"Okay, so everything is in the notes I gave you. If you follow them, you shouldn't have any problems. If you ever feel like it's too much, just call me and I will come home. Or if you have any problems. Do you have the notes? Oh my, I don't want you to lose them..."
"Relax Fluttershy, I made copies!" Twilight Sparkle proudly raised several laminated copies of Fluttershy's instructions.
"Well, okay... thanks Twilight. It was really nice of you to help me."
"Not a problem. That's what friends do, right?" Twilight paused for a second, flipping through her mental notes on friendship. "Friends are always there for each other. Besides, I would love to document all of the species in your house anyways. I'm doing study on the friendship between animals and ponies, and your house is perfect!”
"Well, don't be afraid to call me. We won't be far away."
"Not a problem. I hope you girls have fun. I understand that Tank and Angel are joining you as well?"
"Yeah, Tank is pretty calm about everything really, so he won't be much of a problem. I'm not sure how Angel will handle the change. But if he's with me, I'm sure he will be okay."
"Yet again, have fun! Don't worry about me! If I can assume full-responsibility of a dragon, I'm sure I will be able to handle all of your pets!"
"Hey! I'm right here!" Spike laughed.
"A very gentle, and small dragon," Fluttershy smiled.
Twilight hugged Fluttershy goodbye. "Go have fun. You deserve it!"
Angel hopped on Fluttershy's head and gently tightened his grip. The yellow mare reached for her saddlebags and slowly trotted outside, taking momentary glances to ensure Twilight had control of her animal friends. "Alright Angel, we'll go meet Rainbow Dash. You got everything you need?" Fluttershy asked.
His reply consisted of a gentle nod.
"Okay... are you happy about this? I mean, it's something new for you and I know you love consistency."
His nods were less than gentle.
"You seem pretty happy about this. Then I will be too!"
Fluttershy bashfully trotted towards the train station. Little black eyes and floppy ears were perched on the top of her head. Angel’s vision tracked every available sight, sizing up everypony and creature as the two meandered along enjoying one last view of Ponyville before their adventure. Angel proudly relaxed on his throne, not giving a single care to the world around him.
"Alright Tank, you ready for this? Uncle Wind Pierce says we can stay up there as long as we want! Thunder Flash says I can have the whole week off, so if we want to stay past the weekend, we can! We'll see what Fluttershy and Angel want to do! It's great to not have any plan!" Dash cheered.
Tank croaked in a happy fashion.
"I got my saddle bags packed! I think!"
You should double-check, Tank thought, knowing his caretaker all too well.
"Okay, I'll check,” Dash replied, having made sense of Tank’s gesture.
Tank retracted into his shell and reached for his checklist.
"Two pairs of sunglasses... check! Flight goggles... check! Toothbrush and paste... check!!!..." The check-off went on for several seconds before Tank found his list complete.
"Alright perfect, we're ready to rock!" Dash strapped her saddlebags and loaded a bag on top of Tank's shell. The pair slowly made their way to the train station, with Dash patiently moving at her pet's pace. Dash proudly wore a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap, while Tank wore his usual flight goggles. The pair was truly a great example of coolness, awesomeness, radicalness, and style.
Ponies, tickets, and late schedules collided in a violent whirlpool of confusion. Stallions and mares bustled along, attempting to meet deadlines and useless formalities. Two pegasus ponies met at the edge of the mass of confusion smiling at one another.
"Hey Fluttershy! What's going on? Are you excited!" Rainbow greeted her best friend.
"Woo hoo,” Fluttershy cheered. Dash smiled at her friend for several seconds, nearly losing thought.
Angel was perched on top of Fluttershy's head. He gave a Rainbow Dash a long stare before winking his right eye.
What in the hay? Dash thought.
"Let's get ready to board. I got the tickets. You and Angel go find us some seats."
"Alright Dash. Let’s go Angel,” Fluttershy replied.
An middle-aged stallion sifted through tickets and bits at the front on the train. "We are now accepting tickets! The line starts over here!"
"Hey man, here's our tickets. See that yellow pegasus with the pink hair? These are for her and myself."
"Okay, have a nice ride. Next!"
Rainbow found her way into the train and gazed at the sight of Fluttershy. Her lips were lifted upward in a slight fashion. Natural, delicate, and sweet. It wasn't forced; unlike the great majority of smiles. It was the subconsciousness nature of her emotions that was so beautiful.
"Hey pal, nice train huh? What they have to eat..."
"What in the shell was that wink for?" Only a tortoise would use such odd vocabulary.
"Oh come on! You might as well just order me a salad while we're on the train. You won't have to go through the trouble of making it yourself!" the bunny laughed with a flavor of evil.
"Look man, I've got no idea what you are talking about. Look, we got to have rules, okay? You can just go around, you know, nudging them or stuff like that! That's totally not cool! I'm all for betting, but it's gotta be like, you know, natural between them and stuff. You know what I'm saying man?"
"Tank, first of all, you're not The Dude, so stop talking like him. Second of all, we already shook! You can't change the rules, you rule-changer!"
"Man, what are you talking about? I never quite get you.”
The bunny shook his head. "If you aren't going to get it, then I can't explain it to you. But anyways, it's all fair game! I do believe I deserve a good meal, considering I went through all that effort to make you one!"
"You always get a good meal. Dash is chill, but her cooking is pretty bad. Besides, you don't care about what I eat!"
"That may be true. But I will tell you one thing. I'm so certain I'm right, that I don't even need to resort to nudging. As you so elegantly put; their romance will be natural. Just wait. Remember, my salad needs a cherry on top."
"So he has a boat, a couple kayaks, and a canoe. The lake is really big, but it also feeds into a river. We can always go to the river if you want," Dash explained.
"Yeah, that would be nice. I think I'll like the lake the best though,” Fluttershy said.
"’Cause it's the calmest?"
"Well yes.. I mean no... well kind of. I like watching the aquatic creatures. It's been awhile since I've been to a lake. Even longer since I've been in a boat. When I was young, my grandma and I would wake up early and listen to the loons. She always loved them. She would tell stories about their families and their calls. I think she had a big influence on my love for animals. That was a long time ago though. I was just a little filly. I never really was into animals again until your sonic rainboom allowed me to find the ground. It was at that moment when I decided I would try to be like her; get to know the stories of all different sorts of creatures."
"Fluttershy, that's a really nice story! Why haven't you told any of us about that yet?"
"Oh, well, I didn't think it was that important. You guys all know I like animals."
"Hey listen, don't sell yourself short! And I'm sure you will see a bunch of loons this weekend."
"How wonderful! What do you like to do up there?"
"I don't know, actually, to be honest, I went there when I was a filly, but that was so long ago. I haven't been in boat for like.. forever... I guess. I've always known Wind Pierce has had this place, I've just never thought about going to it. So I guess it's all a new experience for me," Dash exclaimed.
"No worries, I'm not great at boating, or any of that kind of stuff. I guess we're both in for something new."
"Well, you know, something new sounds good right now. Hey Fluttershy, I'm glad we're here."
"Me too."
Dash reached for a Daring Doo novel. "Twilight gave me this. I can't wait to read it!"
"How was the last book?"
"The last one I read wasn't good! It had aliens in it! I mean, really? Aliens in a Daring Doo novel? Oh well. I'm assuming Twilight gave you something too?"
Fluttershy pulled out two separate books. "Yes, one is an ID guide for the plants in the area we are staying in, and one is for the animals. I'll study up, I can't wait to do some exploring!"
"I'll be right behind you Fluttershy. You can lead the way!"
"So Tank, you much of a swimmer?" Angel said with a slight smile.
"Look man, does it look like I can swim? I'm a tortoise, not a turtle! Don't confuse them, they're... like different!"
"We'll, it seems about time for a nap." Angel snuggled next to Fluttershy. "My mom is totally cooler than your mom, by the way."