Madness vs. Discord. Stallion vs. Mare Chapter 4

The small traveling group of ponies plodded along the road to Ponyville as fast as their hooves could carry them in the early morning sun. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash hovered above the treetops, evading flying trees, rocks and other wild matter that chaos chose to play with.

"How many times do we adventure monthly? Oh, but now we have Luna with us! How awesome is that? Bro-hoof Luna!" Bubble Berry buzzed beside the downtrodden prince who was busy keeping pace alongside Twilight. "Luna! Bro! Hoof! Come on silly! Hit me right here!" The pink bundle of joy bounded into the air, trying his darndest to capture the attention of the alicorn.

"What is this 'bro-hoof' thou speakest of?" Luna asked. His eyes lit up like an innocent toddler.

"It's easy! Just like this! Hold out your hoof!" Luna followed Bubble's instructions and awaited for a response. "Okay Luna, now just stay still." Bubble knocked the hoof hard. "Bro. Hoof. See?"

Bubble Berry grinned at the prince for a moment. With no response forthcoming from the thoughtful stallion, the pink bubbly pony sprung up like a giant spring.  

"I shall try myself." Luna exhaled softly. The energetic pony immediately held out a hoof. The prince did his best to smile as he sent his hoof thundering down onto the pink offering, recoiling the stallion several feet backward. "Haha, the bro-hoof has been doubled!"

"Prince," Twilight asked. "Are you ready for this? I mean... magically. No offense to Purity, but we are the strongest mages here. And if this 'Sheogorath' could beat Celestia so easily, then we need to make sure we are ready as a team."

"Right Twilight Sparkle! Come nightfall, we shall practice our moves when everypony is resting." The noble alicorn declared, becoming visibly excited.

"Hehe, that sounded dirty," Bubble Berry snorted.

"Bubble!" Twilight roared.

The royal alicorn turned in confusion to the bouncing bundle of joy. "We are in agreeance with Twilight Sparkle. We shall be clean during our unison magical acts!"

Twilight facehoofed. "Look Prince... Pinkie was implying something else. You know, not appropriate for ordinary conversation. Something... you know?" The lavender stallion hoped that he would not have to continue that sentence.

However, the prince now wore a look of confusion, feeling lost in the conversation between mortals. "We are not sure we understand."

Twilight withheld a strong sigh of annoyance, trying once more. "Something between two ponies?"

"Informal and formal greeting style?" Luna was clearly still perplexed.

Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof once more. He decided the only remaining option was spell it out for her friend. "Sexual. Pin- Bubble Berry said that sounded sexual..."

The alicorn almost exploded as he realised Twilight's meaning. "WE ASK THAT THOU NEVER SPEAKEST OF THOSE WORDS AGAIN! IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ROYAL CANTERLOT CODE, THOU MUST NEVER IMPLY SUCH!" The Royal Canterlot voice rang through the valley, scaring several birds out of the floating trees.

"Sorry Prince. That's just Bubble Berry..." Twilight trailed off, wincing from the sudden change in volume.

"What, you'll just be two dudes knocking about in the dark," the party pony re-interjected bouncing around happily, choosing to be unaware of the annoyance he was causing his friends.

Rather than deal with the cheeky pony any more, Twilight chose to storm off. The uncomfortable alicorn briskly followed in a huff. Undeterred, Bubble Berry glanced around for a few seconds before spotting another pair. "Applejack and Purity. Now there's a funny pair!"

Grinning, he bounced along toward them, his energetic presence demanding attention. "What do you guys think about Luna and Twilight? The best pair ever? Nah', I think that goes to Dashie and Flutters. But they are so cute! Oh, I should bake them a cake!"

The two ponies whose personal space he was invading, stared at the rambling pony as if their menacing glares could force him disappear.  

The bolder stallion spoke up, feeling a wash of annoyance toward his friend. "Bubble Berry... speakin' with honesty, I think ya' should just be quiet for awhile."

"No silly. What fun would that be?" The pink party animal failed to see where his friends were coming from and he continued to bound around the pair.

Purity spoke up, putting in an effort of his own to get rid of the pink annoyance. "Dear, please leave us alone. You're not making our lives any easier at the moment." The alabaster unicorn ran a hoof through his mane, turning his attention inwards. "Oh I can't wait to get back to my shop. This mane needs a lot of work."

"Okie dokie lokie!" With a final grin, Bubble Bounced off, leaving the fussy fashion king to his own devices, doing his best to and find somepony he could have some fun with.

---

With a teacup in one hand, Discord picked up an ornate looking chess piece. The imprecisely carved model matched the warped design of the board as well as the other pieces scattered about. Some pieces were hard to the touch while others had the consistency of jelly. Madmen's chess was living up to its description, nothing was as it seemed and yet one foul move could spell disaster. Despite winning all the games so far, Discord still felt a sense of unease sitting alongside his enjoyment from partaking in such a game.

"Speak ye' pathetic excuse fer a chaos lord! Wha' is yer' terms!" Sheogorath maniacally laughed, carelessly placing a half full wine glass upon the playing field. Said ornate glass warped out of existence as soon as it's master left it alone upon the dangerous set.

"I get to rule Equestria. You will still be the big bad boss, but I get to be in charge of this world," The draconequus replied, placing his warped chess piece aggressively upon the board.

"If ah' win, then... hmm... Ah'll banish you to the most evil, despicable, and putrid realm ever created... fer' five minutes."

"What would that be, my Madness?" Discord grinned eagerly back, feeling a sense of imminent victory as he eyed up the board, already scheming his next move.

"Th' realm of the Twilight Saga!" The Deadra looked all too pleased with himself at the wild and cruel idea.

Discord cowered at the thought, "I must win! For if there was a world worse than Purgatory, the universe you speak of claims the title!" It certainly sounded like an unusual place.

"Must ye' Nao?" The maniac promptly made his move, no apparent thought given to placement of the dark knight.

"This is why you lost last time, master."

"Ah' why might that be?"

"This is why." The grinning draconequus took the knight with warped pawn from across the board. The Knight exploded into tiny pieces, reappearing as 4 pawns, boxing in the conquering chess piece.

Time appeared to freeze for a moment as Discord stared at the impossible play. His opponent grinned gamely at him, shrugging the move off.

"Ye' were sayin'?" the madman leaned forward, making his next move before laughing in the face of his surprised adversary. "Remember Discord. Ah' like mah' game filled with jus' a hint o' madness."

Discord grinned back, reclining upon his tree. "Okay. You got me there. But I'll still win again." Exuding confidence, the draconequus continued his play.

They continued in silence, both parties feeling supremely confident in their own abilities. Move after move flowed from the two lords of chaos as they fought for control over the crazy broad.

Soon the game reached its climax and the chessboard removed itself from their presence. "Surely ye mus' know wha' time this be right Dis?"

Said draconequus smiled smugly back. "Yes." With delight written all across his warped body, Discord pulled off a small flip before teleporting away.

Sheogorath grinned evilly to himself. "Ah' ain't gonna let ye win tha' easily yet again." Pulling out his Wabbajack, he blasted the small cloud he was recalling upon. It teleported away, in hot pursuit of his trickster of a gaming partner.

Discord was the first to arrive at the new location, hovering above the city of Manehatten. "Oh this is absolutely wonderful!" He clapped his forepaw and claw together in excitement, pulling up a cotton candy cloud to reline upon. "Now we get to visit the inhabitants of yet another city. Who knows what fun I may have here!"

With a loud bang, Discord's chaotic chess partner appeared alongside him earning an excited look from the keen player. "Ah see ye're ready ta' go there ya' eager excuse fer a draconequus. Oh wait..." He thought carefully to himself for a moment, contemplating his crazy words. The mad man caught sight of his companion gazing down at the city below. "Ye can get ta' 'ave some fun after ye' beat me."

"That can be arranged." The draconequus rolled back his imaginary sleeves, preparing for the mad game to continue.

Slowly returning to reality between them was the elusive game board itself. "An' 'ere she is..." Sheogorath caressed the apparition of madness idly.

Both lords could feel it, victory. Discord shuddered with glee, his next win was within his grasp. Sheogorath slowly reached for his next chosen chess piece, settling down for the game upon his cloud as he did so. Both manics laughed as the rook tumbled through a warp hole that appeared on the board. "Well at least that wasn't mah' King." Joked Sheogorath before laughing as an explosion rang out from below followed by screams of the ponies below.

"I look forward to ruling this land. These ponies need to be taught the meaning of madness." Discord continued his advance upon the game board, the taste of victory upon his lips. It tasted like a soft cotton candy cloud, freshly squeezed.

"Ah' see ye' have victory on yer' mind."

"Yes." The cunning of a serpent leaked from the lord of voice as a claw placed his next piece.

With a grin, relishing the moment, the eternal madman slapped his next chess piece into place. "Well tha' is misfortunate... becaus' checkmate!"

"NO!" Discord jumped up, instantly fired up by rage.

Before the draconequus could further react, he vanished, forced by the rules of the cruel game to temperately dwell in the realm of the Twilight Saga.

"Ah' weel. He'll be back." Sheogroath nonchalantly kicked the mushroom game board out of existence, grinning to himself. "Nao... Ah' wonder if that pink rascal remembers me."

He pulled out his wabbajack. Pointing it at the cloud he sat on, firing a quick blast off. "No. Not tha' one." He laughed as the vaporous substance turned into a mammoth.

As the woolly creature and it's rider plummeted toward the ground the laughing Deadra send another blast into his ride. The mammoth turned into a mighty blood dragon. Sheogroath was absolutely delighted! He had just found an excellent ride.

"This be more like it! Fly me beauty!"

The ancient rage filled creature gave a roar, opening its wings and twisting its head around to face it's madman of a rider.

"If ye don' like it, Ah'll turn ye inta somethin' else... But if ye be good... Ah'll let ye taste some ponies!" He let the threat hang in the air like his wabajack, poised at the ready.

The creature gave a snort and flew onwards happy enough with the prospect of getting to kill something else first.

"Right, now where was ah'...." He gazed around for a few moments, lost in his own thoughts as they wandered across multiple galaxies. "Equestria... Hmm.... Wait ah know!" You could almost see the light bulb turn on above his head as he grinned manically to himself. "Ah need ta see tha' Pinkie Pie... Ah do believe she owes me a favor or two..."

---

The group of colourful stallions stood outside Ponyville in an almost reverend state of silence. The place had certainly changed for the worse since the last time they were here.

Surprisingly it was Fluttershy who broke the silence. "Um.. I need to go check on my animal friends. Poor angel bunny will be worrying her little head off without momma there."

"Okay. Well I guess everypony does have a few things they need to attend to before we set out." Twilight confirmed.

"Cool. I'll go try clear the sky." Dash added his plan to the mix.

"Mmmmmm! Cotton candy clouds. Bring some back for me Dashie!" Bubble Berry buzzed with his usual unorthodox energy.

"We'll see Bubble. I don't know how hard these things will be to move." Dash replied to his bouncy friend, taking off like a rocket in search for some clouds to wrangle.

"I'm off to try and make myself look presentable. This mane and moustache are disgusting!" Purity declared.

Ever thoughtful of his own family, Applejack spoke up too. "Ah' had better check on the family. Poor grann-dad smith ain't taking this here chaos too good."

Happy enough that everypony would be able to keep themselves occupied for a few moments while he performed further research, Twilight once more took center stage. "Okay then girl-guys. I guess every pony has a few things they need to take care of. Meet me back here this afternoon at 3. Luna and I have some research we need to take care of."

With that, everypony in the small group of determined travelers split up, seeking out their goals.

---

Knock knock knock!

Fluttershy looked up toward the door with surprise, utterly puzzled. Who was coming by at this hour? Not that it was an untimely hour, it was only just past 1 in the afternoon. He just wasn't expecting anypony, and all of his animal friends were still off doing their thing for the day in preparation for heading out. So, who could it have been?

"Um...coming! Coming!" He called nervously toward the door. But then he retracted. What if it was somepony dangerous and now knew she was inside?

'Don't be ridiculous,' he thought, 'If it were somepony like that, they wouldn't be ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door.'

Gulping, the nervous pony trotted over to his front door. The sound of sighs were heard from outside before a voice rang out,

"Fluttershy, it's me!" Came the now-male voice of Rainbow Dash ,"Open up!"

Relieved, Fluttershy practically flew to the front door and opened it to reveal Rainbow Dash...or rather, Rainbow Blitz as he preferred to be known in his male form. The cyan pegasus grinned with confidence and excitement as he then bounced on the spot a little bit.

"C'mon, Fluttershy! Even with this crisis, you shouldn't be cooped up all alone! So why don't you come with me? We'll hang out and I'll show you some tricks! What do you say?" The weather pony wore a hopeful look upon his face as he gazed at his best friend.

"Yes!!" Fluttershy burst, sounding a lot more eager than he intended. Realizing his error, he hid back behind his pink mane and took a step away. "Um...that is...I'd like to..."

"Well, great!" Blitz said with a wide grin. "C'mon, we'll fly out to our regular practise field!"

Nodding, the butter-yellow Pegasus followed after Rainbow Blitz as the two flew out of his cottage. Neither of them spoke as they flew along, just soaring freely along the open skies. But much to Fluttershy's surprise, Blitz wasn't dashing on ahead like he normally would, but was instead just flying alongside him at a fairly fast pace. It made him feel pretty warm inside, that there were actually moments he didn't mind slowing down.

His only hope was that he would still feel that way if they were ever in a relationship...

---

Later on, they finally reached the field they usually came to when Rainbow Dash at the time would practice her tricks. Now, it was no different. Blitz flew along in the air as he performed stunts of all kinds, flipping and spinning around, always leaving a rainbow trail in his wake. It made it feel like they were back in time, when chaos and madness did not rule. Fluttershy sat on the ground on his haunches, watching his friend's every move with amazement. Right then, Blitz flew several hundred feet up into the air, then came flying down. Down down down toward the ground at rocket speed. But seconds before hitting the ground, his stronger wings flew open and he zipped back along the air with the mighty grace and wonder of...a Wonderbolt.

Much like the first time, he couldn't stop himself from admiring Blitz's toned, muscular form as he flew around this way and the next. He still couldn't help but feel so amazed at how wondrous his best friend looked. While he wasn't attracted to stallions, the fact that it was Rainbow Dash in the form of a stallion, just somehow made it special. An exception to the rule, one might say, Rainbow was indeed the only one, as a stallion, that Fluttershy would ever let kiss or mount him.

Eventually, after some time, Rainbow Blitz stopped down and stood near Fluttershy.

"Aaaaahh! Nothing like a good session of stunt-flying to get your blood going!" Blitz said with a grin, shaking his form a bit, "I feel a lot better now!"

Gulping, Fluttershy tried hard not to check him out, but by now, it was impossible not to. This stallion had once been such a beautiful mare, and he still retained some of that in him. Same colour, close to the same form, same rainbow mane, same eyes, it was still Rainbow Dash. With just a few enhancements. He fought to keep his mind from wandering

Rainbow Dash seemed to notice something was on his buttery companions mind. Wearing a grin, the rainbow maned speedster alighted beside his nervous friend.

"So..." Dash smirked, flicking his tail as a smirk grew on his features. "You feeling okay, 'Shy?"

"Meep!" Fluttershy gasped at the interruption, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "Y-Yes....w-why...do you ask?"

"Well..." Dash sauntered forward wearing a smirk upon his face.

Fluttershy couldn't tear his eyes from the revealed flank as it swayed side to side in time with his friend's movements as the bold stallion continued toward him, wings raised in a confident manner. Fluttershy could feel his own wings raising in excitement. To his surprise, he realized his wings were not the only trouble and a blush quickly spread across his face.

An entire onslaught of fervent fantasies then filled his mind, much to his dismay. All of them ranging from the mere possibility of Das-Bitz pinning him to the ground and whispering all kinds of enticing words into his ear to… well… the simple idea of him reaching down and touching-

"You like what you see?" Blitz interrupted his thoughts, smirking as he swished his tail in a manner that poor Fluttershy found hypnotizing.

"I...I...." Fluttershy stammered, cheeks now as red as an apple from the apple families orchard. By now he wished he could just run home and take care of his growing problem. He placed his forelegs along the ground to hide at least one of his biological reactions. His wings, sadly, refused to recede as they stood fully flared, flexed so much so, they were practically stiff.

Was Blitz doing this on purpose? Did he have any idea that he was now seducing the lovestruck animal caretaker? Not that Fluttershy hadn't felt seduced by Rainbow before, but right here, right now, this just seemed to really take the cake. It didn't help that he was granted a brief angled shot of a certain element of his friend's own anatomy.

"Gee, you're awful blushy today, Flutters! Kinda more than usual," Blitz chuckled, sauntering over to stand closer to him. "Something up?"

All Fluttershy could do was squeak, causing the bold stallion to chuckle.

"Well," The stunning cyan pegasus approached him and was now right a few feet away, sitting on his haunches and looking him in the eye. Or at least, what Fluttershy wasn't hiding, "you're real flustered and so wound up, Flutters. You sure you're okay? I can smell a little...trouble on you right now."

Oh no. Did this mean he knew? He knew that Fluttershy was now trying to fight back a-

"I-I-I-I'm fine!" The yellow stallion squealed.

"Okay. You know I'm not normally one for the mushy stuff. But I figure, we've been friends since we were fillies… and so… you know. If you wanted to talk about anything…" The brash multi-coloured pony trailed off, unsure of how to approach what was for him, an unusual topic.

Fluttershy definitely did want to tell his awesome friend but as is the norm for the shy yellow pony, he simply couldn't work up the courage to speak. Oh to be able to talk freely without needing to hide behind his mane whenever things got awkward. Courage, boldness and daring… The pony before Fluttershy was everything he wasn't. The way his erratic mane waved in the breeze as his feathers gently stirred, channeling enough power to create the dazzling sonic rainboom.

A few awkward moments passed between the two friends, neither seeming to be able to move as trees floated by in the breeze. The buttery stallion realized he had been holding his breath and with a sudden release of air, the tense moment ended.

With the ice broken, the bold ex-mare spoke up, "well… I guess I'd better head off. The others are probably going to move out soon so I bet they are going to need the awesome power of me to help them." He finished his declaration then took off like a bullet, disappearing off into the sky for Ponyville.

Fluttershy wistfully watched after his crush, eyes still trained upon the spot in the sky where the receding rainbow trail lingered. The timid pegasus jumped as a floating piece of shuddery bumped into his back.

"Wait up Rainbow Dash!" Rang the quiet plea of the timid yellow stallion. He only remembered his friend's chosen new name as an afterthought. This caused unwanted images to spring up in his mind reminding him of the reasons behind the change of name.

Fluttershy sighed, flexing his wings, happy to have full use of them once more. He checked his chaotic surrounds and noting the random areal obstacles, took off in pursuit of his protector and crush.

---

"Mustache? You shall be defeated at once!"

A razor brushed across the thick purple hairs, erasing them from existence. "Victory is-"

A perfect smile of facial hair spontaneously combusted on his lips.

"Again!"

Yet again, the mustache triumphed.

"It is of no use!"

A sudden banging on the door below caused the fashion king to jump. "Purity? Open up. It's yer friend Applejack here."

A distraught voice rings out from inside, "go away! I'm in no shape to be going out anywhere."

"Please open th' door Purity. Ah' don't wanna buck this thing in." He let his threat hang in the air for a few moments.

An apple tree closed in on the farm pony, due for a collision course. He bucked his charge as if it were planted, sending the fruit laden object spinning out of control. At the sound of his strong hooves on wood Applejack heard the sound of a pony rushing around inside.

"Ah' Don't want to do that to ya' door Purity." He let the final threat hang in the air, hoping he would not have to carry it through.

A light blue aura appeared around the threatened object. A grim look overtook the face of the aggressor. However, before he could take any action, the enchanted door opened, revealing a very distressed looking fashion prince. Applejacks jaw nearly dropped at the sight. Despite the unwanted change upon the ex-mares life, the stallion before him still managed to hold himself with an air of somepony who knew they were important. But what had really drawn his gaze was how beautiful the stallion had managed to make himself.

"If you are going to continue to wear that shocked look upon your face I will have to ask you to leave." The strict tone told used, told the orange farm pony his shocked stare was unwelcome.

"Uh… sorry about that sugarcube. Ah'm jus' amazed by how darn nice you look."

"Oh please. In this lump of a body?"

Applejack sighed, "yes. Ya' even do a good job as a stallion. Now calm down an' follow me. It's about time for Twi's meeting."

---

"Villagers! Hear me now! Your Prince Luna and our heroes are at your service! We have identified the source of the gender-conflict. We are already gathering tools and preparing our plans. Is there anypony willing to offer us help?"

A slight shuffling of hooves was heard in the silence. This was less than surprising as they had not expected any to be eager to help anyway. It seemed that few ponies were feeling brave on such a chaotic new Equestria.

A voice rang out from within the crowd. "You and Princess Celestia can save us! Why do you need our help!?!"

Twilight considered for a moment, before he then spoke up on Luna's behalf, "That's because even our Princesses...sorry, our Princes, can't do this alone. As powerful as they are, even they need help sometimes. And we all work together to keep Equestria safe! With the power of all of us, helping in all kinds of ways, big and small, we can make a difference! We can help this along if we just all put our efforts into it! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have always been able to prosper with all of us, and they work with us too!"

Mr Cake stepped forward, presenting herself to the bold unicorn. "Well I know I won't be any good out there with you. But my wife and I can still help by making something for the road for you and your friends."

"Oh! Cake!" Bubble Berry knew the right moment to appear, startling everypony else. "I love cake! Can you make us some wonderful cake for the road?"

"Yes Pinkie I can." The mare replied to her, smiling kindly.

"That's great, Mr. Cake!" Twilight praised. "That's exactly what I mean!"

A sudden crash was heard from above and a muliti-coloured pile of stallion fell from the roof of Twilight's library. Blitz lept up, angrly shaking himself off. "Sorry everypony! Still getting used to these new wings!" He walked over to stand next to the two horned ponies who were trying to lead the meeting.

An embarrassed looking Fluttershy landed behind him, quickly making his way to the back of the expanding group of friends.

"Hey, there you are, Fluttershy!" Blitz cheered up upon seeing his friend there. "I didn't think you'd catch up!"

"U-Um...sorry..." Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind his mane.

"Don't worry darling. We're all a little embarrassed here." Purity played with his mane as he walked alongside his farmer friend, also choosing to stand at the back.

Twilight smiled at the sight of his friends, glad to have the backup, before he addressed the crowd once more. "So like I said, we can't do this alone. We're going to need everypony's help with this!"

Mayor Mare spoke up, doing his best to look as confident as possible. "I think I speak for everypony here, when I say that we will not be able to go with you. However, we all know you are a marvelous organizer Twilight. What would you have us help you with then?"

"If no pony wants to come with us then I think it would be best that you all band together and look out for each other. With Discord on the loose, it's impossible to tell what's going to happen next. But to anypony willing to help get us on the road with supplies and the like, you assistance would be greatly appreciated." The purple unicorn stated.

"That sounds like a plan Twilight.' The old leader replied, hopeful that the scholar would continue to have all the answers his townsponies required.

---

"Here's a good place we can rest a bit, everypony," Twilight announced to the group, setting his saddlebags onto the ground. "Get a good nights rest and we'll find Discord in the morning."

Everypony followed suit, softly murmuring in agreement as they set their possessions down along the clearing and sat down upon the grass to rest their tired legs and muscles.

"I'm going up there to keep watch guys!" Rainbow Blitz immediately took to the skies, looping around and pulling off a few small tricks

Fluttershy however, quietly wandered off to be by himself a bit, especially since he saw a stream nearby. It looked nice and peaceful within the otherwise chaotic surrounds. This would be a perfect distance, to which he could get back to their little designated camping spot, but also have enough privacy to be out of earshot of his friends.

The butter yellow stallion walked along the path to the stream, his head hanging low and his mind jumbled with fear, worry, and sorrow. Fluttershy glanced around him, before he finally reached the stream and sat down in front of it. He stared into the running water, seeing a partial image of his reflection. A sad, weary yellow pegasus stallion with a pink mane was looking back at him.

'That's not the face of a brave, warrior stallion...that's a coward.' He thought miserably. 'A coward not strong enough to defend, to fight against the forces of evil with his friends... A coward who can't even tell his best friend that he loves her-him... Who am I kidding, anyway...I'm not good enough for Rainbow at all...I never was.'

Fluttershy jumped as warm body pressed up against his own. "It's okay darling. It's only me." Purity announced his presence as he gazed glumly into the stream.

"...Oh, hi Rarity...er...Purity, sorry..." Fluttershy stammered, looking away. "...Is...everything okay? You look a little upset."

"Well there's this horrible body I'm stuck with... I can't get rid of my mustache and two of the most twisted beings are out there, having fun at our expense. Of course I'm a little upset." The unicorn purposely looked the other way, doing his best to not show off his new face.

"I'm sorry... I...well...I'm in no better position myself, either..." Fluttershy admitted, sniffling a little.

"Yes..." Purity turned at the sound of sniffling to wipe away a tear from his friend's soft face. "I notice your new coltfriend has decided to be pig headed and play in the clouds. Typical Rainbow Dash..."

Looking up, Fluttershy could see the blur of blue and rainbow dashing about in the clouds. He sighed, feeling another tear fall down his cheek. "I wish..."

"That he was down here with us?" Purity didn't follow his friend's line of thought, finishing the soft sentence off as more of a question.

"...Well...yes...and...he's not my coltfriend... but I wish he were..." The creamy yellow stallion mumbled, eyes downcast yet again. He didn't even realize he'd just admitted exactly how he felt.

A moment of silence followed Purity processed the new information. "You know... I could say I feel exactly the same." A white hoof ran through a soft yellow coat as Fluttershy fought back tears.

This jolted Fluttershy as he stared with wide, teary-eyes at his close friend. "What....?! You mean you....?" He squeaked.

"I like one of our friends too. Yes... She was the most amazing mare I've ever met. Daring and brave..." The alabaster unicorn sighed. "There's nopony else like him. I guess we're just too different... he would never ask me..."

Lip quivering, Fluttershy turned away and bit down on his lower lip to keep himself from sobbing. His heart dropped to his stomach and he felt his entire form practically deflating. "...I...I see...well...P-Purity...if that's...h-how you feel... I...I understand... If...two ponies are meant to be...you should go for it...you'll win his heart over fair and square...you're far braver and more assertive..."

"Darling... you can be brave when you need to be. I remember you once faced down a dragon and won. Not to mention all the other creatures in Equestria we would have lost against if it weren't for you... I-I think you should try and ask Rainbow tonight..." The unicorn ran a reassuring hoof down his friend's back. "After all... I think he might say yes. Unlike in my case..." Purity placed his chin on the ground

"But...I....you deserve a chance at love, too, Rarity..." Fluttershy dropped the male name. "...If you really want it, you should go for it...I've been too much of a coward to... There's no way Rainbow could ever love me... I'm not good enough for him."

"It's Purity now, darling..." The fashion king found his old name painful, reminding him what he had lost. "Wait... Rainbow?" He made a grossed out face at the thought causing a shudder to run down his spine. As much as the speedster was a friend, that was all he could ever be to the dainty ex-queen of fashion.  

Not noticing, Fluttershy wiped the tears from his eyes, trembling. "I'll back off... It's okay...you don't have to worry about me... I want my friends to be happy... I'm just going to need time...I hope you'll understand that.... I just-"

A alabaster hoof planted itself on the pained pegasus's mouth, stopping further talk of anguish. "I'm not after somepony as brash and stuck up as Rainbow Dash dear. No no... that pegasus is far too much for an artist such as myself. I..." The unicorn suddenly became highly nervous, glancing over his shoulder at the small group of talking ponies they had left behind. "I-I recently discovered... that the stallion of my dreams was in fact a mare. The most amazing and strong pony I've ever met." Meeting his tearful friend's eyes Purity forced himself onwards, hoping to be able to deliver his confession before chickening out. "That wonderful pony is..." He leaned in closer, fervently hoping that only his friend would hear what he had to say next. "Applejack."

Eyes wide, Fluttershy squeaked in surprise. He looked at Purity, before looking away shyly. "O-Oh! I'm sorry, Purity... I misunderstood... Um...but that's...that's wonderful! I mean-! Not just because you like somepony else! I mean...! Well...I think...you and Applejack would be great together... Um..y.you two just...really balance each other out nicely..."

"Oh darling... you're just saying that..." A blush heated the normally white cheeks on the unicorn and feeling rather bashful, he turned away, gazing off into the trees.

"No! I mean it! I mean...it's not something I'd thought of before, but now that you bring it up, it makes a lot of sense... I think....you should try to ask him..." Fluttershy murmured. "I think Applejack would give you a chance..."

"I don't think so..." The nervous unicorn felt better for having shared his secret with his friend but still feared rejection from his crush. "The problem here is... I'm sure Applejack is straight. Her-his... his whole family is... they are old fashioned like that." A long slow sigh escaped him, it almost felt like he had been rejected already, he fought the pain inside, wiping away stray tears that ran down his face.

"Well...has she ever said that? Did she...ever outright say no to you, or to any other mare?" Fluttershy asked.

"I... I don't think anypony ever asked her out before..." Purity mused into his forehooves, trying to hide from the outside world.

"You still have a chance, Rarity...and as I said...you're braver than I am." Fluttershy murmured. "I couldn't possibly ever have a chance... But you...you do..."

"What in Equestria do you mean dear? Haven't you seen how Rainbow can't seem to stop plucking you up and taking you out for flights despite how little you love flying?" Purity finally faced his friend, a confused look upon his face.

"Oh, I love to fly...I really do... I'm just not fast and daring like he is..." Fluttershy murmured. "But it's not enough... Rainbow needs somepony who can keep up with him... I can't..."

"If I may have a word in here... I rather think that what he needs is somepony to slow him down before he gets seriously injured. All that speed... I can barely begin to imagine what it would do to his mane...." The artistic unicorn pawed at his mane, making sure it was still in place.

"But that's something a best friend can do... He doesn't need me as a lover to do that..." Fluttershy whimpered, eyes downcast again. "I'm not good enough for him, Purity! I never was!"

The alabaster unicorn resisted the urge to facehoof. His attempts at getting his friend to see that Rainbow Blitz appeared to like the shy pegasus were continually failing. Deciding to give it one last go he took a deep breath, building up his courage as best he could.

"Look... Fluttershy... How about... I'll try and ask out Applejack if you ask Rainbow Dash out first...?"

"I...!" Fluttershy squeaked, wide-eyed and stammering. "I...I...I don't know...I.... ….Oh...all right. I'll try. ….Even if I get rejected, at least you can still try..."

"Do you really think that I will succeed in asking Applejack out?"

"....I think you will....I think... Applejack would try to give you a chance...before saying no..."

"Rainbow will do a lot more than that for you my dear... but I guess that a possibility is better than nothing..."

"...I hope so, Purity... I hope so... I love him so much...I'd give anything to be with him..." The creamy yellow pegasus whispered tearfully. "And I have to tell him...I will! I can't stay in the dark any longer! I need to know where we stand!"

"Well... go get him Fluttershy..." A smile lit the alabaster encouraging unicorns face. "He's right up there now... looking at you..."

A little gasp came from Fluttershy as he looked up. Sure enough, Rainbow Blitz was peering down at them, and right at him, it seemed. He blushed heavily, and before he could stop himself, his wings spread open. Flapping them, he flew up toward the cloud.

A soft roar was heard in the distance. Fluttershy panicked, rushing into the nearest bush cover, quaking in fear. Despite how far away the sound seemed, it was the low evil rumble gave away the intent. Something dangerous was now present in the normally peaceful lands of Equestria.

Strong hooves wrapped around the quaking pegasus and before he knew it,  he found himself receiving a soft peck on the nose before being placed back on the ground. He gazed hopefully up into the eyes of his helper.

"There you go Flutters."

"R-Rainbow..." Fluttershy squeaked, looking at the strong pegasus with wide eyes.

"Who else?" The cyan stallion grinned back. "Sounds like we have ourselves a dragon!" He sounded all too eager at the thought.

"Meeeeeeeeep!!!" Fluttershy squealed in fright, holding to Rainbow Blitz tightly, burying his face in his neck. "N-N-N-N-No! I was afraid of that!"

"It's okay. It sounds like it's far away. If he comes any closer... I'll kick his flank into next week." Blitz declared with the utmost confidence.

A little whimper sounded from the quivering yellow pony.

"Yes but what if that dragon has rider on it and that rider just happens to be carrying a Wabbajack?!" Bubble Berry burst into the private moment, bounding around with all too much joy for what such a thing would imply. "Oh! Then I might get to meet Sheo again! How cool would that be!?!" He clapped his forehooves together, delighted with himself.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to feel then. More scared, more upset at losing his chances, or angry. Part of him just wanted to shout to their friend to go away. But he managed to calm himself, trying not to think of it that way. 'He's just being Pinkie... He probably didn't know what was going on...' "That's nice, Pinkie..."

"So yea... we should prepare a nice BIG welcome party for him!" The party pony continued bouncing around, adding streamers to the mix.

"Great idea, now go talk to Luna and Twilight about it. I got some...tricks to show Flutters over here." Blitz said, waving him off. "We'll plan pranks later!"

"Okie dokie lokie!" The pink prankster hoped happily off, eager to find the spell-casting duo.

Fluttershy blinked. 'What? ...He's trying to get alone with me? ….Well, for tricks, of course...but at least we'll be alone...'

"You two Purity! Chat time with Flutters here is over for you. I'm going to steal him for a bit."

The fashion king gave his mane a quick swish, starting on his way out. "Nothing wrong with that darlings. I-I need to go find Applejack anyway."

As soon as the alabaster unicorn was out of sight, Blitz stretched as if preparing to perform some of his stunts for his usual cheerer. "Looks like Pinkie's going to be the only one who doesn't have somepony to pitch his tent with tonight. Everypony else is taken." The cheeky cyan stallion giggled, grinning at his best friend.

"T-They are...?" Fluttershy blinked, his cheeks turning red. "I mean...I don't have anypony to share with, either..."

"Flutters, you're sharing with me!" Blitz grinned, walking over to him, stretching his legs as he did so. "And tonight's apparently going to be pretty cold, so we'll have to sleep real close together."

Fluttershy felt a mixture of overwhelmed and yet thanking whatever power out there was granting him this amazing opportunity. "That sounds fine to me, Rainbow... I'd be happy to..."

"Great! Now lets head back to the others. We don't know what strange things a pony can bump into out here." Blitz began walking off, hoping that his best friend would follow.

A pout formed at Fluttershy's lips as he realized that his attempts were futile. He wanted to call him back, but how would he explain why he wanted to remain some ways away from their campsite? Giving himself away wasn't an appealing option, but he also couldn't let this slip away.

"...That's okay, you go ahead...I'll...stay...here...alone..." Fluttershy turned back to the stream and began to take a drink from it. 'At least I can think of a strategy to win him over and ask him out...'

"You sure...?" The cyan pegasus turned to face the shy pony. "You aren't normally the type to just wander off when there's danger about."

"...I just...well... I just need to think." Fluttershy responded, still pretending to find the stream a lot more interesting.

"Okay. Well...uh... When Fluttershy comes back, please send her to me. I'll be with our other friends. Don't get too scared out here pal." Blitz then continued on his way, heading to the rest of their small group of friends.

Nerves shot, chance gone yet again, Fluttershy sat, staring down at the stream. This was not working out. He just couldn't do it. Not even the dangers that awaited were enough to motivate him to just go through with it. Even for just the reason to see where they stood.

Lamenting yet another loss, trying hard to think of a good approach for later, it was for naught as a couple more tears slid down the yellow stallion's face.

'It doesn't matter what anypony says...I'm not good enough for him...'


Rainbow Blitz slowly walked back to where Bubble Berry was talking with Prince Luna and Twilight. Although his eyes were to the front, his mind was on the pony he had just left. Something was causing his shy friend to act stranger than the normally did. It was almost as if Fluttershy were trying to build up the courage to say something but as usual, was failing to do so. He knew that pushing the matter any further would only cause the new stallion to recede even further into his shell, shying away from everypony else. This fact only added to the storm brewing inside and he sighed, flicking his powerful wings in annoyance.

Seeing him there, Purity wandered over to the cyan stallion, keeping as cool and casual as he could. Especially since he didn't want to give away two obvious factors at hoof...

"Darling, is everything all right? You seem to be spaced out."

"Yea. It's nothing. Just thinking. I'm cool." Blitz did his best to evade the question, continuing his sedate pace back to camp.

Not buying it, Purity followed him. "I spoke with Fluttershy earlier. I think...there's quite a bit he would rather get off his chest, but he seems to have quite a bit of trouble doing so. He hasn't the courage, and it's quite a shame." A meaningful look was thrown his way.

"Yea, I know. Whatever it... It must be pretty big."

"Mmm," The alabaster unicorn responded thoughtfully, nodding. "Yes...there's...something very important to him that he wants. But he is afraid to try to...achieve it, if you will."

The athletic pegasus cast a meaningful glance toward the unicorn at his side. "Do you know something that I don't Purity?"

Purity bit his lip, contemplating his options. As much as he wanted Rainbow Blitz to get a clue, he also didn't want to compromise anything. "...Darling, it isn't my place to say. It would do you better if you spoke to Fluttershy about it."

"Nevermind... If he made you Pinkie promise anything then you don't have to tell me. I'll as him when he gets back to camp."

"I think it would be a far better idea to speak to him alone of this matter." Purity advised. "All that I ask of you, is that you hear him out."

"Of course I'll hear him out. What kind of element of Loyalty would I be if I didn't." Blitz scoffed at the very idea of walking out on his friend under any circumstance. "Besides... We've known each other since we were fillies at flight camp. There's nothing he can say that will be too much for his best friend." By now it was starting to sound like the bold stallion was bragging.

Rolling his azure eyes a bit, Purity decided not to argue with him on it. "Perhaps so. But what he has to say may be surprising. Just so long as you're honest, it should be all right." The white unicorn then trotted off to go assist Applejack with setting up a tent.

"Of course I'll be honest! What kind of friend do you take me for? I can't see how anything that shy stallion says could be... that big."

"....Um....Rainbow...?" Came a soft male soprano from behind him.

"Hmm...?" The bold pegasus turned to face the soft sounding pony who had managed to sneak up behind him.

Gulping, Fluttershy hid behind his mane again as he shuffled a hoof along the ground. "I...um...was going to come help you...p-put up the tent..."

"Great. Come on then!" Without a second thought, the speedster took off, grabbed his friend before he barreled into camp, almost crashing into Twilight and Luna on the way.

The ever-energetic stallion planted his friend down beside him as he alighted near the two surprised ponies and a bounding party animal. Fluttershy blushed, but busied himself by taking out the tent equipment with his mouth.

As his shy friend worked, Blitz turned to the small party of ponies. "Hi guys. Just thought Flutters and I would drop in." He grinned in a cheeky fashion, waving a hoof at the bouncing pony who eagerly repaid his greeting.

"So you two ARE sharing a tent!" Bubble Berry exclaimed from where he was, grinning. "I knew it!"

"Well yea. Why wouldn't I share with my best friend. Who are you with Bubble?" Blitz grinned back with pride.

"Me!" Twilight spoke up. "Luna guards the night, so I agreed to share with Pinkie-Bubble, sorry."

"Ah'm sharing with Purity." The orange speaker rounded the corner smiling lighty at his friends. "Ah'm sure he'll need all th' help he can get. Like somepony ta stop him from trying ta shave his face."

Bubble Berry bounded up to the farmer, bopping him on the nose. "But Purity looks stunning with a 'stache! Why would anypony ever want to cut something so stunning!?!"

Purity huffed and covered his mustache with a hoof.

"Ah'm glad that ya managed ta join us Purity." Applejack greeted his long time fashion loving friend giggling lightly at the comical sight of the stallion trying to hide his facial hair.

"You would feel ashamed as well if you had facial hair where it didn't belong!" Purity grumbled.

"Actually, I'd love a stylish 'stache!" Bubble Berry grinned. "I always imagined myself with a 'stache if I were a stallion!" His hooves massaged his nose, pretending to style the most epic mustache in all of history.

"Don't stop now Purity! At this rate... we'll all want one!" Blitz laughed raucously as the white cheeks of the fashion king darkened.

"Oooohh! A rainbow 'stache?! That would the most epic and awesome 'stache ever!" Bubble Berry squeed. "You have to grow one, Dashie! Flutters! You have to grow a beard!"

"...Why do I have to grow a beard?" Fluttershy asked, confused.

Purity's eyes went wide. "Certainly not! No such facial hair will sully Fluttershy's face!"

"Hey, that's his decision," Blitz defended.

Blushing immensely, Fluttershy hid his face in his best friend's neck.

"I still think we all should try grow 'staches!" Bubble bounced around eagerly, gazing excitedly at each of his friends hoping for a happier response.

Twilight gave a shrug, not caring either way. Luna looked amused as he merely observed the other ponies. Applejack laughed, finding the idea of growing a mustache to be silly and yet intriguing.

Shaking it off, Fluttershy just went back to work at helping to set up their tent, busying himself from such thoughts that were currently entering his mind.

"We can think of doing something cool later Bubble." Rainbow Blitz

"You got it, Dashie!" Bubble Berry winked before he hopped off.

---

Seven ponies sat around a small campfire. The late day sun was beginning to dip below the horizon signaling the end of the first day under the influence of two chaotic masters. Luna's cue to raise the moon was impending, as the Prince of the Night waited upon this task.

In the meantime, Bubble Berry was happily devouring a cupcake, much to the disgust of Purity. Who had, yet again, tried to unsuccessfully cut his mustache with a pair of scissors.

Applejack sat between the fashion king and Rainbow Blitz, doing his best to get the unicorn's attention off his facial hair. Successfully batting away the scissors, he planted himself on the sharp tool preventing further attempts. He winked at the scowling pony, happy to have finally captured his attention.


Fluttershy, the only pony lying down on the ground, sat a bit away from the group as he stared into the fire. Trying all he could to distract himself from everything, he avoided getting too close to the very pony of his affections. It proved difficult, all things considered, especially since he'd been trying all afternoon to figure a way to approach the matter at hoof in his heart. But nothing came up that seemed to work. Anything he wanted to attempt was excused off as a failure waiting to happen. Instead, all he could do was lie there miserably, his head resting on his crossed forehooves, staring sadly into the fire. Even the little squirrel that curled up against his body did nothing to cheer him up.

"Thou art quiet, Fluttershy." Luna spoke up to the yellow stallion as he turned his gaze to him. "Does something ail thou?"

"...I'm fine, Princess-...sorry, I mean...Prince Luna..." Fluttershy responded sadly. He stood up, stretching his limbs. "...I'm going to my tent...I...don't feel well..." Without waiting for a response, he trotted to the tent he shared with Rainbow Blitz.

The alicorn of the night sighed to himself. "Thou truly must have a burden upon thee..." Tearing his attention away from the disappearing pegasus, he turned to his night sky.

Bubble Berry saunted over to Blitz, nudging him lightly. "Go on, Blitzie...." He winked at him knowingly.

"What?" The bold multi-coloured stallion gave his pranking buddy a odd look, wondering what was on his crazy mind.

"You know..." Bubble Berry said in a sweet sing-song voice, indicating toward the yellow pegasus, who was just entering the tent. "Go after him, silly! Right into the tent, so you two can have aloooone time! Did you miss that 'Come Hither' look he was throwing your way?"

"He wasn't throwing me anything Bubble. You're just seeing things." Blitz defended as he wandered off, heading toward his lonely friend.

"Oh, I know what I see, Blitzie." Bubble winked, snickering. "Go on, go after him..."

"Whatever Pinks." Blitz giggled at his incorrect use of his friend's name as he approached the tent. "You can go imagine a prank with new 'staches or something."

"Definitely!" Bubble giggled, winking after him.


Inside the tent, Fluttershy lay atop the spread of blankets, staring at nothing as he was lost in his thoughts. Thankful for the solitude, he felt a bit more at peace and could think straighter, despite that his anxiety still nibbled at him. Exhaling, he rolled onto his back, staring up at the top of the tent thoughtfully.

'What can I do... I can't just walk up to him and say I like him... Could I ask him to be my special somepony? ...No...that's too strong... I have to figure a way to ask him without giving too much away...but also so that he gets the right idea. But how?' "...I'll never figure out how to do it..." He lamented.

"Do what?" A cyan muzzle appeared, brushing aside the entrance to the tent. Rainbow Blitz could feel he had walked in on something and was intrigued as to what it might be.

"Eeep!" Fluttershy squealed, throwing his hooves over a lower section of his body, blushing immensely. "N-Nothing...!"

Sliding in beside his longtime friend, Blitz flipped himself over to lie on his back, playing with imaginary clouds in his forehooves. "So... What's up? Can't my best friend tell the coolest pony ever what's on his mind?"

Fluttershy swallowed hard as his eyes wandered along his best friend's body, all the more enticed as he'd been before. In fact, it was even getting harder to resist the urge to climb on top of him and just tell him how he felt, point blank. He blushed at the thought, grabbing part of a blanket to hide his problem.

"...I just don't know how I can..." Fluttershy sighed, looking upward again.

"Well what sort of a problem is it? Is it a Fluttershy being too shy as normal kind of thing?" The cyan pegasus grinned over at his close companion. "Or is it a Fluttershy needs somepony awesome and cool just like me to give you a helping hoof?"

Glancing down at the growing lump that was forming in the blanket, the creamy yellow pegasus stiffened a bit as he tried to figure a way to avert the problem. "Um....well....I-I...um...well....b-both..." He squeaked.

"Okay. Then what do you need me to do?"  

'Darn it! Why did I say that?! Stupid Fluttershy! Don't put him in such a position!' "I have a problem, Rainbow....it's something only you can help me with!" The pink-maned stallion blurted. Realizing his mistake, pulled the blanket further up over his muzzle. "Eep..."

"Gee Fluttershy. I don't think I often get to see you this... shy before... Let me know what it is... anything at all and I'll do it. Come on!" He bumped a cyan hoof against his friend's side, trying to encourage him.

"I...I.... I just couldn't possibly put you in such a difficult position, Rainbow..." Fluttershy whispered, trembling a bit.

"Now you're just being silly, filly. What could possibly put me in a difficult position?" Blitz asked proudly, gazing into the captivating eyes of his best friend.

Realizing that his problem was coming to be a lot more prevalent, Fluttershy rolled onto his side, facing his friend. "...I have this...problem...."

"Yes...?" Prompted the cyan stallion who was clearly growing less and less excited, the more his shy companion dragged the proceedings out.

Although Fluttershy wondered how in the world Blitz couldn't smell what was going on, he felt glad for that. He inched closer, his teal eyes glimmering with plead and...love. Reaching a hoof out, he gently caressed his companion's cheek. "Rainbow..." He whispered lovingly, a little smile coming to his face. "Will you...."

"Guys! Guys!" The urgent looking face of Bubble Berry popped into the tent, breaking the moment in two. "My Pinkie-Now-Turned-Bubble senses are doing something crazy! We have to go now!"

"Really Bubble?" An annoyed Rainbow Blitz looked up at his intruding friend, spotting the urgency he became a lot more serious. "Wow Bubble... What's wrong?" He slowly picked himself up, preparing himself for a potentially unwanted answer.

"Well you see... the last time my body acted this weirdly.... he pointed to his still twitching tail. It meant that my buddy Sheo was coming to get me. This time I bet he's on a big ol' nasty beastie and headed right this way so we need to go right now!" The warning was followed by the party pony looking like he wanted to explode with tension. Instead he bolted off to get the others on the move as well.

Fluttershy, felt a mixture of panic from the news that Bubble told them, as well as very annoyed, while also relieved. He burrowed beneath the blankets, unsure of what to do or what to even feel. Especially since if this strange threat Bubble Berry knew so much about was coming by, he was not looking forward to it in the slightest. 'And now we're in danger, I couldn't even tell him! I can't fight this thing, it's crazy! What am I going to do? They're all perfectly strong and brave... I'm not...I'm only going to slow them down.'

"Come on Fluttershy!" Rainbow blitz took hold of the pink tail of his shy friend and began hauling the cowering pony out of the tent. "Come on! I'm sure you don't want to be caught by a dragon or anything."

"No! No! I can't...! Rainbow, I'll guard the camp! You guys all go ahead....you even have Prince Luna there to help! You don't need me!" Fluttershy cried, pawing at the ground.

Lifting off into the sky, Blitz yanked his friend up with him. With a mighty tug, he lifted the terrified pegasus into the middle of the camp, ditching him on the soft ground beside the fire.

Prince Luna rushed up to them. "Alright you two. Thou must follow if thy wishes to survive the night." With a mighty beat of his wings he took off into the night sky to keep watch.

Blitz fought to keep his quaking yellow friend under control as the rest of the group quickly assembled around them, led by a very serious looking Bubble Berry. "Guys! Big and I mean HUGE change of plans!" The normally ecstatic party pony looked both terrified and  excited. "Sheogorath is coming this way! My Pinkie-turned-Bubble senses are telling me he's on his Wabbajack made ride and his pet dragon will try to eat us and that will be very very bad! So we need to move! NOW!"

"Move where?" Twilight asked, tapping his friend. "Where should we be headed?" He was determined to keep a level head, despite how bad things were looking.

"Well we need to get someplace that only Sheogorath will find us. Someplace like a cave or something big enough to throw a party but small enough to stop a dragon from coming in! So lets go already!" Full of energy, the bouncy party pony took off, desperate to evade capture for the time being.

Twilight was, however, still confused. "So, we're going to a place where the enemy is going to find us...so we can avoid...his...Wabbajack pet...? I'm not seeing the better alternative here."

To answer his question, the pink pony zipped up to the lavender stallion, meeting him forehead to forehead. "Yes. Because you and Luna need to beat Discord but first my buddy Sheo is on his way alone! Lets go!" He was off again, without giving a moments notice for Twilight to recover.

"W-What..." Twilight looked around at his friends, blinking his eyes. "I'm still lost here. I thought they were together..."

"Ah hear ya, sugarcube..." Applejack mumbled, shaking his head. "Ah ain't got no idea what we gotta do."

"I suppose the best we can do is just follow him..." Purity sighed. "We're not getting anywhere with any of this."

"You guys go ahead, I'll stay here and guard the camp..." Fluttershy volunteered, slinking away, clearly not wanting to come face to face with the big bad guy or his monstor.

"We don't want anypony to guard the camp. Bubbles said we need to go right now!" Urged Twilight as he pawed at the ground, desperate to follow after his spastic friend.

"Come on Fluttershy. Fly with me!" Blitz added his urging to the mix, hoping to get his cowering friend off the ground as the rest of the group galloped off after Bubble Berry.

"But Rainbow, I'll only slow you down! We have to go fast and you go faster than I ever could!" Fluttershy whimpered, still trying to get away. "Really, don't worry about me...you guys go..."

"Snap out of it!" Rainbow Blitz almost hit his companion. "I know you fly well when it's just us, so be a pegasus! Fly!" He landed, flaring his wings angrily.

Having seen the gesture, Fluttershy whimpered and looked away with shame, closing his eyes as he waited to be struck.

A soft menacing roar sounded in the distance. Whatever it was, it sounded angry. What looked like fireworks exploded several miles out from Ponyville adding to the unusual display.

Squealing in terror, Fluttershy immediately sought safety within the safest place he could immagine. He of course jumped right into the hooves of Rainbow Blitz, clinging to him.

Taking the opportunity, as annoying as his friend was becoming, the speedster took off like a rocket after the others. "You know Fluttershy..." He cast a glance down at his clingy companion, annoyance written all over his cyan face. "No offense here but you really need to grow a pair..."

Fluttershy just looked away, unable to respond to that. Knowing that he was right, not to mention irritated with him now, he felt all the courage he could've had just melt away like snowflake in a furnace. 'He's right...I do... He wants somepony who's brave and strong like him... And I'm not... That's it, I give up. I'm not trying this anymore. I'd better forget about it now...' A tear pooled in his eye before falling down his cheek. 'May as well get this over with so we can go home...and I can seclude myself away from him for a while. Look what you did, you idiot...all you did was get under his nerves and inconvenience him!'

The speedy pegasus quickly caught up with the other ponies and hovered above them, taking stock of the situation. "But I can't complain I guess... I've always been here saving your flank. It's fun." He giggled lightly, having cooled down from his bout of anger he suffered earlier. "I wonder where that Bubble is headed...." He mused as he watched the leading puff of pink pull into a denser spot of green. Without a second thought, he took off in hot pursuit, zipping in between trees and shrubs, showing off his skills as a showpony.

The creamy yellow pegasus he was holding made absolutely no complaint. In fact, he didn't say anything at all. At this point, Fluttershy just about lost all hope and had nothing more to say about anything. He just stared ahead, unmoving, waiting for this to be over. He couldn't even enjoy the feeling of being so close to his defender now.

In the lead, Bubble Berry laughed, he couldn't believe that he was finally getting to meet the eternally crazy Daedric prince of Madness once more. He knew that it would be an exciting meeting, at least for himself. He only hoped that Sheogorath remembered him.

"This is going to be GREAT!" The party pony cried out before dashing toward a cave up ahead.