Fluttershy rolled out of bed the next morning, clothes wrinkled, hair disheveled, feeling very awkward. She stumbled out the door, snatching up her bow and quiver as she went. Dylan was already up, smelting some ore he'd got out of the old mineshaft in a furnace in the back room of the tavern into neat orange and gray bars. She leaned against the doorway, twirling a strand of pale pink hair between her fingers. He turned to look at her, his image warped by the heat from the furnace.
"Good morning, Fluttershy. Sleep well?"
"Um...yes...?"
"Great! Would you mind heading out to the mine and getting some more ore? I'm already running low, and who knows? Maybe you'll find some treasure or something."
"Uhhh...okay..." She blushed, unable to force last night's dream from the forefront of her mind.
"Thanks, mate. I really appreciate your help." He used his foot to slide the copper tool she'd seen before, the one she hadn't been able to name, towards her. But she knew what it was now. A pickaxe. She picked it up with both hands and walked out of the bar, a wide, uncontrollable grin on her face. He'd called her mate. Back in Ponyville, your mate was your mare/coltfriend. Did he think of her that way too?
By this time, she was at the entrance to the mineshaft. She walked inside, dim torches lighting the dirt shafts carved into the hill. She headed into one, without really thinking, still daydreaming. She started to chip away at the brown ore deposits in the walls,little blocks of raw copper falling at her feet. She picked them up and stuffed them in her knapsack, moving on to the next deposit. She did it again, and again, enjoying the repetition. Soon, she began to tire, and she sat down to rest on a rock. She crossed her arms, laid them down on her knees, and bowed over, sleeping peacefully.
She was awoken suddenly, a wet, slimy feeling against her leg. But when her eyes shot open, they...didn't. She blinked, but still could not see! She stood up, panicking. She was blinded! She grabbed the wall, hoping if she followed it, it would lead her back out. She slid her hand along the stone, walking, trembling with fear. And then, for the third time, she fell in a hole.
"Not again!" She yelped, falling. Her body landed in a soft pile of sand at the bottom of the hole, and after she recovered from the shock, her vision began to clear. It was still dark, but she could see torchlight from the cavern above. Around her was cold, wet darkness, and she began to cry. Pull yourself together! said something inside her. You can do this! This cave has to have an exit somewhere, she thought. She stood up, wiped the tears from her lashes, and walked down, further into the cavernous belly of Terraria.