//------------------------------//
// A Day With Fluttershy 
// Story: Seasons: Spring 
// by Alexander 
//------------------------------//

      "What do you mean you're doing extra flight practices today?" Orion asked with a tone of not understanding. "You're flying's well enough as it is. You're sure to ace the Flight Test."

"I know this," Aurora said as he hitched his saddle-bags over his back and turned away from his bed. "But I just wanna do some more. The Flight Test is in a couple of days after all."

Orion sat back down on his own bed disheartened by what he had heard. "But it's still a break day. You don't have to go and do it."

"I want to."

"Then what am I gonna do for fun then? Wandering around Cloudsdale isn't that fun after you get used to it."

"Go see if Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are doing anything today?" Aurora suggested, plopping back down on his bed. "They should be free."

"And Dusk?"

"She said she's gonna follow me out to practice. Now that I think about it, perhaps it would be nice if you came along too."

Orion quickly shook his head. "No way. My wing's are too tired. The thing's Longwing have had Rainbow Dash and I do have been ridiculous. I'm too sore to think about flying today."

"I can see your point," Aurora said. "Oh well then. Perhaps catch up on sleep then."

"I just may. Don't you have to go soon?"

"Oh yeah. Thanks," Aurora stated in surprise as he remembered the time. He sprung up from his bed and trotted over to where Dusk was engaged in conversation with another filly. He poked her on the shoulder with his hoof, whispered something in her ear, and the two left together through the large front doors.

Orion sighed and he turned his gaze out to the sun that was rising in the mid-morning. Flight Camp was almost over and the final Flight Test was a few days away. The two months had passed with startling speed and Orion was faced with the grim prospect of having to say 'good bye' to the friends he had made. The most painful thing he feared above all was having to say 'good bye' to Aurora. During the two months of camp, the two young colts had grown and bonded together in such a way now that they were inseparable. They had also grown so close, they were able to finish each others sentences without confusion and awkwardness. Orion was happy that Aurora was his dearest friend and the thought that they may never see each other again weighed heavy on most days. In some nights when he found sleep to be difficult, Orion would turn over to look at his friend and with the thought of parting, and he would begin to cry. And he would cry until he finally fell to sleep. He didn't want to never see his friend again.

He turned over and looked at the rest of the ponies in his own group. He had spoken with some of them before but none really caught on the strings of his heart in the same way that Aurora, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Dusk had. He sighed again and stood. Walking to the large doors, Orion stopped to quickly brush his mane before exiting.

During the two months of Flight Camp, Orion had explored all of what Cloudsdale had to offer. Of all the ponies he had met during his explorations, Orion would never forget Opal Prism. Opal Prism was a tall pegasus stallion from Trottingham. Orion didn't know much about Opal's history, but he did know that Opal had once served as a Royal Guard for Princess Celestia several years ago. Opal still to that day hung onto the habits he had picked up while as a guard. His bed was always neatly made every single morning, his mane was always properly brushed, the way he walked demanded attention, and the way his blue eyes seemed to stare deep into one's heart was to be admired. But here he was. Opal Prism lived in a little flat beneath one of the many bridges that connected the separate areas of Cloudsdale. The walls were always stainless white and the floor was always swept and cleaned. While Orion felt that Opal was a very strange stallion, he couldn't help but like his company.

Ever since Opal had caught him after he had been knocked from the bridge, Orion would sometimes find himself outside of Opal's home knocking on the door. During the past few weeks, Opal had taught Orion many things about flight and about the valorous details of what it meant to be a Royal Guard. He had taught Orion more about flying steady than Longwing had that entire summer. He taught him the mannerisms of guardianship and what it meant to protect something. He had taught Orion how to be rough and how to tussle. He had taught Orion all that he had known, but Orion wanted to know more about his new-found teacher.

Orion heavily knocked on Opal's door and waited. He waited but with no response. He knocked again and the door slowly opened with a creak. Orion stuck his head in the opened area and looked at the table that was always placed in the middle of the room. On the table was a sword. It seemed to glimmer in the sudden flux of daylight and its sharp edge looked as demeaning and as merciless as Orion had always thought one would. He took a step into the room but he was stopped by a solid wall of stallion. Opal descended faster than a shadow and caught Orion quickly by the shoulder. Orion was spun around into the side wall and he glanced up at Opal, but Opal seemed different than he had ever seen before. His eyes were glazed over with a demeanor of anger and his neat mane was disheveled. He was scary.

"Opal?" Orion asked unsure of what would happen.

Opal blinked his eyes and looked down at the young colt he had pinned to the wall. "Oh heyya, Orion. What brings you along today?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

"What's wrong, Opal?" Orion asked as he rubbed his elbow.

"Ain't nothing wrong. What d'ya mean by 'What's wrong'?"

Orion looked up at Opal's deep vivid blue eyes. They were back to normal. "Oh it's nothing."

"Were you lookin' at my sword?" Opal asked taking a glance to the sword that lay peacefully on the table.

"Yes . . . but how did you know?"

"Oh I was just watching."

"You were just watching?" Orion asked, unconvinced by what he was hearing.

"Sure was."

"And why were you 'just watching'?"

"I was a digging through my old closet when I found that old friend of mine. Me and and that sword go way back. I got that sword when I first graduated training and became a guard. Me and that sword have been through a lot and we've seen a lot of stuff. We're like brothers, that sword and me. So when I found him bundled up in my closet, I wanted to see how much I've rusted since my days at the castle. I haven't seemed to rusted much have I?"

Orion looked up at Opal's large smile and forced a smile of his own. If that was how Opal had been during his days as a guard, then he was glad he hadn't known him then. That was scary. "You never told me . . . why did you decide to become a guard?" he asked as he backed away.

"Me dad was a guard himself and he would always talk about Princess Celestia and how pretty she always was," Opal explained as he sat down on his haunches beside the table. "I think I was just wanting to be like my own dad. Also now that I think about it, I was always a sucker for a pretty mare. Yep. And oh boy was she a pretty mare. She was the prettiest mare I ever saw.”

Orion looked at his teacher and then looked to the sword.

“Do ya want to know how to handle a sword?” Opal asked, noticing Orion’s eager eyes. 

"You mean it? Can you show me today?"

"Not today," Opal said with an awkward scratch of his mane, his large hoofs swaying like large trees in the wind. "Nope. Can't be today. I gotta fly out to Canterlot soon enough anyhow. There's a party going on about today to celebrate old fart ex-guards like myself."

Orion hung his head dejectedly and looked away from the sword. "Oh."

"Eeyup. I ain't much looking forward to it myself but at least I'll get to see that pretty mare again before I get too old to feel a little something."

Orion nodded, a little unsure of what Opal meant, but he decided not to ask questions. He merely nodded again. "Oh okay."

Opal looked at the young colt for a while before walking over and patting Orion's head under his large hoof. "Don't feel too much bad about it, y'hear? I'll show you a little something one of these days before your camp is over and done with . . . but for now, why don't ya go and play with your own friends?"

"They're all off doing their own things," Orion quietly said, sitting back onto his own haunches.

"Well then I guess there's nothing much to do but wait," Opal said and he looked to the clock he had hung on his white wall. "Well . . . I must be off then. Have some fun today, Orion."

Opal Prism wrapped his old sword back in its case and put it back in its place in the closet. He clapped Orion a strong pat on the shoulder with his large hoof and left. Orion was alone again.


******


Orion was slowly walking by, hardly noticing the wind as it ruffled his mane, hardly noticing the sky as weather workers were putting together a dark thundercloud above the entirety of Cloudsdale, and hardly noticing as the rain began to sprinkle down until a drop hit in him in the muzzle. He looked to the dark ominous cloud above as a particularly strong gust of wind winded its way through the tall pillars and buildings. Orion was always fascinated by what the wind was capable of. Even now, as the wind was funneled through the narrow passages, Orion spread his wings to feel all of it. He loved the wind. He loved it until it suddenly stopped and was replaced with an eerie silence that seemed to drum against the inside of his head. The rain began to pour as hard as Orion had ever seen it and he ran.

Orion ran and he ran. He had explored enough of Cloudsdale not to get lost just as he and Aurora had done one of those first few weeks. It had been a weekend and just as everypony else, Orion and Aurora had decided to leave the confines of the sleeping quarters and walk around. They didn't really pay as much attention as they should have and they ended up finding themselves behind the large backside of a building they did not know. As they tried to find their ways back, they became even more lost. Eventually, they resorted to flying high into the sky to pinpoint the way back. They had gotten in a right amount of trouble for that stunt.

Orion shook off the rain as he entered the large hall and made his way to his bed. He closed his eyes and let his long mane go to where it wanted. It had been a disappointing morning. He had been denied the opportunity to hang around with Aurora and he had been brushed off by Opal. He really did not know how much worse this day could become. He opened his eyes at the sound of the large doors closing and he sat up quickly to see Fluttershy soaked with rain.

"Oh hi, Fluttershy," he said. "Hold on, I'll get you a towel."

"Oh thank you but you really don't have to do that," she said, trying to shake off whatever water she could.

"No no. Let me get you a towel. You're soaked to the bone," Orion said as he made his way over to one of the wash rooms. He extracted a large white towel and draped it over Fluttershy's back.

"Thank you," she said as she dried herself off.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh um . . . she got in trouble again."

"What for this time?" Orion asked as he sat back down his bed.

"She got caught flying again. I tried to tell her not to but she wouldn't listen," Fluttershy said as she down on the bed opposite Orion. She dropped the towel lazily on the floor. Orion picked it up and tossed it onto the foot of his bed.

"She never learns."

"No. . . but still . . . she insisted she wanted to try that thing she does when she flies around the cloud."

"Oh that thing," Orion said as he realized. Trying to get a cloud to spin was Rainbow's most recent fascination. Once, she messed up with it and sent a cloud tumbling at Orion and everypony else as they sat and watched. She had gotten better at it since then but she was still reasonably terrible at it. "Oh right. That thing."

"Oh yes. She insisted we go to the stadium so she could work on it as much as she wanted but she was spotted by one of the trainers as the weather ponies were building the thundercloud. She got in a lot of trouble and had to go and speak with Longwing. I came right here as fast as I could, but . . ."

"Want a new towel?" Orion asked. "You've still got rain on you."

"Oh no. I'm fine. It's just rain. It'll dry on its own."

"If you say so," Orion said a little disheartened. Fluttershy seemed to notice.

"Oh no . . . um . . . you can get me one if you want to . . . I don't mind," she said a little shyly. She seemed to try and sink deeper into the covers on the bed.

"Okay." Orion stood up, walked to the washroom, and returned smiling with another towel. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said as she took the warm towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Orion said suddenly after a few silent minutes of listening to the thunderstorm outside howl and pour. "You've never told any of us about your past and where you come from."

"I've told Rainbow Dash when she and I became friends."

"But I want to know too."

Fluttershy looked at the floor, then the wall, then the raging storm outside the window. She hid herself behind her mane and tried to sink under the covers.

"Is it something you can't tell me?" Orion asked. "Or is it something you're embarrassed about?"

"Oh no, it's nothing like that," Fluttershy said, rising in the bed. "It's just that . . . well . . . I don't normally talk about it often and I sometimes don't know what to say."

Orion looked at the yellow filly and sighed. "Then why not try it with me. Here, I'll start you off. Where do you come from?"

"Cloudsdale."

"What's your cutie mark?"

"Butterflies."

"How did you get your cutie mark?"

"Oh um . . . Rainbow Dash was sticking up for me last summer and she got in a race with those colts that were bullying Dusk earlier. When the race started, I was knocked off a cloud and I fell to the surface. When I was there with all the animals, Rainbow did the Sonic Rainboom and scared all the animals away. I got my cutie mark when I helped the small animals and cared for them."

"So your talent is caring for animals then?" Orion asked. Fluttershy nodded. "Who are your parents?" Orion asked this time and instantly regretted it when Fluttershy began to cry. "What's wrong?" he asked as he made his way over to where she was.

Fluttershy shook her head and stifled a cry. Orion wrapped her in his large wing and asked again, "What's wrong?"

Fluttershy looked at Orion and wiped away the tears. "I don't have any parents."

"How can you not have any parents?"

Fluttershy stifled another cry and shook her head again. "I don't know. I've lived with my nana for as long as I can remember and she's never told me about it."

Orion tightened his hug. "Well where ever they are, I'm sure they're fine," he said as Fluttershy stifled yet another sob. This subject was obviously very emotional for her and he regretted ever asking her about it. "I'm sorry I asked you about it. You clearly don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh no it's fine," Fluttershy was quick to say. "My nana is a very special pony to me. I'm happy I get to live with her."

"What's your nana like?" Orion asked this time.

"Oh she's the best," Fluttershy happily explained. "She and I live out in this small little cottage near the outer areas of Cloudsdale. It's a nice little house and I love it very much even if it does get uncomfortably hot during the summer. My nana grew up near Fillydelphia before she moved up here to Cloudsdale. When she got to Cloudsdale, according to what she told me, she went and found work in Canterlot working as a personal chef to some of the most important ponies there. After a couple years however, she moved back to Fillydelphia and got married."

"It sounds like she's had an exciting life," Orion said.

"Oh yes," Fluttershy agreed. "After she got married and had my own mom, she went and traveled all over Equestria. She said to me that she's probably seen everything there is to see."

"I want to travel around one day."

"Oh me too. That sounds like it would be really fun to do . . . but I'm really shy around new ponies so I might not end up going."

"There's no definite 'yes' or 'no'," Orion said as he retracted his wing. "It's only a dream."

"But even if it is just a dream, it's still very nice to imagine all the things and think about everything you'll see and do."

As the thunderstorm outside grew worse, Orion and Fluttershy sat on the mattress and talked. They talked about the things they did and the places they came from, they talked about the things they wanted to do, they talked about the jobs they wanted to have, they talked about flying, they talked about the weather, they talked about the ground and the clouds, they talked and they laughed at jokes. It was later that afternoon that the storm lessened up and the weather workers took the large cloud apart, letting the sun shine through. When the sun was completely clear to shine where it wanted, Orion and Fluttershy exited back outside.

The air was thick and sticky and it had the faint smell of rain, but it was something that everypony's had to get used to. There was no wind after the storm and it felt heavy. The two walked on in the heat and eventually settled to slumping into the cool interior of the snowflake factory. It was a lot colder in there and it was there Orion and Fluttershy sought comfort from the blazing summer heat. 

"It's too hot outside," Orion said as he wiped away the sweat. "It certainly wasn't this hot earlier this morning."

Fluttershy nodded as she also wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow. 

"I wish it would be winter already," Orion bitterly said as he looked over at the ponies that were working on welding together the microscopic ice crystals.

"Why's that?" Fluttershy asked, sitting down on her haunches and tucking in her wings.

"I love cold weather," Orion explained as he sat down beside her. "I can't stand the summer heat. It's too stuffy all the time."

"Oh but it isn't that bad once you get used to it," Fluttershy quickly said. "It's really not so bad."

"Oh yes it is. It's always hot and stuffy and I'm always trying to cool off. It's bad. I like the winter a lot more because then I'm not sweating all the time and if I get too cold I can always just bundle up in a blanket or something. Plus I really love the snow. I always like going over to Brownhoof's fields and digging little tunnels all in the snow."

"Brownhoof?" Fluttershy asked, "Who's that?"

"Brownhoof? Oh he's this really old earth pony from the little town I come from," Orion said as he remembered the old pony. "He's just about as old as the dirt but he's the nicest pony I've ever known. Sometimes after school and on the weekends, he'll let me go over and play in his fields for as long as I want. As for his fields, he owns these really large wheat fields that stretch out as far as the eye can see and every fall before the harvest, the wheat that grows is taller than even the tallest stallion. I remember just this past fall that before the wheat was harvested, me and this other colt from school went over and played a little game of hide-and-seek all in the fields. We got lost and eventually just decided to walk in a straight line until we reached the edge of the field we were in and it wasn't until the sun had set all the way that we found our way out. Needless to say, our parents were pretty upset by it but Old Farmer Brownhoof eventually got them to see the fun in it. Me and that boy were sparred punishment and when we went back the following week, all the wheat had been harvested already, so you know how it is. And then during the winters when the weather ponies think that it's a good idea to dump feet after feet of snow on my town, I'll go over to Brownhoof's and dig little tunnels and little chambers in the snow. I wasn't the best at it at first, but once Brownhoof showed me how it was done and how to do it right, I got really good at it real fast."

"Oh that sounds like a lot of fun," Fluttershy said in obvious jealousy. "I wish it would snow here a lot more often. Most of all the snow that gets made here gets dumped elsewhere over Equestria."

"If you want, I could show you all the snow you would ever want to see," Orion said as he remembered the huge dumps of snow that would constantly blanket his town.

"Are you serious? You could do that?"

"Yeah I'm serious. The town I live in is several miles outside of Ponyville so it's really not that far from here."

"How much snow do you get?" Fluttershy excitedly asked, sitting up straighter as she desperately wanted to hear more.

"Well . . . Ponyville doesn't get that much snow, but where I come from, we get snow in massive dumps during the winter. It's kind of ridiculous the amount of snow we get. I remember this past winter, the weather ponies set up this huge storm and it dumped so much snow on top of the snow that was already there that it reached up to our roofs."

"Wow. That's a lot of snow. I really wish I could see that much one day."

"Well then this winter before the weather ponies set up another big storm, which they seem to do every single winter, I'll ask my parents if you can come over and stay a while."

"Oh you really mean it?" Fluttershy asked, a large smile spreading across her face.

"Yeah I mean it. You obviously love snow a lot and you're my friend and as a friend, it's part of my duty to make you happy," Orion said as he shifted his sitting position. He flexed his large wings and sat back down. "I'm totally serious. I'll talk with my parents about it after camp finishes."

"Oh thank you," Fluttershy happily said, wrapping her forelegs tightly around Orion's neck. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he heavily blushed but against his dark blue coat, it was hardly noticeable. "Oh thank you so much," she said again. "I really really love snow so much."

"It's no problem."

"Oh thank you," she said again before loosening her hug.

"It's nothing," Orion said, his cheeks still on fire. "Say? How about we go someplace else?"

Fluttershy pawed at the ground and glanced over to the snowflakes that were being collected in a very large bin that was a part of a larger group of bins and tanks. "Oh well if you say so."

Orion looked at Fluttershy. "We don't have to if you don't want to," he said. "Want to just stay here?"

Fluttershy nodded her head and returned to gaze at the large holding bins. The weather ponies were obviously storing up for the winter. "Okay then, we'll stay here for as long as you want," Orion said and he sat back down.

Orion and Fluttershy sat for hours, but to them it felt as though they sat for minutes. They watched as the workers froze each individual droplets of water. They watched as the workers welded together the crystals. They watched as the snowflakes were slowly pieced together. They watched as they were deposited into one of the large tanks. They watched as the process was started again. They sat and watched. The sun began to set and still they watched as the workers began to gather their things together to leave. They watched as they left and the two were left alone. The moon began to rise and they never said a word.

"How about we start heading back?" Orion asked as he stood up and gave his back a well earned stretch. "Come on, let's get going before it gets too late and we both get in trouble."

"Okay," Fluttershy agreed as she also stood and also gave her back a stretch. "I wonder if every one else is back."

"I'm sure they are already," Orion pointed out as he held open the door to let Fluttershy pass. "I bet they're all sitting around one of the beds talking and thinking about where we've gone."

Orion and Fluttershy walked. They didn't pay much attention to where they were going and eventually found themselves on a large bridge that neither could recognize. From the bridge, the two could feel the cooler night wind pass through their manes, over their coats, and through the feathers of their wings; they could feel it in all of what it was. It felt so much better than the oppressive heat of the day hours earlier. From the bridge, they could see the glimmering lights of Canterlot off in the distance and the little lights of ponies homes on the ground far below. They were bathed in the bright light of the large moon hanging overhead.

"You know something, Fluttershy?" Orion asked he looked at the stars above his head and the little lights below.

"What?"

"It's like we're floating in the stars."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Well . . . there are the stars above us, the little lights on the ground, and the wind coursing its way . . . so if you wanna really think about it that way . . . it's sort of like we're in a sea of stars."

"Oh um . . . that sounds really really beautiful," Fluttershy said as a gust of wind knocked her long mane in front her eyes.

"I've always dreamed of flying with the stars," Orion said as he looked up to the stars above.

"Why?" Fluttershy asked, uneasy about the idea of flying so high.

"I'm not quite sure why," Orion honestly explained as he kicked his hooves against the floor of the bridge. "I'm really not too sure why . . . I think it's because I really like astronomy or something like that . . . But I really don't know why I wanna fly up with the stars."

"Hmm . . . well . . . I'm sure you'll think of something," Fluttershy quietly said and after a while she added, "Um . . . I thought we were supposed to head back to the rooms."

"Oh yeah. I forgot," Orion suddenly remembered as he looked away from the stars. "Oh yeah. Let's go."

Orion and Fluttershy left the large bridge and quickly made their way. They passed stores and shops that had already been closed for the night, their windows dark and a little foreboding. They passed houses that were still brightly lit. They could hear laughter and the sound of talking coming from within. They continued on and passed by a large fountain that Orion and Aurora had discovered one of the first few days they were out. It was a large fountain of a pegasus stallion and mare soaring into the sky. It was about fifteen feet or so tall and about eight feet wide and it easily dominated the little plaza where it was. Water poured from the tips of the wings of the stallion and mare into the shallow pool below and even from where they were, Orion and Fluttershy could easily see the glimmer of the many bits that had been tossed in. They continued on and passed by the sleeping quarters of the other groups until they reached the heavy doors of their own. Orion slowly opened them and was met with a dowsing of light and warmth.

The entire hall was alive with young colts and fillies. They were pleasantly talking about the things they had done that day. They talked about the thunderstorm that the weather ponies had created earlier. They talked about some of the new ponies they had met. They talked about whatever their mouths could sputter out. But it was the group of ponies in the far corner that Orion and Fluttershy walked to.

"Hi-ya," Orion said as he placed a hoof on Aurora's shoulder.

"Where have you two been all this time?" Rainbow Dash asked as she sat up in the bed. "We get here and you're no where to be found. Where were you?"

"Yeah," Aurora said, agreeing with Rainbow. "Where were you? We all got back and when you weren't here, we all went out and looked for you but you were no where to be found."

"You had us all worried," Dusk said brushing her mane from in front of her eyes. "We began to think that maybe the storm had knocked you off of Cloudsdale."

"No we weren't!" Rainbow Dash interjected. "I'm not quite sure what it was you were thinking of but it sure as hay wasn't what I was thinking."

"Then what were you thinking?" Aurora asked, turning back around to look at Rainbow Dash. "We were all together as a group. I saw you start to get worried."

"Oh no I wasn't," Rainbow insisted, sitting up higher in the bed. "I was just you know . . . going along with it. I knew they were safe all along."

"Uh-huh. Sure you were," Aurora sceptically said as Rainbow Dash buried her head in the pillows. He rolled his eyes and turned back around Orion and Fluttershy. "So where were you this whole time?"

"Just out and about," Orion said as he took a seat beside Aurora. Fluttershy sat down on the bed with Rainbow Dash.

"Really?"

"Really," Orion insisted. "We were just out walking around and talking."

"With it being as hot as it was today?"

"Well no. We went and cooled off in the snowflake factory . . . But enough of me and Fluttershy; what about you? How did your extra lessons go?"

Aurora scratched his mane. "They were fine. Nothing too special about it. When the ponies started building together that large storm, Longwing had me stop and we went and hung out in the backrooms of the stadium and waited for it to stop. Then when it got too hot to do anything else, Longwing had me stop and so then we returned back here."

"What about you Rainbow?" Orion asked. "Fluttershy told me that you got in trouble again."

"Oh yeah," she gruffly said, still obviously upset about being known to have been worried and scared. "I got in trouble and had to go do some disciplinary stuff."

"What did you have to do?"

"I had to go and clean an entire stadium all by myself. My wings still hurt."

"But aren't you the best flyer in all of Equestria?" Aurora asked, turning back again to Rainbow Dash. "Surely something like that is no big deal."

"Well it isn't normally," she admitted. "But it's not everyday that you've got weights dangling from you."

"Hmm well then," Orion said briefly.

"Yeah so . . . What did you and Fluttershy talk about?" Dusk asked, brushing aside her long white mane again.

"Oh nothing much," Orion answered. "We just talked about this and that and whatever else we could think of to talk about."

"Is that right?" Aurora asked, turning back yet again to Orion.

"Of course it is."


******


The moon was high in the sky as Orion lay restless in his bed. He had his window propped open to allow in the wind, but even the cool wind could not hope to quench his restlessness. He tossed and turned before finally opting to simply lie on his side and impatiently wait for sleep. Over Aurora's sleeping form, Orion could easily see Fluttershy asleep. Her head was propped up onto the pillow and her long pink mane rustled in the breeze from her window. He watched her sleep for what felt like hours and for some reason, Orion felt an uneasy twinge in his heart. As he watched her sleep, Orion couldn't help but smile and eventually, he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.