//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: Hospital Mail 
// Story: Of Men and Insects 
// by VeganSpyro97 
//------------------------------//

Twilight extended her hoof out to Allan, asking for one of the tools she had cobbled together to examine the yeti. Allan quickly picked it up and hoofed it over to her, which she accepted without word of thanks or comment. She had come up with a hypothesis very quickly, and had then created the small surgeon’s kit that she was using to crack open it’s skull.
The others had pointedly moved into the portal room, so as to avoid the disgusting autopsy .
Allan wished he could join them. Twilight had used a quick cantrip to shave it’s head, and then had cut along it’s forehead and peeled back the skin. Then she’d used her cobbled together bonesaw to crack through the bone.
Allan wondered how she could stomach doing this. When he asked, her reply surprised him.
“I have to know. And scans only tell you so much.”
She cracked through the last part of skull she needed to get to the brain, and pulled the bone free of the grey matter beneath.
Allan did his best not to be sick.
He didn’t do so well.
Twilight seemed quite animated though. “I knew it…” She breathed. “I just knew it.”
Allan wiped some half digested food off of his jaw with a disgusted look. “Knew what?”
With a twist, and a disgusting, squelchy pop, she pulled the beasts brain completely free with her magic, and hoisted it up in front of him. Most of the flesh in view was perfectly healthy, but on the front, on what he assumed to be the pre-frontal cortex, and along the underside for quite a ways, was an ugly, malformed mess of brain matter that wasn’t due to Allan's attack, or the removal of the brain. Blood oozed from the swollen, misshapen flesh, and magical energy wafted free of it, nauseatingly.
“Ugh…..gross.” Allan pinched his nose with telekinesis. “Dat smells….so bad! I take it that’s not how it’s supposed to look?”
“See the swelling?” Twilight asked, pointing to the obvious mounds of deformation. “This was caused by overexposure to an unstable source of magic. That yeti had been down here for too long. The portals energy caused an unbearable swelling in major parts of the brain, altering perception, behaviour and cognitive function. It was driven mad by staying here.”
“That...that won’t have affected us yet though...right?”
“No. This is months, if not years of exposure. We’ve barely been here two days, and we’re better suited to handling magic than a yeti, so it’d take much longer for us to reach this level of degeneration.”
“Are you sure?”
“Fairly.” Was her answer. “Either way, I suggest we leave. We got what we came for, and your injuries need proper treatment.”
“Let’s tell everypony else then.”
Twilight  nodded in agreement, before producing a large glass flask and plopping the yeti brain inside. “Might as well take it. Will make explaining things easier.”

*******************


It took some time, and a little magic, but very soon, a chariot had arrived to carry them back to the empire. Allan pointedly asked why the chariot they had come in couldn’t drop them off right outside the cave, and Shining indignantly pointed out that the snowstorm that had been raging about the mountain had made flying impossible, while today, the sky was free and clear.
The ride was not too long, an hour and a half at the most. Twilight spent much of that time arranging and rearranging the notes she had made during their glacial stay. Allan spent most of it whinging to Starlight about how much pain he was in, and how she should “totally teach him how to cast a pain relieving spell”.
Her eventual reply was holding his mouth shut with her magic while she started to lecture Allan about equine reproduction. In great detail. With diagrams. And pictures.
Allan immediately regretted his decision to tease her.
The crystal guard ponies who were listening in on the exchange found it all terribly amusing.

*************************


Allan decided that he didn’t much like hospital beds. Whether on Equus or Earth, they seemed to be built to the same ideal: that being, uncomfortable. The actual mattress was usually either too tough, or too soft for actual comfort, and the pillow cases were always made of paper, which crinkled and made far too much noise for any living thing to ignore.
The hospital in the Crystal Empire did not buck this trend, though it was certainly better at handling patients than the hospital that he had visited during his teenage years after splitting his lip open, requiring stitches. That had been a fiasco.
His hastily bound hip had been looked at by a changeling doctor, who had been sent by Thorax the moment the King had realized Allan was hurt. Twilight had sat in on the “gel casting” so that she could observe how Changelings dealt with serious wounds. Allan wasn’t surprised. The end result was a rather solid green shell encasing his hind leg from dock to hoof.
‘You won’t need to change it, and when it needs to come off, it will turn brittle and flake off on it’s own.”
“Cool. Thanks doc.”
The female changeling smiled. “You’re welcome Allan. I’m glad you appreciate my work.”
“If it does it’s job and saves my leg, I’ll appreciate it even more.” Allan replied.
After she left, and Twilight made her own excuses, and left, Allan settled back onto the bed with a sigh. Unless one of his friends came in, he was in for a boring recuperation. Not wanting to admit defeat to boredom so quickly, Allan used his magic to reach across the room to the bookcase that sat, pressed up against the wall opposite the door, and pulled one of the books free. Floating it gently back over to himself, he began to read.

*******************


Allan was engrossed in the novel, already firmly invested in the main character and the story. Whoever A.K. Yearling was, they knew how to write a good book.
In the middle of a rather exciting chase scene, Twilight trotted in, Starlight and Fluttershy in tow, with the transformed raptor close behind, following the yellow and pink pegasus like a lost puppy. Allan lowered his book with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t hear a knock.”
Twilight ignored him. “Hi Allan! Oh, you’re reading Daring Do? It’s a good series. I own them all.”
“And you and Rainbow geek out over them like they’re best thing since sliced bread.” Starlight added, chipperly.
“We do not!” Twilight denied, far too quickly.
“Yes you do.” Fluttershy said with a cheeky little smile. When she caught Allan's attention though, the smile dropped, and she avoided eye contact.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t help himself, and Allan had to try very hard not to laugh at Starlight’s comment, afraid he’d get spit on the page if he wasn’t careful.
“Anyway…” Twilight said, trying to get things back on track. “We just got some mail delivered from back home. We thought you’d want to read them.”
Them? As in plural? How many ponies were writing to him?
“Yeah, sure. I’ll read ‘em”
Twilight then produced a stack of letters from under her wing, with one large one that seemed to be rather important, and several others stacked on top, all bound up in twine.
“Go ahead!” Starlight encouraged. Allan didn’t need prompting though, already prying open the first envelop, a small thing covered in harp and candy stickers.
He unfolded the slip of paper that he found inside, and started to read, only to realize the three ponies present wanted to hear too.
“To our favourite Changeling customer.
Hope your trip north is going well! We’ve been a little busy, since the towns ponies recently heard from some gossiper that you bought some of my candy, and are taking music lessons from Lyra. They’ve been coming non-stop since you left, asking tons of questions about you, and not buying as much as I’d hope. 
	Oh well, it’s not all bad. Even if most of them aren’t buying, I’m still way busier than usual. Lyra’s a little annoyed though, because you’re on this trip you’ll miss a lesson. 
Just between us, a little birdie told us that you received some very important mail recently. I’d tell you what it is, but I’d rather leave it as a surprise. It was supposed to get delivered to you much sooner but….well, you’ve been in town long enough to know how many mix-ups there are with mail. 
Hope to see you soon!
Lyra and Bon Bon.”

Allan grinned at the news about Bon Bon’s recent success, and Lyra’s irritation. He raised an eyebrow at the note about a “important delivery, but it was probably floating amid the other letters anyway, so there wasn’t any point worrying about it until later.
“Coolio. Nice to see they’re doing well.” He commented, before opening the next letter, a simple, plain thing that spoke of practicality. Even before the name of the writer came into view, Allan could tell who it was from.
“Howdy Sugarcubes! 
Thought y’all might be interested in hearing that I been makin’ sure that ol’ Zephyr ain’t trashed the cottage. I bin’ checkin up on ‘im daily, and so far, he’s doin’ a decent job of keepin’ his rearrangement prone hooves outta trouble. The animals are all well fed and looked after. Kept ‘im from deviatin’ from Flutterhy’s instructions too much, so no problems there. 
Twi, Spike’s been takin care o’ the castle while yer gone, and Rarity’s been hangin’ out there quite a bit too. Guess they thought you’d appreciate that. 
Oh, an’ Allan? We gotta have a little chat later. I caught Apple Bloom usin’ one o’ yer curse words with her friends. No offense partner, but that just ain’t on, even if she heard it by accident. 
Anyway, if y’all are stayin’ out there for much longer, y’all write back soon, ya hear? I wanna hear about this crazy research up north, especially if it gets Allan closer to gettin’ home. 
See y’all soon!
Applejack.”

Allan winced, while Starlight grinned at him. “Oops. You messed up there, didn’t you?”
“Eeyup.”
Floating the next letter out from the pile, a bright pink one that Allan had no problems identifying, Allan opened it, cautiously, pointing it away from his face. When the expected confetti blast did not come, Allan confusedly turned it around, and peered inside.
*BLAM!*
Allan reeled back as confetti slammed into his face, coupled with streamers and even a balloon, which somehow got it’s string tied around his horn. Twilight, Starlight and Fluttershy all covered their mouths as they laughed at his expense.
“I found Pinkie’s.” He monotoned, earning more giggles from the mares present.
“Hi Allan! Hi girls! Hi yeti brain in a jar!
How’s it goin’? Everything here’s been going great! Except for Amethyst Star, she got a tummy ache yesterday and hasn’t been feeling well, so I’ve been sending her lots of little gifts to help her feel better! Do you think she’d like a gold hoof band? Or maybe a new clipboard and date planner. That pony does love planning stuff, just like Twilight! Speaking of which! Guys! You’ll never guess what happened last night! You know how Spike’s been going through a growth spurt and was shedding bits of his skin, like that snake I found last year? His back got really itchy, like, itching powder itchy, and he got all sweaty, and then, he grew wings! Spikey grew wings! Like a patch of poison joke! Okay, maybe not like poison joke, but he just grew them! They’re all small and weak at the moment, but Dashie thinks they’ll grow bigger and stronger pretty quickly! She wants to teach him and Allan together. How to fly, I mean. 
Well, I’m almost out of room on this piece of paper, so I’ll end it here. Hope you all had fun up there! See you soon! 
Lots of love! 
Pinkie Pie.”

“Spike grew wings? I knew he would eventually, but, I wish I could have been there to watch it happen…. And how did she know about the yeti brain?” Twilight asked, puzzled.
“Ewwww! Why do you have that with you?”
“I was studying it, Starlight. I didn’t have time to put the jar back in the storage cabinet before I left.”
Allan rolled his eyes while subtly using his magic to pinch his nostrils shut. No point risking that smell again.
The next letter was immaculate, and adorned in blue diamonds. “Three guesses who?” Allan mused.
“Greetings Darling, 
I thought you’d like to know that I’ve spent the last few days designing new outfits for everypony, including you. As the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up once again, and most of us are to be attending, I thought it best to simply create something for you as well. Your new ensemble is waiting for you to come home. 
On a side note, several of the orders you helped me with were just received by their owners, and I received very high praise for how perfect the fits were. I can’t thank you enough for that. 
Might I add that I have some work for you, if you are interested? Not the same as before, I have imposed upon your talents in that field too much already. No, I was wondering if you might help me with our new friend, King Thorax. Seeing as he is going to be the centerpiece of the final reveal of Changelings to Equestria, he is going to need to look the part. I have been commissioned by the Princesses to start designing something for him, but I need your help in acquiring certain… ah, materials that I wish to use in the design. I already have his measurements - courtesy of the Princesses, though how they know his measurements, I have no idea. 
Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders have been asking for you, just so you know. They have a “project” that they “need” you for. Take this lady’s advice, and don’t let whatever they have planned get out of hoof. 
Anyway, best of luck in your expedition, and I hope to see you all very soon.
Yours sincerely, Rarity Belle.”

Allan gulped. “The Crusaders have a project? That they need a Changeling for? This is gonna be bad, isn’t it?”
“Noooo….” Twilight supplied, helpfully.
Starlight and Fluttershy turned bemused stares at her.
“That wasn’t helpful at all, was it?”
“No.” Allan deadpanned. He flicked his eyes at the last letter, which was not from  Rainbow, but instead bore the royal seal. Gulping, and fearing more sudden, dramatic news regarding his welfare in the eyes of the state, Allan opened the letter, and started to read. He deliberately skipped over the long winded introduction, and skipped right to the actual message.
“.....cordially invite you, Allan Ryder, to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, as a guest of honor, and the first official visit of a peaceful, allied Changeling to a state event. This letter contains your ticket. Please note that selling, or otherwise trading away this ticket is considered a crime, punishable by a hefty fine and time imprisoned. 
Please follow the following instructions precisely, as they describe how to proceed upon reaching the Gala, which is to be held on the Third of August, in the 1007th year of the reign of their Highnesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

Allan blinked, having finished reading. Then, he blinked again. He scrutinized the last paragraph again, then double checked.
“The Third of August….” He murmured. “Twilight, what day did we set out for Everhoof?”
“July Thirty-First.” She answered, before her face suddenly went pale. They’d spent the better part of three days in the caves. Starlight and Fluttershy went pale too, and all of them cried out in tandem.
“THE GALA IS TOMORROW!!”

****************


With Allan still recovering from the wounds to his leg, it was quickly realized that things would have to be arranged. Very quickly. The first thing that was decided upon was that Rarity needed to be notified of Allan's situation, so that she could make some alterations to the design she had made for Allan. The second thing that was they should find a better way to support Allan's leg whilst allowing him to move it.
Being geniuses, both Twilight and Starlight had little trouble coming up with a simple, yet functional system of braces that simultaneously held the wound closed and allowed for, almost, unrestricted, fully supported movement. Whereas before, with the full cast, Allan had been restricted to limited hobbling over short distances, the brace allowed him to walk comfortably over longer distances with only a small limp and slight amount of pain. While still a little bulky, it was a huge improvement of the original cast, which they apologized profusely to the changeling doctor for breaking it so soon after she had made it. While Allan could sense a level of irritation, the doctor was perfectly reasonable and understanding. She did request they refrain from making it a frequent occurrence.
Following up on a quick session of Allan practicing walking with the brace, Twilight went to have a talk with Princess Cadance about possible transport to Ponyville and transport. The discussion was brief, as happy coincidence had been kind enough to have invited Cadance and Shining to the gala as well. Allan had been rather surprised to hear that. They were the leaders of a nation, and had an important venue to attend, and yet Shining had gone with them on the expedition. Devotion to family, Allan guessed.
With a little time, and pulling a few strings, it was not long before all of them were sitting in a train car, speeding towards Ponyville. Cadance and Shining sat together, the princess treating her husband with some minor healing cantrips that were helping to speed his recovery along. Twilight and Starlight were taking turns doing the same to Allan. While Cadance had more experience with the spells in question, all three were doing pretty well, so neither of the boys had any complaints.
Fluttershy sat close by, and Allan could feel...conflict. A kind of confusion that produces nothing but more confusion. Clashing ideals and facets of life were nothing new to Allan, but it was the first time he’d felt them from one of his new friends….of course, it was the first time he’d sensed this kind of turmoil from the exterior. He knew exactly how she felt, because he had experienced it before, and because he could both sense and taste the emotions flowing off of her. True to the nature of the feeling, the taste was confusing too. One minute, it was sweet, then sour, then tangy, then spicy, then smooth, then hoppy, then starchy, and frankly, the assault on his emotive taste buds was enough to make him nauseous.
He wished he could do something, but, he didn’t know what he actually could do. On one hoof, he could try to talk to her about it, maybe find out exactly what was confusing her, but on the other hoof, him butting in when she wasn’t ready to talk could be pretty bad.
Stay quiet, or speak up? The big question asked everyday by millions of people. Stay quiet? Speak up? Stay quiet? Speak up? Allan growled softly in frustration, and leaned back against his seat. He saw Twilight flash him a knowing stare. As she was sitting almost directly opposite him in their shared car, she tilted her head to the side and jerked her eyes in Shy’s direction, making slight humming noises to emphasize.
Allan glared back, in an effort to say: “Yes, I know, stop rushing me.”
The silent exchange that followed could have been interpreted in many ways, but all Allan could see was Twilight going: “Just do it already!”
Of course it was inevitable for Allan to cave. Sighing in defeat, he sidled off of the bench he was perched on, and made his way across to the yellow mare. He approached slowly, as she was gazing out of the window, a distant look on her face.
“Can...can I join you?” Allan asked, hesitantly. He didn’t want to startle her, but it happened anyway. She snapped her head around, and her wings flared up around her in an instinctual defense mechanism. When she saw who it was, her wings slowly lowered, and she nodded.
“Sure…”
Allan hopped up onto the bench beside her, leaving a small amount of space as a buffer between them. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, before Allan spoke up.
“So…..are you okay?” Fluttershy looked away, her mane hanging over her face.
“I…..don’t know. What happened back there...it scared me. Not just the yeti…”
“I did.” Allan hung his head in shame. “I know I did.”
He wasn’t ashamed of surviving, but he was ashamed that he’d been forced to kill the yeti in order to do it, and that the only reason he’d been in danger was because he’d gone out there . And he was ashamed that Fluttershy had seen it.
“Y-yes.” She admitted, her voice quiet, and shaky. “Wh-what you did to that yeti…” She paused, closing her eyes and shuddering, before she continued. “I know that it was y-you o-or it, and that it would have killed you, but….I can’t help but see you as….”
“A killer.” Allan finished, lamely.
“Well…...I wouldn’t necessarily put it like that…” Fluttershy replied, trying to be nice, as usual. “But, I guess that’s kind of true…”
Allan could see where this was going. He hopped back off the bench with a thud, and smiled sadly up at her. “It’s okay. I understand if you feel like I’m a monster. I know I feel like it.”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to call out to him, to tell him that wasn’t true, but, as she did, the words stuck in her throat and she found that she couldn’t say them. She desperately wanted to get him to stop, turn around, come back and let her explain how she felt, but… she couldn’t, and Allan walked sedately away, head lowered to the floor, eyes half shut, and the shimmer of tears in his eyes.
Allan just couldn’t believe it. First, he’d deceived himself into believing that he and Anna loved one another, when in reality they just never bothered looking anywhere else, and now, having found someon- no, somepony, that he genuinely shared a bond with,  and he’d gone and royally fucked it up. He walked slowly away as Twilight stared in horror at the result of the two’s exchange.

********************


The mood was sombre as the train pulled into the station at Ponyville, where the others were waiting, some patiently, and some not as much. Putting on a brave face, Allan went to greet them,  warm, slightly forced smile on  his face.
When the doors opened, a pink missile slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards, head over heals until he came to a stop, back resting against the far wall of the train.
“Allan!” Pinkie screamed excitedly. “Hi! How was the trip? Did you find a whole bunch of cool stuff? Did you find a super secret spy base that’s filled with chocolate? Or a buried alien spaceship piloted by poodles? Or a giant, frozen cupcake made of different kinds of frosting? Or a gateway to prehistoric ti-” Pinkie was unceremoniously lifted off of Allan by a blue aura, which delicately deposited her back down beside him.
“Pinkie, darling, give the poor dear some time to breathe.” Rarity chided the pink ball of energy. “He can’t tell you anything if he can’t breathe properly.”
Rainbow, hovering above the ground as always, swooped in to ask a question of her own. “So, did you see anything cool?”
“Err……” Allan struggled to find the right thing to say. “A portal to another world count?”
“Nope. We’ve seen it before. Automatically makes it less cool. Come on, there’s gotta be something!”
“Transformed creature from said world?”
“We already got you for that. Next.”
“I...fought and….killed a pony eating yeti?”
Rainbow wings stopped working for a moment, dropping her to the ground with a hard thump. “You did what?!”
“I….fought off a crazed, pony eating yeti and killed it in order to stay alive….”
Dash stared at him intently. “You’re messing with me.”
“Nope. We got it’s brain right here.” Twilight said, producing the offending item.
“EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWW!!!” Rarity squealed. “Twilight! Put that disgusting thing away!”
“Landsakes, Twi!” Stop wavin’ that thing around!” Applejack protested too. Her hoof flew up to her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick!”
Spike, of all of them, just looked at it curiously, even as Pinkie tried to pinch her nose closed to block out the smell coming from the jar. “So that’s a yeti brain?”
“Spikey-Wikey! How can you even look at that thing?!” Rarity demanded of the young dragon, who was far taller than Allan recalled, now that he was paying attention. Growth spurt indeed! Two thin, membraneous wings rested on his back now, and while he still had some of the pudge from his baby, formative years, he was starting to grow into his body, which was headed down the path of the classic dragon look. His body was beginning to adopt an adaptive stance, capable of walking upright, or on all fours. His tail was still thick, but it’s new length replaced the stubby appearance he’d had before with a rather more useful limb. His face had pushed out into a small, blunted muzzle, and the spines running down his back seemed sharper than before. “I’m a dragon? We can eat meat, remember? Plus, I’ve lived with Twilight my whole life. I’m used to crazy science stuff.”
Rarity frowned, while Pinkie had resorted to shoving her own mane up her nostrils, which had set her to sneezing like a mad thing. Allan quickly plugged his own nose, having balled up wads of paper he’d taken from some of the magazines they’d had on the train.
Twilight relented, and stowed the brain in a jar back in a protective case, which she then stowed back in her bags. Having done that, she and Spike moved a off to catch up and talk about his growth spurt.
“So, y’all really killed a yeti?” Applejack asked, small waves of disgust emanating from her.
“It would have killed me if I hadn’t.” Allan said, miserably. “And if not me, then somepony else. It was completely insane.”
The disgust from Applejack and, even from the others, slowed, before stopping entirely, as they saw how badly he felt.
“I’m not ashamed of what I did, but I am ashamed that it happened.”
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow all exchanged glances, seeming to reach some unspoken agreement.
“We don’t blame you, darling. If it was a choice between saving your friends or keeping the yeti alive, I think you did the right thing.” Rarity explained. She looked around worriedly, figuring something out. “But, I doubt Fluttershy found it so easy to forgive you, did she?”
Allan's head lowered even further, ears folded flat.
“Ah…..” Rarity said, awkwardly.
“Shy’s not forgiven you? What the hay!?”Rainbow almost yelled. “That’s it! I’m goin’ in there and giving her a piece of my- *hurk!*” Rainbow was about to speed off, only for a well placed lasso to stop her from shooting off.
“Now look here, Rainbow, if y’all go chargin’ in right now, you could end up doin’ more damage. This one’s for Allan and Fluttershy to work out. The only time we get to step in is if they ask us, or they aren’t gettin’ anywhere.”
“But that’s not fair on Allan! He hasn’t done anything wrong, and now she’s punishing him for it!”
Applejack jerked the rope slightly. “We don’t get involved.” She repeated.
Rainbow groaned, and rolled her eyes, before groaning an agreement. “Fine.”
“So, what are you gonna do?” Pinkie asked. “With Shy, it’ll be really difficult to get her to open back up, so you might want some help.”
Allan smiled sadly. “Sorry Pinks, but tonight, I just wanna get ready for the Gala, and get it over with.”
Shining and Cadance stepped off of the train, and made their way over to the group.
“Sorry we were so long in there everypony. We just had a word with the driver, and he’ll be moving his train off of the main track, and will spend the night here. We’ll get going at noon tomorrow, so we’ll be quite early.” Cadance explained.
“That’s perfectly fine, Princess.” Rarity thanked her. “It shall give us plenty of time for….”
“Here we go...” Rainbow complained.
“Final touch ups for our dresses and suits!”
“Called it.” Dash smiled.
“There’s nuthin’ wrong with lookin’ our best at the gala.” Applejack said, smiling. Her smile turned to a knowing grin. “As long as Rarity don’t go overboard.”
“Darling, please! I never go overboard!” Rarity retorted.
“Trenderhoof.” Applejack stated.
“The Inspiration Manifestation spell.” Spike teased.
“Manehatten fashion week.” Rainbow added.
Rarity looked appalled at her friend’s betrayal, sputtering out protests before crossing her forelegs with a huff.
“Anyway, we should get goin’.” AJ suggested. “Rarity is right. We should make sure everything’s ready.” Turning to the fashionista, the farmer grinned. “Lead the way, sugarcube.”
Rarity pretended to be annoyed for as long as she could manage, which wasn’t long at all, seeing as she was going to be doing the thing she loved most. Her irritated expression gave way to a happy smile as she trotted gracefully towards the boutique, her friends all trailing behind her. Allan and Fluttershy both lagged behind, neither one willing to look the other in the eye.
Twilight and Spike noticed, exchanging worried glances, which were noticed by Pinkie, who also looked quite sad to see her friends not talking.
Allan struggled against his own desires, feeling caught up in a civil war of wants. On one side, he wanted to talk to her again, to explain that he hated what had happened, and wanted to at least be friends again, but on the other, he was so desperately afraid of her saying that she hated him and didn’t want to speak to him again.
He glanced at her, and saw her also look up. Both of their heads immediately twisted away, still unsure of themselves.
Rarity opened the door to the boutique and stood beside it, letting her guests in one by one. Fluttershy went inside before Allan, and Rarity could see just how deep in thought she was. She had known the pegasus long enough to know which kind of silence meant what.
Allan trotted past, and Rarity offered him a kind smile, but he only offered a small one of his own in return, before going right back to the troubled look he’d been wearing since he’d gotten back.
With a forlorn sigh, Rarity stole one last look outside, before shutting the door, blocking out the view of the scheduled clear skies.

*********************