//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Redefined Sibling Rivalry // Story: Harmony and Courage: Running Parallel // by SSJRandomMaster //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Redefined Sibling Rivalry ------------------ The week that Azure had off due to his sprain was not as boring as he thought it would be, but nothing could last forever. Though his headband had returned to his head, he had still been instructed to take it easy for a couple more days to be safe. The sprain itself healed fine, though, according to the checkup. The cyan colt was now on his way home, limping just a little on the appendange he sprained while trying to show up that showboat that'd come to town. It was nice not having to take responsibility for that long, but tomorrow, he'd start up his work again. The unicorn couldn't wait. It'd mean he'd actually be doing something other than writing. Not that his writing wasn't noticed... "Yo, Az!" This was a distant familiar voice: that of Rainbow Dash. He halted in his step, allowing her to reach him for a few moments. "I never really thought to ask, but after last week, I'm curious..." She hovered over him as he started to move again to his destination: his home. "Where'd you learn to do all that?" This was new. He'd never really seen Dash take a positive interest in the talents of anypony else, except Twilight when she'd taken the Ursa Minor out of town. "I think I said it before," Azure began. "But since I was young, my cousins and I would go freegalloping around Canterlot. I guess you could say I learned from them." "Are they pegasi?" asked the light blue mare. "No. They're unicorns, like me. Though one of them, I swear he can get anywhere without teleporting." Azure said. "But that's where I learned to do it. Why do you want to know?" "I feel like I could use those kinds of moves in my flying somewhere!" she said enthusastically, but Azure already knew where this was going, trotting his way to home where Rainbow began talking about how she could potentially do that among the clouds. It was indeed natural for her to talk about using them in that way. "You probably could. I for one would actually like to see what you could do." Azure responded. He looked up, squinting, when he got to the mailbox. For some reason, the mailmare who was at Twilight's welcome party was coming to him as fast as she could, even though she flew quite crookedly. As she drew closer, Azure realized she was holding a letter in her mouth. "Is that Ditzy Doo?" asked Rainbow Dash, apparently seeing the approaching pegasus pony. "Huh, looks like she forgot a letter for you when she made her rounds this morning." "Does that happen often?" asked Azure. "First time I've ever seen it happen." "Actually..." The light blue mare never got to finish, for the gray female, still as cross-eyed as ever, almost flew straight into the ground in front of Azure trying to rush the letter to him. Clearly, the name Dash gave her seemed pretty accurate. "I'm sorry!" She sounded only slightly distressed from the condition, the apology muffled by the mouthful of letter. "I forgot this in the bottom of my bag!" "Don't worry," said Azure. "Pretty sure it's nothing important if it was at the bottom..." "Don't be so sure," This was Dash not-so-subtly whispering into his ear. "She's been known to crash and scatter letters all about sometimes." "Here, let me give you this too, as an apology!" The mailmare seemed relieved to hear Azure's sentiment, but nonetheless was reaching into her bag already. In a few seconds, she produced...a muffin? "I've got a few other letters I missed! Gotta go!" And just like that, the blond pegasus was off, flying about in her almost pitably broken way to her next missed letter. Azure had taken the muffin in his magic before she'd left, but he stared after her, blinking. "Okay then..." he said, turning his attention back to the letter. He took a bite from the gift that Ditzy had just got done giving him, and only here did he notice who it was from. "Huh, Crimson Blitz sent me a letter." "Who?" Dash asked, flying around to his front. "My cousin. Easily the best out of the three of us at freegalloping." Azure said, opening the letter with his magic. He went inside, Dash actually bothering to land and follow him. He set the muffin down, and began to read the letter to himself. Just as he finished chewing the first bite, his eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "Uh-oh..." "What is it?" The light blue mare asked, walking up to him. "Blitz and Virid are...!" Azure blinked, before rushing outside. ------------------- Rainbow Dash did not know what to make of Azure's latest outburst. He dropped the letter from his magic glow and rushed out his door upon reading it, leaving the half-eaten muffin from Ditzy on a nearby table. The dropped parchment fluttered down to her hooves. Rainbow didn't really consider herself that nosy a pony, but she wanted to know what had the colt so worried. Especially when he let a loud "oh, hay!" upon reaching outside. She managed to get a hold of the letter, and lifted it up so she could read it... ----- Dear Azure: Virid's curious about what's going on in Ponyville. He's coming to town in three days, and I'm coming with him. Maybe we can meet your friends too. We'll be here for most of the next two days, but we're due back in Canterlot after the second day. We're wondering what exactly you're up to. Your cousin, Crimson Blitz ------- Rainbow read the letter again to herself. She giggled somewhat. How bad were his cousins if he was this worried about coming? Apparently, Virid was also one of his cousins, at least, that's what the cyan mare got out of his past. As the mare wondered what exactly Azure was so worried, it occurred to her that the colt probably thought they were in town today. With a small grin on her face, Rainbow spread her wings, flying out one of the open windows, opting not to open the door... ------------------- Azure galloped through the streets of Ponyville, trying to see if his cousins had already arrived. His first guess was to check the train station, to see if they were there waiting for him. Don't be in the city already, don't be in the city already... he thought as his hooves rapidly struck the ground, completely ignoring the doctor's advice to take it easy to be on the safe side. In record time, he was at the train station, but to his chagrin, his cousins either hadn't arrived yet, or were already in town. Darn it! He immediately turned around and began making a mad dash for the city limits again, still not following the doctor's advice. It wasn't Crimson he was worried about though. He was more worried about Virid and his tendency to run his gums. Even his run-in with Trixie hadn't changed a whole lot, even though at least he could take comfort knowing his cousin wasn't the most egotistical unicorn this side of Equestria. "Bad, bad, bad, this is bad..." Azure mumbled, running around trying to find any signs of two unicorns slightly older than him. He checked the areas around the library and at Sweet Apple Acres, two areas he knew he'd mentioned in his letters. There was no sign of them. I know they're here...where are they?! He continued to run. "Hey, Blue Soap!" This was a familiar voice shouting out an unfamiliar insult, just as he passed into the town square. Azure whipped his head around to see his cousins, complete with two days' worth of supplies, and as soon as he saw Virid's expression it was clear who made the insult. "Oh, because I sprained my ankle..." Azure responded. "Virid, have I ever told you that you weren't a comedian?" "It doesn't matter how many times you tell him," Blitz cut in. "You look winded, Azure..." "I was looking for you guys." The youngest of the three responded, sighing. "Was not expecting you guys." "You sent him a letter, didn't you?" Virid turned to Blitz with the question, after some silence. "Clearly, he didn't get it in time, so does it really matter?" The red unicorn responded. "What, you didn't?" "What, can't I surprise Azure unexpectedly for a change? No wonder you were wanting us to hang around the town square!" Virid responded. The blue unicorn hid the urge to facehoof. While he could put weight on his bad foot again, it was clear the green unicorn was going to attempt to drive him up the wall, literally, before this visit was over. Even with Blitz trying to keep him in check. "I thought you were the strategist..." Blitz responded. "Anyway, Azure, care to give us a quick tour after we stop by your home?" "Yeah. Don't want to stay in this boring old town square all day," Virid exaggeratedly stretched his legs as he said this. "And I don't want to keep this stuff on my back any longer than I have to." "Right, well, I should be able to find my home just fine from here..." Azure responded. Home, huh...well, this is better than having to risk running into the others, The cyan colt thought to himself as he began to lead his cousins to his house. But I've been wrong before... ------------------- "You know, Azure," Virid said. "You did seem real nervous about how we were coming to town, given you were running around in your condition." He made a subtle motion to Azure's leg, as if he needed to be reminded that it did still have its cast on it for the next two days. "Don't tell me you're afraid of what'll happen if we meet your marefriends now..." The cyan colt felt a vein throb on his forehead as he turned to face his cousin. "For the last time, Virid--" Azure started. "C'mon," the green unicorn responded, flicking a hoof dismissively. "I'm a nice guy..." "Only when we're watching," reminded Blitz in a matter-of-factly tone. "Otherwise, you really become disrespectful." "Oh, c'mon!" Virid said, for once not picking a fight with Crimson, a feat that the colt found utterly remarkable when he thought about it. "The only consolation here is that the mare that had fans bring an Ursa Minor to town had even more of an ego than you do, Virid," Azure spat, disgusted that he even had to bring Trixie up as an example. "Oh, like you weren't," His tone was mocking, but the implications were clear. "Showing off how you can move, that is." Azure had since reached the door of his abode, and as he reached out magically to grasp the handle so he could open it, remembering that he had left it unlocked in his rush, he turned to Virid. "Virid, I'm really getting sick of your--" the cyan colt began, having had his fill of Virid's brand of harshness already, but his cousins had apparently seen something behind him, Blitz being responsible and jamming his hoof into Azure's mouth before he could say anymore. With a single nod of the head from his elder cousin, Azure turned... And saw all six of the mares he'd befriended assembled there, Rainbow with an utterly complacent smile on her face. Azure's eye twitched, and for a single second, he had honestly considered striking her, but thankfully, he was able to restrain himself. "So these are your cousins, huh, Az?" Dash asked, and Azure swallowed. His expression turned dangerous, though none of the mares seemed to notice. You have no idea what you've done, do you? Blitz is okay, but Virid-- Azure couldn't even finish his thoughts before Virid interrupted. "Oh, so these are the mares from your letters..." Virid said. As Azure turned to him, he realized with utter distaste that the all-too familiar grin was on his face. When the green unicorn had that stupid smirk plastered on his face, nothing good for anypony he felt like teasing would come of it. "Hello," Blitz cut in quick before Virid could make that fact public and make it sound like Azure was some sort of stalker, "I'm Crimson Blitz, and this is Virid Strategem. We're Azure Courage's older cousins. Nice to meet you." If I'd gotten to choose who came down to see me, it'd be Crimson, without question. Virid...eeehhh... Azure thought to himself. Crimson never really took a teasing tone with me on Nightmare Moon. "It's a pleasure to meet you," said Rarity. "You must be...Rarity." said Virid, motioning to her. "That is correct," the white unicorn responded. "Alright, let's see if I got this..." Blitz raised one of his forehooves, once again keeping the green colt in check. "Fluttershy," he motioned to the mare at the back of the group, who shrunk away only a little from the motion. "Rainbow Dash," now it was the hovering mare. "Pinkie Pie," He motioned to the excited-looking one, "Applejack," The hat-wearing mare nodded as the red pony's hoof passed over her. "And...Twilight Sparkle." "So far, so good..." said Azure, sighing. "So, why are you two in town?" Applejack asked. "Well, we're here to see our little cousin," Virid responded, already taking a step away from Blitz and Azure. "But there's something I'm here to do on top of that." Ah, manure...! thought the cyan colt to himself. "I hear that you're a fast flier, Rainbow Dash," Virid continued, stepping forward. "And," he inhaled, "Blitz over there is actually pretty fast too." "What the..." Azure whispered. "Virid, what the--" Crimson was caught off-guard. "Oh, is that so?" Dash asked, fluttering over to Crimson. "W-well," The unicorn faltered, not knowing what to do. "Yes, but--" "Wait a sec," The light blue pegasus paused, before remembering something. "Az just got done telling me before he went lookin' for you, he learned how to freegallop from you and Virid over there." "That's right, but..." Blitz sighed, apparently having found out that Rainbow's competitive spirit was impossible to overcome. "Fine. I might as well show what I can do while I'm here." Azure could tell from his cousin's facial expression that they were both thinking the same thing: Darn it, Virid... "It couldn't hurt to see how it'll play out," said Twilight, probably curious to see how his cousins were. At least, that was Azure's guess. "C'mon, everypony, follow me," Dash said, already out the door in maybe a second. Not that Azure was timing her. "I'll find some good surfaces so it's fair." As the ponies began to follow Rainbow's lead, Pinkie started hopping along, seeming to summarize the situation perfectly as she went. "Oh goody!" she cheered as she bounced her way out of the door. "Rainbow Dash and one of Azie's cousins racing? This is gonna be fuuuuun!" Azure felt a strange case of deja vu wash over him. He glanced to his cast, and grit his teeth. Usually, nothing good ever came of somepony telling him that, especially now that Pinkie started to say it. As he looked up, he saw the only other pony to use a similar phrase to him. Virid was looking at him with a crooked grin, the very same one he'd worn before all this. "C'mon, cousin," he said, mock-innocently, "let's go see if your pegasus marefriend can stand up to Blitz's unicorn speed..." Azure blew out hot air. "Yeah..." His voice was so sarcastic he himself almost smirked at how it sounded. "Sounds like fun to me..." ------------------- It hadn't taken the group too long to find a spot. Rainbow had taken the trouble of setting up a course on some hills not too far from Azure's home. There were a few rocks here and there which could be used as platforms for the unicorn involved in the race. Anypony looking at Crimson Blitz could tell he didn't want any part of this race, but he was going to do whatever it would take. Azure Courage was no exception, and of the things that could have happened during his cousins' visit, this was one of the bad things, but by no means the worst thing that could have happened on their visit. "Alright, here's how this'll work..." Dash said, hovering down to a position on Blitz's left, who still looked like he didn't want to be here. "See that flag?" The flag in question would require some sharp eyes to see, but Azure could just make out the form of a red flag a moderately long distance away. Funnily enough, Azure thought that Rainbow Dash was going to do at least twice that distance, but didn't want to point it out since she would see it as a challenge. Blitz gave a short nod, still looking like he didn't want to go through with this, apparently hoping against hope that Rainbow would see through the expression and call this off. Azure knew better than to entertain such a vision. "We'll race from here," Pinkie hopped up in time to put a blue flag between the two, such that Dash could motion to it. Azure knew the earth pony was excited to see how this would turn out, but hopping the distance Dash was indicating must have taken just a little wind out of her. "to there, and back. First one to do that is the winner." "State the obvious some more, please," said Virid. Azure took a deep breath, trying to refrain from smacking Virid, particularly since he was on the side with the hoof in the cast. "Alright, I understand the rules," Blitz said, shooting a small, barely noticable glare to Virid in the process. The look on his face changed into one of resignation. "So, care to start us off?" "Ready..." Dash responded, forgoing any pre-race taunts, probably because she could at least see Blitz's hesitance. Then again, Azure was probably just making random guesses, and look where he was now. "Set..." At this point, Blitz's horn began to take on a purplish hue, not like Twilight's or Trixie's. "Is that allowed?" Applejack asked. "Of course it is," responded Virid with a bit of snideness in it. Azure felt his bad hoof twitch, and with all of his reserves he fought not to smash his cousin over the back of the head with it. "Go!" Dash flew off, a rainbow streak the only indicator of where she was. Blitz took off, a mix of purple and red as he began to gallop, bouncing onto the rock nearest to him and launching himself off. Though Blitz didn't leave such an identifiable trail as with Rainbow, he was leaving afterimages, though that might have been the spell. Azure was stunned to see Blitz able to keep up with Rainbow Dash. He didn't think there was that much room for improvement on his speed spell. He knew he'd had it, but not like this. Apparently, Twilight didn't expect this either. As he turned to see her, she literally appeared to be taking detailed notes about what was going on. Actually, Twilight...This is normal for you. thought the cyan colt as he went back to the race. Blitz's quick-moving body soon began to catch up with Dash's streak, maybe only a few yards or so behind. Blitz kept bouncing off of rocks to try and close the gap, and as they neared the checkpoint, the unicorn's tactic appeared to be working. "I-I don't...believe it!" This was Fluttershy, recognizable to Azure-except for the volume. It was a bit loud...for her, anyway. The others turned to look. "No, this is really happening..." Virid said. Azure felt his forehoof start to twitch again at this. He didn't feel like having to explain his cousin's behavior...especially considering four of his friends were not unicorns. Blitz bounded off the rocks as the two made their way back, actually seeming to get the lead for maybe a fraction of a second. However, Dash, flying a straight line on the way back, soon overtook him. Blitz fought to get into the lead, galloping straight for the finish. However, his efforts to get ahead before Dash crossed the finishing line were in vain. The mare crossed a second and a half before Blitz did. Blitz skidded to a halt just after crossing the finish line, kicking up dust. "Hah! I won!" the mare gloated. "And I wasn't even trying, either!" She didn't even really seem winded by the effort it took. "Heh, Azure was right from his letters," Blitz expressed, seemingly unphased by the fact he'd just gotten beaten. "You really are fast." Virid couldn't withhold a snort, though Azure knew he had no intention of doing so anyway. "What's so funny?" Twilight asked, apparently not seeing the harm that Azure saw in it. Twilight, don't...! "Nothing..." Virid said. "So, what else is going to happen?" Azure breathed a sigh of relief at the green unicorn's rare display of restraint on the matter. Perhaps there was hope yet of this visit turning out good after all... "So, about your family's farm, Applejack..." interjected Blitz, hoping to cut off the green unicorn before he could mouth off any more. "Think you could show us that next?" The orange farmer mare smiled. "It'll be my pleasure," she said, already preparing to lead the way. Thank you, Blitz... He was internally grateful that not only were his cousins at each other's throats, but Virid seemed to be keeping a lid on his bias, and Blitz was trying his darndest to make sure it stayed that way. Just keep this up... ------------------- The group had eventually made their way to the family farm, surprisingly, with very little comments from Virid. Except when he caught sight of that mint green unicorn that moved into town from Canterlot not that long ago. The one that always went off about "humans"...whatever those were, Azure did not care to know. Virid was about to announce his version of not caring to know, but thankfully, Blitz was able to pull him back in line. Dodged a few arrows there, Azure said. And the day's still young...how long can Virid go...? "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack said, marked enthusiasm in her features, as soon as they'd arrived at the farm. Azure remembered that he hadn't really toured the property that much to his memory. He'd only been in two or three parts of the orchards and passed through the main buildings. As the group went to the orchards, Blitz looked around, and let out a low whistle. "You take care of all this by yourself?" he asked, sounding genuinely impressed. "Oh, I can't take all the credit," Applejack declined. With a nod of the head, she motioned towards...her brother, Big Mac, who was in the middle of harvesting apples. "I do have help." "So that explains it..." Virid spat under his breath, but Azure definitely caught it. What the--Virid!! the cyan unicorn thought to himself, shifting a little. Deja vu was starting to set in again, and he found himself hoping this wouldn't be a repeat of last week. "So, while we're here," said Applejack, apparently not hearing Virid, "how 'bout I show ya some Apple Family hopsitality and treat ya to some of my granny's trademark apple pies?" Virid seemed eager for this, and Blitz appeared to not want to ask twice. Azure felt his brow furrow. Please tell me you're going to try harder, Virid... Azure thought. Else, they really will hate you... ------------------- Twilight didn't know why Azure seemed so on-edge. Aside from Virid's snort and setting up that race between Blitz and Rainbow, both of his cousins seemed nice enough. Then again, the purple mare had thought similarly about Gilda, and then she blew up during her welcome party...But these weren't griffons, and they certainly didn't seem ill-tempered. No more ill-tempered than Azure could get, anyway. Even their table manners were better than the colt in question. Blitz, Virid, and Pinkie had partaken in the hospitality, and enjoyed their pie, though Virid really seemed to be getting into it. Azure was watching his cousin with rather suspicious eyes, but for the life of her, the mare just couldn't see what had her friend so worried about his cousins. "This is actually pretty good," Blitz said, finishing up his pies. "Shucks," Applejack interjected. "If ya think this is good, you should check out the sweets at Pinkie's bakery." In response to her name being said, along with her place of employment, Pinkie started hopping around. "Oh, yes, yes, yesssss!" she started hopping around, catching Virid off-guard. He got up, and looked to Azure. "I have the most suer-duper yummy treats you can imagine!" She continued to hop about, practically listing items. "She always like this?" Virid asked. Notably, his blue eyes were shining just a little, but Twilight couldn't figure out why. "Yes..." Azure responded, sounding only somewhat relieved. "I have never been the kind of colt to turn down sweets," said Virid, with any evidence for Azure's constant worry absent once again, "Lead the way." ------------------- Azure Courage was somewhat relieved to see that the next stop of the tour wasn't going to be something terribly obvious. The colt withheld a sigh. The Sugarcube Corner... The cyan colt thought. If ever there was a way to be Virid's friend right quick...well, he might just behave himself here... Virid, upon arriving at the place, appeared to start drooling with a completely numbed expression on his face as he looked at all the sweets. Azure tried not to laugh at Virid's complete weakness here. "Hey, Az," Dash whispered. "What's with your cousin there?" "If I had to pick one of Virid's strangest traits," said Azure. "It'd have to be his sweet tooth." It would make more sense if they knew how much of a jerk he was, though... Pinkie immediately hopped behind the counter, and in no less than thirty seconds, had managed to serve each pony and the baby dragon their own cupcake, complete with uniquely covered frosting for each one. If Rainbow Dash is among the fastest fliers, Pinkie Pie is among the fastest workers. thought Azure to himself as he started to take a bite. Blitz took a bite, chewed a few times, and held the food in his cheek as he turned to Pinkie, "You mean this is your bakery?" "Oh, no, this is Mr. and Mrs. Cakes' bakery!" Pinkie said, her mouth full, causing Blitz to wince. "I just work here, and live upstairs from here too!" "Works and lives in a bakery," Though his mouth was full, Azure could just make out Virid's statement. "How appropriate..." Azure just about choked on the wad of cupcake he had been about to swallow. Thankfully, he managed to get it down the correct pipe. Oh, thank Celestia nopony heard that... he thought to himself as he noticed the lack of reaction in the other ponies...except Blitz, of course, who flinched when his ear twitched. He and Azure met eyes, and once again, it was clear they were both thinking the same thing. "Oh, goodness!" said Fluttershy, again, louder than one would expect since she was meeting new ponies. Her meekness began to return as all eyes turned to her. "I n-nearly forgot to feed the poor animals in the forest!" "Why don't we tag along?" Spike asked. Azure wanted to scream a negative to this, but he couldn't find it in him to do so, since no one had heard any of Virid's negative comments. "That way you could show Azure's cousins what you do." "Oh, um, I guess so," The yellow mare's voice volume decreased a bit more, but it wasn't an issue for Azure. "I mean, if they want to..." "I don't mind," said Blitz. Virid was apparently still in the middle of a post-cupcake euphoria and likely didn't hear what was said, judging from the absolutely blank expression on his face. Azure could feel his breath shortening just a bit as the tour was set to continue, with Blitz physically dragging Virid from the store, who made no attempt to resist. If we can just get Virid past Fluttershy's job without much in the way of comments, we should be safe...right? Azure said. Celestia, we're over halfway past my friends' various jobs...and Virid can't seem to keep his comments to himself! How in the hay did nopony hear him?! ------------------- Twilight hadn't the foggiest idea why Azure would want to hide his cousins from them. Sure, Virid had a nasty tendency to garble gibberish with his mouth full, but they still seemed like a far cry from Gilda. Actually, comparing either of them to Gilda would be an insult to either one of them. Yet, as they got closer to Fluttershy's cottage, Azure looked positively uncomfortable the whole time. He looked like he was going to be sick. Or pass out, whichever. Rarity reacted to his obvious discomfort before anypony else could notice. "Azure, darling, you don't look so good," she said, concern evident in her tone. "Are you sick?" "N-no," The cyan colt was catapulted back to reality, apparently having no idea how he looked to anypony else. "Just...might be walking on this bad foot of mine too much..." I've seen you play against worse odds, Azure, thought Twilight to herself. "I see," the white unicorn said, apparently not seeing it the same way the studious mare did. "Well, do try not to push yourself too much." "I'm seriously hoping I don't have to..." It was barely a whisper, but Twilight caught it. Her ear twitched, but before she could ask Azure what it was about his cousins that had him so worried, the group had arrived at Fluttershy's day job. Several of the animals appeared to be waiting for the meek mare, who suddenly seemed to be...less so now that she was in her natural element, so to speak. She began to feed them. "So you take care of all these creatures?" Blitz asked. "Well...yes..." Fluttershy responded, with a strange lack of shyness. Either she'd adjusted to Azure's cousins just that quick or it was the fact she was doing what she did best that made her so much less shy. "Impressive," commented the spikiest-maned colt while looking around, "I can tell from the quality of this place you do this well." Twilight blinked, but she didn't miss the lightest shade of pink on Fluttershy's cheeks. She didn't falter from the compliment though. Abruptly, Azure looked as though he were about to choke again while looking straight at Virid, but Twilight couldn't see any cause for concern. "Huh, you say something?" Spike asked, turning to Virid. The green colt noticed his question and responded. "I said 'I wonder how long it takes to feed them all'." Azure once again looked like he was going to pass out, which made Twilight tilt her head in confusion. Did I miss something...? "It really comes down to how many animals show up for lunch," Again, Fluttershy sounded unusually more confident in the company of animals. "What kind of animals do you feed?" Twilight's brow furrowed. Now that she thought about it, Virid's tone sounded a bit...forced, while Blitz sounded a little more natural asking. But that thought was soon banished upon the next event. "Well...um," A little bit of that meekness returned. "There's the birds, the rabbits, the raccoons, the--" A loud growl erupted, and almost immediately, Virid leapt straight up, turning around, coming face to face with a bear that did appear to be roaring. Yet, nopony else except for Blitz moved a muscle. Virid's horn began to glow an amber color as he prepared to attack. "Why you--!" he growled, sounding an awful lot like Azure. "Wait!" Fluttershy yelled. Virid winced, cancelling his attack. "He's not trying to hurt you..." "What in Tart--" the green unicorn began, but Fluttershy didn't pay any attention to him. Now that Virid was actually looking at the bear, it appeared to be rubbing at its eyes. It wasn't roaring. It was actually yawning. Virid almost attacked an innocent bear. Why does that not surprise me? Twilight thought to herself. "I told you not to yawn behind ponies like that," The yellow pegasus scolded. "They might get the wrong idea." The bear looked ashamed of itself, and the look on Virid's face was priceless, like he'd just sat on a tack, but didn't want to alert anypony of his displeasure. "It's okay," She began to rub the bear behind the ear, fluttering up to its eye level to do so. "Now, off to eat with you." Azure and Blitz both looked at each other, apparently at a loss for Virid's behavior. Twilight felt her mind began to work again at Azure's endless discomfort with the prospect of the girls and herself meeting them. "Guess..." Blitz began, while Virid recovered from his mental lag after being stunned at Fluttershy's ability to tame animals. "Guess all that's left for us to visit is Rarity and Twilight." Azure seemed relieved to hear this, but for what reason, Twilight did not know. "So who's next?" Twilight felt that she had to interject. "I don't really have a job..." she explained, only a little bashfully. "I'm still a student." That did bring into question how she was able to live, but nopony seemed to bring it up, so that subject was dropped. "I guess that means you're up, Rarity," Blitz said, not allowing Virid to get a word in edgewise. "I was hoping to save the best for last," Rarity started. "But if you insist..." ------------------- Azure Courage felt relief washing over him now that they were moving to the unicorns' respective parts of the tour. Well, it couldn't quite be called a tour, given that nopony was pointing out the town hall or any other locations of interest. Still, it counted as a tour given his cousins were visiting his friends' houses, which more or less were scattered around town. Amazing! We might get through this before Virid really starts flapping his gums! he thought, estatic at the thought of the mares not finding out about Virid's...bias. The group eventually arrived at the Carousel Boutique, and Azure found himself recalling his first meeting with Rarity. At the time, she'd just passed over him, until he'd mentioned the city where he was from. Then she, rather enthusiastically, showed him the decorations for the (crashed) Summer Sun Celebration. "So this is your shop?" Blitz asked. "Indeed," Rarity responded, taking the lead of the group, a slightly boastful tone in her voice. "And the best fashion shop in Ponyville." Isn't this...the only one, in Ponyville...? thought Azure to himself. Blitz and Virid looked around at the various dresses and that kind of stuff, but it was the former who spoke, while the latter seemed to be distracted by what appeared to be a covered dummy. "These are really well-made," said Blitz. Rarity merely closed her eyes, reopened them halfway, and whipped her hair around gently in response to the compliment. "You really know how to bring out the details..." Rarity spotted what Virid was about to do to the covered-up dummy, just as the amber glow of Virid's horn began to light up again. "Ah-ah-ah-ah!" she scolded, "no peeking, Mister Strategem, that one is still under development." Well, I've never seen her react that way before... Azure thought to himself. Then again, I've only been here two other times after I've first met her. The cyan colt decided to drop the subject before he dwelled on it. "Now then, before we move on, would either of you gentlecolts," The cyan colt was, mercifully, able to hold back a snort at the thought of Virid being a gentlecolt, "like to try on something more...pleasant?" Blitz lifted his head and spoke again. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to take a pass on it..." The red unicorn now seemed sort of uncomfortable that he'd had to do most of the speaking. "What about you, Virid?" "Yeah, I'm...not interested either." Virid showed perfect restraint in turning Rarity's offer down, which was to be expected of him given that bias of his... "So, guess that leaves us with Twilight..." Azure breathed out a sigh, trying his hardest to not be noticed by the others. Virid had managed to get through the others' lifestyles without much in the way of incident. At least, not ones that the others could hear. "So then...here we go..." Twilight said, sounding only slightly bashful at the prospect. With that, the purple mare turned, and began to lead the others to her home. ------------------- "Wait, so...you live in a library...?" This was Blitz, unmistakably confused about it. "For me, there really isn't any other place I would be..." Twilight answered. Azure supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by Twilight's admittance, but now he was starting to wonder how many books total the purple mare had read. He would have been up to ask about it, but after what happened post-Trixie's running away...it just didn't feel right. "Yeah," Spike cut in with a little laugh. "She actually spent more time in the Canterlot library than at home!" Virid stood blinking. "Wait, you're from Canterlot too?" "So that's how you became...her student..." Blitz cut in again, sounding impressed. "Well," Twilight looked sheepish again, "yes, that's part of it, I guess." Still being modest, Twilight? Azure thought to himself. "Sometimes, somepony can be in the right place at the right time..." Twilight's eyes half-closed, and for a moment, her expression grew distant. Azure felt his eye twitch and hoped nopony caught what she was referring to. The memory of the hug she'd given him after Trixie left town came flooding back, and just for a few moments, he felt his face heat up. "You know, Azure--" Virid started, turning to him at precisely the wrong time. "...you didn't...mention where she was from..." His voice gradually degenerated from somewhat friendly to confused. "What's up with you?" Darn...! thought the cyan colt, trying his hardest to restore his poker face. "Uh...!" Blitz quickly moved to interject again, "I guess the fact she was from where we're from just slipped your mind when you wrote your letters?" "Y-yeah...!" The cyan colt snapped back to attention, while the girls apparently noticed Twilight's own discomfort. "Uh, so...yeah, those are my friends...I guess we can head on home now..." ------------------- Twilight couldn't believe she'd slipped like that. Thinking about that hug, even now, still managed to get her face heating up. But why? Yeah, Azure had managed to get her spirits up when she was in doubt, but any one of her friends could have done the same. She did say that somepony can be in the right place in the right time, and Azure just so happened to be that pony. Yet...somehow, Azure's reassurance stuck out. She didn't know what it meant, but it sure flooded her with...something she didn't understand. "So, Virid, Blitz," Applejack began, as the group of ten got close to Azure's household. "How was your first visit to Ponyville?" "I like the place. Quieter than Canterlot. Just the reason why Azure moved here," said Crimson, very simply, very quietly. Virid said nothing, but he trotted ahead of the group, acting as though he hadn't even heard the farmer mare's question. "Hey, Virid, what about you?" Rainbow asked. "Oh..." said Virid, turning to the others. His expression seemed different from the nice pony that had been in attendance earlier. He seemed...angry? But why? Rainbow hadn't done anything to him. "well..." He hesitated. "Uh, I like the place, yeah. Got that bakery...the farm...yeah, Azure's..." Why is he floundering about...? Twilight thought to herself. "Oh...well, uh, yeah, Azure's made some good friends," Virid seemed discomforted, but not at what he was saying. "Just wish all of them were...magic users...oh, never mind, I'm just..." Twilight didn't remember a time she'd seen Azure move so fast. That nervous look he'd had back when the others were enroute to Fluttershy was back, but as he passed the others and moved forward, the purple mare noticed something about his posture that wasn't quite right. And it wasn't the cast still on his foreleg. It was something mental. "Just what are you tryin' to say, Virid..." Azure's voice indicated anger, like there was a line that was crossed. Twilight didn't get it at first, until she reconsidered his last line. Magic users? She thought to herself. Does he mean...! "Just the truth," The green unicorn's voice indicated surprise. "That unicorns are better than pegasi and earth ponies." There was a collective gasp from the group, and Azure lowered his head, as though ashamed of his cousin's statement. But Virid wasn't done. He sounded so sure of what he was saying that he didn't even flinch when confronted with four--technically, five counting Spike, non-unicorns. "I mean, maybe they would only seem like a waste if not for their numbers..." "Why you...!" Dash growled, about ready to attack, but Applejack once more stopped her, and made the subtlest motion toward Azure, who seemed even worse off than before. But was the green unicorn colt done? Twilight listened, her anger growing. This pony was making other unicorns look bad by association. Not even Trixie was this bad about her magic. Yeah, she gloated endlessly about her exploits, but she wasn't like this...! "Virid!" Blitz called out, apparently also cross. "The Earth ponies aren't anything special," At this, Applejack took offense, and looked about ready to rush in. "And a couple of spells render pegasi pointless." Twilight found herself wondering what Virid was referring to, if only so she could add those spells to her skillset, while Rainbow became even more livid. Fluttershy, meanwhile, squeaked. "Twilight...?" Spike asked. "What's that feeling called where you feel like you've been somewhere before, because I feel like I'm having a case of it." "Deja vu, Spike," Twilight replied neutrally. "And yeah, you're right. I feel like I've been here before too..." If only Virid could turn around and say he was joking. But his tone, his confident posture, his unquaking face...he sounded so sure of himself. Like he knew how the world worked. "Now, I'm not saying these lesser ponies should disappear..." Virid closed his eyes. "I'm just saying they'd be better off as one of us..." Crimson looked over to the cousins of blue and green. He seemed worried about Azure. And upon taking a second look at his posture, Twilight guessed why. His chest was heaving. He was hyperventiliating like she hadn't seen him before. Not even Gilda and Trixie managed to do this to him. "Take it back..." It was almost a whisper, and Twilight searched among the mares that Virid took special care to offend, but all of them looked equally shocked. Rarity looked shocked too. Azure's body had evened out, and abruptly, Azure looked up. His horn burst into a bright cyan glow. While this wasn't new, the way the glow was flowing was not the gentle flow that a unicorn's horn usually exhibited. It was more like a roaring flame, representing pure anger. "Virid, everything you just said...take it all back!" Crimson seemed surprised by what Azure was doing, but while Twilight hadn't seen Azure so furious before, she knew he wasn't in any condition to be up to his usual combative behavior. She took a few steps forward. "Azure...!" Before she even realized it, the red cousin was right in front of her, cutting off her path. "No..." He said. "He knows what he's doing..." The way the colt's orange eyes settled seemed to indicate he knew better than she did about Azure's behavior. "I've never seen him this angry...his eyes were actually glowing a little..." Virid had been initially shocked at Azure's talking back, but he soon laughed right in his younger cousin's face. "What's my little Blue Soap going to do about it?" He leaned downward, as though mocking him, but Azure wasn't having it. "Something I wished I'd done before..." Azure continued. The glow on his horn didn't fade. It was still glowing erratically, as though the unicorn was trying his hardest to restrain himself from just attacking his cousin. "Virid, I challenge you." His head lowered, and though he was still on a leg he shouldn't be putting so much weight on, he took a combative stance. "A duel? Do you really think you have a--" The cyan colt made it clear he was utterly fed up with his cousin's manure. "And if I win, Virid," Azure continued. "You have to apologize for everything you said." Virid frowned, taking a step forward in line with his cousin. "And if I win, Azure..." he began. "You leave here and come back home to Canterlot with us." "Virid, you can't expect him to do that!" Crimson scolded, but neither of the colts were listening to him. "I accept your challenge," Azure said, to the surprise of the others. Twilight couldn't hold herself from gasping, but Pinkie once again gasped in an exaggerated manner. "I'm not going to lose..." What...what are you doing, Azure?! Twilight didn't know what to do. She'd never seen a family feud like this, and for the life of her she didn't know how to stop the chain of events from moving any further. Do you realize the conditions you've agreed to?! You're my friend! I don't want to...... ------------------- The group quickly moved to a clearing, surrounded by trees. Twilight realized that feeling a sense of deja vu wasn't exactly prevalent anymore. While Trixie was a braggart and did bring harm to the friends that tried to prove themselves against her, all she did was cheap tricks. Virid...she hadn't seen what he was capable of, but since he was about to pull an Azure on a bear, and the fact that her friend stated he'd learned what he knew from his cousins... This was an entirely different situation. Yet...Twilight couldn't help but feel she'd been in a similar spot all the same. Just without the "duel". Nopony, not even Blitz, could say anything as the two dueling unicorns stared one another down. Only now did the others understand why his cousins visiting was such a big deal for him. "It wasn't you he was worried about..." Twilight whispered to Crimson. "Has Virid always been...?" "A jerk?" The red unicorn responded, not even flinching. "Yeah. Azure must have been worried, given he looked like he was running around before running into us at the town square. I guess he must have felt something like Virid's outburst was going to happen. He was the only one objecting to Azure's move here, for obvious reasons." The purple mare felt a small pang of sympathy for Azure. None of her family members objected to her sudden move to Ponyville, and if they had, it certainly wouldn't have been on the grounds the green colt had. Virid must have been pretty vocal about his...bias, since before Azure earned his cutie mark, if not even before that. Silence reigned as Azure and Virid stared each other down once again. For one, his residence was on the line. For the other, it was his bigoted pride. ------------------- Azure Courage found himself in a place he didn't particularly want to be in, but after what Virid had just said, in front of all of his newer friends, he didn't care anymore. I take back what I thought last week. Virid and Trixie...the perfect match! he thought to himself. They're both bigoted unicorns that take delight in what they do! "Alright, Soap," said Virid, his horn taking on its usual amber glow. "Draw!" Two shots of magic energy shot from his horn, which Azure easily dodged, though he tried to keep weight off his bad foreleg as he did so. Forgoing safety for the moment, Azure charged in close, aiming to try and overwhelm Virid's defenses. The unicorn smirked. "I'm Virid Strategem, cousin!" As Azure tried to go for a back kick, he felt his back legs shudder, hitting something other than a pony. As he staggered forward off balance, he managed to get a look behind him, just in time to see a fading layer of orange magic energy. "You think I don't know what you're up to?" Another laser, but it was clearly intended to graze Azure's side. The colt grit his teeth as the heat of the blast passed him, singeing his fur. He finally managed to get his balance back, and managed to jump straight around, with a little help from the gravity spell. "Posture all you want, Virid, I'll show you why magic isn't everything!" Azure yelled, rushing in again. "You're not listening to me, Soap!" His cousin screamed back, preparing to attack him head-on, his horn taking on its usual glow. "You can't win like this!" A large laser blast began rushing for him. The cyan colt immediately began to focus magic into his horn, somewhat easier given how angry he was wiht his opponent right now, and formed a barrier, bouncing the shot off into the distance. "I've listened to enough of your manure all these years, Virid!" he shot back, his shield fading. "I'm not going to lose!" He began to return fire, and this time, Virid actually bothered with dodging. However, when Azure managed to get in close, they both got on their back legs, taking up martial arts poses of sorts. Azure tried to avoid using his bad leg in this struggle, but he didn't need to worry about it for too long. After exchanging a few hoof-punches, rather than use his martial arts pose for further physical attacks like Azure, Virid did something completely different. His eyes and horn flashed an orange color once more, and he thrust both of his forehooves forward. A devastating current of what felt like solid air pressure slammed straight into Azure's chest, and he coughed as he was thrown off his back legs and landed on the ground, still with more sporadic coughing. He could hear the others gasping as he hit the ground side-first. Thankfully, by some moment of luck, he'd landed on his right side, the side that didn't have the leg sprain. When did he learn to do that...?! Azure thought, struggling back to his feet. It was only for a split second, but Virid definitely used magic just then to throw him off the bad balance he already had. I know he's magically biased, but I didn't know he'd extend it to his martial arts! Virid lowered back onto his four legs, watching his cousin rise to his feet, a complacent look on his face. Azure kept his head lowered as he contemplated his next move. "Give up, Azure," The green unicorn said, simple as that. "You can't hope to beat me. I'm all about strategy, while you just make decisions at the turn of a dime. You're far less physical than Crimson over there, but in the end, it doesn't matter. Magic will always be there in the end!" Azure raised his head, his eyes and horn glowing as they had before when Virid was mouthing off, and a moment later, he warped. He was in range and landing a single hoof punch straight to the unicorn's snout before he even knew he was doing it. While Virid remained stunned from the attack, Azure manipulated his body's weight using the gravity spell once again, planted his forelegs into the ground, and delivered a back kick straight into his cousin's chin, lifting him off the ground and making him land on his side. The others erupted into cheering, but it was devastatingly short-lived. "You used magic just now, you know..." Virid said smugly, seeming to be only slightly hurt from the attack. "I thought you were going to prove to me magic wasn't everything!" "Shut up!!" The cyan colt roared, becoming even more angry, as his horn's glow became slightly more sporadic, and his eyes appearing to become completely cyan. He rushed over to his cousin, blind with fury. "I've had enough with your bigoted manure already, Virid!" Virid got back onto his back legs, and began exchanging hoof punches with Azure, but this time, it appeared he was actually trying to engage just a bit more in physical combat. The cyan colt landed a hit in Virid's chest with his bad foot, but while he winced from the slight pain the contact caused, Virid's horn began to glow again, and this time, Azure saw the glow appear on the hoof doing the punching. The hoof actually stopped short of completely hitting him, but there was no mistaking the explosion of air that pushed him back again. This time, Azure was knocked flat on his back. "Bigoted, is it?" Virid asked, resuming his tirade. "I guess you didn't hear me before! Magic makes the other two types of ponies utterly pointless! With the proper training, as Crimson and you prove, a unicorn's body can become toned, similiar to that of an Earth pony! And with the right spells, a Pegasus pony can become utterly obsolete! I'm surprised Twilight hasn't found one yet given all the books she apparently reads..." Azure struggled back to his feet, feeling his anger grow. How could he say these things? These six had all proven their worth back during the fiasco with Nightmare Moon, wings, horn, or otherwise! They'd proven their worth in the letters he'd sent his way! Why was Virid being so impossible?! And roping one of his unicorn friends into his anti-pegasus and anti-Earth pony tirade...?! "If not for their numbers, the waste of space wouldn't be so bad, but seeing as how they are...they can't harness magic actively..." Virid said. "They have no worth. Come back to Canterlot with us, Azure. You should be able to find balance there..." "You seriously believe what you're saying...?" He didn't know why he wasn't yelling. He could feel his insides literally burning with anger. His fury was about to boil over, but he remained absolutely quiet. "You've known me, how long, Blue Soap?" Virid asked. "I've always believed this..." Something...broke. Azure slammed his bad foreleg on the ground, not even caring if he irritated the sprain anymore. He was beyond his limits, further than Trixie had managed to push him. It made Gilda's screaming at Fluttershy seem utterly petty by comparison. To think somepony could be so hateful...and to think said pony could be his own cousin...It made him sick! "You fool!" Azure raged, his horn sparking with new life. The fire that had coated it, while still blue, became even more robust, his anger overflowing. As he opened his eyes, nearly the whole eye was glowing. He was beyond furious. "Whether you care to admit it or not, these ponies are not worthless! I won't ever be like you, Virid! I need them...I need them all! You've read my letters! I've shown why each one of them has their worth! But you ignore it in place of your magical bigotry!" Without realizing it, the cyan colt shot off a laser, landing square between his cousins' forelegs. "Magic use has no bearing on whether or not a pony is worthless! Yeah, sure, Crimson can increase his speed. Yeah, maybe you can change your magic to physical attacks! These six are the best of friends a pony could ask for!" The cyan colt prepared to charge again, his horn sparking as he levitated fallen twigs and rocks, obviously preparing to launch them. "And that's why, Virid...that's why I won't lose to you!" The twigs flew at Virid, who easily dodged, but the loose stones (if they could be called stones given their size) began to rain down on his head and body, Azure telekinetically slamming them past him like hailstones chucked down off of clouds by pegasi. The hail of pebbles, though, was only a distraction, for Azure rushed Virid, as though jousting. Rather than making contact with his horn, the cyan colt threw his shoulder into his cousin's chest area, pushing him back. He continued, once again winding up in an exchange of punches. Azure's strikes actually seemed to be landing more, and it seemed like Virid couldn't find an opening. However, what Azure failed to realize in his rage: his cousin had more focus than he did. As the two began punching one another stupid, Virid's horn began to glow an amber color once more. Though the occasional hit did land, the glow did not falter too much. He struck Azure with the pony equivalent of a backhand across the snout, and extended both his forehooves once again, which glowed vividly orange. "Have it your way, Azure!" He called out, expelling a large amount of magical energy through his forehooves. Already on horrific balance due to the fact he wasn't as used to the stance as, say, Crimson, Azure was helpless to avoid the crushing blow to his chest, which sent him flying backward, more so than the previous attacks. It was clear to the onlookers that the attack was meant to finish the duel. Azure continued to fly back, even after hitting the ground not once, but twice. His backward momentum didn't stop until he hit a tree. His eyes opened, but quickly half-closed. He tried to get up, but he couldn't, thoroughly thrashed by the repeated abuse. As a matter of fact, his vision seemed to get darker. I...I lost... Azure thought to himself, his anger finally abated. I...don't...believe...this... The cyan colt felt his consciousness begin to leave him. A final thought went through his head. Sorry...girls... It looks like I wasn't strong enough to defend your honor... With that, Azure Courage lost consciousness... ------------------- The glare of sunlight finally shone against Azure's eyelids. He opened one eye, feeling completely sore and defeated. He saw a hospital sheet right below him, and assumed the worst, closing the eye he'd just opened. Great. Virid hit me so hard he's caused me to be hospitalized...again. the cyan colt thought to himself. At least he had the decency to take me to one after taking me out of Ponyville... Azure clearly remembered it. Virid had used a strange new combat spell he didn't even think Twilight heard of, and one that he didn't see in the guide Crimson gave him either. It was this...pressure, that allowed Virid to continuously slam his cousin back. He'd allowed himself to get too lost in his rage, becoming, just as his purple friend would so often remind him, completely reckless. And look where he was now: beaten and in pain, lying in a hospital bed in Canterlot. The cyan colt tried his hardest to avoid it, but he became overcome with emotion, staring to the orange glow coming through the closed blinds. The sun was setting now, but that fact seemed almost trivial. At the same, it seemed oddly symbolic. He blinked, and his vision blurred. His cheeks suddenly began to feel moist. He didn't even need to deny he was crying. "I'm sorry, everypony," he whispered to himself. "Sorry, Tw--" He couldn't finish his thought. The door to his room slammed open. He grit his teeth, believing it was Virid barging in like that, and held further tears from dripping from his eyes. The last thing he needed was for that egotistical pony to see his opponent crying. "Azure!" This was a lot more voices than he expected to her, all sounding more effeminate than he expected. All of them were familiar, too. Confused, he rolled over...and saw the six mares he'd befriended more or less upon his move. Spike was there too. "W-what..." he began, completely stunned. "What are you all doing here?" "Makin' sure you were okay, sugarcube, what else would we be here for?" Applejack asked, only succeeding in making the cyan colt even more confused, and yet...happy to hear it. "Wait...so," he started. "You came all the way to Canterlot to see me?" "No!" Pinkie giggled, immediately moving to the side of Azure's bed facing the window, and yanking down on the drawstring, revealing a very familiar landscape under the glow of Celestia's sunset. "You're still in Ponyville, silly!" "B-but..." While relief washed over Azure, his confusion refused to abate. "I-I lost. I don't get it..." "Virid started walking toward you, and we all thought he was going to pick you up and carry you off!" Dash started. "Blitz looked like he was going to pick up where you left off..." "But strangely, Virid didn't take you. He simply told Crimson to come with him, that they were leaving," Twilight finished. "I don't know what he was thinking..." Azure found he suddenly couldn't meet any of their eyes, least of all Twilight's. Something suddenly overcame him. Seeing Virid's behavior, being reminded of his ways, struck a chord within him. "You were right..." he said, just loud enough for them to hear. He draped his casted forehoof over his eyes, trying to hold himself from crying again. "I'm rude, spiteful, impulsive, and a total jerk...I'm no better than Virid..." "No, you're not!" This was all of them yelling at him, the surprise from which almost launched him clear off the bed he was laying on. "What...?" he asked, uncovering his face and looking straight to them. It was confusing. It seemed like only yesterday Twilight was berating him for being reckless. And with most of the others, he didn't quite get off on the right hoof either. So why were those qualities suddenly so...good? "You're true blue, Az," Rainbow said, before quickly reflecting the compliment back onto herself as well, "just like me!" "Rough around the edges, but soft in the center," commented Applejack. "Crunchy on the outside, but sweeeet on the inside," Pinkie added her two cents. "You are like an iron pony with a diamond heart," This was Rarity essentially saying what Applejack and Pinkie said in her own words. "Just like a turtle...a cold hard outer shell, b-but a soft, warm heart..." said Fluttershy, more or less stating the sentiments of the previous three in her own unique way. "We saw the real you today, Azure, and now we understand why you act the way you do..." Twilight began to wrap up the circle of compliments. "And we're glad to have seen it." Azure blinked. Emotion suddenly overcame him, and feeling that something was going to begin streaming down his face, immediately lowered his head and headband so that it would be hard for them to see his eyes. "Azie, are you alright?" Pinkie asked, taking a few steps closer. The cyan colt felt his body twitch, and moisture begin to stream down his face. He fought for control over it so he could look at each of them again. "Just...sweating a little..." Azure responded, trying to get control over it. Applejack let out a low chuckle. "Say what you want, partner," she said, "that sure don't look like sweat to me..." The cyan colt looked up, already aware he was going to blush, but what he saw in each of the mare's eyes as he managed to look to each of them was quite...strange. Each one of them had a strange glint in their eye that they usually didn't have when they looked upon him. Well, except Rarity, she'd definitely looked at him like that before. And Pinkie seemed...unusually focused for some reason. Even as Azure's natural reaction to Applejack's statement kicked in and his face heated up, a single thought ran through his head. What exactly did I do...? ------------------------------ Dear Princess Celestia, Today, Azure's cousins, who taught him how to be reckless, stopped by Ponyville today. But after their visit, I can see what he had to deal with growing up. It's no wonder he's so...rash. I can't say I understand him completely, but I can see now he's certainly a lot deeper than his demeanor suggests. I suppose the lesson I learned from today is that even the roughest of ponies can make the most irreplaceable of friends. Even if you don't always agree with them... Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle ---------------------- "Done!" cheered the purple mare as she finished her friendship report. "Just on time, too! For a moment, I was sort of worried I wouldn't get that done on time. It's a good thing Virid and Blitz showed up..." "Why?" Spike asked, turning to her, a bewildered look on his face as he did so. "You wanted Virid to act like a jerk today?" "Well, no," Twilight faltered, "I'd rather not have heard his bigotry, but--" "And, 'a lot deeper than his demeanor suggests'..." the baby dragon continued, changing quickly into sarcasm mode, "Mm-hmm. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were--" "Please, just...send the letter, Spike," The studious pony said, turning her back to him. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she heard him send the letter via his fire breath. "Oh, don't lie to me, Twilight," She couldn't help but notice her assistant sounded just a little bitter. "I saw the way you all were looking at him in there." He then made a motion with his claw which suggested he was going to make himself sick. "And you always talk about how stubborn Azure is..." "What?" Twilight asked. "Even though I know part of the reason why he is, Azure Courage is still a very stubborn stallion, and sometimes I wonder what he'd consider attacking! You saw his reaction to the Ursa Minor! He didn't even move even though he was injured!" "You usually call him a 'colt', or if you feel like calling him it, a 'foal'..." Spike responded, still with the sarcasm, but this time with a rather confident smirk. "I think we're done here..." He began to walk over to his basket, and proceeded to climb into it, pulling himself under the covers. "Good night, Twilight..." The purple mare stood, blinking, trying to understand what her assistant was getting at. Eventually, she decided not to pry further, believing him to just be running his mouth. With this, Twilight decided to curl up with a book she'd been reading through, and began to read...