The lights snap on, dazzling Skywind and leaving him in a daze as the scream of party poppers and cheers pierce the air. Skywind is utterly blinded and confused by the sudden event. Eventually, the confused Skywind begins to recover from his temporary state of blindness as the dazzling blurs in his vision beginning to clear out of his eyes. Skywind further approaches the distorted scene haphazardly and pauses in astonishment after finally recovering enough to fully comprehend his surroundings. The scene comes into full clarity and Skywind finds himself surrounded by colorful and ornate party decorations. From the beautiful streamers, to the regal banners, and to the vivid balloons arranged. There was a table in the center of the room loaded with sugary delights surrounded by a small handful of party happy ponies.
Skywind jumped as the group of ponies in front of him cheered once more. Consequently, Skywind further loses his stability in the situation as his breathing begins to falter, he stumbled back in an attempt to further evaluate the event. Skywind did not anticipate such an unprecedented event for the scene in all it's entirely was truly a marvelous surprise, for the party decorations were simply astounding along but the fact he was surrounded by so many ponies
“What’s going on?” He thought to himself as he used his wings to hide his flushed face.
The other ponies stop their cheering and let out smiling giggles towards each other as Skywind hid himself from the crowd of ponies. Twilight steadily approaches the sky Skywind to console him in his fluster state.
However, another force boldly yet friendly rushes out...
“Hi!” said a high pitched voice with hot pink hoofs approached with a guard breaking touch that lowers Skywind’s guard, “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this cheerful little party just for you!” Her warming thoughtfulness and smile further breaks Skywind’s shyness.
Skywind is dense to the situation and is still hopelessly surprised to see the very same pink pony he had just met earlier and could only respond with words, ”Y-You're the pony I the met earlier today.”
Pinkie gives a friendly nod, ”Yup I haven’t really gotten the chance to actually get to know you yet you see? And if I haven’t met you yet, that means you're new, and if I don’t know you, then that means you don’t know me because I know everypony in Ponyville and they know me. So that’s why I made a ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party just for you!”
Skywind replies in confusion ”A welcome party?”
When one thinks of the name Pinkie Pie, multiple ideas come to one’s mind. One of the primary ideas that’s most common is the face of joy, pink lips and cheeks stretched in a wide grin as the merry and bubbly pony can be. Pinkie Pie represents the element of Laughter, who is hyperactive, excitable, and outgoing, often speaking and acting in an unusual manner. She warmly welcomes new faces True to the element of laughter she represents, she loves to make ponies smile and laugh. Pinkie tends to have a lighthearted manner in serious situations, a result, she is often not taken seriously even by her closest friends, who occasionally call her out on her seemingly illogical behavior.
Pinkie responses to the blundering Skywind kind heartedly “Isn't this exciting? Are you excited because I'm excited I've never been so excited, well, except for the time that I saw you walking to Sweet Apple Acres and I went *gasp* but I mean really, who could top that? I made this party for you, since your new and if you're new then that means you don’t have any friends here in Ponyville. And if you don’t have any friends, then you must be super lonely, and that makes me so sad. So I had a mind gasping idea, that’s why I went *gasp* I should throw a great big ginormous super-duper and spectacular welcome party, and invite everyone in Ponyville. See, and now you have lots and lots of friends.”
Skywind looks around the party decorated area. Ponies of different kinds were all around him, each pony had their colorful appearance and their own uniquely style hairstyles. Skywind felt so out of place and almost alone despite his current position. For years he had been searching for others like him and now he finds himself was surrounded by other ponies, of his own kind
Skywind bluntly response again “This party is for me?”
Pinkie nodded, “It sure is and I did it so you could feel welcome to Ponyville.”
Skywind reluctanly replies,“I-I-I don’t know what to say,” as he tries to take everything in Skywind responses once more, ”This is all for me?” Again the pink pony nods with a smile.
Skywind stares at everything around him, for everything was so colorfully, bright and the atmosphere of the room was so vividly pleasant and cheerful. Skywind wonders and askes ”Is this normal?”
Rarity answers with a smile, “Nothing is ever normal with Pinkie Pie around,” But then again it does liven things up around here.”
Skywind was about to ask what Rarity meant by that, but he was slowly being dragged by Pinkie. Telling him to try the sweets she made and talk to the ponies that were invited to his party.Skywind takes one last glance behind him and gives a nervous smile to Twilight and the others as he is slowly consumed by the mass of ponies approaching him.
Spike appears in the scene and gives a worried looked towards Twilight, “Uuhh should we try to help him.”
Twilight giggles, “I think he’ll be alright,” Twilight watches Skywind disappear among the crowd, ”But let’s keep an eye on him.” The others nodded in agreement.
Hours passed on as the ponies were still mingling and partying with one another. Everypony seemed to enjoy the provided refreshments, the tasty sweets treats, jubilant music, and last but not least the company of close friends. Well almost everyone, for Skywind was trying to enjoy the party, but he was having a slight problem. Namely the mares were perhaps a little attracted to him, Skywind grunt to himself, ”Ancestors please help me.” Then Skywind mistakenly bumps into another group of ponies.
“So what’s a pegasus like you doing in a place like Ponyville?” A white and pinked haired mare asked while, giving him a friendly smile.
“Uh...well I came here looking….for my brother,” Skywind answered courageously despite him being a nervous wreck around mares.
“Ooooh, is your brother as cute as you.” A blue haired unicorn asked, while giving Skywind a more than pleasant smile.
Skywind gives a nervous chuckled, ”I don’t know about that?” He couldn't exactly tell them that his brother was a fire breathing dragon with a short temper. Learning such a thing would probably cause panic or something much worse, with that in mind Skywind decided it would be best to avoid such a question disregarding how politely he was spoken to, However despite how politely the pegasus Skywind was asked the various questions from the other mares was still making very nervous around mares and being in such a large crowd a ponies was only making it more difficult for him to recuperate from his shocking and sudden exposure.
With whatever time the pegasus had, he had taken some time to look for Twilight and the others, hoping to be around someone he was familiar with instead of being on his own. Sadly he could find no one, but luckily his search came to an end when he bumped into somebody wearing some sort of hat.
“Spike? Is that you?” The pegasus asked watching the dragon dance to the beat of the music.
“Huh, oh hey Sky. Didn’t see you there.” Spike replied with a grin, ”How do you like the party so far.
“Its….nice though I am having a little trouble with the attention I’m getting.” Skywind glances behind him to behind him see a group of mares staring at him with a look Skywind finds utterly unfamiliar with.
Spike takes one glance at the crowd of ponies, ”Whoa, I see what you mean.”
Skywind gives Spike a pleading look, ”Do you know by any chance where the Twilight and the others are?”
Spike placed his claw under his chin with a thoughtful expression, almost making Skywind laugh at how ridiculous the pose looked especially with the hat he was wearing. ”Now that you mentioned it, I did see Rarity and Fluttershy by the punch bowl.”
“Great.” The Skywind said, but had a confused looked on his face, ”What’s a punch bowl?”
“You don’t know what a punch bowl is?” The young dragon asked, a little surprised by Skywind’s question.
The large pony shook his head, ”No and you don’t actually punch others with a bowl do you?”
“No we don’t,” Spiked laughed as he tried to suppress his laughter but couldn't, ”What gave you that idea?”
“I guess the name,” Skywind answered a little embarrassed of his answer
“Besides your little misunderstanding about the punch bowl. Is there anything else you need?” The young dragon asked.
“Do you happen to have any ideas on how to get these girls off my back.” Skywind asked with a pleading look.
“I think I got one” Spike answered, ”Why don’t you head on over to Rarity and Fluttershy, while I handle this.”
Skywind nodded in thanks as he walked in the direction of the punch bowl leaving Spike to deal with a large group of ponies, “Ok who wants to play “Pin the tail on the Pony.”
“Oh, oh, I do, I do!” Answered a pink pony with curly pink hair.
With the mares preoccupied with Spike. This gave Skywind a moment to catch his breath to relax and also find some ponies he was familiar with. Funny how he easily towered over most of the ponies, even the stallions, but he was not at all that intimidating to others. There was one particular pony that was almost as big as him, ‘Big Macintosh or Big Mac’ as Applejack would call him was not here. If memory serves he was back at Sweet Apple Acres watching over Granny Smith and the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, as he recalled the rather loud cheer heard from the three young fillies.
Skywind smiled as he remembered how Twilight had recently told him about his older brother and his encounter with the Cutie Mark Crusaders after they had interrupted his nap. The fillies gave their introductions to one another along with Shen-Lung. They also gave the dragon a gift, a very delicious gift. Surprisingly, even shared a little gift of his own. He hardly had the chance to comment on how the scarfed looked on his brother. He had to admit the scarf did look good on his brother and if he remembered correctly the dragon was actually happy for the first time in...well years. Sadly, all that happiness disappeared when he had arrived and his brother returned to his old cold shell. There wasn't much to care about, or to live for. At least that’s what Skywind had thought about his brother’s feeling towards himself. And yet, something inside the dragon stubbornly fought on, through the loss and ache, the rage and despair. There were times where his brother wanted to end it all, but there was a part of him that defiantly refused to end it. Whatever it was that kept his brother alive, Skywind was grateful for it.
The pegasus sighed sadly, he had hoped to have a warm and welcoming conversation with his older brother, but instead their conversation turned bitter and only seemed to make things worse between them. Now, here Skywind was at a party that was meant for him, a welcome party, but it was still a party. While his brother was back at the barn recovering from his wounds and feeling quite angry but mostly feeling hurt about their mother and about the one he’s brother cared about the most. He could still remember the sadness in his brother voice as he told him a secret he had kept from him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you loved?” The dragon whispers with deep sadness,” I lost my mate the day she died and you know that, but I lost something else as well.”
“What do mean that by that— What else did you lose on that day?” Skywind asked softly,
“My child.”
“WHAT—No…No…that…can’t be true. ”
"It is true." Shen-Lung answered with a tone of overwhelming despair that tensed even the air around. Afterwards, Shen-Lung then bitterly adds on to his previous melodic outburst "Now, you know.".
“Shen…..I didn’t know. I-I-I...am so-”
“Leave...me...alone,” The dragon hissed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m such an idiot,” Skywind thought with a deep frown, ”I’ve should have known better than to open my big mouth. Maybe Shen’s right, maybe I don’t truly know what it's like to lose someone you love. Maybe I should try apologizing to him. After all it was my fault to mention our past, maybe I should"—
Skywind’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice that was quite familiar to him.
“Tuxedo Charmer, I assure you, I am not interested. I have not been interested and will not be interested.”
A curious look crossed Skywind’s face speeding up his pace to see what was bothering Rarity.
It didn’t take long for Rarity and the stallion to come into view. Rarity did not look happy, instead she was rather annoyed her tail was pressed tightly against the back of her legs and a number of other smaller signs that Skywind knew quite well. She was definitely not happy.
Skywind being the gentle pony he was thought it would be best to intervene on this situation as he approached them. It would be wise to give Rarity a chance to disengage tactfully rather than confront the stallion directly, but this stallion wasn’t taking no for an answer..
“Come on Rares, y’know you can’t resist all of this,” the stallion smirked, moving a bit too close to Rarity.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not exactly the type of stallion I am looking for.” Rarity answered turning her head away from the stallion.
Tuxedo Charmer frown seeing that he was not going to get an answer from Rarity, but there was another pony next to her. The voice calling out for her made Fluttershy cringe and duck behind Rarity.
"How about you Fluttershy, are you interested?" The brown earth pony asked. His ice blue eyes giving the yellow mare a downright lascivious stare along with a grin that was almost predatory.
A frightened squeak escaped Fluttershy and she sank back to duck behind Rarity slightly. The alabaster unicorn glared daggers. "Now you leave dear Fluttershy alone"
"I wasn't talking to you, miss Rarity," Tuxedo said, giving Rarity a condescending look, "You had your chance. Fluttershy doesn't need you to answer for her. So I will ask again, would you like to join me for some fun Fluttershy."
"Um...but..." Fluttershy squeaked from behind Rarity, "I'd really rather...um...that is to say...I'd like to stay with Rarity right now...if you don't mind too much."
Tuxedo Charmer licked his lips and grinned as he began advancing in smooth strides towards the mare, completely ignoring Rarity's presence. "But I'm afraid I do mind...very much."
“Excuse me sir,” Tuxedo Charmer heard, though he ignored whoever was talking to him. Again Skywind spoke, but this stallion was completely ignoring him again. “Well action speaks louder than words,” He thought as he moved around the stallion and stood in front of Rarity and Fluttershy.
“Hey I wasn’t talking to-to… ” The stallion’s eyes jumped up from Rarity and Fluttershy to Skywind, his eyes widened in unmistakable fear. This stallion was bigger than him and he did not look happy at all.
The stallion took a step back as Skywind stood in front of him. Rarity looked over at and several emotions crossed her face in quick succession: confusion, surprise, gratitude, affection, and then a smug smirk. Her body language changed entirely as she spoke, “Dearest, how wonderful to see again.”
Skywind’s eyes were locked onto the stallion, trying to give an expression that was a bit more pleasant, but intimidation was good too. “Rarity, good to finally see you again. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important?” Skywind found himself quite grateful that he was bigger than most ponies.
Rarity had a mischievous twinkle in eyes. Humoring her, Skywind gave a small smile, and the change was subtle but instantaneous. The tension that had kept Rarity taunt as a bowstring seemed as she spoke, “Not at all. Fluttershy and I were just waiting for you.”
“H-Hey-!” Tuxedo Charmer’s voice had started strong, but had become nothing more than a squeak when Skywind turned to glare at him, “N-Nevermind, I-I’ll just be going now.”
“That would be for the best, yes.” Rarity advised.
The Tuxedo Charmwe turned tail and fled, he didn’t actually run or anything ridiculous, but there was no other way to describe the hurried walk of his. It was a little harsh for Skywind to act this way, but he couldn’t help but feel very satisfied about helping his new friends.
“Are you girls alright?” Skywind asked looking a bit concern as he turned to face Rarity and Fluttershy.
“We’re quite alright, dear.” Rarity assured, “But I must admit, we’re quite happy to see you.”
“Really?” Skywind asked.
“Of course, after all me and Fluttershy are grateful for your arrival. Aren’t we dear?”
Fluttershy slowly stepped out from behind Rarity, “Thank you so much, Sky.”
Skywind smiled gently,”Your uh...welcome. I’m glad I could help.” Though he took a quick glance to see where that troublesome stallion went, ”Would you want me to do something about that fellow that was bothering you two?”
"Oh please don't," protested Fluttershy, "I don't want you to cause any trouble."
“I don’t think that would be necessary.” Rarity answered, ”I think Tuxedo Charmer has learned his lesson.”
“I take you girls get a lot of admirers,” Skywind said in a vaunting expression.
“Oh, we do though we do tend to attract some attention that is unwanted.” Rarity said in a rather annoyed tone.
“And what about you Fluttershy.” Skywind asked, ”Do you happen to attract attention.”
“Me well...no I mean sometimes…but I don’t think I’m comfortable with this sort of attention.” Fluttershy answered shyly.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels that way.” Skywind agreed.
“What do you mean by that, dear?” Rarity asked, curious of Skywind’s words.
“Well for starters I never actually had this many admirers back home.” The Skywind said as he took one glance behind him to see many mares eyeing him. All of them giving a look he never fully understood, but his brother may have told him his past experience with females. ”Now I know what Shen meant when he had eyes watching him” He shivered, ”Scary.”
“Surely there were other mares where you're from Sky, dear.” Rarity asked with curiosity.
Skywind sadly shook his head, ”To be honest...there are no others like me.”
“What?” The alabaster unicorn repeated, ”What do you mean there were no others like you?” She asked gently.
Skywind sighed in sadness, ”Well I never actually grew with other….” the word was new to him, though he knew it from the Wise One since he was the only friend that knew about his kind. The word was still foreign to him, but he managed to voice his answer, ”Ponies so I have never received any compliments before.”
“Never?” Fluttershy asked quietly, now joining in on the conversation.
The pegasus shook his head, ”Never.”
“It must have been quite lonely growing up.” Rarity said with a hint sadness in her voice. ”Not knowing that there were others like you.”
“It was but...I did have my family.” Skywind gave a small smile, reminiscing on the memories he cherished about his family. Before the dark times came. His smiled vanished as he thought about those memories. This made the two mares uncomfortable as they showed great concern in Skywind’s well being. They could see he was quiet and his eyes seemed so…distant. They could no longer see any happiness in his eyes, only sadness, regret, and perhaps a bit of anger.
“S-Sky are you alright?” The buttered pegasus asked carefully.
The Skywind blinked, ”I’m sorry I...I did not mean to worry you girls. I was just thinking about the past that’s all.”
“Oh dear, I hope we didn’t upset you, Sky” Rarity added with concern.
“No I’m quite alright,” Skywind answered, ”Just trying to forget some memories that are not worth remembering.”
Seeing the sadness in Skywind’s eyes, Rarity thought it be best to changed this sorrowfully subject into something more pleasant. ”Tell me Sky, have you ever eaten a cupcake before?”
Skywind tilted his head, “Cupcake?”
“You haven’t heard of—oh dear, it’s a good thing we’re here! Please, have one.” She levitated a little pastry out of the basket where all sorts of sweet goodies were, peeling off the scrap of paper that covered the bottom half.
With a bit of uncertainty, Skywind took it. He wasn’t prepared for it to be so soft, and it did look tasty to eat before it met his lips, he popped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide. “Mmm! It’f fweet!” Far sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted before. But it was good. He was torn between gulping it down greedily or leaving it in his mouth to enjoy the taste longer... but then he heard a most unladylike snort and a very soft giggling across from him. When he looked at Rarity again, she was biting her lip, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. “I-I’m so sorry, Sky, I... The expression on your face was...”
“Funny.” Skywind swallowed, completing her sentence. Fluttershy was giggling softly, making Skywind smile. ”I take you girls find my expression of eating funny?”
“Yes...um well no I mean…” Fluttershy tried to answer politely, But Skywind only smiled.
“Its alright, there is nothing to be ashamed of. After all this is my first cupcake.”
“I take it that there are no cupcakes where you're from, is there Sky,” Rarity curiously.
“No, but there are some sweet treats that I have eaten before and they don’t even come close to this sweet treat,” He answered as he reached for another cupcake behind Fluttershy, ”If I may ask. Who made these sweet treats?”
“Pinkie Pie made them,” Fluttershy answered quietly.
“Pinkie Pie?” Skywind repeated.
“That would be the pink pony you met earlier,” Rarity reminded, ”She is a very dear friend of ours.”
“Oh I see.” Skywind said as he took a long look at the cupcake in his hoof.
“Is something wrong, dear?” Rarity asked gently
“No, I’m just happy that’s all” He said with a smile and was about to take a bite out of his cupcake.
“Excuse me.” A voice said from behind Skywind.
The Skywind turned his head to see a unicorn pony. She had a bright yellow coat, a bright yellow mane, royal purple eyes, and a Strawberry Cutie Mark. “Strawberry Twirl, it's good to see you again.” Rarity greeted.
“And a hello to you too as well Rarity.” Strawberry greeted in return,”I hoped I wasn’t interrupting anything.”
“Not at all, we were just having a friendly chat with our dear friend Sky.” Rarity answered with a smile.
“Ah, so this is where our guest of honor has been.” Strawberry smiled giving the same look the other mares were giving to him.
Skywind gave a nervous smile,”Please to uh, meet you Strawberry Twirl.”
“Oh please call me Strawberry.” Strawberry said with a smile.
“Well then Strawberry what brings you here other than the party.” Skywind asked politely.
“Well for one thing I wanted meet you,” Strawberry answered with a wink, making Skywind blush” And for the second reason was so I could speak to Rarity.”
“Rarity?” The stallion repeated.
To which Strawberry nodded, ”Yes, you see I was suppose to meet her at shop today to discuss the designs of clothes she made for my sister, but her shop was closed today.”
“Oh I’m so sorry Strawberry,” Rarity apologized, “I had completely forgotten our meeting today.”
“It's quite alright Rarity. I understand if you had reasons.” Strawberry said with a small smile.
“Still I think I owe you that conversation we were suppose to have today,” Rarity said, turning to look at Skywind and Fluttershy, ”Will you two be alright while Strawberry and I have our conversation alone.”
Fluttershy turned to Skywind as he gave a smile in return, ”I think we’ll be alright.”
Rarity nodded, ”Good, if you’ll excuse me.” Skywind watched Rarity as she and Strawberry Twirl left, leaving him and Fluttershy alone. Nothing was spoken between the two ponies, aside from the chattering ponies that were around them. A deep silence settled over the pair and despite all of Skywind’'s attempts to break it, the silence continued for quite some time. Finally, after a full ten minutes of silence, ”H-How are you enjoying the party so far Sky.” Fluttershy shyly asked.
“Its nice,” Skywind answered, ”But it feels a little a lonely.”
“Lonely?”
Skywind nodded, ”I know this party is suppose to be fun and it was made for me, but it doesn’t feel right.”
“You don’t like the party?” The shy pegasus asked with concern.
“No…I mean I do like this party, it just doesn’t feel….complete that's all.”
Fluttershy may not know Skywind very well, but she can certainly see the sadness in his eyes. Sadness? What was he sad about? Was the party not perfect? Was it missing something very important. “No, Pinkie always makes the best parties in Ponyville. Her parties are always perfect, but maybe it wasn’t what Skywind expected, ”If-if I may ask, that is if you don’t mind me asking?
What do you mean the party is not….complete?”
Skywind took his eyes off his cupcake, looking to Fluttershy as she asked her question, “My brother is not here.”
Fluttershy’s eyes slightly widen at the answer Skywind had given to her. Now she was beginning to understand the stallion’s words. Shen his brother, now it all made sense. Skywind missed his brother. Now she understood the sadness in his eyes, ”Sky I-”
“Back then...when my brother and I were young. We used to have fun together in parties like this.” Skywind said softly, his gaze lingered on Fluttershy before looking at the cupcake still in his hoof. ”We would always play around the adults, causing all types of trouble. Hiding under the tables and taking a few sweet treats from their plates without them knowing.”
This made Fluttershy smile at the thought of a young dragon and pegasus playing and causing all sorts of mischiefs. Skywind smiled as he remembered the memories he and his brother made together, memories that he cherished so much,” The Elders, our teachers would scold us for causing trouble, but our parents would laugh telling them that we were just children. After all children do have fun in parties, don’t they?”
“Yes, yes they do.” Fluttershy answered with a smile.
Skywind smiled, ”I miss those times.”
“You and your brother were close?” The buttered pegesai asked softly.
Skywind’s eyes sadden, ”We were close once, but it seems my brother has forgotten the bond we once had together.”
Fluttershy gave a small smile to Skywind, walking a bit closer to the large stallion. She tilted her head up to see his eyes as he was much larger than her. The Skywind’s red eyes turned to the turquoise eyes, in what could only be described as concern, ”I may not know your brother that well...and he can be scary most of the time, but I think he cares about you.”
Skywind sighed sadly “I know he does...It's just that I want him to know that there are others that care for him. Our friends, the Elders, and Father. They all miss him so much. I...I just want him know that...that he’s not alone.”
Fluttershy gave a pleasant smile as she gently placed her hoof on Skywind’s shoulder,”I-If you want that is if you don’t mind,” She said softly, ”I would like to help you and your brother.”
“Help me? Why would you want to help me.” Skywind asked with great surprise.
“I want to help because….because he saved me and my friends.” She answered truthfully, ”And I want to thank him for what he’s done for me and my friends.”
“You….and your friends would be willing to help my brother, even after the way he’s been treating you and the others?” Skywind asked, wanting to know the reason why these girls would be willing to help his brother, ”Why?”
“Because” She answered with a smile, ”Everypony deserves to be shown a little kindness, even a dragon.”
Skywind was speechless only for a moment, ”You and your friends would be willing to help a complete stranger without asking for anything in return.”
Again the shy pegasus could only smile, ”Yes and….maybe we could become friends, if you don’t mind?”
Skywind smiled,” Friends? That’s something my brother hasn’t had for a very long time. I think having you girls as his friends would do him some good, and I would be honored to accept you and the others as my friends.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Both ponies smiled to one another as they were oblivious to the party goers around them. Never having a moment to himself, Skywind never had the chance to properly see another pony. Looking at Fluttershy he could see she was much smaller than him, then again most of the ponies were not as big as him. She was a female that much he knew and there were others like her, but there was something different. Something unique about her, her wings were regal and beautiful, her body was strong and well developed, enhancing her feminine figure and petite appearance greatly. But what really captured his attention was her eyes. Her aqua green eyes had a far more enigmatic enchantment than the captivating glow behind the elegant innocences that Fluttershy had conveyed.
“Wow, she really is beautiful,” Skywind thought so entranced with her beauty that he barely heard her voice.
“Sky, Sky?” Fluttershy asked softly, hoping her words were loud enough for him to hear. Her voice seemed to have gotten his attention from whatever trance he was in as he focused his red eyes towards her.
“Huh? Oh uh….Y-Yes w-what is it Fluttershy?” He answered as he tried to compose himself.
“Are you going to eat that cupcake?” She asked, noticing that the neglected cupcake was still in his hoof.
“Huh...Oh I-I had forgotten about this,” He said with a forced smile, hoping to think about something else other than the attractive mare in front of him. ”Don’t want to let this sweet treat go to waste.” He said as he took a few bites out of his cupcake.The shy pegasus could only watch as Skywind devoured his cupcake in less than a few seconds. He finished it so quickly that there was nothing left, except for the wrapper.
“I have to admit this friend of yours certainly knows how to make good sweet treats.” Skywind said with a blissful smile.Fluttershy smile and then had a fit of giggles, making Skywind look to her with curiosity.
“What’s so funny?” He asked.
“Well you have a bit of frosting and it looks a little funny.” She answered with a smile.
The red eyed pegasus blinked a few times before he notice or in this case felt something on his lips. Pink frosting was coated around his lips to which he had failed to noticed when he had finished his cupcake. Having frosting on his lips did not look good, not that it was bad or anything. Its just that it did not look proper. He was about to wipe the frosting with his hoof, but Fluttershy stopped him before he could clean himself.
“Here, let me get that for you,” She said as she got a napkin from the table that was near by them with all sorts of sweet goodies or in this case where Skywind had found the punch bowl. Gentle as she is, Fluttershy wiped the frosting from his lips. Skywind’s eyes widen a bit as the mare in front began to clean his lips of frosting. His face was beginning to turn red, which also made Fluttershy blush though her blush was a much deeper shade of red. “There….I-I-I think I got most of it.”
Skywind could only stare at the blushing mare who had cleaned his lips. Not that he didn’t mind her or anything. It just felt familiar to him, like something from the past, when he was just a young one.
“Oh, I’m sorry, was I not supposed to…?” Fluttershy muttered in embarrassment.
“No, no, it’s quite alright,” Skywind assured her, ”It was very nice of you to do that for me and I thank you for that.”
“Y-Your welcome.” She said softly, as she hid behind her hair.
Skywind cleared his throat, ”I also want to...thank you for caring for my brother.”
“O-oh, well, I mean, I didn’t really do that much,” Fluttershy said modestly. “
“But you did more than that,” Skywind said with a smile, ”You tended to his wounds so that he would not suffer from them. So no matter what you say about yourself I will always be grateful for what you and your friends have done for my brother.”
Fluttershy wanted to deflect the praise again, but she found herself abruptly unable to breathe when he locked eyes with her and smiled, and so she simply bowed her head and whispered a quiet “Thank you” instead. For a long moment the two simply stared at one another in silence, oblivious to the celebration that continued around them. Fluttershy was glad she wasn’t the only pony in town that wasn’t much for big crowds and being the center of attention. Not that Skywind was nervous, but he was trying to avoid the attention he was getting...from well, mostly mares. She on the other hand liked her peace and quiet, but she definitely preferred the company of a friend like Skywind over an excited crowd of partiers.
“Sorry to have kept you two waiting.” Or the company of close friends.
“Ah, Rarity so good to see you again.” Skywind said with a smile, ”Did you and Strawberry come to an agreement about these uh, dresses she spoke of?”
“Hmmm, oh yes we did, though it did take some time to decide on which day Strawberry would need to bring her little sister.” Rarity answered, ”Hopefully she’ll bring her sister soon, otherwise we may have to reschedule again.”
The word sister made Skywind realize something very important, ”Where is your sister, Rarity?” He asked.
“She’s with Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, not to mention Big Macintosh is there as well.”
“At the farm with my brother?” He asked.
“Well of course...After all they are still punished for whatever trouble they caused us and to your...dear brother.” Rarity said with a frown.
“Ah, yes the uh, wolf incident.” Skywind said with a sad smile.
Rarity nodded, ”Which is why they are at the farm at this very moment.”
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Shen-lung had fallen asleep hours ago, after his talk with his brother and he wanted get some sleep without any sort of disturbance. For once he was having a peaceful slumber without any nightmares, but tonight was going to be a little different. Whatever it was the dragon had awoken from his sleep. The large reptile blinked a few times as he rose from his slumber, his eyes adjusted to the light that illuminated the the barn. “Wait a light?” How could there be light?’ He thought.
This light that was shining brightly in the darkness was contained in some sort of glass container. He had seen these glass containers before when he was just a hatchling. There was a name they called back home. A lan...tan...lantor...no..no. A lantern, yes that’s what it was called, a lantern. They were used to see in the darkness as a source of light.
The flame within the lantern burned with some sort of chemical. He couldn’t remember what it was called, but he remembered the scent it gave off. A sort of stench that was hard to forget, a smell that he disliked very much. Aside from the smell that the flame was burning off of, it was a nice change of well scenery. Not that the barn was bad or anything, it was just too dark to see anything in front. Then again being a dragon meant that he could see well in the dark so there really was no need for the lantern to be used, but this made him wonder about one thing. Who brought the lantern?
Pondering of such a question, the dragon didn't know how much time had slipped by before a little yawn sounded off. A short time later, he felt something brush up against the side of his stomach. Silently he craned his neck to the side to see an orange filly. Scootaloo was her name, dozing off and leaning against her flank after rolling to her side a bit. A tiny smile was on her little face, sleeping contently against a warm tummy. And she wasn’t the alone either, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were with her as well.
Shen-lung was surprised at the fillies, here they were asleep and not even caring that they were near a very large and dangerous reptile. Okay, maybe he wasn’t that dangerous, but he did have short temper. He couldn’t exactly push them away or wake them from their slumber. No, no he would have to leave them as they were. However, was it wise to have these young ones here with him? Was it a good idea to have them near him at all? What was he suppose to do?
After some thought and grumbling to himself on what to do with the young ones, Shen-lung decided it be best to leave them be. Ignoring the odd feelings of emotion and the urge to move them away from him, Shen-lung instead laid his head down. The gentle pressure against his stomach grew slightly as the fillies rolled in closer. The dragon’s eyes began to close, but he kept them open a bit longer, realizing something about these odd feelings he had, ”Perhaps this is what it feels like to have children. Children that I would have cared for and protected, but it never was meant to be. My mate and...my child are gone. A fate worse than death.”
The fillies by his side shivered, making the dragon do something he hadn’t done in a long time. Unfurling his left wing from his side. The dragon slowly draped his large wing over them until it covered them completely, preventing the cold from touching them. Shen-lung sighed as he slowly closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. “Pleasant dreams little ones, pleasant dreams.”
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It was past midnight when the party had finally come to an end and the last of the stragglers were leaving to their homes. Skywind chuckle to himself as he finished cleaning up, collecting plates, bottles, and cups and tossing them into the garbage. Cleaning up after the party goers wasn’t an easy task, but he had to admit one thing though. Pinkie Pie sure knew how to throw a party. It had been years since Skywind had this much fun. He hadn’t had this much fun since he and his brother were children. Games were played during the party, games that he had never heard of. Though the girls and Spike did help him. He may not have won in any of the games, but they sure were fun.
Skywind laughed as he remembered Pinkie Pie. She was quite unusual and very cheerful. He remembered her cheerful smile as she found him amongst her friends. Telling him he should try playing some games the party had to offer. The stallion was a bit hesitant at first since he had never played any games before, besides the games he and his brother played when they were young. No, these game were quite different. Pin the Tail on the Pony, Board games, and some sort of thing they called a “Pinata”, to which it explode with candy, after beating it with a stick. That part he found funny. Still it was quite the experience, though they had to clean up.
“Well that’s the last of it.” Skywind said as he finished putting the last of the trash bags in the trash bin. “Is there anything else we need to do Spike, before we head into the main room?”
“I think we’re done here.” Spike answered as he finished putting the plates back in the cupboard. “Thanks for helping me in the kitchen Sky.”
“Your quite welcome my little friend.”
“Y'know you could have just waited instead of helping us, I mean you are a guest after all.” Spike said, ”You don’t need to worry about cleaning up.”
“Well this was my party,” Skywind replied with a smile, ”And I just feel like I should do something….To show my appreciation for what you and your friends have done for me.”
“You didn’t need to do that.” Spike said
“No, but I wanted to.” Skywind said with a smile.
“Thanks Sky.”
“Now why don’t see what the others are up to.” Skywind suggested as he and Spike left the kitchen. Laughter filled the room as the pegasus and dragon entered the room. Six friends or specifically six mares were sitting around one another in a circle delightfully laughing about today’s party.
“Oh my…” Rarity said with a soft giggle, ”I can’t say I’ve been this relaxed in ages.”
“Tell me about it,” Applejack agreed with a smile, ”We haven’t had this much fun in together in a long time.”
“Whew...It’s getting pretty late though,” Twilight said noticing how late it was. ”We should probably get ready to sleep soon. After all we do have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Yes, I should probably get ready to go home too. I’m a little worried about angel.” Fluttershy said softly.
I thought you girls wanted to know about me, after all I did promise.” Skywind smiled as he and Spike took their place amongst the circle friends. Spike took his place by Twilight as always and Skywind was across from them, while he took his place between Rarity and Fluttershy. “By the way, who is this Angel you speak of?”
“Oh he's my pet bunny rabbit.” Fluttershy answered with a smile.
“Oh, I see. Then he must be a very nice friend of yours.” Skywind said.
“Oh, yes Angel is a very nice bunny.” Fluttershy answered as she continued to explain many nice qualities her pet had.
Rarity slowing leaned towards Skywind as Fluttershy continued to speak, ”Between you and us girls, Angel is… nice, but he is how should I say this...a bit bossy and perhaps a bit spoiled.”
“Well that’s new, a bunny that’s bossy.” Skywind chuckled to himself.
“So Sky,” Twilight said ending the conversion the pegasus had with Rarity,” Are you ready to tell us a little about yourself.”
“I suppose I am, but I must tell this. I am going to tell you girls and Spike how Shen and I became brothers. I will not speak about my brother’s past and….well there are some things that I am not allowed to speak of. Do all of you understand?” The mares all nodded as did the young dragon, ”Alright….now where should I start.”