A short 2 days later, I sat aboard the train to Canterlot and the Grand Galloping Gala, decked out in the special outfit that Rarity and Fluttershy had put together for me. During the ride to Canterlot, I couldn’t help but notice several of the ponies who rode in the same car as me whispering to each other in hushed tones at my presence there. A strong part of me was thinking that this was most likely in regards to them seeing me with my great feathered wings and blue pony ears. That seemed to be the response of every pony that I’d come across over the past week or so that I’d been back in Equestria.
I tried to block those kind of thoughts from my mind as I made the somewhat lengthy ride to Canterlot, but it was all the more harder for me to do as everypony else seemed to be drawing soo much attention to that fact no matter where I went. All I wanted was to be able to focus on the night ahead of me, getting to hang out with my friends, possibly meet some new faces while I was there, that sort of thing.
My friends had already left for Canterlot long before I had, stating that they had some important preparations to get ready before the Gala, so I hadn’t gotten the chance to really see any of them beforehand. Still, whatever it was that they had going on was clearly quite crucial, especially in the case of Pinkie as she was apparently the pony in charge of organizing the Galas since Twilight assumed leadership over the nation, so I didn’t hold it against them too much. We’d still have plenty of time for schmoozing later on that night. It wasn’t long before I was drawn out of my thoughts by the conductor’s voice sounding throughout the train car.
“Last stop, Canterlot.”
With that as my cue, I stood up to exit the train along with the other ponies who’d been riding along with me. Stepping out onto the platform, it was quite crowded as creatures of all types were greeted by their friends in all the hustle and bustle that accompanied my surroundings. Standing a good deal taller than everyone else, I began looking around the platform for my +1. Soon, an ever familiar voice rang out from among the crowd.
“David! Over here!”
Looking over in the direction of the voice, I saw an orange Pegasus stallion with a rich, blue mane and tail, decked out in the armor of a royal guard. I couldn’t help but smile as I approached him with an extended hand.
“Flash Sentry,” I spoke as I shook his hoof. “How ya doin’?”
“Can’t complain honestly. Got promoted to Captain of the Guard at the Crystal Empire a good while back. Not much else aside from that. How about you?”
“Quite a bit. Ah jus’ got back here fer tha first time in a long while ‘n Ah’ve been busy tryin' ta turn ma life around here in Equestria when compared ta how hard tha past few years have been back on Earth.”
“I’d heard from Princess Twilight that your wife was murdered long ago as well as your daughter being stolen from you and I’m beyond sorry for you having to go through that,” Flash spoke with a downturned expression.
“Ah ‘ppreciate that a lot, Flash. Ah’m sure ya would’ve loved ta meet both of ‘em. But enough ‘bout that. Whataya say we make our way over ta Canterlot Palace?”
“Sure,” he began before seemingly noticing my wings. “You feel up for flying there on those wings of yours?”
“Definitely. Let’s go.”
And with that, the two of us took to the sky as I was somewhat grateful that Flash hadn’t really questioned the fact that I had wings the way that other ponies had. As we flew off towards the palace, I was eager for all that lay in store in the coming night.
* * * * * * * *
After a brief few minutes of flying, the 2 of us finally came in for a landing at the gates of the palace where we both passed our tickets off to one of the guard ponies posted at the front.
“You 2 are all set,” he stated. “Enjoy your night.”
“Thanks,” we both replied.
Making our way through the grand entryway, I came to the realization that this wasn’t just the first Gala that I’d ever been to but also the first time I’d ever been to the palace itself. Taking in the sight of my surroundings as we walked the hall towards the main ballroom, I now knew without a doubt that this palace was the fanciest establishment I’d ever been to in my whole life.
Finally entering the ballroom, a loud trumpet blast sounded, nearly deafening me, before one pony made an announcement.
“Announcing the human savior of Equestria, David, and his guest, Captain Flash Sentry of the Crystal Empire.”
This announcement caught me off guard as I’d been hoping that my presence at the Gala would’ve been a bit more discreet. I mean, as discreet as a human among ponies and other creatures can be. The point being, I hadn’t wanted too much attention to be drawn to myself. As far as I was concerned, tonight was merely meant to be a time for me to hang out with my closest friends, take my mind off of the stresses and cares of everyday life, you know, the usual.
Fortunately, very few creatures around me treated me all that differently, aside from the few who kneeled in my presence as I passed by. It was in that moment that I couldn’t help but wonder how far my legend had spread amongst other creatures since my friends had told the students they once taught. Making my way further into the ballroom, I noticed a few of my friends over at one of the nearby tables, namely Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, who were joined by their respective sisters. Seeing the now grown up Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo for the first time, I couldn’t help but reflect back on how young and small they’d once been the last time I’d visited.
Now, soo much had changed that it was mind-boggling. Apple Bloom now had a husband in Tender Taps and I’d even heard rumors among some of the other ponies that she was looking to run for Mayor of Ponyville now that Mayor Mare was stepping down after many years of serving. All 3 of them had grown up quite considerably that I still struggled to grasp that concept. Just add that one to the ever growing list of things that I’d be struggling to come to terms with now that I was back in Equestria.
Looking around the ballroom, I unfortunately saw no sign of Fluttershy anywhere. While this was disappointing, I was sure that I’d get to see her here eventually. I’d still been thinking about my ever growing feelings for her and had also been considering when the best time would be for me to come out to her about how I truly felt. At one point, I’d been thinking of telling her right here at the Gala, but had to quickly scratch that off the list. The Gala was far too gaudy and showy for me to tell Flutters how I felt towards her. If I was going to do this the right way, it would have to be something more intimate and less theatrical than this. Fluttershy deserved the absolute best as far as I was concerned and, as such, this moment would have to be nothing short of perfect.
Turning my attention towards one of the other tables, I noticed a rather colorful assortment of individuals socializing there, half of which I recognized pretty quickly. Those who I remembered were Sandbar, Yona, and Smolder, but the other 3 I’d never seen before. These included a Gryphon who was decked out in the armor of the royal guard (quite possibly from right here in Canterlot), what I could only assume was a Changeling (could this be that “Ocellus” girl that Smolder had mentioned only several short days ago?), and a creature I’d never seen in Equestria before but quickly recognized as a Hippogriff.
In the time that I’d been back here, I’d noticed a lot more diversity in regards to those who either took up residence or visited there. As such, I’d kind of been a little nervous about socializing with these other creatures as I wasn’t fully aware of what their cultures were like and was worried that I might accidentally do something to offend them. Hell, I didn’t even entirely understand everything about PONY culture despite watching the show and being a pony descendant myself so how could I socialize with those outside of my social circle without potentially doing something they’d consider offensive?
“David!” I heard Princess Twilight’s voice draw me out of my ponderings. “So good to see you here!”
Taking in the sight of the Princess, she was decked out in a dark blue dress with a transparent train that shimmered like stars as she moved. Her 2 forehooves had long silk gloves covering them while she also wore a pearl choker and diamond teardrop earrings.
“Hey, Twi,” I greeted pleasantly with a hug. “Good ta see you too.”
It was then that both Twilight and Flash Sentry noticed the others presence there.
“Uh… H-hi, Princess,” Flash nervously spoke up.
“Oh. Just ‘Twilight’ is fline- uh I mean… fine, Flash,” Twilight tripped over her tongue awkwardly.
The 2 of them gazed into each others eyes for a good while, blushes creeping to their faces before I finally spoke up.
“So, Twi, Ah see Smolder, Yona, ‘n Sandbar over there, but who’re tha other 3?”
“Oh,” Twilight began, snapped out of her trance. “I can introduce you to the others if you’d like.”
“In the meantime, I’m gonna grab some punch. Either of you want some?” Flash questioned.
“Sure. That sounds great,” I stated.
“I’m good,” Twilight politely declined. “Thanks for asking, though, Flash.”
“You’re welcome, Twilight.”
The 2 of them each gave parting smiles to the other before he went to grab punch and she took me over to meet the other 3 individuals. It wasn’t long before 3 of the gathered party noticed our approach. Those 3 being Yona, Sandbar, and the Changeling. The latters eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “Y-You’re-you’re really him! You’re David!”
“Yes. Yes Ah am,” I replied simply, a smile creeping across my face at her enthusiasm.
“Oh wow! I am such a huge fan of yours! The stories our teachers told us about you are easily among my favorites. I-I’m Ocellus.”
“Nice ta meet ya,” I stated as I shook her extended… hoof (was that what Changelings had? Hooves?) before turning my attention towards the others gathered there, specifically the Gryphon and the Hippogriff.
“David, you said you’ve already met Smolder, Yona, and Sandbar,” Twilight started. “I’d like you to also meet Gallus, my Captain of the Royal Guard, and his girlfriend Silverstream.”
“It’s a pleasure ta meet you 2,” I pleasantly greeted with an extended hand towards both of them.
“Likewise I’m sure,” Gallus replied, shaking my hand.
“Same,” Silverstream answered as she enthusiastically shook my hand up and down in a rapid manner. “It’s honestly soo surreal to finally meet someone who we’ve only ever heard stories and legends about before.”
“Ah can understand how that mus’ feel fer y’all,” I remarked. “Back home, Ah’d only ever heard stories bout’ Twilight ‘n her friends as well as all o’ tha things they’d accomplished. While Ah’d enjoyed those stories a lot ‘n wished deep down inside that they were real, Ah never could’ve imagined how real they’d be until Ah accidentally wound up here maself. Now that Ah have, though, Ah can’t imagine how Ah would’ve been able to live ma life without ‘em or any of their stories bein’ real.”
“I have to ask, though,” Ocellus spoke up, “where did your wings and pony ears come from? I don’t remember the accounts of your stories mentioning anything about that.”
Before I could open my mouth to answer, Twilight was quick to reply.
“In all honesty, it’s kind of complicated. None of us know why this is the case, but it’s quite possible that we might’ve missed something. We’re still trying to figure out the reasoning behind this.”
It was then that Flash Sentry finally came over with 2 cups of punch, 1 balanced on each wing.
“Thanks, Flash,” I answered as I reached out to grab my cup from his wing.
No sooner had I reached out for the cup then a mysterious green aura emanated from my right hand, surrounding the cup and lifting it up towards me. Surprised, I quickly grabbed the cup with my left hand while it was still levitating before it could fall and spill. This didn’t go unnoticed by the party gathered there.
“Whoa!” Sandbar exclaimed. “You have magic?”
In the time since I’d returned to Equestria, I’d strangely enough forgotten about the magical abilities that I possessed. Even with the memories that I was part Alicorn, the thought had never occurred to me that I could use magic. Something that came to mind was the possibility that I’d just forgotten about it as a result of the fact that nopony else seemed to remember my royal ancestry; sort of a messed up Pavlovian Conditioning kind of thing for lack of a better term.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, I finally spoke back up.
“Ah… Ah guess so.”
“Wow. I never knew that you had those kind of abilities,” Twilight uttered.
“Neither did I.”
Hearing that ever familiar voice, I turned around to notice that Fluttershy was standing in my presence. How long she’d been standing there, I had no idea. Taking in the sight of her, she was wearing a stunning dress that was a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows, bringing to mind the fiery nature of a sunrise or sunset. The yellow in her dress made it even harder for me to tell where it ended and her buttery coat began. Something else that I was quick to notice was that she was wearing the Aquamarine Teardrop pendant that she’d bought at Wal-Mart when they’d last visited; I’d almost forgotten about that necklace. After staring at her for several seconds, the words finally came back to my lips.
“Flutters,” I greeted. “Ah… wow. Y-you-you look beautiful.”
A heavy blush reached her face at my response to her as she also smiled softly before speaking up.
“Th-thanks. You look pretty incredible yourself.”
My heart began beating all the more faster at her compliment towards me before Twilight spoke back up.
“David, was this the first time that you’ve used magic since you came back here?”
Drawing my attention back to the events that had transpired just a short while ago, I finally uttered a reply.
“Yes,” I stated, taking a sip of my punch.
“I never knew that you had magic to begin with,” Ocellus voiced her thoughts. “I wonder why that is?”
“Well,” Fluttershy began, “even though none of us can remember it at the moment, David claims that he’s actually part Alicorn, descended from another Alicorn Princess named Destiny who lived here in Equestria over 1,000 years ago before accidentally winding up in his world as a human even farther back.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Gallus commented. “Celestia and Luna were the only princesses around at that time.”
“That’s what we’ve believed too,” Twilight replied, “but, at the same time, we know that David isn’t the kind to lie about that sort of thing and, with this new resurgence of magic from him, it raises even more questions that seem to point in the opposite direction of what we previously thought. It’s honestly a lot to think about, but there’ll be more time for that later on. For now, let’s just focus on enjoying the Gala.”
“Sounds good ta me,” I agreed.
“If you don’t mind, David,” Flash began, “I’m gonna go talk with my sister for a little bit.”
“You do that, Flash.”
Not long after he left our little gathering, Twilight voiced a question towards me.
“Sister? When did Flash have a sister?”
“Well, technically, she’s more of an adopted sister,” I explained. “Ya see, Flash was adopted a while back when he was jus’ a colt by these 2 ponies. Ah think he said their names were Aunt Holiday ‘n… Auntie Lofty if Ah remember correctly.”
“Wait a minute,” Twilight spoke back up. “Those ponies were Scootaloo’s guardians while her parents were away. Are you saying that Scootaloo is Flash’s little sister?!?”
“Adopted little sister,” Fluttershy politely corrected.
“Mhmm,” I replied. “Flash told me that himself after Ah’d had Crystal’s dark magic removed from me tha las’ time Ah was here.”
“Huh. Wasn’t aware of that,” Twilight commented.
“It’s O.K. In all honesty, Ah’d completely fergotten ‘bout that up until now.”
“Oh. I just remembered what I came over to talk with David about,” Flutters started as she turned towards me. “I’m supposed to be meeting with my parents for lunch at their place in a few days and I thought you might like to come along. I'm sure they'd love to meet you.”
This question caught me somewhat off guard. I’d never actually gotten the chance to meet her parents previously and her bringing this up now only reminded me further of my belief that Fluttershy held feelings for me. She probably saw this as an additional step towards pursuing a relationship with me. Despite being caught off guard, I had absolutely no problem with this arrangement at all.
“Sure. Ah’d love ta meet yer folks too.”
“Great.”
“That reminds me of something too,” Silverstream spoke up as she turned her attention over to Gallus. “Gallus, I know that we’ve come quite a long way since we were kids, especially you rising up to become Captain of Princess Twilight’s Royal Guard, and, in that time, I’ve thought long and hard about a few things. First and foremost in my mind is that I deeply value our friendship that we’ve shared over the years and I don’t want to be without that.”
It was in that moment that she paused briefly to pull out a small velvet box before speaking back up.
“So, I guess what I’m trying to ask is,-” she opened the box to reveal the ring inside “-‘Will you marry me’?”
Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, and I all gasped at this sudden proposal. It took a few short seconds before Gallus finally spoke up in reply.
“Of course I will.”
It was then when the 2 of them came together and kissed to the roaring approval of all of us there. Congratulations were abundant as my gaze shifted over to Fluttershy, the mare who I loved the most. While the Gala continued on for the rest of the night, I couldn't help but think to myself if I would ever reach a point like Silverstream had with Gallus; a point where I could make that kind of commitment towards my beautiful Flutters.
* * * * * * * *
A few short days after the Gala, I woke up in Twilight’s old palace remembering my get together with Fluttershy at her parent’s house. As I had no way of knowing exactly where her parents lived, the most logical step to me seemed to be to meet up with her at her place in order for her to show me how to get there. And so, after several minutes of morning meditations to prepare myself for the day ahead, I took to the sky, flying off towards Fluttershy’s cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville.
As I flew over Ponyville, I began thinking back to the Gala only a few days prior where my magic had made an unexpected resurgence. Having been a while since I’d last been to Equestria (even a longer while here than back on Earth), it was kind of embarrassing that I’d forgotten about my magical abilities in that period, especially since I still remembered being an Alicorn Prince the whole time. Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to go through a little crash course while I was here in order to refamiliarize myself with my abilities, figure out what my limits were, that sort of thing. The problem with that, though, was who could I go to in order to teach me in the ways of magic?
It was then that the thought occurred to me to ask Starlight Glimmer to be my tutor. I mean, outside of Princess Twilight, Starlight was arguably one of the most powerful magic wielders in all Equestria so she seemed to be the most natural teacher to go with… that is if she were to have the freetime for that sort of thing.
In the time that I’d been back in Ponyville, I’d been caught up on several different things that had changed since my previous visit. One of these was the fact that Starlight now worked as the Headmare at the School Of Friendship. That being said, the official school year was still a little ways off from starting back up again so it was possible that I could try to get some training in with her before she was caught up in the hecticness of having to deal with new and returning students.
I quickly turned my thoughts back to the present moment as I realized that I’d finally made it to Fluttershy’s. Coming in for a landing, I couldn’t help but notice that just about half a mile away from her cottage was where my own home was still under construction, but, by the sight of it, also seemed to be nearing completion. I let out a smile, not just at the fact that I would soon be able to have my own place to live in, but also that it would be within such a shorter distance from where Fluttershy lived as opposed to Twilight’s former castle.
Turning my attention back to why I was there in the first place, I walked up to her front door before tapping out my familiar knock on it.
Tap. Tap. Taptap Tap.
2 seconds had hardly passed by when I heard her voice from the other side of the door.
“Just a minute, David.”
And so I waited patiently for her to answer the door, letting her take all the time she needed to get ready. Finally, after about 20-25 seconds, the door opened to reveal Flutters standing before me.
“How’d ya know it was me at tha door?” I questioned.
“It was simple. Your knock is easily recognizable,” she stated with a smile.
“Ahh. Ah guess it was kinda obvious.”
“Kinda?” she remarked playfully.
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at her comment before a familiar scent caught my nose. Smelling a bit harder, I could now make out the easily discernible aroma of citrus; lemon to be quite specific, which I quickly realized was emanating from Fluttershy herself. I was quick to voice my observation towards her.
“Flutters, is that lemon I smell?”
“Why yes it is. I just sprayed myself with a new lemon scented perfume I bought recently,” she replied, rubbing one forehoof with the other. “Do you… like it?”
With a soft smile, I simply nodded back in response.
“Thanks. I was hoping you would. So are you ready to head over to my parent’s place for lunch with them.”
“Yes. Ah’d love to.”
“Great. Let’s go then.”
And so, the 2 of us took to the sky, heading all the way up to Cloudsdale where I’d never been previously. It was during that time when I briefly thought back to the first time I accidentally visited Equestria. More specifically, after having defeated the hag whereupon I found out that I’d only have one more day there before I needed to return back to my world, whereupon I’d never be able to return to Equestria ever again. To try and make me feel better, Rainbow had taken me for a flight over Ponyville on my newly gained wings and, for a brief while, the 2 of us had sat on a cloud where we briefly talked about my fears of never being able to return there again after going back to Earth.
Fortunately, Twilight had been able to find an ancient spell from a book I’d come across earlier in my visit, allowing me to return to Equestria whenever I felt like it. I’d never forget how grateful I was at being able to visit these friends of mine that I’d met back then, arguably the closest friends that I’d ever been fortunate enough to have in my life over the past several years.
My attention then turned back to the mare flying right alongside me. I smiled softly at her and she smiled softly back as we enjoyed each other’s company during our flight. It wasn’t long before she led me in for a landing outside a quaint little house with a cloud roof, a wide window across most of the front, 4 oval windows of increasing size directly above, 2 small columns just outside the front door, and a fence around it that seemed to be made from an actual rainbow. It looked even nicer than I’d previously remembered from watching the show all those years ago.
“We’re here,” Fluttershy stated.
Making our way to the front door, Flutters gently tapped her hoof against it as we waited for an answer. In less than 10 seconds after knocking, the door finally opened to reveal a Pegasus mare whose coat was a similar yellow to Fluttershy’s, but also had a red mane and tail sprinkled with grey in some areas, wide framed glasses that stood in front of deeply wrinkled eyes of a rich shade of raspberry, flowery earrings, and a necklace that appeared to be made out of golden beads. I swiftly recognized her as Fluttershy’s mother.
“Mom!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she went towards her for a hug.
“Fluttershy, dear,” Mrs. Shy answered while embracing her daughter. “It’s soo good to see you again.”
I stood there smiling softly at this display of familial affection before they pulled apart and Fluttershy spoke back up.
“It’s great to see you too,” Flutters turned to me. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a close friend of mine along with me. Mom, I’d like for you to meet-”
“David!” Mrs. Shy interjected as she reached out a hoof towards me. “Fluttershy has told me soo much about you in the past and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you face to face.”
“Please, tha pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Shy,” I smiled back while softly kissing the hoof she’d offered me.
“Oh my. Such manners,” she replied. “Would the 2 of you like to come in? Lunch is almost ready.”
“We’d love to,” Fluttershy and I answered simultaneously.
Mrs. Shy chuckled softly at our combined response as we made our way inside. Heading towards the kitchen, the ever recognizable smell of cooked pasta wafted towards me.
“Lunch smells incredible, Mrs. Shy.”
“Thank you for that, David.”
“Umm, Mom, do you know where Dad is?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, he’s just out in the back organizing his cloud collection. He’ll be in shortly. Why don’t the 2 of you get seated at the table so that we’ll be ready for when he comes in?”
“If ya don’ mind, Ah’d like ta help out with gettin’ tha food ready,” I stated.
“Oh no, David. I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’re the guest here and I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”
“It’s honestly no trouble at all, Mrs. Shy. You jus’ sit yerself down at tha table ‘n leave tha prep ta me.”
“David is quite skilled with cooking,” Fluttershy added. “He did a pretty fair amount of it when we were visiting him and Savannah all those years ago.”
“O.K. O.K. You 2 win,” Mrs. Shy remarked, taking a seat.
And so, as I got lunch prepped, I was grateful that I’d been able to make such a strong and positive first impression towards Fluttershy’s mom and I looked forward to all our little visit entailed.
* * * * * * * *
Several minutes later, the 4 of us were enjoying lunch and some casual conversation around the table, Mr. Shy having joined us not long after I’d finished prepping the food. Along with the pasta, there were also a few loaves worth of garlic bread as well as a very nice salad Mrs. Shy had put together comprised mostly of lettuce, tomatoes, cubes of cheese, and clovers. Funny enough, this wasn’t the first time that I’d eaten clovers.
I was reminded of when I was over at a friend’s house approximately 2 decades ago and his mom encouraged us to eat the clovers that were growing along the side of the house. She might’ve been joking about it, but we didn’t know that at the time. As far as the flavor was concerned, there was a pleasant tang to them that I really enjoyed, almost like citrus. Fortunately, the clovers in this salad tasted exactly the same, possibly even better than I’d originally remembered.
“So, David, how have you been enjoying life back here in Ponyville?” Mr. Shy posed the question to me.
“Pretty well, in all honesty,” I answered after swallowing a gulp of sparkling apple juice. “Of course, there’s been some stuff that Ah’ve needed ta ‘just to as of late. A lot’s changed since tha las’ time Ah was here.”
“I can understand how hard it must be for you coming back here after such a long period of time has passed,” Mrs. Shy commented. “Still, I know that Fluttershy and her friends are happy beyond words that you’ve finally come back.”
“Ah’m pretty happy ‘bout that maself.”
“In fact,” Mr. Shy began, “she informed us about your return right after your reappearance in Ponyville. She was quite excited about it.”
“Guilty as charged,” Fluttershy blushed softly.
A smile crossed my face towards her before I took up a forkful of pasta with spaghetti sauce and shredded sharp Cheddar melted into it as Mrs. Shy continued.
“Fluttershy would talk to us for quite a bit over the past several years about how you’re one of her closest friends outside of her pony friends and that she wanted nothing more than for you to come back to Equestria. She was soo devastated at the way you guys had left things back in your world that she didn’t want for that to be the last time she’d ever get to see you.”
“Ah honestly didn’ want ta leave that kind o’ bad blood between us either. Ah was jus’ goin’ through a rough period of hurt at tha time, but Ah didn’t want that ta be tha last impression Ah left ‘em with either,” I stated sadly, taking another swig of juice.
“Well the important thing is that you’re back now and you’re able to make new, positive memories with your friends in place of the old. Bless your heart for that.”
At Mrs. Shy’s final statement, I nearly choked on my juice before speaking back up.
“Excuse me?”
“What? What did I say?”
“You said, ‘Bless yer heart’. What was that supposed ta mean?”
“What’s so wrong about saying that?” she puzzled. “When I said, ‘Bless your heart’, I’m pretty sure that I meant, ‘Bless your heart’.”
It was then when I realized that she’d meant exactly what she said and that I’d erroneously been thinking that she’d meant it in the way it was often used back on Earth.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” I apologized. “It’s jus’ that, where Ah come from, when a person says ‘Bless yer heart’, it’s quite often code fer, if ya’ll ‘scuse ma language, ‘Go *ahem* yerself’.”
“Oh dear dear dear no!” she quickly answered. “I’d never use it in that manner. Your world sounds like it must have some rather strange customs.”
“Ah won’t argue that. Even Ah struggle at times ta keep up with what somethin’s supposed ta mean back on Earth ‘n Ah’ve lived there fer most o’ ma life.”
I then used a slice of garlic bread to begin mopping up the sauce that still remained in my bowl before trying to change the topic.
“Ah couldn’t help but notice that ya have a very lovely flowerbed outside, Mrs. Shy.”
“Why thank you, David.”
“Reminds me a lot of when ma Grandma would visit ma family’s place in Spring. She’d often spend her freetime outside in ma mom’s garden ‘n flowerbed workin’ tha soil, pullin’ weeds, waterin’ tha plants, that sorta thing.”
“My mom loves tending to her flowerbed whenever she can,” Flutters spoke up. “She truly does have a gift in that realm.”
“Oh, Fluttershy, stop,” Mrs. Shy modestly remarked while blushing softly. “It’s just one of my personal hobbies. I’ve got that while your dad has his cloud collecting.”
“Speaking of which,” Mr. Shy started, “what are some of your hobbies you enjoy doing for fun, David?”
“Well, 3 of ma biggest interests have always been singin’, actin’, ‘n writin’.”
“As somepony who’s been around David for about a month back where he’s from, I can truly vouch for his great singing voice,” Fluttershy stated. “He could definitely make a living off of it if given the chance.”
“Ah ‘ppreciate tha vote o’ confidence, Flutters. Unfortunately, Ah haven’t had much time fer any o’ that since ma wife’s murder.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Shy sadly stated. “Fluttershy told us all about what had happened that night. Out of all 6 girls who’d visited you back then, Fluttershy was the most devastated by that turn of events after returning to Equestria.”
A sad expression immediately crossed Fluttershy’s face at her mother’s statement before the latter continued on.
“I know that we’re definitely not the first to say this to you, but me and my husband are beyond sorry for you having to go through that kind of loss for as long as you have.”
“Thanks fer that, Mrs. Shy, as well as fer tha meal.”
“Oh you’re quite welcome.”
“Umm if you guys don’t mind,” Fluttershy began, standing up from her seat, “I think I’ll use the little fillies room quickly. Be right back.”
And so, she left the kitchen to go use the facilities, leaving me alone with both of her parents. Mr. Shy was the first one to break the silence.
“So Fluttershy has spoken very highly of you since you first came to Equestria and I can see now why she likes you soo much.”
My pupils immediately dilated and a heavy blush rose to my face at his comment. I hadn’t expected him to be as forward with something like that. Clearly Fluttershy wasn’t the only one in her family who had become bolder in the time since I’d last watched the show. After about 30 seconds of awkward silence, Mrs. Shy spoke back up.
“David, do you like our daughter back?”
“Well-umm… Ah-Ah-mmm, it’s… Ah mean,” I stumbled over my tongue before finally nodding nervously and letting out a slightly squeaky “Mhmm.”
“That’s what we thought,” she pleasantly remarked while taking Mr. Shy’s hoof in hers. “Both me and her father could tell by the way you 2 look at each other and talk about each other. Reminds me of when we were much younger ourselves.”
I smiled softly as the 2 nuzzled each other before I spoke back up.
“Ah truly do love ‘n care ‘bout yer daughter. Ah’ve jus’ had trouble tryin’ ta come out ta her with ma true feelin’s. As far as Ah’m concerned, tha moment would need ta be perfect, ‘specially fer her.”
“Well I’m sure that the right time will come to you before you know it,” Mr. Shy stated. “Knowing our Fluttershy, she’s probably just as anxious to tell you how she really feels towards you.”
“You certainly have our blessing,” Mrs. Shy commented. “You’ve proven yourself well enough towards her for that.”
And so the visit went on for another several minutes before it was time for me and Flutters to leave. Giving one more thanks to Mrs. Shy for the meal, I escorted Fluttershy back to her cottage before heading back to Twilight’s old palace. On my way back to the castle, I was comforted knowing that I had the blessing of Fluttershy’s parents for whenever I decided to come forward about my feelings towards her. When that moment would be, I had no idea, but I was now determined more than ever to find that right moment. All I knew for certain was that it was simply a matter of time, a case of sooner rather than later.