The Summerbug Factor

by Natsumushi

Chapter 5 - Silver and Gold

Chapter 5
Silver and Gold

Warm sunlight filtered in through a nearby window as a brown stallion hummed a lovely tune. His stylish black rimmed glasses rested low upon his muzzle as he focused on the garment he was currently making.

"Just one last stitch and...perfect!" he exclaimed as the pegasus took a few steps back and clapped his hooves in excitement as he admired his latest design to complete his new fashion line. Blazers, Lapels, and a few select dresses made up his current line, called Gemstone la Renaissance. The outfits themselves were all inspired by the deep, rich colors of gemstones with silver highlights and in the design of those times. To further add to their extravagance, he added cut stones to the buttons and the cuffs in relation to the outfit's color. Suddenly the bell chimed in the next room.

He slicked back his long golden mane, and situated his beloved fuchsia scarf. With a bow he entered the display room and gleefully welcomed the newcomer.

"Welcome to the Silver Siren Boutique! I am Silver-Stitch, the owner and proprietor of the elegant shop you now stand in! How may I-" He paused mid-sentence as his eyes opened and beheld the mare before him.

"Do mine eyes deceive me? Derpy Hooves? My goodness honey, how are you?" he inquired in his effeminate voice as he rushed up to the mare. "It's been a year since last we met up, sweetheart. We really do need to get together more regularly. Pleasantries aside, to what do I owe the honor of this pleasant surprise?" he asked, unable to keep from prancing about in his excitement.

"Well, that might be sooner than you think Silver! You got an invite from a friend of mine back in Ponyville named Pinkie Pie. I didn't know you knew her too. She was pretty insistent that I deliver this to you A.S.A.P. and said that it was super-duper important that you come. Come to think of it, how did she know that we knew each other?" she pondered as she put a hoof to her chin.

"Pinkie Pie? I don't know a Pinkie Pie. Who is she?" He questioned, taking the pink letter Derpy was presenting to him, and began to open the letter with a wingtip.

"Really? You don't know her? That's weird, but then again it is Pinkie! She's a mystery wrapped within a mystery!" She nodded as Silver-Stitch began to read the invitation.

'Hi,
I'm Pinkie Pie and I just overheard two of my friends talking about school days in Cloudsdale and I heard the saddest, most gloomy, dramatic story ever!

I want my new friend to be happy again and so I thought, 'I need to invite Silver-Stitch!' because you two were, like, the bestest friends ever! But then he had a really bad day and totally shot you down I don't like seeing friends fight or be sad or hurt.

So please, if you have time to visit Ponyville tonight, that would be really super amazing! Then you two can play games and eat cake and make up, and then you two can catch up on all the things you missed out on over the years you two spend separated. I even got you a train ticket! Hope to see you around 5 o'clock at Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville!
Your pal, Pinkie Pie.'

Silver-Stitch reread the invite several times before turning quizzically to derpy.

"Derpy dear, who is this Pinkie Pie talking about?"

Derpy shifted nervously and started to fondle her mane with an idle hoof.

"Um...w-well...the thing is...", she paused, pondering her next words.

"Our local fashionista, Rarity, hired a cloud sculptor from Cloudsdale to make cloud art for a fashion show she'll be holding this week starting tomorrow. It just so happens that...it was Summerbug..." She finally choked out, blushing brightly.

Silver-Stitch dropped the letter and stared awestruck at Derpy. His old friend, his old love, Summerbug, resurfacing now after sixteen long years of not knowing what had happened to him. He hadn't noticed the tears forming at this corner of his eyes until derpy took her wingtip and wiped away his tears with a concern look upon her face.

"S-Summerbug, he's back? Alive? not that I ever truly believed in those old rumors, but he practically vanished the day after that incident. H-he didn't even say goodbye..." he whimpered. Derpy pulled him into a loving and compassionate embrace, just like she had done many times before for her daughter, Dinky, when she was having a rough day at school.

"There, there, Silver. Its going to be okay, you don't have to worry anymore. he seems well and he's been trying to make things right with everypony, even me. I think you should try to make it to the party." she suggested.

Silver-Stitch slowly composed himself. And with a weak smile he said he would.

"Thank you, Derpy, dear. Maybe if this, "Rarity" will allow it, perhaps I could possibly display my own fashion line alongside hers. Would you be so kind as deliver a last minute letter to her from me?" he asked Derpy. Being hopeful of the days events, she eagerly waited as he wrote out the letter.

"Thank you so much dear. I'll begin preparations and at the very least, I will see you at this 'Pinkie Party'." he informed her.

"As long as I can find a foalsitter for Dinky, that'll be a promise!" she happily replied and flew off, back to Ponyville.

After she had left, he sighed. He meandered over to his work room and unlocked the bottom drawer marked 'memories', and began to restore the scarf that he had made for Summerbug so many years ago, as well as that lovely love note to Rainbow Dash from sixteen years ago.

"I feel so ashamed of throwing these out originally. It was a good thing that I was able to dig them out of that trashcan before the janitor had a chance to throw them out! By the end of today, I'll fix and clean them both if its the last thing I do!" and with the rekindled flame of hope, love and friendship in his heart, he went to work repairing and restoring the age-worn gifts.

***

"Oh Aloe, this new massage oil is so divine. How ever do you come up with such a wonderful mixture?" Rarity cooed to Aloe as the spa twins massaged their clients.

"You are too kind." she replied as her sister, Lotus, was gently combing Fluttershy's hair.

"Yes, well. Fluttershy sweetness, I can't help but recall that you said your school years with Summerbug where a bit painful but you only said how he was picked on and had lovely art. What was painful?" She asked her.

Fluttershy froze up. Oh Fluttershy, you're such a loud mouth. And with a sigh she began to explain.

"Well, before dashie and I got our cutie marks, he had confessed his feelings for her. But it went terribly wrong. The bully, Guile Gilder had hurt him earlier, and the next day Summerbug was absent and never came back to school."

"The local paper said that Shutterbug, Summerbug's father, was in the hospital in intensive care for severe alcohol poisoning. Soon a rumor began that Summerbug and his mother had died in an accident related to that. There house was destroyed and whatever was burnable was burned. It came out later in the papers that Shutterbug was an abusive stallion." Rarity gasped.

"But earlier that day, word got out that Summerbug had stood up to Guile Gilder and that the two got into a fight. Summerbug was a bloody mess..." she paused to catch her breath.

"Some of the students started to think that Guile had actually hunted him down and killed him. He was an intimidating griffon. It was a silly rumor though, but Guile then heard the rumor and decided to use it to scare the other students into following his every whim."

"Needless to say that when the teachers caught wind of the rumor and that he encouraged it, that he was then sent to a juvenile court and then to a psychiatrist. Not even the teachers knew about Summerbug or his mother's whereabouts. So we just assumed the worst."

"But I followed the case and the bodies were never found, so I hoped he was still alive, but must confess I had some doubt." Fluttershy finished with a sigh.

"Oh sweetie... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pressed the issue. I feel just terrible now... can you ever forgive me?" Rarity pleaded.

"Of course, he's alive after all. I feel silly for even entertaining the rumor. You were just curious after all." Fluttershy replied.

As Rarity and Fluttershy left the spa the two ran into Derpy who was both smiling and also exhausted.

"Hi... Rarity... got... letter..." and plopped on the ground in front of the two holding out a lovely and very elegant, baby blue letter.

With her magic Rarity lifted Derpy to her hooves and opened the letter.

"Oh? who is this from? Thank you Derpy, here, for your troubles. And please have a spa day on me." Rarity told her as she levitated a pouch of precious gems to Derby; who could not believe the amount of wealth she was holding in her hooves.

"R-Rarity? I-I can't accept this. This is way too much-"

"Oh nonsense, you look completely exhausted. Please, I insist! You deserve to be pampered once in awhile, you are always working so hard to provide for sweet little Dinky. Speaking of whom, Sweetie Belle was wondering if Dinky was as still on for a cutie mark crusader sleepover this Friday night?"

"Ah..ah..thank you so much, Rarity!" Derpy said wiping a wiping a tear from her eye. "And yes, Dinky can't stop talking about the sleepover! She's very excited about it."

"Oh, how wonderful! I will let Sweetie Belle know as soon as I can. Now about this lovely letter." She said as she prepared to read it.

'Dearest Rarity,
It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Silver-Stitch, owner and proprietor of the Silver Siren Boutique, located in the higher regions of Canterlot proper.

It has come to my attention that you are planning a fashion show this week. Forgive me for being so direct, but it would be a great honor if you would be willing to allow me to have the opportunity to display my newest fashion line alongside your own. I realize this request is rather bold, and I will completely understand if you were to decline, but nonetheless, I have received an invite to a party that is to take place in your humble hometown this afternoon well into the evening, and would be honored to meet you in the flesh.

Yours truly, Silver-Stitch.'

As Rarity finished reading the letter, and considered the request, Fluttershy curiously read the letter over Rarity's shoulder as well and let out a small giggle which did not go unheard.

"Did I miss something?" Rarity inquired.

"Oh no. Sorry Rarity, but I couldn't help but follow the letter with you. I went to school with Silver-Stitch as well. He is a very sweet pony. He is actually the one who helped me when I was in home education class when I was struggling with sewing and taught me a great deal about it as well. You and Silver-Stitch would get along very well." Fluttershy explained.

"So he's a Pegasus fashionista?"

"Yes."

Rarity then began to shudder with anticipation and she reveled in the prospect of having a potential friend that also happens to share in her passion. She had made up her mind.

"Derpy, sweetness, would you be willing to do me a small favor?" she cooed whilst batting her eyelashes.

***

Good thing I found a sitter for Dinky! and on such short notice as well! Finally my last trip to Canterlot to meet with Silver and to give him Rarity's reply, then back to Ponyville for a quick nap before the party! Oh Celestia, the things I do for love...

The cross-eyed mare thought to herself as she made her third longest flight for the day.

***

The bells to Silver Siren Boutique chimed, and Silver-Stitch briskly approached the door. A tired Derpy was slumped over the counter with an equally elegant letter in hoof.

He grabbed the letter and tucked it inside his wing.

"Thank You so much Derpy!" he said eagerly.

"Sure... not... a problem." Derpy wheezed in between gasps of air, before promptly passing out.

"Oh you poor thing! Here allow me to take care of you, you've earned it." He insisted as he hoisted the blonde mare into his own back and brought her into his personal, immaculate and beautiful bathroom.

The bathtub alone was large enough to hold a party of ten and was furnished with the finest of precious metals. As he drew the bath for the exhausted mare, he decided to open the letter and read it.

'Hello I am Rarity Belle,

I would love to meet with you and see your line as well. My dear friend Fluttershy spoke highly of you and that you were in fact the friend of hers that taught her so much about the art of tailoring. It would be my pleasure to make your acquaintance! I cannot wait to meet you as well, Ciao!
yours truly, Rarity.'

As Silver-Stitch read these words, he could not help but to hoof-pump, followed by a silent "yes!" He then looked over to the bathtub and begin to add some herbal soap and realized that the tub had begun to overflow, "Oh, ponyfeathers!"

***

Derpy soon found herself in a warm, soothing bath tub. The fragrances invaded her nostrils and filled her with a relaxing aroma that also cleared some of her sinuses. Derpy looked around at the glorious bathroom in awe and wonder.

As she settled down and allowed the bath to ease the tension and sore muscles in her wings and back, she couldn't help but to talk aloud to herself.

"If this is the dream, I don't want to wake up. This feels so good. All this dream needs now is a loving, handsome, trustworthy and respectable stallion and my fantasy will be complete."

"Even if he's gay?"

The unexpected voice from behind caused her to fly up in surprise. Quickly she glanced behind her to see Silver- Stitch laughing to himself. Derpy let out a sigh of relief and she brought a hoof to her chest and closed her eyes.

"Geez, Silver! Don't scare me like that! Last thing I wanna do is get the pee scared out of me."

"Pee? You really are in a mommy mind set aren't you?" he asked jovially.

"Speaking of being a mommy, how is your adorable little filly? And do you mind if I join you? It is my bathtub after all." He smirked. Derpy shook her head at his silliness.

"Of course, it'll be like when we were foals again." She answered playfully splashing a wing full of water at him.

"Oh is that so? Two can play at that game!" And he got into the tub and slashed two wingfulls of water at her at the same time.

After a few minutes of splashing each other, the two settled down on opposite ends of the tub and began to chat idly, catching up on things and the like.

After some time had passed, the two decided to get ready to catch a train to Ponyville, Silver-Stitch insisted he pay for Derpy's train ticket, much to Derpy's chagrin, and convinced her to let him give her a makeover; complete with a simple, yet eye-catching dress of his own design during the time they would be on the train, waiting to arrive at their destination.

"Silver, why are you being so generous to me? Not that you weren't before, but you like him still as well... So, why help me?"
She eventually asked as the train came to halt at the Ponyville train station.

With a sigh and a forlorn expression, he replied, "Derpy sweetie, he made it very clear to me on that day that he wasn't into colts or even willing to experiment. I know for a fact that I would never win his heart. But I'm plenty happy to reignite our old friendship, that would be enough for me."

"But you! You've gone through so much pain and sadness. And if anything you deserve at least a great shot to impress him. Even if you don't become his special somepony, you at least tried. And as a plus you will look absolutely fabulous!"

"You are my friend, and I'll help you in anyway that I can. And also, I won't let you alone if you had a few drinks. I know how you had Dinky. I won't let anyone ever take advantage of you ever again as long as I'm around!" he swore to her as the two embarked on what was gearing up to be a wonderful evening.

Comments

[Moongaze14]

I'm glad to see this story again. I really enjoyed the chapter. I hope to see more soon.

[Natsumushi]

5377507 Thank you. I will indeed try.

[Mikey]

Well...this will be interesting.