you?” said Applejack.

“No problem, come on, we should be upstairs for when the others arrive” said Twilight as she levitated the rest of the bags with her. In total she had six full-sized bags and one child sized one, that one she left behind.

“Are you sure all the first-aid here is still good?” asked Rarity as she searched through the bag to see what it contained.

“Yeah, I make sure to renew it every couple of months” said Twilight. Rarity nodded before she zipped up the bag again. After making sure that each bag contained the required necessities they’d need the sound of knocking coming from upstairs caught their attention.

“Sounds like the others are here” said Applejack. Twilight nodded and the three made their way back up stairs. Once they exited the basement Twilight put the bags down on the floor and proceeded to open the door.

“Hey there Twilight, you guys ready?” said Rainbow. Twilight gave her a nod and moved away so that Rainbow, Fluttershy, Silver, and Azure could enter. Once the two colts stepped in, it surprised her surprised to see that they were wearing the proper hiking gear. That’s not to say that Fluttershy and Rainbow were not, they had both made sure to wear the proper clothing, but the two colts seemed to have gone the extra mile.

“Looks like Twilight’s not the only pony who’s prepared ahead of time” said Applejack as she noticed the bags Silver and Azure were carrying; she also noticed they were the same kind of bag as well.

“Well to be honest, we were planning a hike into the Everfree ourselves” Azure said plainly, the jaws of the five mares dropped in unison.

“You were going to hike there, why!?” Twilight was in disbelief, she had never heard of anypony other than Zacora actually want to be in the Everfree willingly. But even then, the zebra had grown up in a hostile environment before that, so she knew how to stay safe. Everypony in Ponyville was afraid of the Everfree, she and her friends wouldn’t think of going in there if they didn’t have to.

“We thought it’d be interesting” Silver said equally plainly.

“Are you insane?” yelled Twilight.

“Probably” Silver said jokingly.

“Why does it matter if they were going to hike there on their own then at least they’re ready for this” pointed out Applejack. Twilight opened her mouth to say something but saw that Applejack was right; she simply nodded with a sigh.

“Okay, now we just have to wait for Pinkie—“

“You called!?” Azure flinched from the sudden shout from behind him. When he turned around she saw that Pinkie Pie had snuck up on him and Silver, Silver himself wasn’t fazed.

“Looks like we’re all here” said Silver.

“I didn’t surprise you?” asked Pinkie when she noticed that Silver didn’t react the same way Azure did.

“Nope, Sorry, but good try though” Pinkie simply pouted, she was sure that it would have worked. Twilight was about to question how Pinkie got inside without anypony noticing her, but voted against it, there was other matters to attend to.

“Okay, now that everypony is here, let’s get ready as soon as possible so we can head out” the others agreed and began to grab their bags while Twilight looked over the map she had worked on the night before.

“Hey, Silver, Az, I wanted to apologize about last night” said Applejack as she walked up to the two colts.

“It’s alright, no harm done” said Silver with a dismissing wave of his hand. Azure turned to him and arched his brow as if his friend had gone crazy.

“No harm done, do you remember what happened?” When Azure, Silver and the others accompanied Applejack so she could tell her family what had happened, it turned out Big Mac did not take the news well. Once the large stallion found out his younger sister was lost in the Everfree, he pretty much bolted for the door. Unfortunately for them, Azure and Silver were in his way and commanded by Applejack not to let him go, Easier said than done when the stallion in question was over twice their size.

“Okay so he was bigger than us”

“He knocked us over like bowling pins…”

“Yeah and he knocked me through the door, if I can let it go, so can you” Azure opened his mouth, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, he simply sighed and walked away. “You’ll have to excuse him; he hates it when his masculinity gets challenged”

“I heard that!” Silver and Applejack laughed from Azure’s reaction.

“Alright, is everypony ready?” asked Twilight catching the attention of her friends. The others gave Twilight a simple nod of their heads in response. Alright, then let’s go…”

Warmth, piece, and safety, these are the things that Sweetie Belle could feel as she slept, something she needed to feel given where she was at the moment. Less than twelve hours ago, Spike, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and herself crashed in the Everfree forest when their hot air balloon got struck by lightning. But even though she had her friends with her, she was still scared out of her mind, but she couldn’t let them know that.

She didn’t know what time it was, but she didn’t care, all she wanted was to keep sleeping and hold on to the comforting feeling around her. But she was having a hard time staying asleep when she started to hear noises around her. She couldn’t make out what it was at first, but as they went on, she was able to recognize it. She was hearing giggling, giggling coming from two different sources, and she could recognize that too.

“What’s so funny…?” Sweetie Belle groaned as she tried to tone out the sounds so she could get to sleep. The giggling continued for a while longer, she was starting to grow annoyed by this.

“Why don’t you open your eyes and find out?” she heard Scootaloo say in a laugh. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but she was sure that she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now. Reluctantly, Sweetie Belle opened her eyes blinking them repeatedly until she was able to blink away the blur. When her vision fully returned, she could see Spikes still sleeping face only inches from hers. One of her arms had been wrapped around the dragon’s torso, and she had rested her head on his shoulder. It didn’t take her long to feel her face begin to heat up, less than gently, Sweetie Belle got up from the floor waking up Spike in the process.

“Huh, what?” said Spike as he sat up rubbing his eyes.

“Looks like Sweetie Belle got a little close to Spike last night” laughed Scootaloo.

“S-shut up!” Sweetie Belle’s face continued to burn in embarrassment. “I-I was just cold is all…” she added as she crossed her arms and looked away.

“Well you sure did look nice and warm snuggled up with him”

“Come on, Scootaloo, now’s not the time to start poking fun” said Applebloom getting Scootaloo to stop.

“Wait, what?” asked Spike unsure if he heard them right.

“Nothing, we’re just joking around is all” said Apple Bloom, she decided to wait until they were in the clear before bringing up what she and Scootaloo had seen. Due him having just woken up, Spikes mind wasn’t up to code just yet to question anything else.

“Okay, at least we’re all up.” Spike got up from the floor and moved towards the opening that was slightly blocked off by the rock he had moved back into place. Once Spike pushed the rock back, more light entered the cave causing the others to shield their eyes. After a few seconds their eyes adjusted to the light and they were able to lower their hands.

“Sun’s still pretty low, so it’s still early” Spike and the others were outside now, the Everfree looked a lot different in the light, it was a lot less scary and the howls of hunting creatures could not be heard. “We should start heading out now, we have a lot of ground to cover before it gets dark.” said Spike as he started to make his way forward.

“Actually, we might have a problem to take care of first” Spike turned around to see Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle holding their stomachs, a second later he could hear them growling.

“Oh, right, um…” Spike placed his hand under his chin as he began to think about what to do. When he turned his gaze to his side he saw the bush of berries that he had used the night before. He didn’t get a good look at it last time so he walked up to the bush and inspected them closely. “We can eat these, they’re not poisons” said Spike before eating one himself to show them how sure he was.

“Looks like it’s our best option, we can make bags out of the balloon and use the rope to keep them closed.” Apple Bloom walked up to the balloon and began to tear at the fabric until she had a sizable cloth. Apple Bloom then took the rope and tied it in a small noose before tying the four points of the cloth to it. Apple Bloom then tested the noose to see that it opened and closed perfectly.

“Here yea go!” said Apple Bloom as she tossed the bag at Spike who then began to fill it with berries while Apple Bloom made three more bags. The process was simple and quick, soon they each had a bag full of berries for the trip. After eating their fill from the remaining berries on the bush, the four finally went on their way.

“So Spike, what exactly should we be expecting to come out during the day?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Well a lot of the creatures in the Everfree don’t attack unless you provoke it, like let’s say a Manticor, or if you enter their territory of something like a pack of Timberwolves. Then there are some others that might be some trouble, the best we can do is try to keep hidden so nothing spots us” Apple Bloom wasn’t new to the stories about the Timberwolves, she had heard plenty of stories from her grandmother about them. She knew she didn’t want to run into any of them out in the open.

“Then let’s take a path with more cover” Scootaloo said plainly.

“Not the best idea; Celestia knows what could be hiding in the tall grass” the three fillies stopped in their tracks giving a grunt in frustration. It seems that no matter what they did they could end up in danger.

“Then what in Celestia’s name are we supposed to do?” asked Apple Bloom.

“You just have to trust me; I promise that I won’t let anything hurt you.” the feeling of trust in the dragon washed over the three fillies, they couldn’t explain it, but they knew that Spike was true to his word. All three fillies nodded to each other before following Spike again, each keeping an eye out for something that might be keeping an eye on them.

About an hour has passed since the group of friends entered the Everfree forest, they were making good time, but they also had to walk slower than they normally would so they could keep an eye out for any potential dangers.

“You know, take away the fact that it’s probably the most dangerous place on the planet, I’d say the Everfree forest would be a great place to chill” said Rainbow Dash, she was hovering a couple of inches off the floor with little effort. The view around them was lovely to say the least, but they all knew what was could be lurking behind the trees.

“Can’t be that bad” said Azure thinking that Rainbow might have been over exaggerating. Though he did hear that the Everfree was in fact a dangerous place, he was sure that there were other places that were more dangerous.

“No she’s right actually, there are even plants in this forest that can run using their roots” Azure paused for a moment; there was no way that could be true.

“She’s right, there are a lot of things in this forest that can hurt you, animals, arachnids, plants; the list goes on” explained Fluttershy.

“You don’t say…” said Azure as he cracked his knuckles.

“Easy there, remember this is a rescue mission” said Silver which made the other mares glad at least one colt had his priorities straight. “Unless something brings the fight to us, then we can have some fun” Silver added right after.

“Is fighting all you can think about?” asked Rarity, Silver and Azure shrugged.

“Not necessarily, but Azure and I aren’t ones to back down from one. I surly wouldn’t want to risk somepony getting hurt” Silver gently grabbed on to Fluttershy’s hand which earned him a light blush from her. Normally the others would have commented about how they can protect themselves, but after seeing Silver and Fluttershy’s moment, they decided to let it go.

“I’m actually with them on this one, I’m not letting anything get in my way” Applejack said with a sturdy tone, understandable when one remembers that she was out to rescue her little sister.

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing in this forest we can’t handle” said Rainbow as she puncher her left palm with her right fist. The others nodded their heads, they were all in this together, and they weren’t going to let anything stop them from their mission. They continued on in silence after that, everypony keeping an eye out for any dangers. They weren’t sure what to expect, but they expecting anything. It was almost another thirty minute until Silver broke the silence.

“Keep walking forward and keep calm, but we’re being followed” Everypony could feel their hearts skip a beat, but they did what Silver said and continued to walk.

“A-are you sure?” asked Twilight trying not to turn to look back at Silver.

“Yeah, there’s only one, but it’s big” Silver’s tone turned serious, as did his facial expression. Azure slowed his pace until he was walking next to Silver and Fluttershy.

“H-how do you know that?” asked Fluttershy, she was having a hard time keeping calm as she gripped tightly to Silvers arm.

“It’s a skill I picked up over the years, I’ll explain it later, but right now we need to get out get to the opening up ahead.” The others looked down the path, it was hardly visible, but they could see an opening in the thick trees. They were marveled by how Silver was able to spot it before any of them were. “Fluttershy, I need you to walk up to the other, I need you all to run when I give the signal” Fluttershy was reluctant to separate from Silver, but the look on his face told her that things were going to get serious. She was still a little hesitant, but Fluttershy let go of his arm and walked up to the others.

“Any idea on what we’re dealing with?” asked Azure, he was already prepared to go on the attack the moment he needed to.

“Not friendly obviously, I’d say bigger than a bear, can’t say more than that” they were getting closer to the opening, everypony waiting for the signal to run, but also hoping that they didn’t have to. For a moment, everything was completely silent; their footsteps were the only things that could be heard. A few minutes have passed since Silver revealed that they were being followed and nothing happened, they were beginning to think that Silver was wrong; however their hopes were shot when they heard a loud growl.

“Everypony run!” the moment Silver yelled that out, a large creature jumped out from the trees towards Azure and himself. Both unicorns were ready and jumped out of the way before it could land an attack on them. Once they were out of the way, Azure was able to get a good look at the creature.

“What is that thing!?” asked Azure.

“How should I know?” replied Silver. All they could do was see what the creature looked like. Its body shape resembled that of a gorilla, only about fifty-percent bigger. The hair on beast’s head stretched down to his back in a Mohawk fashion. Its body and hair was brown and black in color, it had razor sharp claws coming out of its knuckles, it’s had two fangs coming out of its mouth, and its eyes were blood red. “It’s not important right now, we just need to subdue it so it can’t get to the others” said Silver as his horn began to glow a dark blue hue indicating he was prepared to fight.

“Right!” yelled Azure as a cyan hue surrounded his horn. The beast looked at them both, he was searching for which target would be the easier kill. However, he could sense that both were dangerous. Turning further, the beast spotted a target that wouldn’t be able to fight back. The creature charge towards Azure, the unicorn planted his hooves ready to attack. However, as soon as the creature was close enough, the creature jumped over Azure.

Azure turned around to see the creature running, only it wasn’t running away from him and Silver; it was running towards something else. “The girls!” Azure yelled, the moment he did, a blur had already zoomed passed him. Azure didn’t need to say another word; quickly he sprinted after the blur which he knew was Silver. The two were fast, a lot faster than most earth ponies, but the creature in front of them was faster still. It was only a matter of time before it would catch up to the others.

Finally making out of the trees and out in the open, the girls each felt as though they were in the clear, their only worry was what could have happened to the colts that stayed behind. Both looked physically fit, that added with the fact that they had magic on their side only backed up their belief that they would be fine.

“I think I see something heading this way!” the others turned around quickly; they all hoped that what Rainbow Dash had spotted would be Silver and Azure. However, that idea was dashed the moment they saw that it wasn’t. It was a beast, the very thing they assumed Silver said was following them, and it did not look friendly.

“W-what is that thing?” said Rarity as she took a step back, watching it running towards them put an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

“It’s a Razor Ape!” said Fluttershy “They’re omnivores by nature, but their tempers are worse than most carnivores” they didn’t know how Fluttershy knew things like this, but right now that was the least of their concerns. The Razor Ape rushed into the clearing with no intent to stop as it charged for them. Jumping into the air, the Razor Ape was prepared to come down at full force and attack whoever wasn’t fast enough to get out of his way. The girls were ready to move out of the way, and ready to fight if they needed to, but they didn’t have the chance.

A loud boom filled the air, and suddenly it seemed as though something struck the Razor Ape from behind sending it off course. The others watched as the Razor Ape flew in the air until it crashed hard on the ground.

“What was that!?” yelled Rainbow, not that she wasn’t glad, but she still wanted to know what had hit the Razor Ape and what had made the sound.

“I don’t know, but I think it came from” the others looked towards the direction which was directly behind it when it was airborne. From the trees they saw Azure and Silver running out, a small hue fading out from Silver’s horn indicating he had just used a spell.

“Silver, you’re okay!” Fluttershy said happily.

“Glad you’re okay too, but it’s not over yet!” Silver and Azure ran passed the six mares dropping their bags as they did so. He was right; a quick glance over to the Razor Ape revealed that it was already on its feet. Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at one another for a moment and gave a quick nod before running after the two colts. Azure and Silver came to a stop a few hooves away from the Razor Ape, a few seconds later they were joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Mind if we jump in?” asked Rainbow, though her tone suggested that she didn’t have any intention of taking no as an answer.

“The more the merrier.” said Azure, by now the Razor Ape had fully recovered and was charging towards them. Azure, Silver, and Applejack each split in different directions while Rainbow Dash took to the air. The Razor Ape was confused for a moment trying to figure out which one to go after. The beast was struck from behind his head by a rock, turning around he spotted Azure taunting him. Letting out a snarl the Razor Ape charged for Azure who was waiting for it to get closer, no signs of him planning to move from his spot.

Just seconds before the best could get any closer a lasso wrapped itself around the beast’s neck stopping it. The beast grabbed on to the lasso around his neck with his hand, turning slightly he say Applejack and Rainbow holding on to the other end. The Razor Ape began to pull on the rope, even with Rainbow and Applejacks combined strength it was able to pull them. However with his attention divided he didn’t see Azure closing the gap between them before it was too late. When the Razor Ape turned his head back to Azure he couldn’t stop the powerful uppercut delivered to his chin. The sound of the punch echoed around, the force just enough to throw the beast off balance.

When Applejack and Rainbow saw that the beast was off balance they both pulled on the rope as hard as they could sending him further back. With no way for the Razor Ape to regain his balance he continued to fall back until making contact with the ground. Now that the others gave him an opening, Silver charged in jumping right on to the beast’s chest. Silver’s horn began to glow as he prepared to cast a spell. Although the ape was dazed from his head hitting the ground in the fall, he was able to shake it off. Once he saw Silver standing on his chest the beast grabbed on to the unicorn with both massive hands. Although Silver could feel the beast preparing to crush him he didn’t stop focusing on the spell.

“Sleep tight!” Silver grunted as he cast his spell sending what looked like a pulse of air towards the apes head. The first pulse caused the beast to stop, a confused look on his face, as one pulse after another truck the beast’s head his grip on Silver began to weaken until he let the unicorn go. Silver continued to use the strange spell until the beast’s arms fell to the ground as did his head. Silver paused for a moment to see if the beast was going to move again, but when he didn’t the unicorn let out a sigh and jumped off its chest.

“You alright?” asked Azure as he walked up to Silver.

“Yeah, no harm done.” replied Silver as the others walked up to the two.

“D-did you…?” Fluttershy began to ask before the beast let out a loud snore.

“I just knocked him out, he should be fine.” said Silver making Fluttershy glad he didn’t do anything lethal.

“How’s you do it, a sleep spell?” asked Twilight.

“Something like that, although some ponies don’t know it, there is a sound frequency that when heard can cause the hearer to pass out. That’s pretty much what I did to him.” explained Silver. Having shown that he seems to have a high understanding towards sound, a question was raised.

“So that sound we heard when something hit that thing was you?” asked Rainbow.

“Yup, I used a high frequency sound wave, and I knew that it was following us because I use echolocation.”

“Like a bat?” asked Rainbow to which Silver nodded.

“Exactly, pretty much all the spells I know are sound based seeing as that’s my specialty.” said Silver before lifting his sleeve to show he had a tattoo. A popular trend for older ponies was to get a tattoo of their cutie mark in a less revealing location in order to show their friends. Silver was going to explain further but the beast rolled over in its sleep catching their attention.

“We should get out of here before he wakes up.” suggested Twilight to which the others agreed. Applejack got her rope back first and then they all continued their way deeper into the Everfree forest. The group continued their way into the Everfree until they were sure they were a safe distance from the beast they fought. Once they were sure the area they were in was safe they all decided to take a quick break before moving on.

“So how far have we gone so far?” Applejack asked Twilight. The lavender unicorn pulled out her map and traced their progress so far.

“If we keep going at this pace we’ll be one third of the way there before sunset, which is good because we need to find shelter before the sun gets too low.” said Twilight as she put the map back in her bag. After a few more minutes of rest they will continue their way, but Rarity couldn’t bring herself to relax.

“Rarity sit down, you’re making me dizzy.” said Twilight to the pacing Rarity.

“I’m sorry but I can’t, you saw that thing that attacked us and there are bound to be beast’s worse than that thing out here. If the children run into something like that how will they be able to protect themselves!?” asked Rarity almost begging for an answer. Nopony knew what to say, in their group they had several ponies that could fight if needed.

“You don’t have to worry, Sweetie is a tough girl.” Applejack tried to reassure her, but it didn’t work.

“No, your sister is a tough girl, and so is Scootaloo. But Sweetie Belle isn’t like them, even though she tries to she always tells me about how she can’t keep up with them.” although this caused everypony to become silent, Applejack knew exactly what to say.

“But she does have them with her, those three have always had each other’s back and this is no different.” seeing where Applejack was going with this, Twilight decided to join in.

“And Spike is with them too, he might not be able to fight off everything in this forest, but I did teach him everything he knows. He’ll keep them safe, all of them.” Rarity couldn’t help but smile as a small tear ran down her cheek. She knew how close to crusaders were, and she also knew how much she trusted Spike.

“Yeah, and then when we get back we can throw them a ‘Your first successful adventure’ party!” Pinkie Pie added with glee which caused Rarity to giggle.

“Are her party names always that specific?” Azure asked to Rainbow who was sitting next to him. Rainbow simply replied with a ‘Mhmm’ as she was taking a drink from her canteen of water.

“You’re right, I should have faith that they can take care of each other.” said Rarity after feeling a load of stress lifting off her shoulders.

“Attagirl!” said Applejack as she patted Rarity on the back.

“Alright, everypony rested up?” asked Twilight to which everypony else nodded in agreement. “Then let’s keep going.” with no arguments from the others they each got up from the ground and continued their way.

Chapter 13

In another part of the Everfree, two Timberwolves scouted the area, both with their noses to the ground trying to track a sent. One let out a snort before stating at the other and barked at him, the other’s wooden ears faltered as his companion walked away. The one left behind gave the area one final sniff before letting out a snort and followed after his companion. The area fell into silence after the two Timberwolves left the area, about a full minute passed before something broke the silence.

“You think they’re gone?” said a feminine voice; its source was nowhere to be seen.

“I think so.” said a male’s voice. About a second later from a bush popped out a young dragon head. Spike looked around the area until he was completely sure that the coast was clear before walking out “Okay it’s safe.” he said back towards the bush. Immediately after, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came out from the bush.

“That was close.” Scootaloo said with a sigh of relief.

“I’ll say, good thing we heard them coming.” pitched in Apple Bloom.

“You mean good thing Spike heard them coming.” Scootaloo corrected.

“Right, how were you able to hear them when we weren’t?” asked Apple Bloom. While the gang were walking Spike had suddenly stopped before pushing the girls forwards into the bush that they were hiding in. They didn’t know what was going on until they saw the two Timberwolves appear only a few seconds later. While they were glad that he got them out of sight in time, they also wanted to know how he was able to hear them coming.

“I have a higher sense of hearing than you do. Just like Timberwolves, dragons have higher senses that they use for hunting. Even though I don’t need to use them most of the time, they come in handy.” Spike explained.

“No kidding.”

“How about giving me a hand in here!?” Spike, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom turned their heads to the source of the voice, which was coming from inside the bush.

“You okay in there, Sweetie Belle?” asked Apple Bloom as she walked up to the bush.

“Stupid dress got caught.” said Sweetie Belle; she could be heard struggling to get free.

“Anypony have something sharp to cut her free?” asked Spike. At this time Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both turn their heads towards Spike giving him a ‘are you kidding me?” look. Spike looked back at them for a moment before it hit him and he face palmed. “Right, I’ll just go and get her out of there.” said Spike as he re-entered the bush that was currently refusing to let go of Sweetie Belle.

“Alright, so where exactly are you stuck?”

“From behind, the dress got caught on a branch.” the sound of movement could be heard, most likely Spike trying to find the branch in question.

“Why don’t you try pulling on it?”

“Oh, gee, why didn’t I think of that…?” Sweetie Belle said sarcastically.

“Alright, alright, just give me a second.” silence fell as the other waiting for something to happen. They had expected to hear a branch snapping at any second; however that is not what they heard. A second later a sound filled the air that sounded less like a branch, and more like fabric being torn.

“What was that?”

“Whoops…”

“Whoops!?” yelled Sweetie Belle “What did do!?” she continued as she emerged from within the bush. “He tore it didn’t he, is it bad?” asked Sweetie Belle as she turned around to show Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.

“Not at all.” that was a lie; if the tear ran any higher it could have been the most embarrassing moment ever for the young unicorn.

“Yeah, it’s nothing to worry about” Scootaloo piled on.

“Sorry, Sweetie Belle.” said Spike exiting the bush. Sweetie Belle shot Spike a glare for tarring her dress, but then she let out a sigh.

“It’s fine, let’s just keep going.” as Sweetie Belle turned to walk away, Spike was able to see just how much he tore her dress. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom quickly put their fingers to their lips signaling him not to say anything. It was probably for the best, he’d rather they be out of the Everfree before Sweetie Belle started yelling at him.

“Right, yeah, let’s go.”

While Spike, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had the advantage of being small in both size and numbers to aid in their hiding from the Timberwolves, another group wasn’t as fortunate. A team composed of eight ponies all in their late teens to early adult stages of their lives was easy to spot. Unfortunately for that exact same group they were in fact spotted, and not by a single creature, but by a whole pack. Running down a path in the forest the mane six along with Silver and Azure found themselves being chased by an entire pack of Timberwolves.

“They just keep coming!” yelled Azure as he blasted yet another Timberwolf with a laser spell. He and the others have struck down several of them as they ran, yet they just seemed to keep coming back for more.

“Timberwolves aren’t your common kind of canine, they can take a beating and come back from it good as new in no time.” explained Applejack. She had several run-ins with the beasts so she would know, but never with these many numbers.

“As impressive as that is, that’s not very good for us.” Twilight said between pants for breath. The group had been running for a while now and it was starting to get to some of the less athletic ones. Rainbow and Applejack are used to working their bodies daily so they had a large pool of stamina on them. And while Pinkie didn’t exactly work out she still had more energy than any of her friends combine, she could probably run for hours. Silver and Azure were also in the clear, both being physically fit they could run for a long time before getting tired.

However there were some in the group that weren’t able to keep up with the others for very long. This included Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy who were starting to show signs of their exhaustion getting to them.

“I-I don’t think I can keep going like this!” said Rarity, her speed starting to slow.

“Just work through the pain Rarity, we’ll get out of this!” Applejack encouraged.

“Easy for you to say, but I don’t oh!” suddenly Rarity felt her foot come into contact with something on the ground, it was probably a rock but that didn’t matter. Right now Rarity found her feet off of the ground and her body starting to fall. If she hit the ground it would be the trouble not only for her, but her friends who would have to stop to help her. She came within inches of the ground and closed her eyes waiting to hit the ground, but before she could she suddenly felt herself being pulled back up.

Rarity opened her eyes and saw she was being lifted off the ground for an unknown. Rarity’s body turned over and she fell again letting out a sudden yelp. “I got ya.” said a voice when she felt somepony’s arms grab on to her. Opening her eyes Rarity saw that it was Azure who was holding her and most likely the one who prevented her from falling.

“Um, thank you.”

“Thank me after we get out of this situation.” said Azure, and with good reason as the Timberwolves were starting to close in.

“Everypony, stop!” yelled Rainbow as she skid to a halt. The others were wondering why she had told them to stop but they figured it out when they got close to her. Blocking their path was a deep ravine, the gap far too wide to jump over.

“What do we do now!?” asked Twilight.

“Over there!” yelled out Pinkie pointing towards the right. The others looked over to see what she had spotted. There was a long patch of rock connecting the ravine like a bridge, and it was big enough for them to run across.

“T-there almost here!” Fluttershy informed them, they were so focused on trying to get across that their first problem had almost gone forgotten.

“Can you still run?” asked Azure, he wasn’t sure if Rarity’s trip had caused any harm to her foot.

“Y-yes, I’m fine.” Azure nodded and put Rarity down.

“You all run, we’ll try to hold them off while you get to that bridge.” said Azure as he tapped Silver on the shoulder as he ran towards the oncoming Timberwolves. With no time for arguments the others began to run for the bridge, however one wasn’t going to let somepony else do all the work. Silver and Azure stood firm on the ground, both their horns glowing powerfully as they both charged a spell. As they did, Azure saw somepony stand next to him, it was Twilight, and she too was charging a spell.

“Twilight?”

“You two aren’t the only ones who know an offensive spell!” said Twilight with a firm look on her face. Azure could only smirk and nod as he turned his focus back to the task at hand, they needed to wait for the right moment to attack. With each passing second the Timberwolves got closer and closer, but they still held their ground in wait.

“Not yet…” Azure thought to himself as he saw them get closer.

“Almost…” Silver thought to himself, the gap between them was getting smaller by the second.

“Just a little more,” Twilight thought to herself, they were now at the point of no return; they wouldn’t be able to get away if they messed this up. The glow on all three unicorn’s horns finally reached their peak, it was time.

“Now!” all three yelled simultaneously as they each fired out the spell they were charging. Azure and Twilight both shot out a laser with their own respective colors while Silver blasted out a powerful sound wave. All three spells flew forward at a great speed until colliding together with the ground in front directly in front of the pack of Timberwolves. The result was an explosion so strong that the tree unicorns felt themselves being pushed back slightly from the force. The three stood in wait as the smoke from the explosion began to clear, the results was satisfactory.

Most of the Timberwolves were now in pieces, others were missing limbs, and a small few were too disorientated to move. There was a faint feeling of relief that the Timberwolves weren’t technically organic, otherwise this scene would have not been pretty.

“Come on, it won’t be long before they pull themselves back together!” said Twilight as she pointed towards several pieces of the Timberwolves that were beginning to move. Azure and Silver nodded in agreement and the three began to run in order to catch up with the others. Although they were told to run ahead the others couldn’t help but worry and waited at the bridge to see if their friends were running behind them.

“There they are!” called out Applejack as she saw the others running towards them.

“Come on, I don’t know how long it will be before they start running after us again.” said Twilight as she paused to catch her breath. She then got a look of the rock bridge, it was big enough to cross all right, but it was still no wider than two to two and a half feet wide. “We’ll have to take it slow when crossing, Rainbow, Fluttershy, you better fly across.”

“Gotcha.” said Rainbow as she and fluttershy took to the air and flew to the other side. Then it was time for the others to cross. First Pinkie, then Rarity, then Applejack and finally Twilight, they made sure to wait until the gap between them was comfortable before taking their turn to walk across the bridge. Azure was just about to take his turn to cross when-

“Darn it!” Silver called out, Azure turned to see what he was referring to and saw it immediately. The Timberwolves had already pulled themselves together and were continuing to hunt them down. The wolves would most likely catch up to them before everypony could get to the other side, something needed to be done.

“Silver, go on ahead, I’ll make sure they can’t follow us anymore.” Silver knew there was no arguing with Azure whenever he came up with a crazy idea, all he could do was nod and begin to walk across the bridge. While Silver and the others continued to cross, Azure started to use his laser spell to do what he could to slow down the Timberwolves.

“I think we should pick it up a little, girls!” said Twilight when she saw what was going on behind them. The others were in agreement and began to quicken their pace as much as they could without losing their balance. Azure saw that they were already over half way across the bridge and began to walk it himself. However he was not one to turn his back to an enemy so he started to walk the bridge backwards, probably not the safest way but he didn’t become who he was by taking it safe.

Although the bridge limited his movements, he still knew that it would be the same case for the Timberwolves who would have to cross one at a time. But even on equal ground Azure would still have the advantage from the fact that he could attack at a range. One by one Azure blasted a Timberwolf while he slowly continued to back away. But as he crossed he knew that this wouldn’t work, as soon as he crossed they would be back to running away from the Timberwolves for Celestia know how long.

“Azure we made it across!” called out Silver; Azure took a quick glance back to see that he was right; he also noticed he was half way across.

“Once I get across the other Timberwolves will just run after me and the others…but if this bridge wasn’t here anymore.” an idea popped into Azure’s head and he stopped.

“Az, what are you doing!?” called out Rainbow Dash.

“Making sure they can’t follow us!” was Azure’s reply as he began to focus his magic. The glow of his horn alerted the Timberwolves, but still they continued on cautiously in case something happened. The Timberwolves continued to focus on his spell as the Timberwolves slowly inched their way closer to him. Slowly Azure extended one fist out and kept his other fist back; it was a usual fighting pose one would take in a battle. As he held the pose something began to happen, a magical hue began to move through his body focusing on the fist that he was holding back.

“He’s going to destroy the bridge?” asked Twilight.

“Yup.” no sooner had Silver answered did Azure bring his back fist up; all the remaining magic needed had finished charging around it. Quickly and with as much force as he could muster, Azure brought his fist down. Azure’s fist continued to drop all the way until it made contact with the rock he was standing on. The impact sent a shock wave through the rock and immediately the area around him began to crack. The Timberwolves looked around in fear from what was going on, the bridge could no longer hold itself and was starting to give way.

“Darn it I used too much magic in that.” Azure said when he noticed he caused far more damage than he intended. He was aiming to destroy the part of the bridge in front of him but now the whole thing was going to fall. The Timberwolves were backing away; he needed to run before it was too late. But as soon as he took a step back, the chunk of rock he was standing him gave way and began to fall with him still standing on it. The others watched in horror as Azure began to fall, however, Silver did not seem worried in the slightest.

Azure was falling along with the rock bridge that he had destroyed, any other pony would be freaking out in this kind of situation, but not him. Azure had placed himself in so many dangerous situations that he had learned to keep himself from panicking if something were to go wrong. Azure took a deep breath; he allowed his focus to heighten so that he could enter his most effective state. The world around Azure began to slow down; he could see everything around him almost as if they were standing still. Azure took in the position of every rock that was falling and would fall for what felt to him like minutes, but in reality it had only been less than a second.

Azure’s horn began to glow and a circle formed under his feet, the spell was cast quickly and Azure jumped from the rock he was standing on. Azure jumped higher than anypony normally would under be able to under their power, he continued to climb until he landed on another falling rock. As this was happening the others couldn’t believe their eyes, Azure was actually jumping off the falling rubble to climb his way back up. Azure continued to jump from one chunk of rock to another never once taking a pause, it was like everything was going the way he wanted it. Soon enough, Azure climbed up as far as he could, there was only one falling piece of rock left and it was already down by a good margin.

Azure put as much force as he could to his legs and jumped off the rock aiming for the end of the ravine that his friends were. Azure was able to get good air from the jump but the distance was still far, Azure began to fall as he got closer to it. Azure reached out his arm, feet turned to inches, and inches turned to centimeters, Azure stretched out his arm as far as it would let him. At the final moment Azure finally felt his hand come into contact with something solid and he quickly tightened his grip around it.

At that moment all the pieces of rock that were falling had already hit the ground below, Azure looked around and saw that he had made it, but just barely. “That was a close one.” Azure said with a sigh of relief; however that was probably premature for at that very moment the piece of earth he was holding on to broke off. Azure’s hand pulled back from the sudden movement, he tried to grab hold of something else but he body had moved to a weird angle and he couldn’t correct himself, Azure began to fall.

“Gotcha!” Azure felt his body stop and something holding on to his arm, he looked up in surprise to see that Rainbow had grabbed his hand before he could fall too far. “Need a hand?” Rainbow joked as she tried to pull Azure back up.

“Nah, I had this all under control.” Azure replied.

“Sure you did.” Rainbow said with a smirk as the others joined her to pull the colt out from the ravine. After Azure was pulled out from the edge of the ravine he took a moment to sit down and catch his breath. The bridge they used to cross was now gone and the Timberwolves stood on the other side staring at them unable to get across. With the danger finally over the others decided to take a breath themselves.

“That was incredible, and stupid.” Twilight said between breaths regarding Azure’s actions.

“Don’t forget awesome!” Rainbow pitched in. “I mean did you see that, he was jumping off falling rocks!” needless to say, she was impressed.

“I told you I can handle myself in the air.”

“Of course, when there’s something you can jump off of.”

“There are others ways I can think of.”

“Of course there are.”

“Save it for the honeymoon you two, we need to start looking for shelter for the night.” said Twilight noticing the sun. She hadn’t been able to keep track of the time while she was running but now that she had time to rest she could see that sunset wasn’t too far away.

“Let’s split into two groups so we can cover more ground.” suggested Applejack. The others nodded and split up evenly. Silver, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie made up one group while Twilight, Azure, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity made up the other. Both groups set out in search for a place to use as shelter for the night promising to meet back where they began within half an hour. At best they were hoping to find a cave that just happened to not have something living inside of it.

“So Az, quick question.” Rainbow said breaking the silence of the group.

“Yeah?”

“How can you jump so high? Back there you were jumping so high it’s like you defied gravity.”

“That’s because I was.” Rainbow and Rarity gave Azure a confused look, but Twilight figured it out quickly.

“Gravity spell!” she shouted as she snapped her fingers.

“Bingo, it helps with the bigger jumps.”

“I should take some time to learn that, I might find a use for it someday.” said Twilight making a mental note to look up the spell when she got back to Ponyville.

“Wait, so if you can control gravity with a spell, couldn’t you have prevented the rock you were standing on from falling?” asked Rainbow.

“Well, maybe, I haven’t completely mastered the spell yet so all I can do is reduce the effect gravity has on me for a short period of time.” said Azure.

“Not surprised, it’s a high level spell.” said Twilight.

“Yes, yes, it’s a useful spell, but maybe we should focus more on finding shelter.” said Rarity refocusing the others to the task at hand.

“Right, Rainbow, see if you can get a better view from above.” Rainbow nodded and took up to the sky for a better view of the area. Those who were left on the ground continued their search in hopes to find shelter quickly.

“And that’s why I’m not allowed in Manehattan anymore.” said Pinkie seemingly ending a story.

“What, what now?” asked Applejack.

“Weren’t you listening?” asked Pinkie.

“Listening? It was all quiet and then you randomly just said that.” said Applejack, Silver and Fluttershy also looking confused as to why Pinkie had randomly just said that.

“Well I had to say something, it was too quiet around here.” no matter how many times they had gone through them, Pinkie’s friends were never used to her random moments. Though they had learned to not try to make sense of them and let it go.

“Anyway, you picking anything up with that echo thing, Silver?” the shade’s wearing unicorn was still focusing on the sound waves he sent out, he was about to extend his range when he caught something.

“I think I got something, over there.” said Silver as he began to walk in the direction he had pointed towards. The others followed the unicorn wondering what it was that he picked up, they walked for several minutes before they had to stop.

“It’s a dead end.” said Applejack, she and the group were standing in front of a large rock wall covered in vines and leaves. While she was convinced that Silver had been misinformed by his echolocation, Silver himself didn’t look like he had any doubt. Silver placed his hand on the vines that were clearly against solid rock and continued to trace the surface with his hands.

“Come on, it’s all rock, we need to hurry and find something before he have to-“

“Whoa!” Silver yelled out disappearing through the vines.

“Silver!?” yelled Fluttershy as she ran up to the vines where he disappeared.

“I’m okay!” Fluttershy heard from behind the vines, after a few seconds Silver emerged from the vines readjusting his shades. “There’s a cave in here.” he said pointed back towards the part of the wall he fell into.

“Looks like I was wrong.” Applejack admitted as she adjusted her hat. The others followed Silver in to check the area, it was very spacious inside and wasn’t too deep, the back of the cave visible from where they were standing. The fact that vines have grown to cover the mouth was a good indication that nothing has lived in it recently.

“Alright we have shelter, let’s go get the others.”

Spike and the others weren’t as lucky to find a safe place to sleep a second time; however, the dragon had a backup plan just in case. Spike had been digging the dirt next to a tree for almost half an hour; it was finally big enough to fit him and the others comfortably. “We’re back!” called Sweetie Belle as she, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom appeared holding on to large leaves.

“Great, hand them over.” they began to give Spike the leaves one at a time as he used them to line the inside of the hole he had dug.

“Can’t believe how fast you dug this.” said Apple Bloom noticing how large the hole was.

“Got a lot of digging experience from helping Rarity find gems, eventually it just started to get easier.” said Spike as he placed one last leaf inside the hole satisfied that he had covered the surface well. “Alright that should do it, and not a moment too soon.” the sun was setting, in a few moments it would be dark and the nocturnal hunters would be coming out. Spike helped each of the crusaders inside of the hole before using what was left of the leaves to cover the opening.

By comparison it didn’t feel as safe as the cave they hid in the night before, it also didn’t feel as warm. As the sun vanished from sight and Princess’s Luna’s took its place, Spike had stayed awake keeping an ear out for anything that could happen. “Aren’t you going to sleep?” Spike turned his head, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fell asleep over an hour ago, and he thought Scootaloo had as well.

“Yeah in a bit, I just wanted to make sure it was safe before I fell asleep.”

“You worry too much.” Scootaloo said with a smile.

“Can’t help it, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let something bad happen to you.” what Spike said and what he actually meant were most likely different, but that didn’t stop Scootaloo from feeling a strange sensation in her stomach when he said it. This sensation however was overtaken by a sudden chill which made her shiver, and Spike noticed it. Sweetie Belle’s dress had layers which acted as a blanket while Apple Blooms overalls were working wonders keeping her from feeling cold. Scootaloo on the other hand was wearing short sleeves and short pants, perfect for summer days, but not cold nights.

“Here, you should wear this.” said Spike as he took of his sweater and handed it over to Scootaloo.

“I, um, thank you.” Scootaloo said having a hard time trying to find the right words, she couldn’t explain it. “B-but what about you, you’re not wearing anything now.”

“I’ll be fine; I just don’t want you getting sick.” Scootaloo looked back and forth between her and Spike, sure he was looking out for her so she wouldn’t get sick, but what about him. If Spike were to get sick then it would be trouble for all of them, and he didn’t want to be the reason for it. She thought about having him take the sweater back but she was almost sure he would refuse, so she could only think of a compromise.

“Well I don’t you to get sick either so-“ Scootaloo got in closer to Spike and put his sweater over them like a blanket. “We’ll share.” she added wrapping her arms around him so he couldn’t refuse.

“I, but-“

“No buts; just go to sleep.” Scootaloo interrupted before resting her head on Spike’s shoulder. If it hadn’t been so dark she would have notice Spikes face begin to burn red the moment she rested her head on him.

“Guess I’m in no room to argue.” Spike thought to himself with a smile. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a little comfortable. Slowly and a bit hesitant, Spike worked his arm under and around Scootaloo before resting it on her shoulder. Spike let out a relaxing sigh and slowly but surely let his eyes close. It wasn’t long before the world around Spike vanished, and he drifted off to the land of dreams.

Chapter 8

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.