//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Promises // Story: Lost // by Cyanjames2819 //------------------------------// The next morning, Fluttershy yawned and slowly opened her eyes to see Playtime sleeping soundly beside her. She then saw large brown warm wing covering her and the filly. She looked to her right and saw the original Nebula sleeping beside her. She looked around a little more and saw Playtime was hugging Nebula’s tail like it was a plushy doll. Nebula had his body wrapped around them again and Fluttershy loved it. She moved closer to him, wrapped her wing around the filly and pulled her closer for an embrace. Playtime yawned and instinctively cuddled closer to her for more warmth. Fluttershy smiled warmly at her and gently nuzzled her. A few more silent, calm moments later, Playtime started to wake. She moaned and blinked a few times, “Good morning, Playtime.” Fluttershy greeted in her soft tone. Playtime looked at her and smiled, “Morning.” she replied and rubbed the side of her head on the mare’s coat lovingly. Fluttershy did the same with her and the filly giggled in response. Fluttershy looked at her and kissed Playtime’s forehead. Playtime crossed her eyes and looked up at her forehead, then right at the mare. She leaned in and kissed her back on the cheek, “Thank you.” Fluttershy blushed with a sly smile, “Thank you too.” Playtime rested her head on Fluttershy’s side and closed her eyes. As she did, the mare started humming a lullaby and covered up Playtime with her wing. “You sound very nice.” Playtime said. “Thank you, sweetie,” Fluttershy nuzzled her once more and continued humming for her. Time passed, Nebula and Playtime were in the living room, feeding and taking care of the animals, while Fluttershy did the same outside. Nebula just rested in the middle of the room, his eyes glowing blue and the animal’s bowls were filled with food and water, while Playtime played on him like he was a jungle gym. Playtime then rested on his back, on her back and watched her father manipulating magic to help Fluttershy with the animals. She rolled over and started watching him intently on how he did it exactly. She saw he didn’t really concentrate, but he kept track of the items he levitated. “Daddy,” she moved closer to his head and looked at the floating items, “Can you show me how to do that?” Nebula filled the last bowl and looked at her on his back, “You do?” She nodded happily, “Uh-huh!” He searched around the room to look for a good sized item for her to use. He couldn’t find anything, so he conjured up a small, smooth rock for her to practice on. He then thought for a moment and looked at her, “Just look at the rock, clear your mind and concentrate on moving it.” He leaned in behind her head, lightly bit her skin and repositioned her to be in front of him. She looked up at him and nodded. She then looked at the rock, squinted her eyes and concentrated on the rock. After a moment of intense concentration, Playtime gave up and looked down at the floor with her ears folded down, “It’s too hard…” she said in defeat. “It takes practice,” he put a hand on her and she looked up at him, “Try again.” He reached out and pulled the rock closer to her. She nodded, looked at the rock again and continued concentrating. After about a minute, Nebula thought of something and looked at the concentrating filly, “Playtime… think happy thoughts.” he said to her. She nodded, and when she started again, she slowly smiled. Her eyes and cutie mark started to glow; the rock started slowly glowing as well and twitched a couple of times on the floor. As it fully glowed and engulfed in blue aura, it got off the floor and slowly rose up wobbly. It suddenly fell to the floor and Playtime started bouncing around happily, yelling, “I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!” “Did what?” Fluttershy got in the front door with a basket full of flowers on her back. “Oh! Oh! Watch!” Playtime said to her. She sat down in front of the small rock and her eyes started to lightly glow again. The rock then floated up again, still a little wobbly and she started spinning it around and dropped it on the floor. “See! I did it!” started bouncing around the two happily. Nebula’s ears then perked up and looked out the window. He stood up and looked at the mare, “I’ll be back, Miss Fluttershy.” he bowed his head and teleported away. Fluttershy looked at the filly standing next to her, “Um, how did you do that again?” she asked her. “I saw daddy move things and I wanted to learn how he did it. He told me to move the rock and told me to think happy thoughts.” she sat down and looked up at mare. “Really? What did you think?” Fluttershy grabbed the basket with her mouth and put it on the floor in front of her. “You, daddy and me!” she then hugged her foreleg, “One happy family!” Just when Fluttershy smiled, they both heard a loud roar near Ponyville. “Daddy.” Playtime said and looked out the window, while still embracing the mare’s leg. Nebula roared ferociously at the shadowy creatures surrounding him. Three of the royal guards were surrounded as well, but all of a sudden, Spike the baby dragon was running towards them, few of the royal guards following just behind and yelled, “Spike to the rescue!” He then suddenly grew enormously and went on all fours and roared at the creatures. Nebula looked at the distracted creatures and started firing at them with his super-heated, blue flames, turning the ground hot glass as it went through the creatures. Spike then blasted two of the creatures surrounding the guards with his green fire and spotted one trying to get away. “Nebula!” he yelled. He looked at Spike and pointed at the creature trying to get away into the forest. He teleported himself and appeared right in front of it, grabbed its throat, spun around and slammed it against a tree, turning it into nothing but smoke. He then scanned his surroundings for anymore threat, but all he saw were the guards and Spike looking around. He then felt an over whelming urge to get back to the cottage. He teleported himself back and started looking around the outside. He made himself invisible and lowered himself close to the ground. He looked all around and then found another one creeping closer to the cottage back door. All of a sudden, the door opens and saw Playtime resting on Fluttershy’s back, and the mare started looking around. The moment she saw the creature, she screamed, stumbled back in her cottage and the creature tried to go after her. Nebula roared loudly, pounced at the creature and pinned it on the ground. He raised his arm up and slashed the creature into smoke. His eyes then started glowing and set up an invisible shield around Fluttershy’s property. He started going back in and saw the mare shaking, curled up with Playtime protected by her wings and body. He got up to them both; “Are you two okay?” he asked and sat down near them. They both looked at him with teary eyes, and then suddenly, they got up to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Fluttershy cried out. “I was so scarred, Daddy!” Playtime hugged her father tighter. The two cried on him and he had no clue what to do exactly, but he wrapped his arms and wings around the two. “It’s okay, it’s gone.” he tried to assure them both. Fluttershy then leaned up to him and kissed him for a moment and continued hugging him. He looked at her and saw she was blushing red on her cheeks and he could feel himself blushing as well. Playtime looked at him and saw he saw blushing, “Are you okay, daddy?” she sniffled. He looked at her and smiled, “I’m fine.” he answered and Playtime felt his body getting warmer. She looked at Fluttershy and saw she was blushing as well, smiling with her eyes closed. After an hour, Fluttershy was visiting Rarity and Playtime was playing with the Crusaders in the boutique. The two mares were in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea and Fluttershy was still trying to calm herself down. Rarity gently set her cup on the table and looked at Fluttershy, who was taking a sip of her tea. “Are you doing better, darling?” Fluttershy lightly nodded while she drank and set the cup down, “Yes… a little better.” They both heard the girls giggling and laughing in the other room, and then suddenly in the kitchen and the four ran around the table. Playtime stopped and looked at Fluttershy’s cup, “What are you drinking?” she put her fore legs on her chair to get a better look at the cup. “Lemon Tea.” Fluttershy answered. “Can I have a sip?” she asked and continued to stare at the cup. She lifted her up on her chair and moved the cup closer, “Yes you can, but be careful, it’s a little hot.” The filly nodded, looked at the cup and used her lips to gently tip the cup and took a sip. Once she finished she had a satisfied smile, “Mmm, thank you.” she looked up at the mare. Fluttershy wrapped one hoof around her and then nuzzled her, “You’re welcome, sweetie.” she replied. Playtime jumped off and ran off with the others to another room. Fluttershy smiled and lightly blushed when she looked back at the cup. “Fluttershy, is there something you’re not telling me?” Rarity asked. Fluttershy blushed brighter and flopped her ears back shyly, “Oh, um… I, ah…” she started looking around the kitchen, nervously. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I promise I won’t tell a single soul.” she gestured to herself. “Um, Pinkie Pie promise?” “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” “Okay… um,” she blushed even brighter and shrank down on her chair, “I, um… I-I like Nebula… A-and Playtime t-told me she wanted a mother… And… I… k-kissed him when he saved me and P-Playtime…” she now hid behind her mane and wings in embarrassment. Rarity looked at her in surprise and a hint of tiny bit of jealousy. “Oh my,” and then the next question threw off Fluttershy, “How was it?” she leaned in to hear well. “W-what?” Fluttershy peeked through her mane and wings. “How was it? You know, your little smooching with him.” She then rested her cheeks on her fore hooves and tried to imagine what it might have felt like. “Oh… um…” the timid and still blushing mare started pondering. “Um, s-sorry… But all I can say is…” she looked up the ceiling dreamily, “I didn’t want it to end.” “You’re so lucky to have a special somepony, Fluttershy.” “Um, c-can I ask you something, Rarity?” The unicorn snapped back to reality and shook her head, “Yes, darling. What is it?” “Um, what do I do to… ah, get him… to notice me?” Fluttershy started to hide behind her mane again. “Oh! Um, let me think for a moment.” Rarity started pondering on her chair for a moment. She then got off and walked around the table to examine the yellow Pegasus from head to hoof. She mumbled to herself, circled her and sat down; looking at her friend, “You’re too beautiful already, but…” she looked at her and saw she looked too adorable hiding behind her mane. Then it struck her and shot up to her hooves, “Ideaaa!” she said in a sing song voice and teleported out the kitchen. Fluttershy just sat there in silence and looked around kitchen. Then Rarity appeared right beside her and had a green hair clip with a butterfly attached to it. Rarity then pulled aside Fluttershy’s mane and fixed it with the pin to show her blushing, smiling face. Rarity stepped back to see her work, then shouted, “Fabulous!” “Really?” Fluttershy started looking around the room for a mirror. “Here, let me.” Rarity’s horn glowed and a little mirror flashed into existence, facing Fluttershy. She looked at herself and turned her head side to side to get a better understanding of how she looked, “You sure this will work?” The Crusaders then got in the room, “What’s fabulous?” Sweetie Belle said. They all then stopped and looked at Fluttershy in awe, “Wow, you look beautiful, Fluttershy.” she said to the mare. “Thank you, Sweetie.” “I bet, daddy’s, going to like you more.” Playtime said. There was no use in hiding behind her mane anymore, so she blushed and partly hid herself with her hooves and wings. “By the way, darling,” Rarity said and put away the mirror, “Where is Nebula?” she asked. “Oh, um, he’s going around town to set up shields on your boutique, Twilight’s library, Applejack’s barn, Pinkie’s shop and Rainbow’s cloud home. He figured those things might try to get in and… you know…” “Did you tell him to do that?” “Oh goodness no… well, I was about to, but he beat me to it.” “My, my… he’s finally changing… in a good way at least.” In the evening, Fluttershy and Playtime were in the living room; the filly practiced her magic with the same rock and rested in front of the mare. Her eyes glowed, smiling while she levitated the small rock in the air and started moving it around the room. “Great job, Playtime,” Fluttershy congratulated her. “Thank you.” She then rested it down on the floor near the entrance and looked at the mare behind her, then hugged her. Fluttershy smiled and hugged her back lovingly. They separated, “Are you going to tell daddy that you like him?” she asked hopefully with a wide grin. “Um, not tonight… b-but I’ll tell him, I promise.” she stammered. “Pinkie promise?” she now had big puppy dog eyes. “Pinkie promise? Where did you hear that?” “I heard you say it in Rarity’s place.” Fluttershy smiled, “Okay, sweetie… Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Playtime then hugged her lovingly, “Thank you, mommy.” She could help it, so her eyes started to water, smiled and hugged her back, “I love you too, Playtime.” As it started to get dark, Nebula entered the cottage and gently closed the door behind him with his tail. He looked around and saw the animals were asleep and everything was off. But he heard giggling and laughing up the stairs and a faint light going down. He started going up the stairs, looked around the threshold to Fluttershy’s room and saw Fluttershy being tickled and tickling Playtime on the bed. Playtime then saw him and smiled, “Hi, daddy!” she greeted. Fluttershy was lying on her back with Playtime on her stomach, facing the doorway. The filly got off her, the bed, ran up to him, and hugged his neck. Nebula smiled, picked her up and puts her on his back, “Good evening, Playtime.” he replied. He then looked at Fluttershy, still lying on her bed and saw her new hair style and blushed a little once he noticed she was still on her back. “Oh! Sorry…” Fluttershy rolled over and tried to do her best to shrink down and hide her pink cheeks with her fore hooves. Nebula goes over to the bed and Playtime jumped off him and onto the timid mare’s back playfully and giggled. Fluttershy looks at her and nuzzled her and kissed her little nose. She then looked at Nebula and saw he was staring at her and sitting on the floor. She started to get a little nervous and hoped the clip on her hair would break or fly off or… “You look beautiful,” he said to her and started looking from side to side to get a better look at her. “Never mind.” she thought to herself and smiled shyly. Playtime yawned, slumped down on the mare’s back, slides forward and flips forward onto her back. She rolled herself over, crawled closer to Fluttershy and slid herself under her wing. “Mm… so warm…” Fluttershy wrapped her wing around the filly, scooted a little to let Nebula have some room to sleep on. Nebula got on the bed as well, wrapped his tail and body around them both, letting Playtime hug his tail and covered them with his wing. He rested down his head beside her and smiled at her, “Good night, Miss Fluttershy.” and closed his eyes. She thought for a moment, leaned up and kissed his cheek, “Good night, Nebula. Sweet dreams.” She rested her head close to his warm coat, “Thank you, Rarity.” she thought to herself and closed her eyes to go to sleep and enter a magical world where dreams come true.