• Published 5th Sep 2014
  • 12,536 Views, 2,033 Comments

Where Is My Love? - TheMyth



Two hearts yearning for near a decade. Will fate let these two ponies meet once more... and what is it hiding from one of them?

  • ...
39
 2,033
 12,536

Side Stories 1: A Tremor in Ponyville.

Having a dead end job with no promotional prospects is enough to make anypony come to loathe the place they used to love. Which is why one young stallion got all of his bits, packed everything he owned, and waved goodbye to his parents. Once at the train station, he purchased a ticket that would get him and his belongings as far as possible.

He didn’t expect it to be on the other side of the country, a week’s journey by train to a village that, to him, was a stone’s throw away from the capital. The ticket price included meals for his trip as well. On the way, he read what information he could about the town, finding the name to be quite pleasant. Ponyville… new town, new start.


“...And zis is where you’ll be working for the time being. Any questions?” Aloe asked as she turned to face the young earth pony she was showing around the spa. He had come into the building seeking a job, carrying a Body and Spa Therapy diploma from the University of Vanhoover, so Aloe and her sister took him on for a trial period. Seeing there was no answer to her enquiry, Aloe gave the stallion a smile and stepped towards the door. “Your first client will be ready shortly, be gentle with ‘er.”

It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that the stallion moved, even if it was just his ear flicking, as he stared at the door on the opposite wall. A day’s trial without an interview! I haven’t even unpacked fully yet! he thought to himself, his hoof tapping nervously against the floor. And they’ve given me, from the sounds of it, a tough customer!

“Um… hello?”

Upon hearing the voice, the stallion focused on the other side of the bed, seeing a large bath commanding the area in which it had been situated. Looking over the rim was a yellow furred mare with her wet pink mane hanging around her face, her bright cyan eyes focused on the stallion who seemed frozen in place.

Am I in the right room? They… want me to treat such a beautiful mare on my first day!?!?

“It’s okay… I won’t, um, bite,” the mare said as she climbed from the tub, a convenient cloud of steam from the sauna hiding her as she slipped into a white robe. Walking past where the stallion was stood, his eyes followed her as she made her way over to the massage tables and hopped up.

“Oh Fluttershy, he’s like a rabbit caught in a carrot field at night.”

It was then the stallion noticed two more ponies in the room, a female unicorn who was already being massaged, and another earth pony stallion who was performing it. The mare from the tub jumped up onto a table next to the unicorn, laying down and looking at the new employee expectantly.

He slowly trotted over, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat before speaking. “Uh… m-my name is T-T-Tremor, and I’ll be your m-masseuse for today.” He gave the mare a weak smile, and she then slid the robe down her back, revealing a pair of butter yellow wings. Taking the robe and placing it on a hook on the wall, Tremor took a moment to calm his nerves, then turned back to his first client.

“Could you, um concentrate on my wings please?” the mare asked, fluttering said appendages to the side and stretching them out. “They’ve been a little tense lately.” Giving her a nod, Tremor stepped to her right side and took the wing between his fore hooves, kneading at the lead join very gently. “Um… a little harder, if that’s okay with you?”

Well, he was there to give the clients what they wanted, so Tremor pressed on the muscle much firmer, a groan coming from the mare as he began to smooth out the knots. The world around him faded, and soon it was the him and the client, the mare moaning happily as he eased the tension in her body.

Once he was done with the right wing, he moved to the other side of the table and took the left wing in his grasp, starting off firmly on this one. Because he did so, it didn’t take Tremor as long to clear the wing of its knots, and he moved his hooves onto the primary flying muscles on her back.

Any and all tension returned as soon as he pressed down, the mare jumping up on the table with her wings spread wide, a bright blush on her face. Seeing what he did, Tremor panicked, trotting in place.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” With that, he turned and ran for the employees’ area, not looking back. He nearly slammed into his locker, but managed to stop just in front of it, his shaking hoof reaching to open the door. “You idiot! First day and you do something that means you’ll have to move!” After getting his saddlebags out and slipping them on, Tremor slammed the locker door shut, turning to leave when he jumped back with a yelp, as the pegasus mare was stood in front of him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, giving him a small smile.

“Y-yes… I-I’m fine,” Tremor replied, shaking lightly. Why is she in here? Has she already called the guards?

“I… I’m sorry,” came a quiet voice, which made Tremor frown as he looked at the mare, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. “It’s just… b-been some time since somepony touched me like that. Please… c-come back and try again?”

Tremor had no defense whatsoever against the pleading gaze he was being given, and he wordlessly slipped his saddlebags off then placed them back into his locker. Giving the mare a nod, Tremor followed her back to the treatment room, where he noticed the unicorn mare watching him with a coy smile, whilst the other attendee just raised an eyebrow at him.

Ignoring them, he returned to the table with the pegasus mare and waited for her to jump up, then placed his hooves on her back once more. “A-are you ready now?” Seeing the mare nod, Tremor pushed his hooves down, running them over the taut muscles, thankfully without the same reaction as last time, a small smile coming to his face as he continue the gentle massage.

When he was finished, Tremor looked down to speak to the mare but no words came when he saw her eyes closed and her chest expanded and contract slowly. Having never been taught what to do when a client fell asleep on him, Tremor turned to ask the other stallion what he should do, but both he and the other mare had disappeared.

Seeing that the other attendant had placed his cart away, Tremor went about packing his up, ensuring to remain quiet as not to disturb the slumbering mare. He pushed his cart into the storage closet, and when he returned to the main room he found the unicorn mare gently shaking his client awake.

The pegasus stretched out and yawned loudly, then gasped when the unicorn whispered into her ear. She got down from the bed and the pair left the room. Tremor glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost closing time, and that meant there shouldn’t be any more ponies coming in today.

Moving to another closet, Tremor grabbed a bucket and placed it under a hot tap, turning the water on. He added a little disinfectant, and once it was full, picked up a mop and moved into the main room. He started near the customers’ entrance, working his way slowly back to the storage closet.

After pouring the now dirty water away, Tremor closed the door to the treatment room and walked out another, which led to the staff lockers. Aloe and Lotus were letting their manes down, quite literally, as they removed their headbands, but there was no sign of the other stallion.

Giving a shrug, Tremor went to his locker and retrieved his saddlebags, turning to ask the twins what they thought, but they had already vacated the room. Now thoroughly confused, Tremor made his way down the employee only area the the office, where he found the other stallion sat behind a desk. Tremor gave a knock on the door, causing him to look up.

“Ah, the new colt,” the stallion said with smile, gesturing to an empty chair and waiting for Tremor to sit down before continuing. “I was a little concerned when Lotus came and told me about you. After all, you worked in a convenience store for three years after college, so I didn’t think you’d remember much…”

Tremor’s heart sank a little, a voice in the back of his head telling him how much of a mistake it was just leaving home like that.

“Having said that, the way you handled the situation with Miss Shy… very professional. Even Aloe and Lotus haven’t managed to send her to sleep. To that end, welcome to the team at Ponyville Day Spa.” The stallion held his hoof across the desk, letting the news sink in for a moment.

When it did, Tremor reached up with his own hoof and they shook, both ponies now smiling. Standing from his seat, Tremor went to leave when he suddenly realised something, turning back to the other stallion. “Um, when do you want me to start proper, Mr…?”

“Just call me Quake. And come in for eight am tomorrow. We’ll get you sorted with a proper orientation then.”

“Okay, and thank you for the opportunity.”

“You’re welcome, see you tomorrow.” Quake watched Tremor go, then gave a chuckle as he returned to going over the Spa’s takings for the day. Finally, I can take that vacation with that colt here… and I wonder if he’ll be Miss Shy’s personal masseuse. Celestia knows I’m too heavy hoofed for it, but that colt… he has a gift.


The first attempt had gone poorly, Fluttershy’s friend Rarity answering the door instead of the pegasus, and Tremor bolted, leaving the box of cream centered chocolates outside the door. The second one went even worse, Tremor needing a few days in hospital after falling down a bank into a massive thorn bush after a bear had chased him away from the lonesome cottage.

Attempt three he didn’t even want to remember and four... he gave up after seeing a few stallions in a scuffle over who was taking the mare out on that particular Hearts and Hooves day. In the end, they all got scolded by her and told in no uncertain terms to leave. That was nearly an exact year ago… and today was attempt number five.

Well, not so much as an attempt, as when Fluttershy and Rarity were leaving the spa the other day he kind of blurted out his thoughts, asking the pegasus out to dinner. He was quite shocked when she said yes, so distracted that Quake decided his best use for the rest of the day would be to ‘keep an eye on the lotions’; in other words, stick him in the back room until closing time.

That was two days ago, and now Tremor was dressed in a well fitting tuxedo courtesy of Miss Rarity, sitting outside the single cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville as he gave a solid knock on the door. He heard shuffling inside the house, but guessed it was one of the many animals he had seen there, so he took the moment to check the item that lay in his hooves; a bunch of fresh sunflowers, and he hoped that she’d understand the meaning behind them.

Several minutes passed, and the nerves he had been fighting down all day returned even stronger. Hearing the door’s latch come undone made Tremor snap out of the daydreaming he didn’t even know he was doing, the wooden portal slowly drawing back to reveal a picture of pure beauty that made his eyes go wide.

The front of Fluttershy’s mane, which was usually left hanging down and covering an eye, had been brushed to the side of her face with the end put into a curl, whilst the back had been place into a bun with white wings weave in. As the door opened further, the mare was revealed to be wearing a sky blue dress with leaf-like green trim and collar, completed by a pink butterfly over her chest.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy opened her eyes to gauge Tremor’s reaction, but the words that escaped her lips were not the same as her thoughts. “Um… I hope they tasted nice…”

“What did?” Only then did Tremor look to the sunflowers, only one of which still remained, and then he became aware of something stuck in his teeth. After seeing Fluttershy in such a radiant state, most would not find it possible for a pony’s eyes to go wider, yet Tremor’s did so as the full implication hit him. “Oh Faust… I’m sorry… I’ve ruined it before we even left.”

He dropped his gaze to the floor, but the sound of demure giggling made his ear flicker, and a hoof was placed under his muzzle, lifting it back up to see the mare smiling at him. “It’s fine, really. Um… I appreciate the thought.”

“Are you sure?” Tremor asked as he looked from the single flower to the mare and back. Giving him a smile, Fluttershy stepped forward and lowered her muzzle, cyan eyes sparkling with playfulness as she ate the last flower. She then took the stems from his hoof and threw them to a flower bed, where several insects surfaced and started to eat the leftovers.

“Shall we?” Fluttershy suggested, Tremor giving a nod and together they left the cottage behind. Tremor was going to book a table at one of Ponyville’s two posh restaurants, but thanks to a timely intervention from Rarity he saved quite a few bits, and instead of leading the mare into the town proper, their path took them to the edge of the Whitetail Woods.

“Um, Miss Fluttershy, could you close your eyes?” Tremor asked, the mare stopping in confusion. “I don’t me it like that! I just don’t… want to ruin the surprise is all.” Fluttershy gave him a nod and did as ask, feeling him take her hoof in his. They walked up one of the small rises, Fluttershy aware they didn’t descend at all, and a moment later they stopped moving. “Okay… you can open them now.”

When she did, Fluttershy let out a gasp of surprise at what she saw. Any other time, the checkered blanket and wicker basket would look normal, but the corners of the blanket were pulled taught by four posts, which were lodged into the ground and held three candles each.

Turning to the stallion at her side, Fluttershy, uncharacteristically for her, leaned in and gave Tremor’s cheek a gentle nuzzle, causing him to blush slightly. Giving a giggle when she pulled away, she followed his outstretched forehoof’s invitation to sit down.

The conversation was very minimal as they ate, as the two had known each other so long that the silence was both tolerable and enjoyable. As he looked around, Tremor noticed something was missing, then pulled out a bottle filled with dark liquid, a picture of an bipedal canine on the front.

“Is that…” Fluttershy blurted out as she moved closer to Tremor, not taking notice of the fact her side was pressed against his as she looked at the label. “It is! Canidian cabernet sauvignon! Where did you get this?” she asked, turning to face the stallion as he looked to her, their snoots bumping together.

“M-my parents sent it,” Tremor replied, his eyes lost in the shimmering cyan pools that stared back. Somehow mustering the courage to look away, Tremor popped the cork and filled two glasses halfway, offering one to the mare. “Have you had it before?” he asked, secretly happy that they had something new to converse about.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy said quietly. “It’s very rare to get in the parts of Equestria nearest to Canida, so to see it here in Ponyville…” Instead of picking up her glass, Fluttershy leaned forward and lightly pecked Tremor’s cheek, giggling like a schoolfilly as the stallion went doe-eyed. She took a sip of her drink, then, whilst Tremor was still in a state of slight shock, shifted on the blanket so that she was against his side once more. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Tremor just nodded, the pair continuing with their meal. If one were to ask either of them how they were feeling at that moment, they’d get a reply of jumbled up words that made no sense to any but the speaker. Now he had something to talk to her about that he didn’t already know, conversation came easily. “So, you have an appreciation for fine wines?”

“Mmmhm,” came the reply as Fluttershy tucked into a slice of apple pie, washing it down with another sip of the wine. Silence hung in the air once more as Tremor tried to think of more wine related conversation, but the fluttering of Fluttershy’s wings drew his attention.

“How are they feeling?” he asked. “I saw you out there with the other pegasi creating the tornado, which is why I gave your wings extra attention during your last spa trip.”

“And you did an amazing job,” Fluttershy replied, letting her wings stretch out before she folded them back against her body. The mare then let out a gasp as the setting sun signaled it was time for the local firefly population to come out, Fluttershy watching with a smile.

Even though the mare was now distracted from their reason of being there, Tremor couldn’t bring himself to do anything that would make the serene look upon her face disappear, so he watched as the luminous bugs flitted about the sky as well.

They lay there for what seemed like half an hour when in reality two had gone by, Tremor only noticing when the light from the candles went out. Shaking his head, he turned to ask if Fluttershy wanted to do anything else that night, but she wasn’t next to him. He then became aware of something on his forelegs, and he looked down to find the mare’s head there, her eyes closed.

He shifted a leg slightly, causing the mare to stir, her eyes fluttering open slowly. “Oh… I drifted off. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Tremor said with a smile. She stretched out and then rolled over, getting to her hooves, followed a moment later by the stallion. “Would you like me to walk you home, Miss Fluttershy?”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” she replied, looking around. “But what about all of this stuff?”

“Oh, it’ll be fine until tomorrow,” Tremor said with a shrug. “Mac will help me take it down then.” Fluttershy gave him a nod, knowing the two had become fast friends in a town that was mainly populated by mares, then helped him pack away what little food they didn’t eat back into the basket. “Well then, shall we?”

Giving him another nod, Fluttershy and Tremor began their walk back to her cottage, pressed against each other’s side. It didn’t take long for them to get there, Fluttershy giving a giggle when she saw the door open with a white bunny tapping its foot, arms crossed as it glared at her.

“Oh Angel, you knew I was going out,” Fluttershy said, leaning down to nuzzle the upset rabbit.

Standing up and turning around, Fluttershy leaned in and pressed her lips softly to Tremor’s, the stallion bringing a hoof up to stroke her cheek. Neither one wanted to break the kiss, but they had to breathe at some point, and the stallion was the first to need air, so he pulled away gently and beheld the beaming mare.

“I, um, had a wonderful time tonight, Tremor,” Fluttershy said, turning her head to the side slightly. “I… would… you like to do it again, perhaps at the weekend?” she asked.

“S-sure, I’d love to,” Tremor replied. Fluttershy darted forward for one last soft kiss before she closed the door. She then made her way up to her room whilst humming happily, stripped from her dress, and flopped onto her bed with a happy sigh.

Outside, a giddy stallion slowly began his trek back into town, a dopey smile on his face..


Where is she? Tremor thought to himself as he tried to locate his marefriend of two years in Sugarcube Corner, which had a constant stream of Ponyville’s population going in and out. The stallion was both surprised and impressed by Pinkie Pie’s ability to host and organize a party at a moment’s notice, yet he wondered if his marefriend was even present at the party.

I know she was feeling ill a few days ago and I insisted on her going to see a doctor… I just hope the diagnosis isn’t something terrible… Tremor grabbed two glasses of punch, balancing them on his back as he moved to where he had spotted a free chair in one corner, placing the glasses on a table. I guess it could be an injured animal or something… I’ll give her a few more minutes.

He watched as a grey pegasus mare led a white unicorn stallion through the crowd, and he was just about to reach for a drink when somepony jumped into his lap. After the momentary shock wore off, he found himself staring into the sparkling cyan eyes of his marefried. “Hey, Fluttershy,” he greeted her as he wrapped his forelegs around her back, one hoof stroking a wing.

“Hi Tremor,” Fluttershy replied before she slowly closed her eyes and leaned into his muzzle, where she planted her lips against the stallion’s. After a few moments of softly kissing him, the mare parted her lips and slid her tongue between his, dancing it across his teeth. She begged for entry, which he granted her after resisting a few moments.

Fluttershy’s wings began to spread wide once her tongue began to caress his, causing her to moan softly as she continued. I wonder what Rainbow Dash would think if she saw me like this… As she removed herself from her stallion to regain her breath, the mare placed her hoof on her stallion’s cheek before she leaned her mouth to his ear. “I want to show you something.” she whispered. “At my cottage.”

“Okay…” Tremor replied as Fluttershy got up from his lap and he stood up from his seat. Before he knew it, he was dragged by his marefriend towards the exit of the bakery. The stallion swore he felt a pair of eyes glaring at him from behind, but he was too scared to look back at who might have been staring at him.

Once they were outside, they began to trot towards the mare’s cottage. Even with a party going on, there were still a number of ponies out and about in Ponyville tending to the last of their work or merely relaxing in the early evening sun.

As they approached the cottage after crossing the bridge, Fluttershy and Tremor were about to open the door when it was opened violently from the inside, causing the pegasus to gasp before she looked down to see Angel Bunny on the opposite end.

Fluttershy cocked her brow a little before she widened her eyes in realization. “Oh dear, I forgot about dinner for my friends!” the pegasus exclaimed as she flew to the kitchen, returning shortly afterwards with a large bag of animal feed, which she distributed in numerous bowls that were littering the floor. “Dinner time!” she called out to the animals, who immediately rushed to their food and began devouring it.

Still amazes me how many animals live here...Tremor’s thoughts were cut off when Fluttershy flew over to him and pointed her hoof to the living room. As he gave a nod in acknowledgement, both he and the pegasus made their way to the other room, where it was surprisingly quiet. “So, what do you want to show me, Shy?” he asked when he took a seat on the couch.

Just as he sat down, Fluttershy gave him a large envelope before she placed herself next to him. Tremor looked at his beaming marefriend, giving a shrug before he opened the package and took out the contents. What he saw was an x-ray picture of some sort, though it didn’t show any bones. Instead, the image was cropped into a triangular shape, with a circle marked on and a tiny spot located in the sphere.

Wait… Tremor’s brained clicked the pieces together, causing him to sharply turn his head to Fluttershy. “Are you—”

“I’m pregnant with your foal Tremor…” Fluttershy replied as she smiled softly with her eyes becoming moist. The smile slowly faded away when she looked at her coltfriend’s reaction, which was utter silence and an unfocused gaze.

I’m… she’s… we’re…. having a foal?! Tremor’s pupils dilated as the last word was being processed in his mind, with a lump forming in his throat that he quickly swallowed before turning to Fluttershy. His shock immediately turned to concern when he saw her ears splayed backwards and her lips quivering.

“I…” Fluttershy sniffed as her eyes began to leak. I thought he would be happy about me having his foal… “I’m so sorry about all this…” the pegasus whimpered.

“Fluttershy, that’s not—” Tremor’s words ceased when his marefriend flew off from her couch and dashed towards her room, before she slammed the door shut. The stallion felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, causing him to turn around and Angel giving him an intense glare. Me and my stupidity!

Tremor walked up the stairs and stood outside the door of his marefriend’s bedroom. The stallion swore he could have heard her crying, but the sound was muffled by the closed door. “Fluttershy?” he called out to her.

“Just… go away…” Fluttershy replied from the other side, her weeping continuing as she remained in her room. “I’m so sorry about all this… I should have told you sooner…” she continued.

“Fluttershy… I’m not leaving you like this.” Tremor said as he rested a hoof against the door. “I was just surprised by the news, you know how I get with big surprises.” he spoke as he stared at the door, as though he was trying to see through it.

“You must hate me now, because of—”

“No! Faust no!” Tremor interrupted outloud, his own eyes starting to tear up from the mere thought of his mare believing he hated her. “Fluttershy, I could never and I will never despise you.” the stallion said as he leaned his head against the door. “Look, I was just surprised by all this… but this is actually wonderful.”

A moment of silence reigned down upon the cottage until Fluttershy sniffed again. “Really?”

Tremor nodded, even though it was futile with the door still closed. “Really… I mean, I came to Ponyville to have new beginning in life. But I didn’t think that in staying here I would fall in love, especially to a beautiful mare like you Fluttershy... “ the stallion continued, a small smile forming on his face. “Being with you is the best thing to have happened in my life… and it will be even better with our foal…” the stallion paused when he heard hoofsteps coming towards him, and the door slowly opened to show a bloodshot eye before widening enough to reveal the cream pegasus with a smile and teary eyes.

“Tremor…” Fluttershy said, pulling him into her room and wrapped her hooves around his neck before passionately kissing. “You really mean it?” she asked him after separating from him, receiving a nod from her special somepony.

“Absolutely,” Tremor planted his lips on Fluttershy’s nose before he leaned down to his marefriend’s stomach and softly kissed it before planting his ear to it. “And even though I’m a little scared, I’m happy to be the father of our foal.”

That was all Fluttershy needed to hear from him, as she pulled him up to her muzzle and connected to his again. As she was furiously kissing him, she again placed her arms around his neck and dragged him to her bed before both of them fell onto it, with her straddling him.

“Shouldn’t we head back to the party?” Tremor asked Fluttershy, his cheeks burned when Fluttershy lightly bit his neck.

Fluttershy began to nuzzle Tremor before she giggled softly, albeit mischievously. “I don’t think I want to go back to the party now with me looking like this.” she pointed to her face that was still tear stained. “Besides, I have an idea of how to celebrate the start of our family.” she said as she lowered her head and linked her lips to his and moaned in pleasure to the touch of her stallion's lips that caressed hers.

Just as Fluttershy began with her affectionate actions, Tremor returned the gesture in kind by stroking his marefriend’s wings and eventually flipping her over to have her on her back. Once he was on top, he grinned at the pegasus who wore a demure smile as a blush formed on her face.

I didn’t even know who the party was for anyways…


This is very… awkward…

In one of the compartments of the Canterlot bound train, Tremor sat next to Fluttershy, who was sleeping with her head rested firmly on his shoulder with his arm around her. Even though the embrace of his marefriend was more than welcoming to him, the scowling eyes of the cyan mare across from him sent shivers down his spine. I guess she hasn’t told her friends everything yet…

When they were nearing the city, Pinkie Pie opened the window of their compartment and poked her head outside, beaming as the train came closer to their destination. “I can’t wait for the Gala tonight!” she shouted out before cheering.

Thanks to the noise made by the pink mare, Fluttershy’s eyes hesitantly opened as she woke up and lifted her head from Tremor’s shoulder. “Are we there?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“Yeah, we’re here.” Rainbow Dash replied, her eyes never leaving Tremor’s.

“Oh good,” Fluttershy said as a carnivorous growl came from her stomach. “Oh my, Tremor,” she turned her attention to the stallion. “Do we still have something in our lunch basket?” she asked him.

Tremor reached for the luggage that rested on top and pulled out a small box. Once he took his seat again, he scanned the contents before looking back at Fluttershy. “We just have marshmallows and mustard left.” he answered her, scrunching his lips as he knew what was coming next.

“Perfect!” Fluttershy took hold of the marshmallows and dipped each one in mustard, devouring them as quickly as she could. When she was finished, the mare noticed Rainbow gag at what she was doing. “What’s wrong?”

“Why the hay are you eating that?” Rainbow questioned as she pointed to the lunchbox and looked at it as though it were something very contagious. Before she could enquire any further, Pinkie Pie’s jumped out of her seat with a cheer.

“We’re here!” Pinkie shouted out as the train made a screeching noise and slowed down to a halt. She grabbed her own bags from above and threw Rainbow’s to her friend. “Catch Dashie!” she called out as she dropped the saddlebag, the pegasus having little time to react as she barely caught the object.

Tremor reached for his and marefriend’s luggage and opted to carry both of theirs. “Thank you.” Fluttershy whispered, planting her lips to his cheeks. Once she removed them, her ears flickered to the sound of Pinkie admiring the couple before her.

“Aww… you two are so cute together!” Pinkie Pie said, strapping her saddlebag to her back. “Race ya to the entrance!” she called out as she ran ahead, gaining a head start of the three remaining ponies.

Here we go… “Wait! Pinkie!” Rainbow shouted before she ran out of the cart, with Fluttershy and Tremor following her lead.

“So, what would like to do now?” Fluttershy asked Tremor as she leaned against her stallion whilst walking to the exit of the train station.

Tremor looked upwards for a moment before he turned his attention to Fluttershy. “Well, I suppose we could—” his words were cut off when Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared right between the couple.

“Tremy, I wanted to spend some time with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash if that’s okay with you?” Pinkie asked as she smiled softly and moistened her eyes to resemble that of a puppy’s.

As he looked over Pinkie’s shoulder, he saw the tender smile of his marefriend, who gave him a nod before he answered. “Sure thing, Fluttershy and I will have lots of time tonight at the gala.” he said, covering his ears with his hooves when Pinkie cheered.

“Yay! We’ll see you at the castle Tremy!” Pinkie said, pushing Fluttershy against the stallion. “Now kiss and say ‘see you later’.” she giggled when she saw the blushes of the couple as she hopped to where Rainbow Dash was standing.

Both stallion and mare tittered as Tremor rubbed the back of his head, before his cheeks burned red again thanks to Fluttershy kissing him on his lips.

“I’ll see you at the castle, Tremor.”

“You too, Shy.” Tremor replied as he returned the gestured, keeping his lips connected to hers for a few moments before letting go and both walking to separate destinations with the mare simultaneously blushing and giggling.

When he was outside of the train station, Tremor took out his wallet from his saddlebag and took a look at how many bits he had. He sighed before he placed the woven wallet back inside, and started to walk towards the stores that were littered around Canterlot.

Hopefully it’s enough…


Why the hay is everything so expensive!?

Walking out of the latest jewelry store with his head hung low in defeat, Tremor sighed as he looked for any other jewelers that might be in his price range. What was I thinking coming to Canterlot with just a hundred bits? he thought to himself as he was walking towards the main road leading to the castle, only stopping when his eye caught the glare of a signboard.

Precious Little Rocks… Tremor read the sign that was decorated with silver paint and golden words. “Might as well,” he said as he shrugged, trotting to the rather small store that was dwarfed by the others next to it. When he was about to open the door, it blasted open in his face with an amber unicorn mare marching out as she huffed with a snarl on her face.

“Of all the jewelers in Canterlot! Who dares refuse money from a noble like me?!” she barked to herself as she cantered pasted a stunned Tremor who was lying on the floor, pressing his hooves against his sore nose.

Another unicorn mare, this time with platinum coat, stepped outside. “What a rude wench…” she said as she gazed at where the amber unicorn walked to. Her eyes trailed downwards until they landed on Tremor. “Oh my! I-I’m so sorry about that mare. Here, let me help you up.” she used her magic and helped the stallion back up to his hooves. “Do you need a bandage?”

“No thank you,” Tremor replied meekly as he finished massaging his nose.

“What may I help you with, Mr…?”

“Tremor, my name’s Tremor…” the stallion introduced himself to the platinum mare.

The mare nodded at Tremor as a friendly smile graced her face. “My name is Platinum, co-owner of Precious Little Rocks and master jeweler.” she said as she giggled after saying the last word. “Come on in, and take a look at our work.”

When he walked into the shop, Tremor was greeted by a variety of jewelry kept safe in stands next to. To him and any other pony, this was just like any other store, but the jewelery themselves were unique in that many of them were shaped in formations ranging from flowers to hearts. When Platinum walked past him, he saw her trotting to the counter before standing behind it, smiling at the new customer before her.

“See anything you like?” she asked Tremor.

“Everything looks so….” Tremor trailed off as his eyes lingered over every object displayed in the stands. “Beautiful….” he finished the sentence, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head.

Platinum suppressed a giggle as she placed her hoof to her muzzle. “Why thank you, I design these jewels myself, and—” the sound of an object crashing to the floor ceased the mare’s speech, causing both to turn to the source, with a silver coated bald unicorn stallion wearing a woven headband with a few smudges on his cheeks.

“Sorry about that,” the stallion said, wiping the sweat of his forehead. “Dang fire ruby went and burst on me just as I was about to finally crack it.” he sighed before he grinned. “But I still got what I wanted!” he cheered as he levitated a star shaped ruby in the sky using his magic.

“That’s nice Silver,” Platinum rolled her eyes as she sighed. “But I’m busy with a customer right now, so could you—”

Silver snorted as he stowed the star ruby away. “Always embarrassed to have your older brother out in front of the store, huh?” he sneered at Platinum as he walked to the counter before he laughed and ruffled her hair. “Let me ask you, who’s the one who actually goes out of his way to get the gems and shape them for you to make them look pretty?”

“You.” Platinum groaned as she swatted his hoof away. “And we’re twins, you just had a head a start. Literally.”

“Yep.” Silver grinned smugly before he turned to Tremor. “So you’re a new customer, huh?” he asked the earth pony, leaning his head towards him and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the him. “You don’t have any relations to that little horse apple that was here earlier?” Silver yelped as he felt a sharp pain on his head. “What the?”

Platinum glared at her brother as she held her hoof mid air. “Don’t scare our customers or use foul language like that in front of them!”

“Grandpa Stone Cold taught us to always be honest and blunt as possible, and even you couldn’t stand that rotten tramp.”

“That’s beside the point!” Platinum retorted, shoving her brother to the door from whence he came. “Why don’t you go back and finished that order we got from Fancy Pants?! I don’t want to explain to him that my lazy brother can’t keep his promises. You understand?”

Silver blew her a raspberry as he saluted. “Yes yes… and by the way,” he turned his attention to Tremor. “Tell your friends about this place when you leave, it gets boring having only my nagging sister around,” he said to Tremor, laughing at the shock his sister was displaying before he closed the door.

Why that big, stupid, moronic! Platinum paused when she realized she was shaking her hoof in rage to the door. She chuckled as she regained her composure, taking a deep breath before she continued. “Sorry about that, family moments.”

“It’s alright.” Tremor waved it off, looking from the mare to the jewels on display at the counter. “These look amazing, I just don’t think I will be able to afford them.”

“The prices go from fifty to a hundred bits, special orders are negotiable of course.”

Tremor blinked before his jaw dropped. “Did you say a hundred!?” he repeated Platinum’s words, receiving a nod from her. “All the other places I’ve been to are were over a thousand or more bits.”

“They inflate their prices because they have to pay import prices on gems from places such as Dodge Junction or the Crystal Empire. We find our own gems and we only charge enough to make a decent profit.” Platinum explained as she pointed to each jewelry piece. “Any specific occasion for one of these?”

Tremor shrugged as he gave a small smile before speaking again. “Well, there’s this mare…”

Author's Note: