A Bad Day to Fish

by FlashKenshin77

16 - (You're My) Soul & Inspiration

Mike awoke to something tapping him repeatedly in the shoulder. He tried to turn away from it but it kept following him. Finally, he opened an eye and could faintly make out a small bird on his shoulder. It chirped, sounding like the bird he became friends with on the first day here. It looked at him before it hopped away. He smelled something cooking in the kitchen and could hear Fluttershy hum something. He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner and made out that it was six thirty in the morning. He got off the couch and wandered into the kitchen, careful that he didn’t trip over an animal. Angel stared at him as he walked in. "Good morning Flutters." He whispered.
She turned her head towards him and smiled. "Good morning sleepy."
He smiled. "How are you?"
"I feel good, you?"
"Can't complain, glad I can finally get a good night's sleep."
She smiled at him before turning her head back around as she continued to hum a tune.
"Whatcha making?" He asked, looking at the pan.
"Some pancakes and hay toast." She said, focusing on the pan.
"Sounds amazing. Want me to start feeding the animals?" He offered.
She shook her head. "Don’t worry; I already did that but if you want to, you can set the table… only if you don’t mind of course."
He smiled. "Sure, glad I can help." He said, squinting through the drawers till he found the plates and silverware. He grabbed a hoofful and started setting the table.
Once he finished the smell of pancakes and toast grew stronger as Fluttershy put their breakfast on the dining room table. "I hope you like it… I'm not that good of a cook…" She said.
He looked at her before taking a bite, letting it sit in his mouth as his taste buds were overwhelmed. "Fluttershy… this is amazing." He muttered after swallowing his food and started cutting up more pieces.
She blushed as she started to eat. Angel sat, watching them silently as they finished their food and Fluttershy went to take the plates but he grabbed them first. "Let me do the dishes since you made me breakfast… it’s the least I can do…"
She smiled. "That’s very kind of you." She said quietly.
He started the dishes, accidently squirting soap into his good eye. He yelped in pain but continued anyway. As he finished, he squinted, trying to find her. Fluttershy hummed outside, tending to her garden.
He staggered out of the house. "Fluttershy?" He asked, fumbling around.
She turned around and quickly made her way to him, grabbing his hoof. "Michael, I'm here." She said, squeezing his hoof tightly.
"I'm sorry… I got soap in my eye; I can't see anything at all." He floundered about, blinking rapidly.
She gasped and quickly led him inside the cottage again and straight to the bathroom. She helped him wash the soap out. "Is it better now?" She asked, looking at his eye in concern.
He could faintly see, the soap horribly irritating his eye. "Yeah… I can see like use to." He faintly smiled. "Stupid soap."
She kissed his forehead. "We'll have to get you some glasses."
He blushed. "Is there even an optometrist here? And how would I pay for them?"
"You don’t have to, I'll pay for them."
"I couldn’t ask you for that… you've paid for enough already." He looked at her. "I still owe you for that shopping cart."
She shook her head. "No… it's ok."
He looked at her sadly. "Are you sure it's ok? I'll pay you back I get the money… I promise."
She hugged him. "It's ok, really. You don’t have to pay back anything, I promise."
He hugged her back. "I still feel guilty about it though…"
She nuzzled his cheek. "Don’t be, I'm glad I can help… um… I have to go to AJs and get some apples. If you want, you can come along."
"If you don’t mind me tagging along." She smiled and nodded, putting a basket on her back that he promptly grabbed and placed on his. "Since I'm useless, use me as a bag carrier." He sadly smiled at her.
She frowned. "You're not useless."
"It's ok, I know I am. I was as a human and it just continued in pony form."
She lightly hit him on the head. "Don’t say that about yourself."
He tried to pout but sighed as he couldn’t keep the small smile off his face. "I have been."
She kissed his cheek. "I don’t believe that."
He nervously kicked the ground, almost falling. "Thanks Fluttershy…" He muttered as he walked over to the door and opened it for her. "I believe we have some apples to pick?"
She smiled, walking outside and waited for him to catch up. They walked in silence as he stayed close to her, trying not to get lost in the blurs. Numerous ponies walked up to him and introduced themselves, causing him to blush and stammer out a greeting. Finally they made it to the infamous Sweet Apple Acres.
"Well howdy!" AJ said as she walked out of the barn, smiling at them. "How can Ah help ya?" She asked, giving Fluttershy a brief hug.
Fluttershy hugged back. "Well I was wondering if it wasn’t too much trouble if I um… I could pick some apples for my friends at home? I'll pay for them."
AJ raised a hoof. "Take as many as ya need, yer mah friend and ya don’t need ta pay for nothin'."
"Are you sure?"
"Course Ah am."
"Oh… ok." Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks Applejack." She said before leading Mike towards the forest of apple trees. "Just pick from anywhere?" She asked the cowpony.
"Ya should go farther down the path; ya'll find the best apples in all of Equestria in there." She said, pointing a hoof at a small dirt path between the trees.
"Ok…" Fluttershy nodded as they headed deeper into the forest. They were silent until they found a tree that looked ripe. Fluttershy flew up and knocked the apples down right into the basket. She told him where to move and he caught them each time.
A while later they exited the grove of apple trees, Mike carrying a full basket on his back. "That should be enough…" She said, walking next to him.
He chuckled. "I hope so, that’s a lot of apples."
"I hope there not too heavy…"
He shook his head. "Not at all, I used to help my grandpa pick tangerines and plums from the trees in our backyard… its fine."
"If you say so…" She said as they headed towards the barn.
He smiled, trotting with her as they saw AJ walk out of the apple cellar, waving at them. "Did ya get all that ya wanted?" AJ asked.
"Um… yes, thank you Applejack… we'll head back to the cottage now." Fluttershy said quietly.
AJ smiled and hugged the shy pegasus. "Don’t be a stranger; ya can visit anytime ya want." She looked at him. "Same goes fer you too."
Fluttershy nodded and they walked away from the farm, waving goodbye as they went back to the quiet of the cottage. On the way back, trees covered both sides of the path, birds singing and bunnies ran around as squirrels sat on nearby trees. It was in a sense, tranquil. "Isn't it lovely?" Fluttershy asked, watching the animals with a smile.
He smiled, watching how she seemed to glow when she saw happy animals. "Yeah… it's lovely."
She smiled at the peaceful animals but a loud noise made all the animals flinch and quickly hide. The sound continued to repeat itself; it sounded like metal being hit against metal. "Wh-what is that?!" She asked, hiding under her mane, covering her ears with her hooves.
He grabbed her hoof reassuringly. "I'm not sure." He squinted in the direction of the noise as it continued. He put the basket down and headed towards the noise. "I'm gonna go see what it is…"
With every step into town, the noise became deafening, echoing inside his skull. It felt as if someone was hitting him on the head with a hammer. He forced himself through the pain rattling his head. The hell is that noise? The very earth itself seemed to shake with each hit.
He could faintly see a blur of a building not that far away, a steady stream of smoke spewing out of the chimney. He followed the smoke till it led him to the building and he was unable to read the sign hanging out in front. He pushed the door open. "The hell is going on in here?!"
There were two blurs, a normal pony sized one and a rather tall one that he recognized as Martin, who was smacking a hammer repeatedly on an anvil, sparks appearing every time the two connected.
"Hello?" He said, louder as he walked closer to them. They didn’t see him, to absorbed in their little project. He rolled his eyes and poked Martin in the side. "HELLO!?"
Martin slowly lowered the hammer and turned towards the poker, Mike level with the apron, black scorched marks covered it.
"The hell is going on here?"
Martin turned around again, grabbing a red glowing sharp piece of steel and put it in a bucket of water. Steam hissed from the metal. He reached up and pulled two fluffs of wool. "Michael, what are you doing here?" He asked as Mike's head throbbed, still hearing the pounding of metal.
He blinked. "Martin, what the hell is with all the noise?"
"I was just working." Martin said, placing the sharpened steel back on the anvil.
"Well do you think you could be louder and wake the bloody dead?" He asked, his ears flat against his head.
"Why do you think I have ear protection?"
"Well not all of us in town are lucky; we could hear it all the way at Sweet Apple Acres."
Martin shrugged as he eyed the steel. "Well someone has to make the nails."
Mike rolled his eyes again, heading towards the door. "Well Jesus, I guess I'll go find some bloody ear plugs."
Martin turned towards the counter behind him and tossed Mike two pieces of fluff. "Here you go."
He put them on and the noise became barely audible. "Thanks." He said, looking at the anvil. "The hell are you making anyway?"
Martin put his own fluffs back on. "NAILS!!" He yelled. He picked up the metal and held it over the fire for a few seconds and when it began to glow, he moved it over the anvil and raised the hammer. Forge watched silently, making sure he did everything right. He brought the hammer down on the hot steel, sparks flying everywhere.
Mike watched for a few seconds before leaving quietly, sighing as they didn’t notice he left.
"That your buddy?" Forge yelled over the fluffs.
Martin nodded. "Yeah!"
"Are those four white scars from the manticore?!"
"Yep!" He yelled after hitting the glowing steel hard enough to start reshaping it.
"Next hit should be five degrees higher!" Forge yelled.
Martin nodded. "Ok!" He smacked it a little higher. A few minutes later, he dipped the molten steel in the water.
"Not bad so far, I've seen much worse." Forge chuckled, pulling the ear plugs out.
Martin looked at the nail; it looked like a normal nail. "Good enough to be sold?"
Forge nodded. "Not bad at all, for a first time eh?"
"Aye!" Martin took his fluff out. "What's next?"
"A few more nails to get you warmed up before we try an L bracket." Forge said, walking over to the furnace and pulled another slab of metal out and placed it on the anvil. "Pull the nail out and put it on the bench." He commanded.
Martin nodded and began to prepare the cold steel. He heated the furnace and grabbed the glowing steel with tongs and put it on the anvil. "Alright…" He pushed the fluff deep inside his ears and grabbed the hammer. With a good swing, the first sparks filled the air.
"Next shot to the right!" Forge yelled and the sound of reverberating metal on metal filled the air as Martin continued to follow Forge's instructions. He watched the metal begin to take shape as Martin hit one end of the metal repeatedly to make it more narrow. He turned it several times giving the nail its typical shape.
Awhile later, they stopped as Forge submerged the nail in water. "A gotta say, you’re a natural so far."
Martin scratched the back of his head. "Aww… thanks mate."
Forge pulled the nail out of the water and laid it on the bench next to the others. "Ready?"
"Always."
"Now that’s what I like to hear!" Forge chuckled, grabbing another slab of metal. "Whenever you're ready."
Martin nodded and repeated the process; with every nail he made Forge gave less instructions and ten nails later, all he did was watch.
Around two in the afternoon, they stopped for lunch. "I gotta say, you’re a quick learner sonny." Forge chuckled as he bit into his dandelion sandwich.
"Well, what can I say…" Martin said, biting into an apple.
"Maybe you can help on AJ's plow; it's getting harder to hold it steady."
Martin nodded. "Sure, I'll be glad to help."
"After lunch, we'll see what the two of us can manage."
"You're the boss."
Forge laughed. "I'm glad someone agrees with me." He chuckled and got up.
Martin followed him back inside, throwing the apple core away. Forge grabbed the plow and showed him what he was going to change what he wanted him to do. "And if we do this as delicately as possible, we can remove the blade without breaking the connector."
Martin scratched his chin. "Hmm… that should be possible."
Forge nodded. "It's worked for a good long time; let's see if we can manage it one more time."
Martin nodded and held the plow down as they carefully started to work on it, trying not to break the ailing connector.
"Almost done…" The smithy said, gently removing the blade. A moment later, he held up the worn down blade. "We did it, now attaching the new one…"
Martin turned around and walked back into the shop and grabbed the new blade that was lying next to the anvil. "Here we go…" He said as he gently placed the blade on the workbench.
They lined it up. "Ok, now just grab the nail you made and put in place." Forge explained.
Martin reached out for a small box and grabbed one the nails. "Ok…" He said as he pushed the nail through the small hole that connected the blade to its holder.
Forge smiled. "Now just gently tap it shut."
Martin did as he was asked to, looking at the plow. "There we go."
Forge grinned as he wiped sweat off his brow. "Wasn’t as hard as I thought it'd be." He looked at Martin. "When you see AJ next, can you give this to her?"
Martin nodded. "I'll give it to her this evening."
Forge nodded as he stretched. "Well, I'd say that’s enough for your first day. Tomorrow we gotta do a few horseshoes and a lock." He chuckled.
"Ok." Martin said as he took the leather apron off and hung it on a hook on the wall. "I'll see ya tomorrow."
"Yup, same time." Forge said, hoofing him the plow.
Martin smiled at him before he left the shop, heading to AJ's farm. The sun was bright in the sky, not a cloud in sight. "Lovely day…" He muttered to himself. "All that’s missing now is Discord to brighten things up." He chuckled as he continued to walk, keeping an eye out for the demigod.
Fortunately he made it to the farm with no discordian interruptions. He noticed Big Mac in the distance, kicking apples but no sign of AJ. He walked up to the tall pony. "Hey Big Mac, Forge and me fixed your old plow. Where do you want me to put it?" He asked, presenting the repaired plow.
The red pony eyed the plow. "Ya can put in the barn and Ah'll let AJ know its back."
Martin nodded and headed into the barn; it was dark and cool inside, the few windows letting light inside. He looked for a good spot and put the plow in the back, leaning against the wall. He walked out and was surprised that he hadn't seen AJ or Applebloom. "Where the hell's everyone?" He asked himself.

=

"Oh you'll look marvelous darling." Rarity said, forcing AJ into a Wild West styled dress.
"Ah really don’t think Ah need ta dress up, it's just a dinner." AJ mumbled.
Rarity gasped. "Just a dinner?" AJ's mane untangled and Rarity rushed to restyle it as her Stetson hat floated to a chair.
"Well yeah." AJ said, reaching for her hat. "Ah don’t think we need ta go all out."
Rarity smacked AJ's hoof. "No hat for tonight." She said, a pair of scissors floating towards AJ's mane.
"Whoa there Rare, Ah always wear mah hat." AJ said, backing away from the scissors. "Besides, we're goin' to a Western style café, Ah need it."
She shook her head. "I have something special prepared for you and that brown… 'lump' doesn’t fit your dress. Besides, we need to shorten your mane a bit." The scissors floated near her mane.
AJ glared at her friend. "That 'lump' has been with me since Ah was a filly."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you are close to your hat but this first date has to be special and you don’t want to disappoint Martin, do you?"
AJ sighed. "Ah doubt he'll care what hat Ah'm wearin'."
Rarity gasped, putting a hoof to her forehead. "What are you talking about? The first thing he'll notice is how fabulous you look."
AJ rolled her eyes. "Ah doubt that…" She sighed. "But… if ya think it's important…"
Rarity nodded and AJ's mane took a life of its own as the scissors snipped away, the golden mane falling the ground. "I do." Rarity said.
AJ grimaced with every snip. "Well… if-ya-think-it's-that-important."
Rarity didn’t respond, focused on AJ's mane. She sighed, letting her friend 'fix her up'.

=

Martin sighed, coming out of the shower, the towel on his neck as his hair was still wet. "Ah… that was refreshing." He muttered to himself.
Twilight giggled. "Is someone ready for their big date?" Twilight said, looking up from the book she was reading.
He blushed. "I-I guess."
She smiled. "Hope you have a good time with her…" Her smile disappeared. "Don’t break her heart or we'll see if I can replicate Princess Celestia's feat."
He slowly turned his head to face her, horrified. "What the hell Twilight?"
She continued to glare at him. "Can humans survive the vacuum of space? Because we'll learn if you hurt her…" She said, her voice firm and determined.
He nervously looked around. "Um… I'd rather not find out…"
She smiled, the anger quickly dissipating. "Good, then have a good time." She said, smiling sweetly at him before going back to her book.
He gulped before walking into the guest room and grabbed a small leather bag. He attached it to his jeans and walked back into the bathroom, combing his hair before putting his hat on. He walked into the main room, looking at the clock; he still had an hour to kill. He sighed and sat on the couch, trying not to wrinkle his clothes or mess up his hair. Twilight was oblivious to him, engrossed in her book.
He looked at her. "What are you reading?" He asked, trying to get her attention.
She blinked. "Oh just reading about time warps and the improbability of being able to send yourself into the future. A friend and I are supposed to discuss it later this afternoon." She said with a little blush.
He nodded. "Sounds interesting."
"It is, he keeps trying to tell me that time isn't a straight line as everypony perceives it, its wibbly wobbly." She smiled. "But tonight, I'm going to prove him wrong."
He smiled at her. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks, you too." She winked. "Should I wait up?"
"Do what you think is right." He replied, getting off the couch and stretching.
She giggled. "Have fun and tell her I said hi…"
He glanced at the clock and saw that he still had forty minutes to kill. "Guess I'll go for a walk…"
She nodded. "Why don’t you go pick her up early for a stroll?" She offered.
"Sounds like a good idea." He said, bending down and putting on his boots before he made sure his Stetson was secure on his head. He waved goodbye before leaving the library and heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.

=

The sun was still shining as it began its decent when he arrived to the farm. He looked at the endless fields of apple trees. He paused at the front door and hesitated briefly before raising his hand and gently knocked.
The door slowly opened to reveal the towering red form of Big Mac, who stared at him silently.
"Hey, I know I'm early… but is AJ there?"
"Nnope, she's still at Rarity's gettin' ready." He said calmly.
He shifted his eyes as there was an awkward pause as Big Mac quietly stared at him. "I-is everything alright?" He asked the stallion.
Big Mac was silent for a moment. "Ah just hope ya know what yer getting yerself into. She just had her heart broken and Ah won't let it happen again." He looked calmly at the human. "Ah hope nothing happens tonight that you'll regret tomorra."
Martin looked horrified. "Why does everypony keep thinking I'd do something to her?!"
"Ah'm not worried you'll do somethin' ta her… Ah'm more worried 'bout her. She did just break up with her coltfriend a few days ago, Ah'm not sure if Ah agree with her datin' already."
Martin sighed. "I guess that makes sense…"
Big Mac nodded. "Just don’t do anythin' rash."
Martin raised his hands in self defense. "Don’t worry, I won't do anything she isn't ready for… wait that sounds awkward."
He chuckled. "Ah'll hold ya to that promise. Ya should be off ta Rarity's if ya want ta surprise her."
Martin chuckled. "You’re the best kind of brother, you know?" He waved goodbye as he headed back into town.

=

The Boutique came into view not too much later and he tried to open the door but it was surprisingly locked. He knocked. "Hello; Rarity you there?"
"Oh one moment darling, just putting the finishing touches on AJ for tonight." Rarity said as AJ sighed.
"Ah still think this is a little too much." She muttered.
He stared at the door curiously. "Umm…" Ok. He stood there for a few moments, waiting impatiently, whistling Viva la Vida to pass the time.
A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Rarity, smiling at him. "Come in darling, AJ will be down in a moment."
He nodded as he walked past her inside the boutique. Awhile later, hoof steps slowly started to come down the stairs. He turned as AJ made her way to the floor. She wore a small red hat that sat snugly on her head as her shorter mane hung in a braid. She had a light green skirt that covered her flank just enough so her tail was sticking out. A tight green leather vest had rubies and emeralds scattered around the collar with brown boots finished off the ensemble.
He smiled at her as she hoofed the ground nervously, blushing. "You look wonderful."
Her blush grew in intensity. "Thanks… so do you." AJ said as Rarity clapped excitedly, smiling.
"I know that I'm really early, so I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a walk?" He blushed slightly.
"Uh… sure, if ya want to." He smiled at her and walked over to the door, opening it for her. "Thank ya kindly." She said as she walked through the door and waited for him.
"Ta-ta darlings, have fun." Rarity said.
He winked at her as he shut the door, standing next to AJ. "Does the park sound any good to you?" She nodded.
They began to head to the park, walking next to each other in silence. "Did Rarity make your clothes for our date?" He asked, walking along the path.
"Eeyup… went a little overboard if ya ask me." She said, looking around.
He smiled. "I think it looks lovely."
"Ah thanks sugarcube… yer too kind." She sighed. "Ah just wished she could've let me wear mah hat."
He looked at her for a moment before grabbing his hat and switching. "There we go, much better."
She blushed. "Thank ya…" She nervously hoofed the ground again.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah… everythin's fine." She said, putting on a smile.
He nodded and they continued their trek to the park. He tried deciphering the time, staring at the night sky. She was silent next to him, keeping a close distance between the two of them.
He glanced down at her. "Do you think we should head back into town?"
"Do ya want to? We still have another twenty minutes before your reservations?" She asked.
"Well, I'd like to stay but we should start heading back. Don’t wanna be late, aye?"
"Never good ta be late with an appointment." She agreed.
They walked back through town, taking the scenic route, admiring the trees and flowers. The sky was beautiful, a mix of orange and red. As they were walking through town, they saw from a distance, Mike and Fluttershy walking, their tails intertwined.
They made it to the café and he opened the door for her. "Thank ya kindly." She said, walking through and waited. He nodded and they walked up to the podium.
"Hello." He said, to the mare standing behind it.
She looked up and smiled at them. "Well if it ain't the creature from the Everfree again." She paused. "Is it Saturday already?" She flipped through the book and grabbed two menus before leading them to a small table lit by a candle near the stage that took up an entire wall.
He thanked her and pulled AJ's chair out for her; she blushed and thanked him before sitting down. He quickly got to his seat as Sundancer hoofed out the menus. "Today we're having a special on clam chowder and some apple fritters over toasted."
He looked at the menu, trying to find something to eat. She waited patiently for them to decide. He closed the menu. "I'd like to try today's special, sounds interesting." He handed the menu back to her.
She wrote it down and looked at AJ. "Ah'll have the apple fritters over done with a side of hay fries." AJ said, hoofing over the menu as Sundancer wrote it down.
"Anything to drink?"
He looked at AJ. "I'll let you decide for both of us."
She looked at him. "We'll take some Appledaniels."
Sundancer smiled at them and left, taking the menus. "Is that a good drink?" He asked when they were alone.
AJ nodded. "It's not as strong as Appletails but still pretty good."
"Ah… ok." He looked around the café; the band wasn’t playing at the moment. A pony walked up to the mic and tapped it a few times before she flipped through a nearby book and cleared her throat.
AJ eyed her warily. "Is it karaoke night?"
He scratched his chin. "I thought she said it was on Tuesday."
The mare on stage started to sing. "Ah guess not…" AJ said, watching the brave mare.
He shrugged. "In that case we'll be listening to some ponies, aye?"
"Aye…" She watched the pony finish the song and afterwards, the café applauded her as she stepped off the stage, a stallion taking her place.
"Have you been here before?" He asked after he finished clapping.
"Ya, Ah've been here a few times, never on karaoke night though." She said.
"I like it here, it’s a nice place, makes me feel comfortable." He listened to the stallion sing.
"Same here, it's always fun here."
A few minutes passed and more ponies went on stage to song as Sundancer returned with two plates strategically placed on her back. She sat them in front of the two and disappeared for a moment before returning with their drinks, setting it next to the candle before smiling at both and leaving.
He opened the bottle and filled their glasses equally before setting the bottle down and grabbed his glass. "Cheers."
She smiled and grabbed her glass, tapping it against his as they took a drink.
It had a strong apple flavor that slightly hindered the alcohol and burnt slightly going down. He lowered his glass back to the table. "That is one good drink."
"Better than Appletails?" She asked, finishing half her drink.
"I'd say just as good."
"Ah'd have ta agree with that."
He looked at his food curiously, picking up his knife and fork and tried a small piece. "Not bad…" He continued to eat the 'new food'.
AJ smiled and started to eat. She struggled not to dig in and use her hooves, hesitantly using a fork and knife.
He chuckled. "AJ, ya don’t need to behave so mannered; just be yourself."
She looked at him. "Are ya sure? Rarity said that Ah had to be 'mannered' on a date… since she's had more experience than me on these sorts of things…"
"AJ, I asked you to go out with me because of who you are, not who Rarity says you are."
She blushed heavily with a huge smile before gently laying the fork down. She began to dig into it with her hooves, food debris flying. She paused after half of it was gone. "Thank ya."
He smiled as he laughed. "That's the Applejack I know."
She paused for a moment before quickly getting up from the table. "A-ah need ta use the little filly's room." She said, trotting away.
He watched her walk away, slightly confused before continuing to eat. Several ponies finished their singing and AJ still hadn't returned. He finished his meal awhile ago. He glanced at the mare's bathroom door. I wonder what's taking her so long? He looked around for Sundancer. He saw her not to far away and he waved her over.
She trotted over. "What can Ah get ya?"
"Umm… my friend AJ, she's gone into the bathroom almost an hour ago and hasn’t come back yet. Could you do me a huge favor and check if she's alright?"
She blinked. "Oh, um… sure. Ah'll be right back." She said as she trotted towards the door and went inside. He watched her disappear and sighed. A few minutes later, Sundancer led AJ over to the table. AJ's eyes were red and she slightly sniffled. "If there's anything Ah can get ya, don’t hesitate ta ask." Sundancer said, patting AJ gently on the back before walking away.
He looked at AJ. "I-is everything alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine." She said, smiling faintly.
He shook his head. "I can tell that you're lying… what's bothering you?"
She took a shaky breath. "Ah don’t deserve someone as nice as ya… why do ya waste yer time on somepony like me?" She asked in a small voice.
He got up and carried the chair next to her, pulling her into a hug. "I never considered this date a waste of time… I would never do so either. But I could ask you the same, why would you waste your time with me?"
She blushed. "Cause ya willingly helped out on the farm, yer good company, ya saved mah life… and ya actually care about me as an individual and not just for my plot." She looked away. "Ah never know what ta say…"
He faintly smiled at her.
"Ya never did answer my question…" She looked at him. "Why are ya smiling?"
He let go of her. "I'm not sure how to explain it… looking back at my life, I've met a lot of people. All of them are quite similar to each other, but you… I never met anyone like in my entire life before. If it weren't for you, I would've asked Princess Celestia to send me back the day she was here."
She stared at him, her cheeks bright red. "Really? Wh-what makes me so different?
"The way I see you with my eyes… I've seen hundreds and thousands of people and none of them caught my eye like you did."
"But that didn’t answer my question… why me? Rarity is prettier than me… Ah ain't nothing more than a simple farmer…"
"I don’t think she's prettier than you…"
"Yer just saying that."
He shook his head adamantly. "No, I mean it. Every time I look at you, I could get lost in your eyes; every time I hear you talk I could listen to it for hours. I'd do anything to see you smile or hear you laugh."
Her face erupted in red. "A… Ah don’t know what ta say…" She said, tears slowly falling out of her eyes.
"You don’t have to say anything, as long as you smile."
She wiped her eyes and looked at him, a small smile on her face. She gave him a hug. "Thank ya Martin…"
He hugged back. "I only spoke the truth…"
A pony walked up to the mic and tapped it a few times. He smiled as he cleared his throat and in a low baritone, started to sing. They watched the stallion on the stage, his voice echoing through the café. All the ponies smiled and clapped as he finished. The stallion blushed as he walked off stage and the mic was taken by another pony.
"That was probably one of the best versions Ah've ever heard." AJ said with a smile as she clapped her hooves, resting against Martin.
He nodded, clapping his hands. Sundancer soon came walking over, a huge smile on her face. "So how was everythin'?"
He smiled at her. “It was grand, aye AJ?” AJ nodded, still resting against him.
"One of the best apple fritters Ah've had."
He reached for the small leather bag and opened it. "How much will tonight cost me?"
She pulled out a little slip and skimmed through it. "With the Winter Wrap Up discount, that'll be forty bits."
He nodded and placed forty five bits on the table. "The rest is for you."
She smiled and put the bits in a pocket. "Thank ya kindly and have a nice night you two."
He got up and walked towards the door, holding it open for AJ. She smiled and trotted after him and waited outside. "So what do ya wanna do now?"
He smiled at her. "How about a nice long walk through the park, or we could go to a good pub?"
She smiled. "Ah think the park sounds mighty fine… we might wanna take a break with all the drinkin'."
He chuckled as they began their walk back to the park, the moon illuminating the streets and reflecting off the windows. The town was relatively quiet, a few ponies sprinkled here and there.
"So Ah gotta thank ya fer a wonderful dinner Martin."
He looked at her, her golden mane reflected by the moonlight. Her emerald green eyes twinkled brighter then the sun ever could. The sky was a playful mix of dark blue, black and bright twinkling stars; not a single cloud in the sky. "No… I have to thank you."
She looked at him. "Thank me? Fer what?"
He smiled at her, staring into her emerald eyes. "For this wonderful evening, money doesn’t matter to me… it was worth it, so I could see you smile in the end."
She blushed. "Aw shucks, thank ya. But Ah should thank ya for all that ya've done fer me. Hay we've known each other fer a week and Ah gotta say, it's been one wacky ride..." She paused. "Yer doing it again."
He blushed and looked away. "Sorry…"
She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "Don’t be, it's one of the things Ah like bout ya."
He stared at the clear sky. "It's a lovely night, aye?"
She chuckled. "It's a wonderful night." She agreed.
"You got any idea how late it is?" He asked, looking down at her again.
She looked at the clock tower in the middle of town. "Looks ta be a quarter to nine… if Ah can read it right."
"The night is still young, wanna continue our walk?"
"Sure, lead the way."
He nodded and began walking away from the dirt path and towards the lake not too far away. The water in the lake was still, giving a perfect reflection of the moons. The lake was almost like a door to another world as they sat down near the shore, looking at their reflections.
She smiled and walked a little closer to the water's edge, staring at her reflection. She took off her borrowed hat and laid it on the sand, keeping a hoof on it.
He got up and walked up to her, her green eyes and golden mane reflected in the water. He started to get lost in her eyes.
"Ya still with me?" She asked, looking at him with a smirk.
He blinked a few times before blushing. "Back again." He said, smiling back.
She laughed. "Glad ta have ya back." She grinned at him before splashing him with her hoof. His entire upper body got soaked.
"Oi!!" He chuckled, using his hands to shield himself. "It is on!" He started to splash her back.
They laughed hysterically and she tried to protect herself. They splashed for a long time before they were drenched and it was freezing, AJ slightly shivering. "Rarity would kill us if she saw us." She said, her teeth chattering.
He put his arms around her, trying to keep her warm. She blushed and wrapped her hooves around him in return. "Ah didn’t think that through, did Ah?"
He shook his head, shivering a bit. "It doesn't matter; you got what you deserve in return, aye?"
She smiled. "Ah did but Ah'm glad Ah could."
He smiled at her again, his hat lying on the wet dirt near them.
"Maybe we should get home, it's getting late." She said, looking at the moon.
"Do what you think is right." He said, smiling at her.
She untangled herself from him, water dripping from her mane. "Yeah, Ah think we both should and dry off before one of us gets sick." She said with a sigh.
He nodded, looking back the way they came. "I'll walk you home if you want."
"That's mighty kind of ya." She said, walking over and grabbing his hat before hoofing it to him.
He smiled at her putting it back on his wet hair, which pushed down with the wet hat. "Thanks AJ."
"Don’t mention it." She said, her little red hat long gone.
They began their journey back to the farm. It was silent, the night sky a canvas of stars with the moon at its center, glowing brightly, casting the town in its light. Most of the town was devoid of ponies but a few stragglers remained, who smiled and waved at the two. The apple field was cast in never ending shadows, the moon playing with the trees. The Apple house had a light on in the living room, almost as if somepony waited for her to come home.
They paused at the door as AJ coughed. "Ah had a great night, thank ya a lot."
He leaned down and hugged her. "Me too, thank you."
She nuzzled his cheek before getting out of the embrace and opening the door. "Goodnight Martin."
"Goodnight AJ." He smiled one last time before she walked inside and shut the door. He stood on the porch for a second before making his way back to the library.

=

He slowly opened the library door; it was mostly dark inside the main room, the moon only illuminating near the windows. He took off his boots and hung his hat on a hook before he made his way towards the bathroom, sneaking across the wooden floor.
"So I take it was good?" Twilight asked, reading in the kitchen as she snacked on some lettuce.
He looked at her, his hair dripping on the floor. "Um… yeah, it was grand." He said, walking towards the unicorn.
She looked up and tried to stifle a laugh. "What happened to you, why are you all wet?"
He blushed. "Um… AJ and I were at the lake…"
Her eyebrows shot up. "What?" She asked, leaning towards him.
His face burned. "Um… is it that important to you?" He asked, feeling awkward talking about it.
“No, well sorta… she is one of my P.F.F.s…" She said.
He stared at her blankly. "Ok…"
"So?"
"Um…"
She sighed. "Just go get changed and we'll talk about it in the morning."
He nodded and quickly walked to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, drying himself off. After he finished, he changed into some new, dry clothes and came out of the bathroom to find the candle light in the kitchen was gone, submerging the library into darkness. He blindly felt his way back to the guest room. He opened the door and stared at Mike's empty sleeping bag. He sighed and crawled into his own. I wonder what you're up to mate… He looked out the window, staring into the dimming moonlight.

=

Most of the animals had retired to their respective cages/homes for the night as the moon continued to rise higher and higher. Fluttershy hovered around, tucking the remaining animals in, whispering a good night to them and nuzzled them on the cheek. Mike stared at his wings, trying to figure out what Discord meant as he tried to preen his wings. "This is harder than I thought…" He muttered, nipping at a bad feather and pulling it out.
Fluttershy floated quietly towards him and landed next to him, smiling. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it…" She said quietly.
He pulled a little too hard and got an extra feather, yelping in pain. "Yeah, eventually." He chuckled.
She giggled as she turned her head, her pink mane flying elegantly in the light as she looked at the small clock. "It's getting late um… I'll go to bed now…" She whispered.
"Ok… goodnight Fluttershy, and thanks for letting me stay… again." He muttered, looking at his wing.
She gave him a small kiss on the cheek before she walked upstairs, her cheeks bright red.
He watched her disappear, his face bright red as well before he sighed and folded his wings back to his side. He lay down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I wonder how his date went…" He muttered.