EPISODE TWENTY-THREE
Today was a special day for Starla, it had been eight whole months since she and Lightning married. They were among certain that preferred to celebrate their first year of marriage month-by-month.
They didn’t go to extremes like getting huge gifts, or planning some extravagant event, other than a simple dinner, and then back home to be alone together.
Even though Lightning was still locked in his standstill, Starla didn’t let it stop her from spending time with her husband in the sickbay during visiting hours, though she really wished he were awake.
It had been nearly two weeks since he went down, and Starla was really getting worried; what if things got even worse?
No! She couldn’t think that way. She wouldn’t! She had to be brave, and believe…
“You’ll be alright, honey. I know you will be.”
She clutched his cold hand softly. Her body temperature warmed his hand slightly, but he couldn’t, and didn’t grasp her back.
Starla didn’t notice that that mysterious figure was standing right behind her near the far corning of the room.
There came a soft knock at the door…
…and the figure vanished immediately.
Fluttershy and Rhymey came in.
“Hi…” Fluttershy said.
Rhymey brought some flowers from their garden at home to help brighten up Lightning’s room, and it was Starla’s anniversary too.
“From us to you,
It’s the least we can do.”
Starla smiled thankfully.
The friends wished Lightning was awake too, not just because the really big and final battle was near, but they really missed him and hated that he was so lost in the dark.
“Poor Lightning…” said Fluttershy “He looks so miserable. I’m sorry you have to spend your anniversary like this.”
Starla sighed and gazed down at Lightning.
Rhymey really felt sorry for her.
“Eight whole months since you two were wed,
It must hurt you dearly to see him in bed.”
Starla nodded “It does, a little…” she then gazed at her friends and smiled cheekily “But then again, it’s like how you two acted.”
Rhymey and Fluttershy both gawked awkwardly and blushed.
Fluttershy stammered “Oh, um… well…”
Starla giggled “Come on, you two remember what you were like three months ago.”
“Yes, I do…
We acted very silly too.” said Rhymey.
*Three Months ago*
It was only three months after Starfleet had successfully defeated the evil Dark King and his army from the future. Long before the Insectos came, and well before Mykan Stevens arrived… even well before Lightning’s Starpops adventure in the human-world.
Ever since the fall of the Dark King, all was practically blissful and steadier. The only major disturbances were petty crimes or domestic robberies, nothing that Starfleet couldn’t handle with ease. Sometimes even the pony police were able to handle the situations on their own.
This meant more time to enjoy normal life, and knowing things would go steadier.
Fluttershy and Rhymey had been married for nearly three whole months. Ever since, Rhymey moved in with Fluttershy, and her cottage was remodeled and expanded a bit, but it didn’t really look all that different, and was just perfect for a couple just starting out.
Rhymey enjoyed his new married life, getting to help Fluttershy with the animals, help around the house, or just spend quality time with his wife.
Other times he would have to leave and manage his café, Rhyme Time, but he knew Fluttershy could handle things herself.
One morning, Rhymey had already gone off to work…
While Fluttershy had decked the living room like an examine room and donned her doctor’s uniform. “All right everyone; it’s checkup day.”
Every third of every month, Fluttershy, a certified vet, liked to examine every animal she cared for so they could live happier and healthier.
All the animals lined up outside the door, and others who were already inside waited patiently while Dr. Fluttershy examined them all one-at-a-time.
She weighed the bear. “Hmm, you’re a little overweight. You’ll need to go on a strict diet.”
The bear grumbled in a sigh, but promised to behave.
Fluttershy then looked after a bird and held a lounge depressor in its beak. “Hmm, can you try and tweet for me?”
She let go, and the bird let out a very hoarse and dry tweet.
“Oh, it’s okay; you just need to drink more water.”
Even Angel had his turn…
“Hmm, your heart’s very quickly, Angel; that’s perfect.”
Angel smiled and they shared a little nuzzle.
After all the animals were cared for, Fluttershy cleaned up the living room and changed back into her normal uniform, but while she was preparing a snack for everyone, she took a look at the calendar, and realized the day circled in a red heart was the very next day!
“Oh, no! I’ve been so busy this week I completely lost track of time!” she panicked, and then curled into a worry position, and rocked on the floor.
Angel was confused.
“Oh, I haven’t had time to get a present for Rhymey. In two days it’s our three-month wedding anniversary, and I haven’t a clue of what to get him.”
All this panicking and worrying made her start to sweat up a puddle on the floor. She didn’t want Rhymey to think she’d forgotten one the happiest days of her life; when they got married.
For all she knew, Rhymey was probably already out getting her a gift.
Cupcake stopped by Rhymey’s Café on her way home from grocery shopping for a short rest break, and a milkshake. She wore beautiful pearl necklace which she treasured so, and Rhymey thought were amazing to.
She even let him have them to look at them more closely in the lights.
“Major, aren’t they gorgeous?”
Rhymey’s eyes glittered as he gazed at the stunning of the peals.
“Every bead is a craft of art,
I’d say this were a gift from the heart.”
“Oh, they are…” said Cupcake “They’re also very old. They belonged to Carrot Cake’s grandmother, and she gave them to him to give them to me on the day we were married.”
Rhymey thought that was very beautiful, and he suddenly had an idea.
“Mrs. Cake, may I ask until after tomorrow,
These pearls of yours, may I borrow?
Fluttershy would love this dearly,
I’d like to have them matched; as a gift for our anniversary.”
Cupcake blinked once “Anniversary? Why, Major Rhymey, you’ve only been married three months.”
Rhymey chuckled and explained,
“For our first year, we thought we’d do every month, this stuff.
We really didn’t think that waiting year would really quite enough.”
“He’s got a point.” Lightning said as he and Starla came up to the bar.
“We like to celebrate every month too.” said Starla “But we don’t crazy on gifts.”
“Nope…” added Lightning “A gift is nice once in a while, but all we need is each other, that’s the greatest gift in any marriage.”
He pecked his wife tenderly and she pecked him back.
Rhymey and Cupcake smiled.
“I sure wish Carrot Cake and I thought of that…” she said softly. “Well, I guess I can’t say no to such a lovely thought.”
She lent Rhymey the necklace, but made him promise to keep it secret, especially from her husband. “He wouldn’t like it if he knew I just lent them to someone. I’m only doing this because you’re doing such a romantic thing.”
“I’ll have them matched the next day.
Then bring them back to you straight away.”
So it was settled.
Lightning and Starla liked how Rhymey was trying to be super romantic, but they did warn him…
“Don’t push yourself too far.” Lightning said.
“Yeah, you might end up in a bit of spot.” added Starla “That’s why we don’t bother get gifts for one another all the time.”
Rhymey chuckled and said…
“There’s just nothing more I can think of,
Than to show affection to the mare I love.”
It was getting late, and Fluttershy was pacing around the house so furiously her footsteps were leaving grooves in the floor, but she still couldn’t think of a nice gift for Rhymey.
“What am I going to do?” she kept crying to herself over and over.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, which made her jump and hit the ceiling.
Applejack was outside, holding one of her rope, when she heard the crash. “Well that didn’t sound right.”
Fluttershy finally opened the door.
“Um… Hi, Applejack. I’m a little nervous.”
“Well, I was hopin’ you could help me, but maybe I’ll…”
She turned to leave.
“No, no, no, I can help you. What is it?”
Fluttershy pulled on her rope, pulling on a snarling and grumpy goat that was trying to break free. “He’s due for a serious shear, but he doesn’t wanna cooperate. I was hoping if I left him here with you, you could settle him down.”
The goat glared and snarled at Fluttershy, and while she rather wanted to think of a gift, she couldn’t neglect her friends in need.
“I’ll try my best.” she said “Maybe I can even shear him for you.”
“Aw, ya would? That’d be sweet of ya.”
Fluttershy smiled, and Applejack walked off leaving the goat in her care, but the goat did not look too thrilled and put up a big fuss, and Fluttershy could barely hold him steady.
Finally, she gave him a real big stare…
…The goat didn’t stand a chance and completely caved in.
“That’s better; now let’s get you settled in for the night.”
She had him penned up in a small barn behind the house, and soon the goat was sleeping blissfully. “I’ll shear you tomorrow.” she said softly.
Then she had an idea…
“I can knit Rhymey a sweater!”
She had studied knitting, but never actually gave it a try, but she felt she could do it. She even realized she could use the wool from the goat, feeling Applejack wouldn’t mind, and that would make it all more handmade and real effort put into it “A gift straight from the heart.” she said softly.
“Oh, but I better do it without Rhymey knowing. It’ll be a nicer surprise.”
When Rhymey came home late, he still had the necklace with him, but wanted to keep it a secret from Fluttershy to surprise her.
He decided to hide it somewhere where she wouldn’t find it; he unzipped one of the cushion-pillows on the sofa and hid the necklace inside.
“Rhymey.”
He jumped in fright, and his wife jumped nervously too.
“Oh, my…
…Fluttershy.”
“Oh, sorry…”
The two then shared a giggle, and then sat down to dinner.
“What were you doing by the sofa?” Fluttershy asked.
He made a quick excuse…
“Oh, it seemed a little out of place,
So I was setting it back in its proper space.”
His fib fooled her, and Fluttershy also was careful not to spoil her surprise for him.
Later that night, long after they had gone to bed…
The goat woke up in his stall to find the gate to his stall open slightly; Fluttershy got so wrapped up in the sweater idea that she forgot to make sure the gate was shut tight. She also didn’t leave enough hay for him to eat.
So, goat just wandered out, and he made his way close to the house, where the window was open near the sofa. He took just one look inside, at the cushion where the necklace was hidden inside… and…!
The next morning, Fluttershy and Rhymey discovered the cushion in ruins, and the trail of fluff leading all the way to the stall.
“Oh, no!” she cried.
“Oh, my goodness…
Look at this mess.” said Rhymey.
Goat looked and felt ashamed of himself already, but Flutteshy couldn’t blame him really. She forgot to feed him properly as well as close the gate. “It’s okay…” she said as she smothered the goat calmly.
Rhymey forgave the goat as well, but then he realized he was late for his patrol rounds that morning.
He quickly kissed Fluttershy goodbye and then took off on his rounds…
…Silently remembering to have enough time that day to get the necklace matched for Fluttershy, for their anniversary that night.
As soon as Rhymey was gone, Fluttershy waited a moment to make sure he wouldn’t come back in case he had forgotten something.
Once she was certain he was really gone, she prepared the shear Goat.
“Now just relax.” She said calmly “And soon we’ll have you all sheared.”
Just one look at those shearing scissors make Goat flip out, and he ran past her, knocking her down, and he headed out of the stall.
“Oh, dear…”
She was hoping this would be easy, but apparently she had forgotten that Applejack warned her that Goat didn’t like to be sheared, and that’s when he always put up a fuss.
“Oh, don’t worry. This won’t hurt you at all.”
Goat didn’t feel any comfier and dashed off before she could reach for him again.
“I guess this won’t be as easy as I thought.”
She decided she’d have to try and catch Goat, and maybe then he’d cooperate.
(0:30 to 0:43)
Goat was actually enjoying this, and some of the other animals couldn’t help but laugh at how funny Fluttershy was acting, not that they could really help to begin with.
Fluttershy wasn’t willing to give up. She needed that wool, and she was willing to get it even if she had to chase Goat all over the planet for it!
Which she practically did, in a hilarious montage.
Later on, Rhymey was just finishing his patrol rounds, not forgetting about how he wanted to desperately get that necklace matched.
Suddenly, he could hear someone screaming down below, and he could see Cupcake on the run from several bad ponies that were chasing her.
Suddenly, they had her backed into a dead-end alley.
“Come on, lady. Give us your money.”
“I keep telling you I haven’t any!” cried Cupcake.
“I think she’s lyin’.”
“Let’s teach her a lesson.”
The three thugs moved forth, clenching and cracking their fists in a threatening manner, but before they could get any closer, Rhymey dropped down from above and stood before them.
“Get out of our way, Punk!”
Rhymey cleared his throat and pointed to his insignia-energizer, and that it had stars around it.
“Hey, this guy’s with Starfleet!”
“Let’s split!”
They tried to run away, but Rhymey held them in place with his telekinetic-powers. They couldn’t move an inch.
He then got out his sword and set it to capture.
“THRASH SLASH!”
HE slashed at all three of them, blowing them up, and then imprisoning them in capture-spheres.
Rhymey picked all the spheres up and gazed shamefully and tauntingly inside at the crooks and scolded…
“If you can’t do the time,
Don’t do the crime.”
Cupcake felt ever so relieved “Bless you, Rhymey. You and Starfleet...”
Rhymey nodded thankfully and decided to escort her back to Sugar-Cube Corner bakeshop and café.
“I can’t thank you enough, Rhymey.” Cupcake said for the umpteenth time “I feel I must repay you.”
Rhymey shook his head
“We are now evenly.
For the necklace you loaned me.”
“Oh, speaking of which, I need it returned tonight. Carrot Cake is taking me out, and I said I’d wear the pearls.”
Rhymey understood, but first he had to drop off his prisoners at the Police Station where they crooks would be held in detainment until their trials or so. Then he would head to the jewelry shop to get the necklace matched.
“Oka, but please hurry.” said Cupcake.
“Say no more,
I’m out the door.”
Then he was off.
He quickly managed to perform his task and dropped the prisoners off at a station, then he quickly zoomed home to the cottage.
“Fluttershy, are you here?” He called out.
“Are you home, Dear?”
When no one responded and he couldn’t find her, he suspected she was out, probably shopping or out for a casual walk. Giving him the perfect opportunity to get out the necklace…
…except, he had forgotten where he hid it!
In all the excitement and rushing he did, it was only natural that he would forget it.
So he frantically searched the house from top to bottom, and he asked Angel and the birds if they would help too.
Together, they searched every nook and cranny; under the stairs, even in the root cellar. Some of the animals looked in the garden.
By mid-afternoon, Rhymey gazed at the sofa and finally remembered he had hidden the necklace in the pillow-cushion… the one that Goat had shredded.
His mouth hung wide open and his pupils dilated in shock.
“No, no, no!
Please don’t be so!” he cried as he frantically searched the area all around the house and the stall.
He found the shredded cushion still in Goat’s stall, but the pearls were nowhere to be found which could only tell him that Goat had actually eaten them!
“Oh…
…No-o-o-o!”
The animals huddled around him and could hardly believe it themselves. Now Rhymey had nothing to give Fluttershy that evening, and worse…
…what was he going to tell Cupcake!
He thought and he thought, but ultimately…
“I’ll have to face up to my mistake.
I better go and just tell Mrs. Cake.”
Angel and the other animals agreed with him, and Angel patted him for luck.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Goat were really getting tired, and Fluttershy had chased him all the way to New Sweet Apple Acres, near the orchard.
Finally, Goat collapsed, but Fluttershy managed to keep going and finally caught him. Her weariness and her frustration; she looked in an awful mess. Her mane was all tangled and covered in dirt and twigs, and she looked a little dehydrated, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her now.
“Now then, Mr. Goat, you’ve caused me enough trouble! I’m going to shear you!”
She held the scissors in a near crazed state, and poor Goat was frightened!
Suddenly, a lasso yanked the scissors out of Fluttershy’s hand, and Applejack stepped out going “Whoa, whoa! Hold your horses, girl. This here ain’t the Fluttershy I know. Why she’d never treat a goat like that, even a stubborn one.”
This made Fluttershy realize how she was behaving, and she felt deeply ashamed, even near tears.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Goat.” she cried as she hugged the animal dearly, and goat licked her softly on the cheek as accept to her apology, as well as apologizing for giving her so much trouble.
Applejack wiped a tear from her eye and sighed happily “Now that’s a bit more like it.” but she couldn’t help but ask “Why were you in such a hurry to shear him for?”
“Well, I wanted to borrow his wool.” said Fluttershy “You see, I wanted to knit Rhymey a sweater for our anniversary tonight.”
“Aw, shucks, ain’t that sweet.” Said Applejack, but then she realized “Wait a minute-- tonight?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“You wanna knit a whole sweater by tonight, and you didn’t even shear the wool?”
Fluttershy began to feel worried “Is that… bad?”
Applejack shook her head. “Fluttershy I hate to break your spirits, but it just ain’t that simple. Granny Smith told me everythin’. See, after the wool is sheared, then ya gotta wash it and hang it up to dry several days over to get it clean. Then it’s gotta be dyed… carted… and spun into yarn, and even then, even an expert knitter like Granny Smith can’t knit a whole sweater than fast. In about three weeks maybe, faster if she don’t eat or sleep, but ya just can’t rush this sorta thing.”
Fluttershy looked down-hearted. All this time she was just acting like a big fool.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”
“No, no… it’s okay… I guess, but what am I going to do about Rhymey?”
Even Applejack hadn’t an idea.
By sundown, Rhymey finally told Cupcake about the necklace, and she was simply devastated, and was now pacing about in a panic.
“Oh, Rhymey this is terrible! Are you absolutely sure about this?”
Rhymey nodded regretfully…
“I searched and I searched that house square on.
But there is no doubt, your pearls are gone.
I don’t know what to say or do.
I feel I really have betrayed you.”
Cupcake could tell he was being sincere and felt just as badly as she did, but still, what was there to say. “Oh, what am I going to tell Carrot Cake?!” she cried.
“Tell me what?” her husband said, having just entered the shop.
His wife looked as if she’d swallowed a fly, and Rhymey decided to confess.
“Mr. Cake, the necklace your grandmother gave you,
On your wedding way when you gave them to your wife too.
I’m afraid she loaned them to me…
And I’ve lost them… I’m very sorry.”
Carrot Cake only smiled and shook his head saying “No, you haven’t lost them.”
The others were confused, and he could only repeat “You did not lose my grandmother’s necklace. Lucky for you, those were only based imitations of the pearls.”
Now the others were shocked.
“The necklace was a fake?” asked Cupcake.
“What do you mean, Mr. Cake?” rhymed Rhymey.
Carrot Cake explained as he gazed at his wife “I really do love you, Cup Cake, but don’t get me wrong, you’re not perfect just like the rest of us. You aren’t without your flaws…”
His wife gawked in shock and near disgust.
Carrot Cake then looked towards Rhymey “And one of those faults is she’s rather careless with jewelry. As much as I trust her in many ways, I’d never let her play around with a valuable string of pearls like that. So I did the smart things; I had some imitations made, and I locked up the real ones in a chest in our closet.”
Rhymey felt ever so relieved, but Mrs. Cake was outraged and practically thundered, “What in the world are you talking about? I am certainly not careless!”
“Oh?” her husband said “How about the time you forgot to take off your earrings before you went to bed?”
She remembered; her earrings clipped onto the pillow, getting stuck her to her ears and pulling on her.
“And then there was your wedding ring…”
Sometime after all the ponies turned humanoid, Cup Cake wore her wedding ring on her finger like all married couples, but on occasion it would slip off and she wouldn’t notice. It fell down the sink drain… It once fell into the flour while they were baking cookies, and a little colt almost choked on it. There were even a couple of times she had forgotten that she never even put it on to begin with.
Carrot Cake nodded, despite having already proven his point, “And just now, you lent that necklace to Rhymey and he lost them. Now need I say more?”
His wife pouted, and grumbled to Rhymey “I hate it when he’s right.”
Rhymey couldn’t help but chuckle softly, and Cup Cake hugged her husband, and he pecked her cheek. “I still love you anyway, honeybun.”
“And I love you.” he said to her.
Rhymey hated to interrupt…
“I borrowed those pearls, and here’s why.
I wanted to have them matched, for Fluttershy.”
“Oh, that’s right!” cried Cup Cake “It’s their three month wedding anniversary, tonight. Maybe there’s still time to get it done.”
“Well, we can try.” said Carrot Cake “But I’ll handle the pearls this time.”
It was very kind of him to re-lend him the real pearls, but sadly all the stores were closed, and there was nothing any of them could do. So Rhymey was forced to go home empty-handed.
The Cakes couldn’t help but apologize for putting him through all this, and Rhymey was still grateful for their help.
Now he had to break the sad news to his wife.
When he got home, he found Fluttershy weeping outside the cottage
(Skip to 1:22)
The squirrel offered her his acorn in hopes to cheer her up.
“Oh, thank you, but I’m afraid a couple of little acorns won’t help my problem.”
Angel the pointed behind her, and she looked over her shoulder and saw Rhymey. She looked away from him, to ashamed to face him.
“Fluttershy… I…”
“Just go away.” she cried “I don’t want you to see me right now…”
“What is the matter with you?
Is there anything I can do?”
Fluttershy hesitated, until the animals gave her the hint to fess up, and she explained Rhymey everything about his gift and how it ended in disaster for her. “Now I don’t have anything for our anniversary. I’m so sorry!”
She threw her arms around him and began to cry in on his shoulder.
Her husband held her deeply and smiled saying.
“It’s alright, Fluttershy
Please don’t cry.”
“What do you mean?” she sobbed.
Rhymey explained to her how he messed up as well with the necklace.
“There was nothing I could do either way
So I have nothing for you, I’m sorry to say.”
“You… you don’t?”
He shook his head.
Fluttershy wiped away her tears, and her lips curled into a soft smile, and before she knew it she and Rhymey began to laugh with one another.
When they finally got it all out, they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes and shared a soft kiss before deciding to just spend the evening at home together.
“I love you.” she said.
“I love you too.” he rhymed.
*Back to Present Day*
Starla giggled softly “We told you so, didn’t we?”
Fluttershy and Rhymey leaned casually against one another remembering it all well.
“You and Lightning were right.” said Fluttershy “All we really needed is each other.”
Rhymey pecked his wife tenderly, but then they both felt a bad for Starla and Lightning.
“I hope that he’ll awaken,
So no more sadness will be taken.”
Starla nodded and gazed down at Lightning “I hope so too.”
Deep in Lightning conscience, he was actually starting to think more and more about Starla and all the others, rather than the tragedy and his failure to prevent it, but it still wasn’t enough for him to find his will to escape the darkness around him.
“If only I could really become strong-willed again.” he muttered sadly to himself.
That’s when a strange voice said to him “Maybe you already are; but you fail to see it.”
Lightning looked up, and around and all over, and suddenly, he could see that mysterious glowing figure, he was little too bright and faded to be seen too clearly, but Lightning vaguely make out that he was a pony, about half his height.
“Who are you? More importantly, how are you even here?”
“I think the more important question is: What are you doing here?”
Lightning didn’t know how to respond to that, but the figure told him…
“You have lost a great deal that was important to you, and you try your hardest to avoid this in future and make it so that others do not share the unpleasantness. In the end, everyone is not perfect, and we all cannot control everything that happens to us and to those around us no matter hard we try.”
“I already know that!” snapped Lightning, and he began to feel down hearted again “I lost so much already, my family, my birth-planet Harmonious, my home-planet; Unicornicopia, I even lost a few good friends that I tried to protect.”
He then saw faces of Fratello, Twilight, Flash Sentry, and though he couldn’t see it, he thought of Cadance’s baby, Amando. That hurt him the most out of it all.
“You were unable to prevent those tragedies…” the figure said to him “However, you were able to prevent tragedies far more costly and deathly from occurring, and thus sparing many from a worse fate rather than emotional trauma, were you not?”
Those words made Lightning start to rekindle with his confidence immensely. “In the end, I can’t save everyone, but I can do what I can so others can avoid a worse fate.”
He also began to realize that lying in his standstill was obviously causing much grief and discomfort for everyone else, and that staying as he was would neither help him nor the others.
Content that his task was complete the figure began to vanish, saying “There are many things you can do, and be sure to focus more on them than other things.”
“Wait…!” cried Lightning “Who you are you? You didn’t tell me!”
“Take great care, and help my mother to save my father from the enemy.”
That was all the figure said before he vanished completely, and Lightning began to realize who it was…
“…Galloping Galaxies!”
Now he could actually his strength very slowly starting to return and the darkness was actually breaking up a little.
“…I’ve got things to do!”
(Promo)
In our next episode: After Lightning finally awakens from his standstill, the time to infiltrate the Insecto Armada has come, and the first task is to sneak aboard the mothership to rescue Shining Armor, but the Insectos have been preparing too and have very many surprises in store for the team.
To make matters worse, the barrier around the planet is beginning to weaken, which puts everyone in extremely dire situations.
Just how will things turn out as plans fall into action?
Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!”
(Next episode: “Part 1: Infiltration!”)