//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 *edit* // Story: A Dash of Hope // by gunmanforever //------------------------------// We walked for another five minutes until we came up on a cottage. There was a fence going along the yard with lots of animals, 'Twilight did tell me she likes animals.' I though as we walked up to the door. It looked like a very cozy place to live, not many visitors or city noise. "Ok, so Fluttershy is VERY shy. Just be careful what you say." Twilight warned me. I was actually getting a little nervous about meeting her. "Also, make sure you don't to scary." Applejack said as Twilight knocked on the door. After a couple seconds, the door slightly moved, then opened just enough for a yellowed color pony to stick her head out of the crack. She had pink hair that covered part of her face. "Oh, hi guys." She said in a barely audible whisper. She then looked at me for a couple seconds, then quickly slammed the door shut. "Come on Fluttershy, we have somepony for you to meet." Twilight yelled and knocked on the door again. There was a whimper sound, but the door opened again, this time fully. I was about the same size as the others, I could see that she also had wings like Dash. She was trying to hide behind her hair, and shaking slightly. I had no idea what to do, I looked over at Dash, who just shrugged. "Um, hi Fluttershy." I said lightly. "H-hi." She said behind her hair. I looked around to see she had a lot of animal accessories. 'Come on dumb-ass, talk to her about animals.' I thought to myself. "I like all your animals, they must be lucky to have an owner like you." I said, hoping she would open up a little more. "I love to take care of animals." She said with a smile. She's opening up, sweet. "By the way, whats your name?" AWWW SHITTT "Umm....I really don't know." I told her, looking at me feet. When I looked back up at her, she had a sympathetic look on her face. "Oh, you poor thing." She said and walked up to me and HUGGED ME. I stood their for a minute, Twilight was grinning and Rainbow Dash was trying not to laugh out loud. And Pinkie was just being Pinkie, bouncing around like a kid-in-a-candy-store. After the hug, Twilight asked Fluttershy to come with us to lunch. She nodded and came with us back to town. I started to think, what am I going to eat. When I tried some of that hay crap, I couldn't even chew it. So, hay is out. I'm sure I could get a salad or something. That's when I though of another problem, where the hell are we eating. Twilight would probable be the one to ask. "Twi, where are we eating." I asked her. "Sugercube corner." Twilight said with a smile. OK, if I want a salad, its gunna be sugar-coated. So ill go with cupcakes. The rest of the walk, I noticed that both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash where walking close to me, almost leaning on me. I didnt say anything, but it was kinda awkward. But, after we got into town, they distanced themselves from me. Something was off. There wasn't a single soul walking around the market. It was Saturday, so everybody would be at the market. Also, Sugarcube-corner was dark. Maybe it was a religious thing, as we walked up to it. SURPRISE I was meet by a deafening shout from everybody in town. I quickly hit the ground and covered my head. It took me a couple of seconds to realize what happened. Pinkie was bouncing around like a kid on a sugar rush, Dash was laughing her head off with Twilight. Fluttershy was hiding behind Applejack, who also looked surprised. Pinkie was going on and on about how she planned the party and how she invited the whole town. "Yeah Pinkie, you got me good." I said with a smile, patting her head. She smiled and took off to some games. I got to talk to some townsfolk's who seemed cool. It must have been close to midnight when the party died down. Mostly everybody had left, it was just Dash, Twi, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and me. They where telling me about how they defeated Discord with their Elements of Harmony. "Wow, so let me get this straight. Dash is loyalty, Applejack is honesty, Rarity is generosity, Fluttershy is kindness, Pinkie is laughter, and your Magic?" I asked. Twilight nodded at me with a smile."That is so cool." I said with a grin. "Yeah, it makes us about 20% cooler." Rainbow Dash said smiling. She then stared at me, almost like she was in deep thought. I waved my hand in-front of her. She seemed to snap out of it and continued to talk to the others. We talked a little longer till Twilight called it a night. It wasn't weird till both Dash and Fluttershy hugged me goodbye. About half way through the walk, I decided to ask Twilight about it. "So whats going on with Dash and Fluttershy hugging me?" i asked her. "They both seem to take a liking to you." She said with a grin. "As friends?" I looked at her. She just winked at me and continued to walk. I just groaned and kept walking. We continued small talk about weather and her library. After we got to her home, I went straight to bed. I basically passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.