//------------------------------// // Four // Story: Love Shadowed by Adoration // by soothsayer //------------------------------// "Ah just can't believe it," said AJ as she held a bottle of Apple Family cider in her hooves. On the front of the bottle right above the apple family seal was a little cartoonish version of herself. She sniggered at the cartoon fillies goofy smile. "How do you not know that you're on the front of a bottle of hard cider, AJ?" asked Dash as she looked at her own bottle, "The flavor is even named after you." Setting her bottle down AJ turned to Dash with a nervous grin plastered to her face, "Well, the only hard stuff that is made on the farm here is just what Big Mac ferments. The bulk of our hard cider is made up in Manehattan. That's uncle Oranges's baby." "Look this one has Big Mac on the front," cooed Fluttershy as she held up an ice cold bottle for all to see, "I bet he tastes good." Valiant sprayed the contents of his mouth out into the open air and turned to give Fluttershy a questioning look. AJ and Dash did likewise. The yellow pegasus looked up from the object of her musings to see three sets of eyes all looking at her. Her coat took on a reddish tinged and she slunk down in her seat. "I didn't mean. Well I did mean. Um... but not Big Mac the stallion. Big Mac the drink." stammered Fluttershy as she tried to make herself invisible. "Jeeze! Flutters you don't have to act so meek about having a crush," Dash walked over and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Besides I bet he would taste good." "OW!" exclaimed Dash as she rubbed her now sore shoulder, "What was that for, AJ?" Where a thin smile AJ held her hoof up preparing to strike again, "Look Ah don't mind Shy having a crush on my brother. No offense Shy but Ah don't see you askin' him out and even if you did I don't see you hurtin' him." She eyed Dash dangerously, "You on the other hoof are as much a party pony as Pinkie. And just as sure as sugar you would, just bein' you end up hurtin' his feelings. Ah can't have that." This was a side of the girls that Spike hadn't never seen before, sure he knew they were adult ponies with adult wants and desires but they carefully hid this side of themselves from him. He was just a baby dragon after all. Rarity was the only one that ever really showed any desire to actual be with somepony else and he was ok with that. Seeing them act somewhat like he would expect Rarity to act he was filled with a sudden need to hoard their love. Tilting his now ruined fedora down over one eye he set down his drink and walked over the three mares. "You three talk like Big Mac is the only stallion around and yet your looking over the fact that you got a stallion standing right here." he said in a boastful tone. "Don't push your luck, featherbrain!" spat AJ before taking another sip from her bottle, "Ah hadn't forgot about you feathermarking me yet!" "Yeah, we still haven't got the story on that yet!" added Dash with a flourish of her wings. Throwing his hooves up in exasperation he gave the two an annoyed look, "How can I have done something that... oh" he trailed off as a wingtip ran over his cutie mark. The sudden touch briefly cause a sudden burning sensation in his loins that almost immediately after it started to get uncomfortable shot up his spine spreading out into electrical tingles causing his teeth to chatter. AJ and Dash let out a laugh as his expense as he was glowing redder than the noon day sun. His mind wouldn't work and he tried to see which of the mares had affected him in such away. The only one that wasn't looking at him was Fluttershy and she looked just a warm as he felt. "I can't believe you did that Flutters! That was awesome!" said Dash as she lifted her friends chin. "It was pretty funny," laughed AJ. Dash's eyes fell to Valiant's cutie mark and she let out a gasp as she drew uncomfortably close to his flank. He could feel her hot breath tickling his coat as she eyed the mark. "I have to say that that is a cool cutie mark, awesome even." she remarked. That was one part of his pony anatomy he hadn't really thought about. It was an important part of who a pony was but being a non-pony he never gave it much thought. Looking down to take a gander at his own mark his eyes popped out of his head when he saw what it was, and what it was wasn't even close to anything he found interesting. A checkered flag bellowing in the wind adorned his flank like it was some conqueror claiming a new land. Valiant was a writer. He was gentlecolt. He was an erudite and classy individual. He was not however a racer. Contrary to everything the flag stood for, he was not an athlete. "How the hay is that my cutie mark!" he said in crass tone. A taut look crossed Dash's face as she rose to meet Valiant's eyes, "You have an awesome cutie mark that marks you as a cool dude and you get mad about it?" He started speak up when Fluttershy of all ponies cut him off, "Now that I think about it. Not that I thought about it before. But, when I met you I noticed you didn't have a cutie mark. I didn't want to say anything because you seemed so sad. But now you don't have to be sad because you aren't a blankflank anymore. You must have earned it in the race." "Well Ah'm glad he got his cutie mark and all but that still don't explain why he feathermarked me." said AJ in an increasingly tense tone. "AJ you never complain this much. What's gotten into you." Spat Dash as she started to put the pieces together, "Oh, he he." The farm pony's expression didn't change as Dash pushed Valiant towards her. "Hey!" Yelled out Valiant as he tried to fight against Dash's momentum. She had gathered up too much for him to stop her as he bumped into AJ. She let up and stepped back to watch. Reaching up for her hat she covered her crimson face. Valiant was just annoyed and was about to turn around to give Dash a piece of his mind when AJ set her hat down on the counter with a loud, "Twauk!" Seeing a blushing AJ wasn't something he had expected to see. Holding her hooves up in front of her she looked almost cute and her eyes held a weird shine to them that he had never seen. "Ah was... The only way...." she stammered before swallowing the lump in her throat, "You feathermarked me. And maybe you don't know what that means. Maybe you meant it as a joke." she reached for her hat and started to nearvously fidget with it. "Ah've been around Pegasi enough to know what it usually means. And it usually means they have a romantic feelin' towards the ponies they mark. And I was wonderin' if maybe if you do sorta think I'm cute or somethin' and if you do would you like maybe want to go out with me or somethin'" she finished sounding way too much like Fluttershy. A small nuclear explosion completely shattered any rational thought in his head as he looked at AJ. Every thing in his crumbling mind said no. But thousands of years of pony evolution stirred him to say, yes. The blushing filly just inches away from him was strong, healthy, and vibrant. She wasn't a bright and dazzling diamond like Rarity she was a diamond in the rough, with a heart he knew more beautiful than any star in the sky. He was a pony on a mission. And that mission was to win Rarity's heart. But looking at AJ he couldn't say no. He would show her a good time and then get her to understand that all he wanted to be was friends. Right? "Ok." he said meekly. AJ's smile lit up the barn as she turned to her friends, "Yaw hear that! I gotta date." Dash patted her on the shoulder, "You go filly!' Fluttershy clapped her hooves together with a polite little smile on her face, "Yay." "You didn't get to meet all of my friends but I think that I've thought about it enough," said Fluttershy as the two of them walked back towards her cottage. "Yeah?" he asked hopefully "I'm willing to give you a chance as my roommate." Valiant leapt in the air in excitement with a huge grin plastered on his face. Everything was going according to plan. Well almost everything. He hadn't expected to be going on a date with Applejack and he still hadn't seen hide or hair of Rarity. And that concerned him. "I've read that you are one of the elements of harmony." "Oh yes, I'm the element of Kindness," she said as with a happy tone. "And Dash and AJ are the elements of Loyalty and Honesty respectfully," Fluttershy nodded yes, "And the pink pony in the balloon is the element of Laughter. My question is there are two other elements. Where were they today?" She stopped in her tracks. Valiant took a few more steps before he stopped and turned around to see what was holding Fluttershy up. She was biting her lip. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked as face betrayed a hint of concern. "No, you didn't say anything wrong," she said as she hid behind her mane. "Come on Fluttershy I must have said something wrong because now you're acting like you were when I first came to you door." He said as he walked over to her. "Twilight the element of magic and princess of Equestria had planed on coming but she didn't and I don't know why. And Rarity..." she trailed off as tears started to fill her eyes. At the mention of Rarity he felt like a rock had sunk into the pit of his stomach. She was the reason he had come here. She was the reason he had transformed. Even if he did want to be a pony it was still done for her sake. "What about Rarity Belle?" he asked as he placed a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her. "Rarity hasn't been the same since... her... our friend Spike left for Canterlot." she said almost sobbing. "What about her and Spike?" "Spike had a big crush on her and he got mad because she told him that was all they would ever have between them. They were friends but she couldn't be with him that way. After he left she had a nervous break down because she felt so guilty for hurting his feelings. And that she couldn't see him any other way until that possibility was gone." she said as she raised a hoof up to dry her eyes. Running a hoof up and down her back he fought back his own tears and hurting Rarity the way he did. He was so focused on his own pain he never once considered that it hurt her as much as it had him. "She left for Canterlot to find him last night," she added. He sat there for a few minuets thinking over what he wanted to do next when Fluttershy spoke up again, "You know. You remind me of him." "Who?" "Spike," she said with a weak smile. Returning the smile he sat his hoof down, "I don't know if being compared to him is an insult or a complement." Reaching up she placed a hoof on his cheek and gave him a big grin, "It's about as good a compliment I can give. Spike is a wonderful stallion although he isn't a pony he's a dragon." She called me a wonderful stallion. Not a baby dragon. A stallion. "He's brave and smart and sweet. If he was a pony I believe that he would be the type that any mare could fall for. The sad thing about him is that he is a dragon raised by ponies. He will never really be accepted by either. But I hope that one day he will find a mare that can love him for him. One that will be able to look past what he is and be there for him through thick and thin. Until that day me and the girls will be there for him. And maybe just maybe one of use might be lucky enough to win his heart. For now I think that pony is Rarity and I hope she found him well." His heart felt like it was going to melt and it would have had he not set its foundations in steel. Fluttershy had given him the greatest complement that she could and now he wanted to get her home as quickly as possible. He had something he had to do. "Come on Fluttershy lets get you home," he said as he pulled her up. "What's the rush, Valiant?" she asked meekly. "I've got someplace I have to be?" "Oh!" she said with a surprised look, "Well if you need to go then don't let me hold you up." He smiled and then in the heat of the moment leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll be back ," he said as he cantered away. "It may take a few days but I'll be back," yelled over his shoulder as he faded out of view. Raising a hoof to where he had kissed her she blushed a deep crimson. Who is he? And why do I feel like I know him? Sitting there on the bench he waited for the next train to Canterlot. He hadn't been away from the grand city a good day yet and now he was going back. Thinking back to Fluttershy he felt bad because he more or less just left her. He felt equally as bad about running off without giving AJ the date he had promised. But, Rarity had went to Canterlot to look for him. In his absence she sounded like she wanted to apologize. Maybe she wanted to give him a chance he hoped. He hadn't noticed the mint coated unicorn sitting across from him on another bench. She eyed him curiously. He's the stallion I saw running on his hind legs during the first part of the race today. I wonder. she thought as she looked him over. The stallion wasn't sitting like most ponies would. He wasn't sitting with his legs folded under him nor was he sitting back on his hunches. He plot was planted firmly on the bench with his legs dangling below him and his hooves hung at his sides. He was sitting the same way she was sitting and she had to know why. Walking over she sat beside him. The stallion didn't seem to be particularly responsive. But she had to try anyways. "What is the sum of your fingers and toes?" she asked barely above a whisper. Valiant didn't even have to think, "Twenty." "How big is your nose?' "Uh, smallish." "And your ears do they move?' "No!' he said as the questions started to irritate him. "OHMYGOSH!" she yelled, "I knew it!" Turning to her he felt his eye twitch in irritation. He immediately recognized her as Lyra. "Knew what?' Pulling him into a hug she whispered into his ear, "you're a member of the O.A.T.S." He pushed her away and gave her a confused look, "Oats?" "Order of Anthropological Teachings and Studies! O.A.T.S" she squeed, "And here I thought I was the only member in Ponyville. Wait you are at the train station. Please tell me you are not leaving?" she wined. "Yes," he said in a solemn tone. "Aw! That's no fair." she huffed. "I'll be back," he said as he noticed how pouty she had become. The train pulled into the station and he watched as the passengers disembarked. He was just about to get up when he spotted her. She looked horrible. Her hair was messier that head ever saw it before. It was disheveled and frayed at the tips. Her coat didn't hold its usual shine and her eyes. Her once beautiful dark blue eyes that normally held more luster than any jewel looked dead and flat. This pony was Rarity and yet she wasn't.