//------------------------------//
// Ch. 7: New Friends 
// Story: Headline and the Power of Friendship (Book 1) 
// by Headline 
//------------------------------//

With a soft grasp of Headline's hoof, Fluttershy took Headline around and the first stop was back up in Cloudsdale.
“Who is it?” A voice said within the house.
“It's Fluttershy; I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine.”
“O.k. So who is...” Suddenly she was shocked. “HEADLINE!” She said happily.
“RAINBOW DASH!! I haven't seen you in ages.” Headline said as they shook hooves and hugged each other.
“Oh, you two met already?...Oh yeah, since the first flying lesson.” Fluttershy remembered.
“That's right Fluttershy, I was friends with her even before then but now that we have met again, we are still friends right?” Headline said politely.
“Of course, my home is your home Headline as well as my other friends.”
“Like Gilda?” Headline said.
“Oh you remembered her, well yeah, I haven't seen her in a while but yeah. No, I also meant my other friends.”
“Like who?”
“Fluttershy, are you showing him around?”
“Yes I am.”
“Then Headline, you will see my other friends soon enough.”
Headline shook her hooves one more time before leaving the house of Rainbow Dash. Next, Fluttershy softly grabbed his hoof, and together went back down on soft ground again. Next they trotted over to Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy knocked on the door to their house and waited for somepony to answer.
“Who, who's there?” This elderly pony said.
“Oh, hi Granny Smith. Is she here?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, of course, just one moment.”
They waited a few minutes then she arrived at the door.
“Fluttershy, nice to see ya'. What brings ya' here?” This young pony said.
“This is Headline, an old friend of mine.” Fluttershy said happily.
“Well, hooooowdy Headline.” She said with continuous quick shakes of his hoof. “I'm Applejack, I'm always happy to make new friends.”
“Wellllllll...Itssssss...nice toooooo...meeeeet youuuuu toooooo...” Headline said as he is being shaken up and down. Fluttershy just giggles a little bit. Then Applejack stopped shaking and started asking him some questions.”
“How did ya' meet Fluttershy, Headline?”
“I met her at my first flying lesson about 5 years ago. I gave her some pointers and since then we became good friends.”
“That's good to hear. So, what are y'all going to do next?” Applejack asked.
“Well...” Fluttershy responded. “I have a few more friends Headline has to meet.”
“Who has he met so far?”
“I met Rainbow Dash but I had known her since before my first flying lesson.”
“Oh, odd, she never mentioned ya', Headline.” Applejack said as she scratched her head.
“Really? Probably because she became cocky in her speed.”
“Oh, you do not know the half of it.” Fluttershy and Applejack said agreeably.
“Well, I hope to see ya' again sometime Headline.”
“Same here, bye Applejack.”
“G'bye, Headline.”
Fluttershy then bought a few apples for Headline and herself to munch on as they went to the next stop.
“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner.” Fluttershy said as she let him enter first. Though Headline tried to insist to have her go first, he did not want to have a fight with her so he went in and smelled the most delicious items in the shop, Cupcakes.
“Hi there.”
“AAHH” Headline responded as he fell.
“Whoops, did I scare you? Hee hee hee ha ha. I haven't seen you around before.”
“Yes, this is Headline.” Fluttershy responded.
“Hi Headline, I'm Pinkie Pie.”
“Nice to meet you Pinkie Pie. Say, I heard you are the pony to come to if it is about parties.”
“Oh? OH Yeah! I'm TOTALLY the BEST when it comes to parties. You would not regret the offer that comes with it. Wait a minute. You live in Ponyville? Oh dear! I did not do a party for you. I need to hurry and get the equipment and decorations and such and wait where do you live? Pinkie said in almost one breath.
“....uh....in the center of Ponyville in a small white house.” Headline responded.
“...Oh, o.k. Good to know...work work work.” Pinkie Pie said as she is rushing all over the place for equipment. She stopped suddenly.
“Nice to meet you Headline, I'm sure I will be seeing you very soon.”
“How soon?”
“Very, Very soon.” She said with confidence.
Fluttershy said good-bye to Pinkie Pie then they went over to a fashion-design store.
“Why am I here?” Headline said worried.
“Oh, don't worry, one of my good friends are here.”
She knocked on the door and suddenly a small filly opened the door.
“Hi Sweetie Bell, is your sister here?” Fluttershy said as she rubbed her mane.
“Yeah, right this way!” She said enthusiastically.
They walked into a room filled with clothes and a walk-way. On the right side was somepony looking at different styles of shoes that would fit the clothes on a design stall.
“Maybe? No...OH this could...nah.” She said as she kept choosing different shoes.
“Ummm...can I talk to you for a sec?” Fluttershy asked nicely.
“Just give me a moment, dear; I'm in the moment as it were.” She said quickly. “Ahh...perfect. Pink shoes just give that cuteness yet dazzling color to almost anything. Now, what is it Fluttershy?”
“I would like you to meet an old friend of mine.” She looked at him and was amazed as to how he looked.
“Wow, who...who is this handsome Pegasus?” She said in awe. Fluttershy on the other hand was a little shocked at the way she responded.
“This is Headline. We met 5 years ago at our first flying lesson.”
“Hello...I'm...Rarity.” She said trying not to blush.
“I'm Headline, nice to meet you Rarity. I heard you are the best fashion-designer in Ponyville.” She was amazed to hear how great she is and this place she works at.
“I'm...happy...you've heard of me.” She said as she blushed. “I'd like to try an outfit on you if you do not mind?”
“Well, sure.” He was uncertain what to expect. When suddenly he was taken behind a curtain and when he came out, Headline had a suit coat on with a Fedora. Fluttershy was amazed immediately at how great he looked in it and Rarity just felt plain proud.
“Wow, this looks awesome!” Headline said as he looked at himself in a mirror. “I'll take it.”
Suddenly Rarity felt so happy to hear that.
“Since you are a friend of mine now, I will give you a discount of that Fedora and suit coat for 35 bits instead of 50 bits.”
“Sounds reasonable, thank you.” Headline purchased the outfit and took them with him.
He and Fluttershy waved good-bye to Rarity and went off to the next and final stop which was the library.
“A library?” Headline responded.
“Yeah, it is where our newest friend came to stay after the Nightmare...”
“...Moon incident. I heard about that.” Headline finished.
She knocked on the door and waited for a response from somepony then suddenly a small dragon appeared at the front door.
“Oh, hi Fluttershy.” The small dragon said.
“Hello Spike, is Twilight here?”
“Not yet, you can wait in here until she does.” Spike said and politely allowed them both to walk in.
As they entered Headline quickly noticed a bed at the top floor. Then he saw the library as it came around in a circle.
“This is nothing; you should see how she tries to organize the books.” Spike said as Headline noticed the books in a pile.
“Fluttershy, good to see you.” A unicorn responded as she entered the library.
“You have not met my old friend.” Fluttershy said immediately.
“Why, hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle.” She said as she shook his hoof gently.
“Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle, I'm Headline. Do you live here?”
“Yeah, Princess Celestia allowed me to stay here in Ponyville above the library.”
“Wait, you know Princess Celestia?” Headline said in absolute shock.
“Yeah, I'm her faithful student.”
“St...St...Student??” He could not believe what he is hearing. “In that case, it's not just “nice to meet you, but an honor to meet you Twilight.”
“Oh, do not do that, I just like to fit in.”
“Sorry, I just don't usually meet others who know her.”
“Oh, we all know her.” Fluttershy said.
“How many of you know her?”
“I do, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity.”
“.....” There was a sudden pause and Headline thought he was going to faint but instead asked a quick question.
“How?”
“We have been known as the Mane 6 who saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon with the power of friendship.” Twilight said.
“So, Fluttershy you were a part of it?”
“Yep.”
“Looks like you did spread your wings and stood above the others.” Suddenly, Fluttershy went into a moment of silence and blushed a bit while remembering when Headline said that to her back in flying school.
“Thank you, Headline.” Fluttershy said happily.
“Well, looks like you two really know each other.” Twilight said with enjoyment and a giggle. Suddenly Fluttershy and Headline tried not to look embarrassed.
“Well, I learned a lot here with you Twilight. I'm going to get going.” Headline said.
“I'm glad to have met you as well Headline. Hope to see you around.”
Twilight said a few things to Fluttershy then left with Headline and said good-bye to Twilight.
“Well, Fluttershy, I better get some food before the market closes but thank you for showing me your friends.”
“I'm glad I bumped into you Headline.”
“Same here, Fluttershy.”
With that they hugged each other and went their separate ways.