//------------------------------// // 24 - Ever Forward // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// The soft creak of a wooden hinge signaled Jim’s arrival as he ducked into the door of Zecora’s hut. His thoughts had been elsewhere as he slipped in, but his mind quickly registered something different as a new scent entered his nostrils. Jim’s eyes instantly darted over to the bed where Scootaloo still rested. Beside her stood the zebra… along with Fluttershy. Having heard the opening of the hut’s door, Zecora and Fluttershy had pried their eyes away from the sleeping filly. Zecora regarded Jim with a curious look, for she wondered what he had been up to. Though the more she examined him, the more she seemed to learn what his actions had entailed during his absence. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was surprised to see Jim at first but her shock swiftly melted into genuine concern as she spotted his disheveled appearance and the scattered patches of drying blood on his hands, chest, and face. With surprising speed, she flapped her wings and leapt across the room to inspect Jim’s injuries. Having noticed her intentions, Jim smiled weakly and used the back of his hand to lift her gaze up to him. “Don’t worry. They were only minor cuts and scrapes. I kind of threw a fit a little while ago, but I’m alright now.” “But what about the blood?” Fluttershy asked, still not convinced he was fine. Jim chuckled softly and his smile widened a pinch. “My wounds healed a while ago. Werewolves have a fairly useful, accelerated healing. I just didn’t have a chance to wash the blood off yet…” His eyes drifted over to Scootaloo. “Did anything happen while I was gone?” he asked. Zecora shook her head. “She has slumbered peacefully since you left.” Jim let loose a small sigh of relief. “Good… she could use the rest.” “As could you, Jim…” Zecora rebutted quietly. Jim glared at her for a brief instant, wondering how she gained knowledge of his name, before he closed his eyes and sighed. “There is no rest for the wicked. Besides, I can rest when I know that she’s really alright. Until then, I’ll watch over her.” Zecora sighed, but a small smiled spread over her features. “Admirable… yet stubborn without a doubt. It would be wise for you to rest before you, too, are worn out.” Fluttershy gently placed her hoof against Jim’s leg as she looked up pleadingly. “Please don’t push yourself so hard, Jim. You should rest. Nopony ever achieved what was really important without the energy to get it done. I don’t know what happened with you and Scootaloo, but you don’t look so well. Please try to get some rest…” Jim sighed slowly as he steadily lost the battle with those adorable cyan eyes as they stared up at him, her lower lip trembling along with them. He gently brought his clawed hand up and softly pet her mane a few times as he smiled a little. “Alright… you win. I’ll take a little nap, but promise me that you’ll wake me when something happens.” Fluttershy nodded with a warm smile on her muzzle. “I will.” Jim nodded in turn before he walked over to the only open spot that would fit him and curled up on the floor near Zecora’s bed. He cast one more glance at Scootaloo’s sleeping face before he settled down. He soon found himself drifting off to sleep as the full weight of his fatigue washed over his mind and body, and before he knew it, Jim was lost to the realm of dreams. ~~***~~ Jim was unsure how long he had been out for, but he was sure it had not been long enough as he was pulled from his slumber. Jim’s ear rotated to the sound of a hushed whisper and his eyes slowly crept open. A long low groan rumbled through his throat as he lifted his head, instantly realizing that he was not going to have a pleasant rest of the day. His body screamed at him for sustenance, his muscles refusing to move as easily as they should. His senses quickly shifted to the gentle prodding from his side and he turned his bleary gaze to see who it was. Scootaloo sat beside him, a small smile on the end of her muzzle as her amethyst eyes looked back at his. Jim could see a little conflict behind her gaze as she looked at him, but she seemed more relieved that he had awoken. Jim smiled for her and nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “Hey there, kid. How are you feeling?” he asked softly. Scootaloo nuzzled back, exhaling a notable sigh. “I’m okay, I guess. This didn’t happen the way I thought it would…” Jim chuckled gently. “Becoming a ferocious beast is never easy. At least you still look like a pony. I’d have no idea what to do if you wound up with an ugly mug like mine.” Scootaloo giggled softly, butting against his chin playfully. “You look cool.” Jim’s smile grew a little more. “Thanks.” Though it was very faint, Jim’s ears picked up on the soft sound of a gentle sigh and he slowly turned his head toward the source. His gaze landed on Twilight and her friends, with Zecora standing beside her potion mixing station, a smile on her face as she busied herself with something in her mixing bowl. Jim lifted a brow at the many smiles pointed at him. Everypony was there. Twilight and Pinkie stood beside Zecors’s mixing table, Applejack and Rarity were over by the small bookcase, and Fluttershy was standing next to Rainbow Dash by the door, all of them smiling at the touching scene in front of them. Instantly, Jim felt the heat from an embarrassed blush and he slowly sat up from nuzzling Scootaloo, much to the filly’s dismay. He noticed her sit down and pout, flashing her a teasing grin before looking to Twilight. “So… how much trouble am I in this time?” he asked in false humor. Twilight’s smile faded, but did not vanish completely. “Not too much, actually. We managed to explain most of the situation to Cheerilee and, though it took nearly an hour, we managed to convince her that everything was okay. She’s still worried about Scootaloo, as we were until we got here.” Jim nodded gently. “I see…” he said before looking between Fluttershy and Zecora. “How long have I been asleep?” “Oh, you were out for quite a while. Luna just lifted her moon into the sky a little bit ago,” Fluttershy answered. “How are you feeling, Jim?” A weak chuckle slipped through Jim and he shook his head. “Tired… it took a lot out of me to keep Scootaloo from getting out of my grasp.” “I’m sorry for that,” Scootaloo immediately said as she moved closer and hugged Jim’s arm, burying her face into his fur. Jim gently reached over and picked her up to hug her, humming softly. “Now now, there’s no need for that. Trust me, I don’t blame you for any of it. All of this is my fault anyway, so don’t beat yourself up over it. Hell, you did real good today… I’m proud of you, kid.” Scootaloo hugged Jim tightly as she smiled and fought back her tears. “I know… but I still hurt you.” “Better it be me and not one of your friends. Just look, the place where you were biting has long been healed. I’m perfectly fine now.” That part peaked Twilight’s interest and she walked closer to Jim and Scootaloo. “That reminds me, what did happen after you left the schoolhouse? You’re covered in patches of dried blood and your fur is a total mess,” she said with curious, yet slightly worried eyes. Jim sighed and chuckled again before he began to explain the events of what had transpired. He told of Scootaloo’s fighting him the entire time, her struggle with her inner nature, and her eventual success. He then told of his meeting with Zecora, though he refrained from explaining what he had planned to do to her had she been a threat. He wrapped his explanation up after he had let Scootaloo fall asleep in his lap… or he tried to at least. “That doesn’t explain why you’re practically covered in blood though. From what you said, Scootaloo had drawn blood on your chest. Where did the rest come from?” Twilight inquired with a hoof to her chin as she eyed the rest of his body critically. Jim groaned quietly as he ran his hand through his hair before rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… I kind of learned a few things about my curse that I was… not happy to hear. Supposedly, Zecora’s people created my curse a long time ago and… it’s permanent. I didn’t take that very well. I wound up putting Scootaloo in Zecora’s bed and I went out for a while to vent some of my frustration. I got a few cuts from the experience, but they healed even before I came back to this house.” Jim cast his gaze down to Scootaloo when he had finished answering Twilight. “Sorry that I did this to you, kid. I wish I could fix it…” Scootaloo’s eyes watered a little as she realized what Jim really meant. She would have to be careful in the future. Deep in her heart, Scootaloo knew that her emotions were now her greatest enemy… especially her anger. The trigger that had started her transformation had been from frustration when Rarity had not listened when Scoots had asked to be left alone. She wanted to be strong, like Jim. She felt that she would be just fine if he was there to watch her. Then, as it suddenly dawned on her, she realized that she had known that Jim was close by when she had started feeling her mind slipping away. She would have thought more on that, were it not for Jim suddenly hugging her a little tighter and nuzzling her. It was painfully obvious that he was deeply upset about what he had done to her. “It’s okay, Jim,” Scootaloo said reassuringly as she hugged him tightly, too. “Everything will be just fine, you’ll see. As long as you’re watching over me… I think it’ll all be okay. I don’t think you need to be so sorry for it anymore.” Jim chuckled softly and he shook his head. “As sweet as that is of you to say, I won’t be so forgiving of myself. Still, I think you’re right about one thing. I’ll stick with you, Scoots. We’d make a pretty cool team… wouldn’t you agree?” he said as he lifted his head away to look her in the eyes. Scootaloo looked right back at him as a big grin spread over her face. “Yeah!” Jim chuckled again and he gently tussled her mane. Then he looked back up to see even more of those annoyingly happy smiles on everypony’s faces. He rolled his eyes playfully and shook his head at them. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he joked. There was a sudden click sound and a flash of light. All eyes turned toward Pinkie Pie who now held a developing photo in her mouth as her camera vanished into her mane. She looked around curiously before taking the photo into a hoof. “What? It was a good idea.” “Oh, Pinkie,” Twilight said with a smile as she shook her head. Jim looked on with a smile as well, finding her antics amusing. He had a feeling… for once in his life… that Scootaloo might be right in what she had said. Things were going to be okay. The night continued as one would expect after such an eventful day. Though the energy of the group had remained on the low side of the scale, it did not stop Twilight’s curious mind from turning over a few questions, which she asked of Jim. Though tired, Jim made sure to answer her queries to the best of his ability. At one point he wanted to talk about the Spirit of Harmony, if only so that he could get another opinion on the matter, but he decided against the idea in the end. The way he saw it, he would be better off asking Celestia about it, since she had learned from the spirit. During Twilight’s little Q and A session, Fluttershy had wandered over with a rag and wooden bucket filled with water and she began the tender yet tedious process of washing away the blood from his coat. Jim was quick to notice how she did not seem to be bothered by his blood, which prompted him to wonder why. Unfortunately, he never really got a chance to ask her during Twilight's questioning. Still... it was food for though at a later time. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had found a spot to sit close by. Jim had noticed her movement, as well as the odd look on her face that seemed to say that she was a little upset. He had wondered why, but it eventually dawned on him that he had promised her a talk that evening. All he could do in that moment was offer her a small, apologetic smile. Once the questioning from Twilight had finished, and Jim’s fur had been cleaned of most of the blood, Zecora wandered over with a pair of bowls balanced on her back. She offered them to Jim and Scootaloo, saying that they looked hungry. The two wolves of the room skeptically eyed the contents of the bowls, though Jim’s reaction showed he knew what floated within the mixture. He looked to Zecora with a raised brow. The zebra simply smiled and nodded toward the offered meal. Jim took the bowls, handing one to Scootaloo, before he took a whiff of the food. Meat was definitely in the mix. What kind of meat was a mystery, but it did smell good. Shaking his head, he went to take a bite but was interrupted when Scootaloo let out a muffled gasp. All eyes turned to her and she swallowed what was in her mouth before staring at Zecora. “This is amazing!” she exclaimed with a growing smile. “What is this, Zecora?” Zecora smiled lightly. “Nothing that I would consider grand, but I am glad to see that the flavor is far from bland,” she said and cast a subtle wink toward Jim. Jim sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He was unsure if Scootaloo should even be eating a dish with meat in it, but he was not one to question the zebra’s way. The way he saw things, it would either be just what the young pony needed in her new state or she’d throw it up if her system could not handle it. The one thing he was sure of was that if Twilight and her friends knew what Scootaloo was eating, they’d probably faint, pass out, turn green, or pass it off as yet another odd thing to happen in their lives. For the moment, he figured he’d stay quiet on the subject and enjoy his food. The only down side was that the portion size was far too small for his needs, but he’d take it as a snack to curb his hunger pains at least. In a single motion, Jim tilted his head back and poured the whole bowl into his mouth. Scootaloo had not been exaggerating about the taste. It was delicious. The flavor reminded him of a rich beef stew, only more earthy. After he had chewed the stew a little bit to savor the flavor and swallowed, his head returned to a normal position and he realized he was the center of attention again. Rarity seemed appalled by the display, but was trying not to show it. Twilight seemed fascinated as she had not seen Jim eat before and already her mind was analyzing the movements of his jaws and throat. Applejack seemed fairly neutral, but there was a slight tightening in her cheek muscles as she suppressed a grin. Rainbow was smirking at him with her forehooves crossed. Pinkie and Fluttershy, though… they were simply looking on as if it were a perfectly normal way to see somepony eat. At this point in time, Jim simply didn’t have much room to care. It was still a little strange for him to eat with his wolf anatomy, but it was essential that he maintain his health nutritionally. So until he figured out a more civilized way to consume his nutrients, he would resort to crude ways of eating his food. Not that it mattered in the end, there was no sophisticated way of eating the corpse of your prey after all. His thoughts drifted to that subject again, wondering when he should slip away to hunt. Then his gaze slowly drifted down to Scootaloo… I wonder if I should teach her how to hunt… he contemplated quietly. It was food for thought. If she needed meat in her diet now, then it would possibly be a useful bit of knowledge for her in the future. But should he even consider the idea? She was a pony at heart… killing something to eat it might push her sanity into forbidden territories. Then again, the act of hunting was a perfect way to exercise the things he had started to teach her yesterday. It was not an idea for him to toy with carelessly. Any further thought was derailed when Jim’s ears flicked to the sound of Scootaloo’s yawn. He had to agree with that statement, he was still tired as well. He looked to the girls. “Seems like Scootaloo’s sleepy again. She and I did have an exhausting day. Shall we get going? Or are we staying here for the night?” he asked. Zecora looked thoughtful for a moment as Twilight glanced her way. She shrugged. “I am fine with either way, you may go or you may stay.” Twilight smiled but shook her head. “I’m sure the offer is appreciated, but I think it would be better if we all took our leave. We’ve troubled you enough today.” “Worry not, Twilight Sparkle, I actually enjoyed my time with all of you today. I also look forward to hanging out with you all another day.” Jim smiled at that and nodded in agreement. “I will admit, I’d like to get that recipe from you sometime soon. That was a good stew. If you’d have me, I’d like to be your guest again.” Zecora nodded with a wide smile. “Then it’s settled, we’ll head back to the castle. Unless anypony wants to go home instead?” Twilight said as she looked at her friends. Most of them were fine with the idea, though Applejack declined since she had work on the farm in the morning. Fluttershy also declined. Her home was not far from where they were and she would need to be home for her early rising animal friends. Twilight nodded in understanding and offered to teleport them to their homes. The offer was quickly, yet respectfully, declined. Jim got the impression that Applejack was not a huge fan of teleportation magic, though he kind of sympathized with her since he had not really liked it either. It was too disorienting and he was not one to do anything that would interrupt his senses. With the offer of teleportation off of the table, the group decided they would walk out of the forest. It was after sundown and there was safety in numbers when it came to most of the Everfree creatures. As a group everyone exited Zecora’s hut, waving their goodbyes to their friend. Much to everyone’s relief there were no encounters with the nocturnal creatures of the Everfree as they left the forest. Once they were clear of the trees, Jim decided he’d give Scootaloo a chance to rest a little and he dropped down onto his hands and paws for her. Surprisingly she wasted no time, jumping up onto his back with ease. Once she had found her perch in the middle of his back, Scootaloo laid herself down and sighed contentedly. Jim eyed her for a moment, a smile plastered to his face at how adorable she was, before he gestured for the others to continue on. Fluttershy’s cottage came up first and she hugged everypony, including Jim, before she went into her home. Applejack’s farm came up next and she tilted her hat to her friends before walking along the long path to her home. That just left Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash, the latter seemingly growing closer to Jim’s side the further they walked. Bright hazel eyes flashed in the moonlight as Jim turned a glance toward Rainbow Dash. She nearly paused mid-step at the display but quickly regained her composure to continue walking beside him. Oddly enough, the display had made her walk even closer to Jim’s side, the tips of her wing feathers gently brushing against his fur as they walked. Jim grew a little curious about her reason for being so close, but he did not want to draw Twilight’s attention or disturb Scootaloo from her sleeping spot on his back. Still, he was fairly sure he was still on for having that talk with her before he could finally rest in his soft bed. His gaze returned to looking forward. The tips of Twilight’s castle’s towers had begun to peek from behind the buildings of Ponyville. The sight brought a little bit of relief to Jim as they continued on. This has got to be the most eventful my life has been for as long as I can remember, Jim thought with a tired smile. Before long, the group arrived at Twilight’s crystal abode. The young lavender Alicorn opened the door for her friends and Jim, then proceeded to escort them to their rooms. Rarity had insisted that she need not go through the trouble, but Twilight was adamant that she should do so just in case there was something she could do to help them get settled in. Jim took the offer, since he was unsure where they would be placing Scootaloo. Then an odd thought hit him, and he nearly facepalmed upon realizing it. “I just realized but… is all of this alright with Scootaloo’s family? I’m sure they must be worried about her…” he said as he looked between the ponies present. Rarity and Twilight shared a simple glance, but something about the look in their eyes told Jim there was definitely something they knew about the subject. Pinkie just shrugged her shoulders and looked to her friends while Rainbow’s mood suddenly stiffened. “Oh, uh… don’t worry about that, Jim. I kinda let them know that there was something going on and that we were helping her out. They might still be a little worried, but they trust us to handle stuff that goes on.” Jim instantly knew that part of that had been a lie. Though he looked calm enough on the outside, it was taking a lot of his willpower to not growl and eye Rainbow suspiciously. He knew that she was a loyal pony, based on how she stuck with her friends, but for her to lie to him meant something was up. The question was; was she lying about telling Scootaloo’s family or was she lying about them caring? “I see…” he said calmly. They’d better not be the type of family that would mistreat a kid like Scoots. I’ll deal with that when the time comes, though. I’m too tired to brood over something like that right now. Rainbow swallowed subtly and nodded. “Yeah, so, uh, Twi? Where is Scoots gonna stay?” Twilight blinked before grasping the attempt at deflecting the conversation away from the topic of Scootaloo’s family. Then she nodded quickly. “Oh, right, it’s this way,” she said and led Jim down the hall. As Jim followed, he heard Rarity step over to Rainbow and whisper something in her ear. Even with his ears facing forward, Jim could still hear her congratulate Rainbow on her quick thinking and of how disastrous it would be if Jim had found out about Scootaloo’s family. Jim’s jaw clenched as he fought back another growl. He really did not need this at the moment, but he could not help but feel angry. Not because he had even more fuel for his anger, but because he could tell that Scootaloo had heard them, too. Her little hooves had subtly started trembling against his back and she had tried to sink further into him. Twilight led them through the halls of the wing where Jim was staying. As it turned out, the room that she had prepared for Scootaloo was just two doors down the hall from his own. Twilight opened the door and she began to cover Scootaloo with her magic, thinking that the filly was still quietly sleeping, but Jim swiftly stopped her by tapping her horn with his claw. She looked at him, confused. He simply shook his head and walked into the dark room. Jim walked over to the bed and looked over his shoulder at Scootaloo. “Hey, kid… we’re here,” he whispered. Scootaloo didn’t move from her spot, only hugging Jim’s back a little tighter. He sighed, a little unsure how he should approach talking with her. “Hey… what’s the matter, Scootaloo?” “I’m a little scared…” Scootaloo answered quietly. "Could you stay in here and watch me? Please?” Jim sighed and smiled a little. “You’ll be fine, Scoots. I promise that nothing will happen to you. Even if it does, I’m just down the hallway. I’ll come running if you need me. Okay?” Scootaloo’s squeezed him tighter for a long, quiet moment before she sighed slowly. “Okay… but you have to promise that you’ll come.” “I promise.” “… Pinkie Promise?” Jim blinked and tilted his head. “What’s that?” Scootaloo finally looked up at Jim as a small smile tried to fight its way onto her muzzle. “It’s a super special promise. Once you make it, you can’t break it. Pinkie Pie says so.” Jim smiled a little at that. What was so special about that? What would stop him from breaking a special promise? Not that he would, especially one like this. “I see. So how do you make such a promise?” he asked. Scootaloo’s smile finally won the battle and it spread across her lips as she sat up on Jim’s back. “It goes like this: I cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! Pinkie says that you can’t break it no matter what or bad things happen,” she explained and showed the motions required for the ritualistic promise. Jim stifled a snicker at the display, clearly amused by such a ridiculous thing. He smiled kindly at Scootaloo and nodded his head before mimicking her words and actions. Much to his surprise, the instant he finished there was a strange whisper from somewhere that sounded like someone saying ‘forever’. He looked to Scootaloo and she smiled a little wider. “That just means it’s official. Apparently that’s the sound that everypony hears when you make a Pinkie Promise.” Jim nodded lightly, wondering if he really should have made such a promise. He still did not know a lot about Pinkie Pie… what if she had some weird kind of magic? Again, Jim’s thoughts were interrupted when Scootaloo suddenly lunged forward and hugged his neck tightly. Lacking flexible enough arms, Jim simply leaned his head into the embrace. They stayed like that for a few moments before Scootaloo let go and hopped onto the bed. Jim helped her get tucked in and ruffled her mane a little once more before he turned toward the door. “Good night, Scootaloo.” “Good night, Jim.” Jim smiled a little more and he walked to the door. He paused before closing the door, giving the filly one last look before grinning. “I’ll see you in the morning, kid. Get some rest, tomorrow’s going to be interesting.” Scootaloo nodded. “Mhmm!” As Scootaloo snuggled deeper into her covers, Jim closed the door. The instant the door clicked shut, his smile vanished and he turned to Twilight. “I’ll see the rest of you in the morning. There will be plenty for us to talk about, and I’m too tired right now.” His eyes drifted over to Rainbow Dash. “Though I did promise a discussion with Rainbow. So, good night, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity.” Jim slowly made his way to his door, glancing over his shoulder at the cyan pegasus mare as she stared at the floor for a few long moments. Then, just as Rarity had stepped closer to see if she was okay, Rainbow Dash nodded firmly and she walked over to Jim’s side. He eyed her coolly, though he was quite interested in what she was doing. He was no stranger to others being up to something, and Rainbow reeked of motivation, but this was the first time that he had seen her act so… different. He was at a loss as to what she might want and it made him feel cautious, yet he knew there was nothing for him to fear from her. She was not acting like those from his past for she also seemed unsure of herself. Opening the door, Jim beckoned Rainbow into his room. She entered calmly, though the smell of sweat started to fill the air. She was nervous. Jim waited for a second or two before he glanced over at the confused expressions on Twilight and Rarity’s faces. Pinkie simply held an assuring smile. Jim bowed his head lightly before he entered his room. The door closed and the room was doused in shadow, only the light of the moon filtering through the crystal window. Rainbow Dash stood in the middle of the room with her back toward Jim. Though faint, Jim could hear the slight rustling of her feathers as her wings shifted every now and then. She simply stood there, unmoving. Jim sighed internally and he took a few steps closer to her. “Rainbow-” “Don’t! Just… just stay there,” Rainbow said quietly, her voice seemingly strained. Jim stopped immediately. Just what was going on? Rainbow’s ears folded back and she hung her head a little. “Look… I’m… I’m sorry.” Jim’s brow lifted curiously. “For what?” “For… for what happened when… when you first showed up. I was a real jerk.” “It’s fine, Rainbow. I don’t blame you for any of what happened. I’m not the friendliest looking thing.” “It’s not okay!” She stomped and spun around to face him. “And it’s worse because even after you showed us you were an okay guy I-” She swallowed thickly. “I treated you like a monster. I was scared… scared of how fierce you looked back in that cave. I thought that you would… I dunno. It’s stupid to think it, but I thought you’d end up like Discord. One minute you’d be our friend and we’d trust you, then you’d turn around and try to take over Equestria or something. Only… only you were scarier than he was. I’m still scared of you. Your eyes just seem to look right through me. Your fangs are sharper than anything I’ve ever seen, and your claws cut right through stone! On top of all that… you’ve got as much muscle as Bulk Biceps and you’re tall!” she said before slowly deflating to sit on her rump and rub at her arm uncomfortably. Jim eyed her silently. He was not surprised by her admission of her fear of him. What he was surprised about was the fact that he was sure she was blushing a little. He had begun to wonder what she was trying to get at when she took in another breath. “But… even though you terrify me… I can’t help but think that you’re totally awesome, too,” she said as her head lowered a little. “Scoots is right… you look wicked cool. On top of that… you’re a decent guy. I know we haven’t treated you as well as we should have but… but you haven’t really held it against us. I don’t know how you do it, but it’s really… something else, ya know?” Jim sighed quietly, though not enough that Rainbow didn’t hear it. “Rainbow… you’re wrong about me. I do hold a small grudge against you all for what happened, but there was more involved than just you six, Scootaloo, and myself. I simply have had enough experience in my life to not let myself be influenced by such petty things. I could hate you all for what happened if I wanted to, but it would gain me nothing in the end. It’s better to move forward in life than to let the world weigh you down.” Yeah... keep telling yourself that ya damned hypocrite... he added darkly to himself. Rainbow stared at Jim for a long time. Then she let out a weak chuckle and shook her head. “And there you go again… showing me a side of you I never thought I’d see. I don’t care what you think, Jim. You’re a great guy and… and I want to try a do-over with our relationship.” She swiftly stood up and walked over to Jim, extending her hoof to him. “Hey, I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria and Wonderbolt extraordinaire. What do ya say… want to be friends?” Jim eyed her for a moment, tilting his head curiously before grinning. “The name’s Jim Douglas. It’d be a pleasure,” he said and he carefully but firmly took her hoof and shook it. Rainbow smiled widely up at him and nodded, sealing the start of their newfound friendship and, for the first time, taking her first step toward seeing past Jim’s fierce face to see the person behind those hazel eyes.