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Part 1- Friday5,791 words
Part 2- Saturday6,904 words
Part 3 - Sunday8,860 words

Part 3 - Sunday

Snips woke up on top of a pile of rags. Last night in his miserable fury he had taken out his favorite scissors and shredded everything made of fabric. Clothes, curtains, blankets- even his mattress had reminded himself how he had ruined his dream because he was too worried about being teased for wanting to make and tailor fashionable clothes. He had opted out of dinner last night and kept his door locked. His parents hadn’t seen the mess yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Under the morning’s light he couldn’t help feeling remorseful about his actions, but it was hard to imagine what he could do to fix it. Likely, his allowance would go to replacing Rarity’s dishes for the end of eternity, and he would be grounded forever for ruining all the stuff his parents bought.

Digging out his sewing kit from its hiding place under the bed, he began to sort his things into two piles: ‘mend-able’ and ‘damaged beyond repair’- the latter he used for patching what he could mend.

“Snips, breakfast is read- AAAAAAAAAAAH! Did a bear get loose in here?” his mother screamed. His dad, Crew Cut, raced in the room after hearing his wife’s scream.

“Curly, what’s wrong- SNIPS! What did you do to your room? Your clothes!”

Snips tried for a moment not to cry, but having his parents angry with him was just two ponies too many. He exploded into a ball of tears, and felt like more water than pony. Through his tears he noticed his parents moving, and felt the weight on the mattress he’d begun to patch up shift as they sat on either side of him. His mother wrapped her hooves around him and he stuck his face in her chest, soaking her apron with his tears and snot. He’d have to make her a new one after his.

His father gently stroked his son’s head.

“Now that I look more carefully, I see that not everything has been ruined. You’ve been sewing some things up, son?” Snips nodded in response. “I’d always wondered what pony made so many of the Trixie items in your room. I didn’t remember buying a lot of it.”

“And I can’t sew for the life of me. Who taught you to do this?” his mother asked.

“Grandma Wispy,” he answered.

“Ah, yes. Mom always did like making quilts,” Snips’ father said. “So that’s what you did when she watched you.”

"Why are you down, Snips?” Curly queried. Snips sniffed. He wasn’t sure he could tell his parents the whole truth without falling apart again.

“Every pony is angry with me, and lost my chance to interview a pony for my homework,” he muttered.

“We’re not angry with you,” Crew Cut comforted.

“Mostly not,” his mother relented. “I wish you had chosen a less destructive outlet for your emotions, but it means a lot that you’ve attempted to fix it.”

“Seems to me you need to apologize and make amends,” his father added.

“I’m sorry,” Snips whined.

“A lot of this destruction will come out of your allowance, for sure. But I didn’t mean just to us, you’ll need to make it up to the other ponies who you angered, too.”

“Even if they did the bad thing?”

“Did they?”

Snips couldn’t meet his father’s eyes. If he had shared his secret from the start, Snails wouldn’t have thought he was insulting Snails’ mother, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders may have helped him talk to Rarity. But the thought of ponies laughing at his dream still terrified him.

The Crusaders hadn’t really thought he wanted to be a Fashionista back at Rarity’s house, but the laughter at the mere suggestion really hurt. He couldn’t stand it if his best friend also thought it was funny.

*****

Snails was warm. He felt multiple blankets wrapped around himself and some sort of cushion or mattress beneath his body. It didn’t smell like his bed- it was a gentle floral soap that left him with a nostalgic remembrance of being bathed as a foal.

He was so comfortable for him it was hard to open his eyes, but curiosity about where he was kept him awake. Opening his eyes, he saw a cozy room with feminine flourishes. He was lying in a four-poster bed, but it wasn’t the only bed in the room. All sorts of little beds, nests, and houses were mixed in and around the furniture. Remembering the exterior of a house he’d seen yesterday similarly decorated for multiple animal uses, he had a pretty good idea where he was.

Confirming his suspicions, Fluttershy rose from the ladder leading downstairs. Concern filled her face as she scurried to the side of the bed.

“Snails! Thank goodness you’re all right. If Ms Snowy Owl hadn’t warned me, you may have frozen outside! I was so worried that I was too late...” the pony trailed off, letting her long pale pink mane cover her face.

“Thank you,” Snails replied, and was surprised to find his voice was hoarse. His throat felt scratchy, and he was having a little trouble breathing out of his nose. Flutter gently placed her fore hoof on his forehead, placing her other fore hoof on her own. Her hoof felt cool, but not unpleasantly so.

“I made some carrot soup. Let’s get you some first and then I’d like to speak to you about something- is that okay?” the mare asked sweetly.

Snails nodded, and Fluttershy went back down the way she came. He still felt tired, but the idea of food seemed worth staying up for. The last meal he’d had was lunch, and it seemed pretty dark outside so he must’ve missed dinner. Were his parents worried about him?

Before long Fluttershy carried in a tray with two place settings of deliciously fragrant soup. She put the tray down in front of him and took a bowl and a spoon for herself. Snails realized that even through his stuffed nose he could still smell ginger along with the cooked carrots wafting from his bowl. He took a spoonful and blew on it once before taking a sip.

Fluttershy blew on and took a sip of her soup, too. They ate in a comfortable silence and when they’d finished, she removed the tray from Snails’ lap and piled the dishes back on it.

“I wanted to tell you, rescuing that spider in your classroom on Friday was really kind of you,” Fluttershy admitted with an embarrassed blush.

“Thank you! I really like spiders. Most bugs, actually,” Snips replied.

“Me too! Although I can’t communicate with them as well as I can with larger critters. Is learning about them your special talent?”

Snails paused to think. Maybe his special talent could be explained like that. But why was she asking? Fluttershy seemed to misread his silence.

“Oh, sorry if that was too personal! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Sorry.”

“It’s okay! I like watching bugs and learning about them, and I got it when I was doing just that so you’re not wrong. I just wondered why you wanted to know.”

“Oh, I… oh my, I’ve been thinking, and you remind me... oh, it’s not important.”

Snails was curious. He wasn’t sure he’d talked to an adult that was so uncertain before.

“You gotta tell me now! I mean, tell me please,” Snails asked. He wasn’t used to using his manners much, but the Pegasus seemed to use them a lot herself- which inspired usage in him.

“Well, I help a lot of critters- most of them are hibernating now, but when spring comes I was thinking it would be nice to have some extra… err… help,” Fluttershy’s last word was a terrified squeak. Snails had been listening hard to make out the words, and now that she’d finished, it took a moment to figure out what she meant.

“You want me to be your apprentice?” he asked unbelievably. The mare’s eyes grew wide in response to his tone.

“If its not a bother,” she replied. “But you’re the first pony I’ve met that I thought could do it.”

“But you barely know me!”

Fluttershy looked down at the dirty plates in shyness. Not making eye contact, she said,

“I’d like to get to know you.”

“But I’m just a colt! I’m too young to start a job,” Snails argued.

“Oh… okay,” Fluttershy replied sadly, and wheeled the dish cart back into the kitchen. Snails leaned back in the bed- he was safe, he didn’t have to get a job and grow up too soon. So why did he feel disappointed?

A tiny weight shifted the bed’s mattress, and Snails looked down at the cause: the same small white bunny he’d seen earlier. Usually bunnies are adorable- which since he was a colt, didn’t interest Snails much- but this one looked like he had eaten a lemon and it had made him angry.

It tapped a back paw on the cozy bedspread loud enough to make a sound, and then thrust an entire paw towards the front door. To Snails, the body language was clear- GET OUT!

“I’m going!” he told the rabbit. Snails moved the covers off his lap and slid off the bed to stand. The floor and ceiling swirled together, and before he knew what was going on Snails fell on Fluttershy’s wooden floor with a thud.

“SNAILS! Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked as she propelled herself back into her bedroom. She touched her forehead to Snails’ and gave a little gasp. “Oh dear, I was right- you do have a temperature!”

The rabbit hopped down from the bed with a softer expression as Fluttershy- with lots of effort- hoisted Snails back into the bed. She tucked him under the cover of her bed with only his head visible.

“I don’t-“ he started to say, but Fluttershy gave him a look that shut him up immediately. “The Stare” was so fierce it reversed a cockatrice’s stare- or so the Cutie Mark Crusaders had told their classmates. No pony wanted to be on the other end of that stare, and for a moment it had been directed at him!

“I gotta go home,” he whined weakly, not wanting to upset Fluttershy. She tucked the covers under her mattress, making it harder for Snails to leave in his weakened state.

“You have to stay here!” she said fiercely, but almost an instant later her face saddened, like she regretted her words. “Until your fever breaks, please.”

“My parents,” he croaked out.

“I sent them a message earlier, they know you’re here,” Fluttershy replied. She turned around and began to dig through her dresser’s drawers. After a moment she out a scrap of paper, plus a quill that from its pale yellow color Snails assumed it was one of her own shed feathers.

Quill in mouth, Fluttershy smoothed the scrap of paper with a hoof and wrote something short that Snails couldn’t make out. She set the Quill down and carefully folded the paper into fourths.

Fluttershy then opened the nearest window pane, and Snails felt the cold air even under the multiple layers of blankets. Scanning the snow-covered outside for something, Snails saw the profile of Fluttershy’s face light up and guessed she had found what she was looking for. Lifting her usually soft voice, Fluttershy called out:

“Oh, Mr. Raven! If it isn’t a bother, would you please do me a favor?” Snails heard a caw in response, and a large black bird landed on the windowsill in front of Fluttershy. She gently stroked the raven’s back and held out the folded piece of paper in front of the bird’s face with her other hoof, describing directions it should follow in the sky. The raven cawed in agreement, and then took the paper in its beak. Unfurling its wings, it turned around and flew into the air.

“Thank you! Be careful of icicles!” she called after it, waving a hoof. She then closed the window’s shutters and walked back to Snails’ side.

“I told your parents I’d walk you home after your dizziness goes away,” she explained.

Snails wanted to protest- he just wanted to be back home with his mom- but he felt too tired to speak. Fluttershy stroked his head gently, and Snails’ eyes felt heavy, so he closed them.

*****

Snips pounded on the front door of Snails’ house, worried about his friend. It had been the third time that afternoon he’d stopped by looking for his friend. He’d tried Sugar Cube Corner, Bon Bon’s, and all their other usual hangouts and hadn’t found Snails anywhere. After every other place he searched Snips returned to Snails’ house, hoping that some one would come home.

He couldn’t help but worry that his best friend’s entire family had gotten so upset that they all moved away forever. It didn’t seem like something adults would do, but the house’s shutters were closed and Snips couldn’t even peak inside to see if all their things were still there. In any case, Snips & Snails’ homework was due tomorrow, and without Snails’ help Snips didn’t even have a pony to interview, never mind starting to write the report. He didn’t want to get in trouble with Miss Cheerilee.

“SNAILS!” Snips yelled as he once again banged on the front door. “Please come out, I’m sorry!”

“Who’s that making all that racket?” An elderly stallion snapped as he hobbled out of the house next door. “I can’t enjoy my dinner in this racket!”

Snips fled, not wanting to get a lecture. He was envious that the stallion got to eat so early after lunch. Thinking of lunch made his belly rumble, and Snips was shocked to realize he had forgotten to eat today! He couldn’t remember ever having missed a meal before. Snips must’ve been more upset than he realized. He counted out his allowance and decided he could spare some bits for a meal out.

The bakery and soda shop known as ‘Sugar Cube Corner’ had been designed to look like gingerbread house. It was excellent marking, because every pony could tell with a glance what they sold- and their treats within were famous throughout Ponyville. The baked goods were delicious enough, but the shop’s owners owed a lot of their fame to their endlessly cheerful apprentice Pinkie Pie. Every pony served by Pinkie couldn’t leave the shop without a smile on their face, as her friends’ happiness was her first priority. Not one pony denied the pink mare friendship- even Snips, who usually avoided the company of “females”- counted Pinkie as a friend.

It was the weekend, so it was not surprising that the line for service went out the door. But the line usually moved quickly- especially when Pinkie wasn’t behind the register- and Snips was ordering his lunch before long. Snips got three carrot cake cupcakes -which he told himself were healthy due to their carrot content- and attempted to find a free table.

“Hey Snips!” Snips heard a filly shout angrily from behind. He turned, and saw Scootaloo and Apple Bloom glaring at him. Snips really wished he had gotten a ‘to-go’ box now. But Snips then saw the third filly that had remained sitting, her head down as she used a spoon to whirl around ice cream in a giant sundae.

Snips slipped his free fore hoof into his saddle bag, stroking the item inside. He hadn’t intended on giving the gift he made as an apology until he saw her at school tomorrow, but since she was here he might as well ‘bite the bullet’. Assuming her “gatekeepers” would let him pass. Snips flinched as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stomped up to him, murder in their eyes.

“I-I-“ he started to mutter, then cried out as each filly grabbed a cupcake off his plate.

“Those are mine!”

“So you’re hogging treats like you did at Rarity’s, huh?” Scootaloo snapped, licking the frosting off the cupcake she had taken and putting it back on the plate.

“I bet you’ll make another mess, too- like this,” Apple Bloom smashed the cupcake she had into the top of Snips’ head, leaving a sticky, buttery mess in his mane. Scootaloo then smashed her hoof down on the plate Snips’ held, letting the two cupcakes on it break apart onto the floor. The shop went quiet at the sound of the plate hitting the floor (thankfully unbroken), but the two fillies were too angry to notice.

“Those things were bad, but the worst part of your visit is that you didn’t apologize to Sweetie Belle- she’s not ugly!”

“I know!” Snips whined, holding back tears- stallions didn’t cry. “I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out. Would you let me talk to her so I can apologize?”

“I dunno if that’s a good idea…” Apple Bloom mulled. “You were pretty mean to her.”

“Like you girls have been mean to me?” Snips sniffed. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo put their ears back, their eyes widened, and their jaws opened.

“We haven’t-“ Scootaloo started to say, but Sweetie Belle interrupted.

“No matter what he did, we didn’t have to wreck his lunch. I’ll listen, Snips.”

Despite having spoken up earlier, Sweetie Belle wasn’t talking now. Apple Bloom had mentioned getting some napkins to help clean Snips up and had dragged Scootaloo with her, but now Snips and Sweetie Belle sat in silence while the other pair of fillies took a suspiciously long time in the bathroom just across the room. Still hungry, Snips eyed Sweetie Belle’s melting sundae in horror. She wasn’t eating it because she was upset, obviously, but Snips had trouble letting something so delicious go to waste.

Snips knew mentioning it was folly- he had ruined a lot of good food at Rarity’s, after all. All the words that came to mind somehow had accusations in them that he didn’t want to speak- not when he was trying to apologize. Snips decided to let actions speak for him. He was too sticky to physically reach into his bag without ruining the contents, so used his magic to levitate out what he had hidden inside.

It was a scarf made up of light blue and purple strips of fabric woven together. Every third row or so Snips had stitched in a bead of rose quarts, and the scarf ends were each trimmed with white lace. But Sweetie Belle didn’t even look up to see what he was doing.

“This is for you,” Snips managed to say while he levitated the scarf into her lap. He nervously looked around to see his anyone was watching- was he imagining every pony in the store purposefully looking away? Deciding it was safe, he whispered;

“I made it.”

Sweetie Belle jerked up and her eyes locked onto Snip in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” Snips answered, but worried his reply had been too loud, added more quietly: “I mean, I like to make… clothes.” His words were practically a mouse’s squeak as he broke eye contact. “It’s my special talent.”

“But you’re-“ Sweetie Belle started, but mid sentence her body froze and her eyes widened to a size that was almost too big to fit in her face.

“You want to be Rarity’s apprentice!” she gasped, realizing his dream.

“Share it with all the world, why don’t cha?” Snips muttered, covering his reddening face with his fore hooves.

“Sorry!” Sweetie Belle apologized, bringing her voice down to a whisper. “This is what you were keeping from us at Rarity’s? We would’ve helped you!”

“I didn’t know that! Every pony seems to laugh at colts who are into fashion, so I thought you’d all laugh at me if I said anything.”

"Well, maybe we would have,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “But whenever someone doesn’t like her work, Rarity says artists have to be open to... to… cor-rit-tease-um? I think that’s the word. But what she means is negative feedback is still feedback that can help you grow as an artist. Not that I’d let any pony laugh at my cool new scarf.”

Snips uncovered his eyes and saw that Sweetie Belle had wrapped the scarf around her neck. He couldn’t stop the smile that broke out over his face.

Deafening pops came from above, and a large amount of confetti, glitter and streamers rained down onto their table. Snips moaned as he realized the half melted sundae had been made inedible by the bits of paper on it.

“Happy new friendship!” the famous pink mare of Sugar Cube Corner cheered, blowing a noisemaker to celebrate.

“Pinkie Pie?” Sweetie Bell asked sounding confused.

“Yepperino! To celebrate your getting close, I made you two the Baker’s Dozen Roulette Special!” The mare set down a shiny platter with four sparklers going off on the edges. On it were 13 cupcakes; each one with the cupcake, frosting, and wrapper being different shades of blue so no two cupcakes looked the same. They looked delicious- but a twinkle in Pinkie’s eyes worried Snips a little.

“Twelve of these cupcakes are absolutely-tootly normal flavors like vanilla or chocolate or lemon or red- I mean, blue velvet. But one of them isn’t a normal flavor~!” Pinkie Pie finished in a singsong voice. The mare bounced off, giggling, and Sweetie and Snips stared down at the delicious yet daunting dessert in front of them.

“You gonna hog all that food again, Snips?” Apple Bloom gently teased, having suddenly returned with Scootaloo from where ever they had gone to get napkins. Snips suspected it was the kitchen. Scoolatoo sheepishly put a pile of napkins next to him on the table.

“Not if you’re fast enough,” Snips challenged.

“Game on!” Scootaloo cheered.

*****

His sleep had been dreamless, so when Snails began to hear the familiar murmurs of his parents talking, he thought he was back at home again. Wanting to see for himself, he stirred and began to lift his heavy eyelids open.

“Birdie, he’s waking up!” his father whispered excitedly to his mother, and through his sleepy vision he saw their faces hovering over his bed, but despite their presence, he wasn’t in his bed back home- Fluttershy’s butterfly patterned quilts still covered most of his body.

“Snails, I’m so glad you’re ok! Your father and I were just beside ourselves when you didn’t come home last night!” his mother wept while stroking his head. “I want you to get fresh air, but in winter it is not okay to spend the night outside.”

“Yes Snails- what in Equestria made you think that was okay?” his father asked, a slight edge to his voice. Snails was still very tired, so where he might have fought tears at their words before, he couldn’t right now.

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy stood at the top of her stairs to her main room, a tray covered with a small teapot and four cups balanced on the top of her head. “Is Snails alright? Is he in pain?”

His parents actually looked ashamed at the question. As Fluttershy drew closer, her worried expression became clear. Snails was grateful for the comfort she projected simply by being there. Snails’ mother levitated the tray off the other mare’s head with her orange magic and placed it on Fluttershy’s desk. His father stepped aside to let the mare get close, and Fluttershy put a fore hoof on Snails’ head, putting her other one on her own.

“Your temperature is almost back to normal,” she said, withdrawing her hooves. “Is there any thing that hurts? Any aches or pains?”

Snails shook his head, trying not to look at either of his parents.

“Miss Fluttershy, do you think it’s safe to bring him home?” his mother asked. “We wouldn’t want him to disrupt your work.”

“I’m sorry, but I think he needs to rest more. Besides, Snails hasn’t been a disruption at all.”

“He hasn’t?” his father asked in surprise.

“Oh no. I’ve seen that he’s really well versed in insects. He could be a big help come springtime, if he wanted.”

“Our Snails?” his mother asked in shock. Snails’ ears drooped. He hadn’t told his parents of his hobby, but did they have to be so surprised about it? Fluttershy drew back, looking anxious again. Snails wondered if the mare was ever not troubled.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Snails. Snails has already told me he isn’t interested in helping me-“

“You want Snails to be your apprentice!” his mother almost shouted in glee.

“Yes, but-“

“Snails, this is wonderful! So studying insects is your special talent? Why didn’t you ever tell us?"

“It’s not my special talent!” Snails said as loud as he could, which was more like speaking loudly for a hard of hearing adult. He hurt his voice a little doing it, and he winced in pain.

“Oh dear, let me-“ Fluttershy started, but Snails had already thrown the covers off his body and was beginning to rise out of the bed.

“Miss Fluttershy says you need to rest, son.” His father said, attempting to gently push Snails back down. Snails flailed, knocking his father’s hoof away.

“I’m just a colt! All you two ever talk about is future this and work that. Why can’t you just let me be a kid?”

At his words, his mother seemed to be on the verge of tears while his father only shook his head.

“Getting your Cutie Mark is the first part of becoming an adult. Your mother and I won’t always be around to take care of you, and we’d like you to be self-sustaining in a job you love.”

“But you’re not that old! It’s going to be a long time before you die!”

“With all the uncertainties and dangerous creatures in our world, son? There’s no guarantee we’ll live our full life spans.”

“No! You’re going to live a long time! And I’m not growing up any time soon!” A burst of violet light came from Snails’ horn, responding wildly to his emotions. Noticing the adults had been blinded; Snails shakily threw himself out of bed and raced downstairs.

“Snails!” he heard his mother call after him. But Snails threw Fluttershy’s front door wide open and raced outside, only his fur protecting him from the cold winter.

Had it been silly to assume his parents would always been around? As he raced further away and into the depths of the Everfree, the touch of certain entropy scared him much more than the wild winter forest around him.

Long out of sight of Fluttershy’s cottage in an especially bushy part of the Everfree that had begun to gradually incline into a hill, Snails slowed down to a pace that an outsider may have wondered if he was dragging invisible chains on his hooves. If Snails hadn’t stopped crying for a moment, he would have believed the whine he heard was his own. Thinking it was an echo, he almost walked on when it repeated.

“Hello?” Snails asked the snowy forest around him- in a world with magic, you could never be too sure what would answer you. A desperate, much louder whine and yip answered. Snails strayed off the small path he’d been on to navigate the underbrush in the direction he thought he heard the cry. Pushing aside bush branches bare of leaves yet thick with sticks and snow, Snails spotted movement in a coil of thorn bushes emerging from the slope of the frozen hill.

An eager yip-whine told Snails he had the right place. Snails tried to push through the brambles to get a better look, but ended up scratching his forelegs. He had nothing to with which hack back the brambles - not even a spade from one of his bug-catching stashes, since they were all far away in Ponyville’s park. Could he use his magic to tear the thorny branches away?

The small whine came again, insistent yet sounding tired, and Snails realized he didn’t know how long this small furry creature had been here. What if he went for help, and the thing died of starvation, a predator, or freezing… Snails finally noticed he was without his winter wear and he, too, was in danger of dying from those things. He was short on time.

Snails’ magic blazed and surrounded the front branches. He thrust his horn to the side, straining to pull the thorn branches away. The brambles bent and finally snapped, a yelp of pain screeched the second they did so. Snails rushed forward to check on the creature.

Its long and matted gray fur had orange and black specks, and it too had snagged on the thorns. The little black noise on the end of its long snout was sniffing the air, and short, floppy ears on top of its head were almost lost in its fur, but they perked up at the sight of Snails, and the tiny stub of a tail started to wag from the animal’s hindquarters.

It was a dog small enough to be a puppy. Bending over it, Snails saw multiple bleeding scratches made by the thorns. One of the puppy’s stubby back legs was bent behind it in an angle that didn’t seem right, and its left eye was swollen shut.

“It’s ok, boy,” Snails said soothingly. Snails knew he had to continue to un-snag the dog from the brambles, and although he thought it might frighten the dog, he knew his mouth would be more dexterous for the task. He began to slowly pull on a bit of fur on a bramble with his teeth, trying to be gentle. It seemed to take hours, but Snails slowly un-snagged the pup. When he was only had the clumps near the dog’s head left, it licked Snails’s nose as Snails he put his head near.

Snails laughed at the touch, but the warm tongue also reminded Snails of how cold he was. Snails’ winter fur only was so warm- that was why ponies wore other winter accessories.

Finally free, the dog tried to stand, only to fall over when it couldn’t put weight on its bad leg. Snails had to get the little dog to some pony that could help. Some ponies brought wounded animals to Fluttershy, but Snails didn’t want to face her- and likely his parents- right now. The other choice was Ponyville’s Vet, but Snails had never had a pet before, so he didn’t know the Veterinary office was- but maybe some other pony did.

Snails levitated the dog into the air, and seeing as it yelp in pain whenever its bad leg was jostled, Snails tried to keep the leg steady in his aura. Uncertain how long it would be before he used up his magical strength, Snails ran back into Ponyville.

*****

Snips was trapped. Well, not literally, but after he’d bonded a little with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they decided they’d help Snips, and insisted on walking him to Carousel Boutique to clear the air with Rarity. He pleaded with them not to, but the fillies insisted. Snips was sure he was being dragged to another soul-crunching rejection.

Sweetie Belle led the way, with Scootaloo “guarding’ the rear and Apple Bloom leading him by a head lock since Snips insisted he wasn’t going to take another step. Snips blushed furiously the whole time, telling himself that it was Apple Bloom’s earth pony strength that was keeping pull Snips from pulling himself free. They were almost a block away from Rarity’s when distant yells caught their attention.

“What’s that?” Scootaloo asked.

“Some pony help! PLEASE!” Apple Bloom let Snips go to take a step closer to the rapidly approaching figure trotting towards them. Snips would have used the opportunity to flee, but the voice yelling was one he’d known since they were in diapers, and the last time he cried like that they had been running away from an Ursa Minor.

“Snails!” Snips called, worry lacing his voice.

“It’s Snails?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“What’s wrong, Snails?” Apple Bloom called. Snails looked bad. His fur was sweated and mussed up, and he had scratches all over his forelegs. Stopping in front of his peers, Snails shivered, and Snips wondered why he wasn’t wearing any winter gear.

“What’s that?” Scootaloo asked, and Snips noticed Snails holding up what looked like a bloody, tail-less possum in his magical aura- its usually vibrant violet color almost clear. He wouldn’t be able to hold it up much longer.

“Apple Bloom!” Snails said after a moment of breathing hard. “Where do you take Winona to get better?”

“Fluttershy’s-“ Apple Bloom answered, and panic flashed across Snails’ eyes, and he whirled to face Sweetie Belle. Snips couldn’t help feel a little hurt Snails hadn’t turned to him. If this what about pets, Snips had a goldfish… once.

“What about your sister’s cat?” Snails asked urgently.

“To Fluttershy, I think. What’s this about-“ Sweetie Belle started to ask, but Snails had deflated at her answer. It seemed to stop whatever reserves were powering Snails’ magic, and Snails dropped what he had held in the air near his head. Instinctually, Snips moved to help his friend and caught the furry thing with his own magic. Snails met Snips’ eyes flashed him a relieved smile. A whine escaped the magic swirl, and Snips was pretty sure he knew what he was holding. Bringing it to his eye level with his magic, he gasped.

“A puppy!”

The fillies echoed Snips’ comprehension questioningly and drew in closer to see for their selves.

“Oh no, it's hurt!” Sweetie Belle proclaimed.

“It was trapped in some thorns in the Everfree. Does anypony know where the Vet is? It needs help!” Snails pleaded.

“Why not take it to Fluttershy’s?” Scootaloo asked.

“I c-can’t!” Snails whined. He looked at Snips for help. Snips didn’t know why he was avoiding the quiet Pegasus, but he wanted to help his friend.

“We should go to Rarity’s first- its closer, and Snails looks like he’s freezing! I bet she has fabric scraps we could bandage up the dog with, too,” Snips insisted.

“That’s a good idea!” Apple Bloom agreed. “Let’s go!”

“So you want to go to Rarity’s now?” Scootaloo teased Snips.

“Not in front of Snails!” Snips snapped. The fillies chuckled they all cantered the rest of the way to Carousel Boutique.

Like a tsunami every pony crashed through the front door of Rarity’s home and workplace, leaving wet hoof prints on the Boutique’s carpeted floor. Sweetie Belle shouted for Rarity while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bickered about who had shoved who getting through the door. Layered over their voices was Snails’ yowl of worry that they already may be too late and it was entirely his fault. Snips thrashed his head around to watch the moving bodies, doing his best to keep the puppy elevated above it all with his magic.

A door across the room burst open and Snips observed a frustrated-looking Rarity canter in, her lips forming the words ‘what is going on?’ but her voice went unheard as it was overcome by the torrent of sound. Snips eyed the puppy- he didn’t know about medical stuff, but he really didn’t think there was time to fool around like this. He puckered his lips and blew, the sharp whistle silencing the ponies around him. All eyes fell on Snips, and he stepped forward, levitating the puppy near Rarity’s face. She gasped at the sight.

“What is that thing?” she asked with a hint of disgust.

“It’s a puppy, Miss Rarity, and its hurt. Please help!” Snips begged, fearing she may be too angry with him to help.

“Yeah, Sis, it’s injured real bad!” Sweetie Belle added, similar pleas followed from her friends.

Snips watched understanding flow into Rarity’s eyes, and Snips realized he had forgotten he was dealing with the Element of Generosity. Her blue magic aura gently engulfed Snips’ own aura as she took the puppy from him. Her magic safely cradled the pup, Rarity’s expression then became all business as she started to delegate tasks to the younger ponies around her.

“Apple Bloom, run to Fluttershy’s and bring her here this instant!” she ordered, and Snips noticed Snails lower his head with a sigh of resignation.

“Yes ma’am!” Apple Bloom agreed, racing out the door.

“Sweetie, start some hot water boiling and grab some unused sponges from the cupboard.”

“Okay sis!”

“Scootaloo, fetch a blanket from the upstairs hallway closet for Snips here- he looks half-frozen!”

“Aye aye!”

Her magical hold on the dog unwavering, Rarity levitated a pair of scissors from a cutting table, followed folded pieces of a plain egg shell and a light pink gingham fabric from a tall basket. The pink gingham she kept folded and placed on the ground, gently laying the puppy on it, who squeaked when its bad back leg touched the ground. The scissors and eggshell fabric remained in the air and floated in front of Snips.

“You have a scissors Cutie Mark, so unless it refers to a metaphorical-type cutting you must be able to cut, am I right?” Snips nodded. Although he worried about the puppy’s well being, he was inwardly glad that at least he’d be able to cut something for Rarity once in his lifetime.

“But don’t you need it for your business? We could use old fabric scraps instead,” he asked hesitantly, cursing himself for asking even as he spoke the words.

“Egg shell is out of season, and without knowing when it’ll be back in style it’s just a space waster, like the gingham the dog’s on. As for my scraps, they’re really too small and oddly shaped to be used for bandages.”

“Ok. I’ll get right to cutting, ma’am,” Snips said as he took the items from her aura. Rarity turned away as she began to head for the door Sweetie Belle had gone through. Sensing he was missing his chance, Snips shouted after her.

“SORRY… about yesterday.” The mare paused without looking back.

“I see,” she answered, and then she disappeared through the door, widening the hole in Snips’ heart.

“What happened yesterday?” Snails asked. Snips had almost forgotten his friend was there. He may have been alone with his friend, but the pain from yesterday had reopened like an old wound. Talking with the Crusaders had begun to heal it, but he felt talking about it more would hurt even more, so he deflected to something else he had been thinking about.

“Why are you avoiding Fluttershy?” Snails didn’t answer, so Snips cut once into the fabric he had been given and then tore a long, narrow strip from the cut. Pleased with the even width of it, Snips continued repeating the process. He was on his forth strip when Snails broke the silence.

“Every pony is growing up and leaving me behind.”

“Huh?” Snips asked, confused.

“Every pony from our class is getting apprenticeships, helping out at home, or something else grown up, and I’m the only one who still wants to just be a kid.”

“I’m not doing grown-up things,” Snips argued. Snails looked up from his gaze on the puppy, making eye contact with the other colt.

“Are you? ‘Cause on Friday I was happy to get the report done as fast as we could so we could spend the rest of the weekend playing. But you had other plans…” Snails paused, and Snips winced as he realized his friend was putting two and two together.

“Hey, you were planning on visiting Rarity, weren’t you?” he accused.

“You haven’t told him you want to be a fashion designer yet?” Scootaloo asked coyly, after having slipped back in the room unnoticed. Snips glared at the filly as draped an old patchwork quilt over Snails’ shoulders and body.

“Scootaloo!” Snips complained.

“It’s lame to be embarrassed about your dreams. Rainbow Dash says only ponies that aren’t confident get teased about them.”

“It does explain why you keep giving me clothes as presents,” Snails said thoughtfully. Snips blushed- he didn’t realized clothes were all he was giving his friend.

“Did you sew all those Trixie decorations in your room, too?” Snails asked. Before Snips could answer, the door to the kitchen opened.

“Really, Sweetie, I’d have thought you’d at least know how to boil water by now,” Rarity signed as she and her sister trotted into the room.

“Mom said she teach me after she and Dad came back from their cruise,” Sweetie Belle explained sheepishly.

“That’s the sixth cruise this year! Sweetie, you and I are practically ORPHANS!” Rarity said dramatically. Her blue magic held a metal water kettle and a basket with various kitchen supplies inside it, which she set down near the dog and Snails. Levitating a mug and a tea bag from the basket, she plopped the latter into the former, and poured in some hot water. A refreshing, minty aroma filled the air as the mug flew to Snails.

“Here’s some peppermint tea to warm you up, darling.”

Snails eyed the cup warily- Snips knew that Snails had a sweet tooth as bad as his own, and tended to put a lot of sugar into tea. But Snails must’ve still been pretty cold, because he blew on the liquid and continued to take small, tentative sips even without adding sweeteners.

“Well, let’s see if we can get this pup cleaned up a bit for Fluttershy, shall we?” Rarity declared, pouring the rest of the hot water into a large bowl she retrieved from the basket. Rarity then removed a sponge from the basket and with her magic submerged the sponge into the water bowl, wrung it out slightly and gently began to wipe away debris from the whimpering dog’s coat.

*****

Snails felt like hiding under the quilt he was wrapped in when Fluttershy arrived, but he worried that moving it higher would leave his back hooves uncovered and colder than they were under the quilt. If he kept extra still, maybe she wouldn’t notice him amongst the other ponies. At least his parents hadn’t arrived with her- there was no hiding from them.

“How’s the dog doing?” the Pegasus mare asked, inspecting the pup with her tender touch. Rarity had done an excellent job cleaning up the dog, and its fur gleamed like a gem. Now that the dirt and blood had been washed away from the silver-coated puppy its wounds were easier to see. The puppy’s body had looked worst than it actually was. Most of the small cuts hadn’t gone too deep. Unfortunately, the scratched eye was still swollen shut, and the bad leg had seemed to hang uselessly off the dog’s torso. The dog had yowled in pain when Rarity touched it, so she had made Snips hold the pup down so it wouldn’t bite her while she had cleaned it.

Fluttershy now murmured softly to the dog who now only whimpered as she inspected its wounds, touches the injured parts as if she were a breeze instead of a pony.

“I’ll have to confer with Ponyville’s Veterinarian, but it seems he’s lost the use of his eye,” Fluttershy mused as she began to bandage the animal. “I worry about his leg, too. The poor dear says he’s in ever-so-much pain.”

Snails felt tears come unbidden, and in noticing them, dissolved into a mess of liquid.

“It’s all my fault!” he wailed. Every pony’s voice rose to comfort him, but somehow Fluttershy’s quiet one stood out.

“Oh, don’t blame yourself! The puppy says a timber wolf attacked him, and he only managed to keep from being hurt further by hiding in the thorn bush where you found him. He says you saved his life by freeing him from the thorn bush- you’re his hero!”

“But maybe you could’ve saved his eye if I went straight to your house, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, no, I’m not a surgeon- I only know first aid. Your wanting to find the Vet was the right thing to do.”

“Why were you avoiding Fluttershy, anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked. Fluttershy gave a frightened squeak at the question and immediately began to focus on splinting the puppy’s bad leg, refusing to meet any pony’s eyes.

“Is she a Cougar, Snails?” Snips asked. Scootaloo burst out laughing.

“No!” Snails denied firmly.

“She’s a pony, isn’t she?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Maybe its similar to when she turns into Flutterbat,” Apple Bloom suggested.

“No girls, no,” Rarity interjected. “Please, forget that word until you’re older. Snips, who taught you it?”

“Trixie,” he said, looking a little ashamed.

“I’m going to have to have words with that mare next time she comes into town,” Rarity muttered. “Now, you were saying, Snails?”

Once again, the urge to hid under the quilt rose. But Snails didn’t want the ponies thinking weird things about Fluttershy.

“She asked me to be her apprentice,” he said softly.

“She asked YOU?” Scootaloo said incredulously, her shocked expression mirrored on the other ponies’ faces out of the know.

"Fluttershy, darling, I’m so proud of you! You’ve been telling me you’ve felt overwhelmed for months now, but I never dreamed you actually ask some pony to be your apprentice!” Rarity gushed.

“The animals aren’t that much trouble…” Fluttershy argued weakly, eyeing Snails worriedly. It seemed that she was worried he’d feel pressured to change his mind. Would it really be so bad, if he could help animals like the puppy get better?

“I told her no,” Snails revealed, and Rarity’s gasp may have been audible across town.

“You told her ‘no’? How could- what do-,“ the ivory unicorn stuttered, seeming unable to land on a single question. Snails guessed it was because she didn’t know much about him. Snails was surprised then by Snips’ sudden laugh.

“You gave up your dream job so you could be a kid longer?” Snips chuckled.

“I don’t have a dream job!” Snails argued, starting to get mad again.

“Sure you do! I’m your friend- I can put two and two together. We go insect hunting a lot- we catch butterflies in the spring, beetles in the summer, and fireflies in the fall. And you never try to keep any of them- you always let them go right after you get a good look at them. Fluttershy’s all about humane creature treatment, and I’m sure she could teach you more about insects than anything you can find in the library or at school. Is learning more about insects not something you find fun?”

Snails glared at Snips, trying to be angry but finding it difficult.

“But apprenticeships are hard work!”

“Of course they are- but the best ones feel like play, too.”

“How would you know?” Snips argued weakly. “You’re not an apprentice!” Snips hesitated, and Snails noticed him avoiding looking at Rarity when he responded.

“You’ve seen my work- I imagine it would be much harder making clothes under some pony’s directions than just in my free time. But I could learn much more than I know, and thinking about that sounds fun.”

“You make… clothes?” Rarity asked Snips curiously. He nodded.

“He makes all his clothes, Rarity!” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“Yeah, and look at this scarf he made me to apologize for yesterday!” Sweetie Belle added, lifting the scarf Snails had seen her in off the hat rack by the door and bringing it to her sister’s close inspection. The mare levitated a pair of cat’s-eye glasses over her eyes and inspected the scarf closely.

“It’s rough, but certainly is creatively done, especially considering the amount of time you had,” she said after a minute of tense quiet. Snails had never seen Snips look that happy before.

“I wonder why you didn’t attempt to make one for me.”

“I didn’t think you’d like anything I made, after yesterday,” Snips sniffled.

“It wasn’t his fault yesterday, Rarity!” Apple Bloom confessed.

“Yeah! We thought he wanted to get Sweetie to do his homework for him for or something, so we were mean to him,” Scootaloo added.

“The table only fell over ‘cause he was hiding under it and we tried to pull him out,” Sweetie Belle concluded. “It’s no wonder he yelled at us.”

“And why didn’t you girls tell me about this before?” Rarity accused.

“We were still mad at Snips, so we kinda let him get them blame,” Sweetie Belle admitted.

“But it’s my fault too! If I had just told you girls my reasons instead of being embarrassed about it, that whole accident would’ve never happened!” Snips insisted.

“I see…” Rarity said. “Girls, we’re going to talk about that later. But for now- Snips, come upstairs with me. I think we should talk.”

“Yes, Miss Rarity!” Snips agreed. Snails had never seen a pony look so delighted and terrified all at once. But as the ponies left Snails found himself rooting for Snips and his dream. Snails was confused by the feeling- wouldn’t he have a lot less free time if his friend starting working for Rarity? But he couldn’t stop remembering the happy look Snips got when Rarity complemented her, and Snips’ words from before:

‘You gave up your dream job so you could be a kid longer?’

‘Is learning more about insects not something you find fun?’

‘I imagine it would be much harder making clothes under some pony’s directions than just in my free time. But I could learn much more than I know, and thinking about that sounds fun.’

Over the fillies giggling with each other, Fluttershy’s voice came softly.

“I’m sorry, I should really take the puppy to the Veterinarian now.” Snails was surprised at the panic he felt at her leaving, like he was loosing an important chance.

“Can I go with you?” he asked quickly. The mare smiled at the colt.

“Of course.”

A few weeks later….

Ponies' voices rose together in song as they got ready for spring. Pegasi in blue vests filled the sky, leading birds back and clearing clouds. Ponies in green vests pulled plows to remove snow, and planted vegetation in the uncovered ground.

For the first time, Snips and Snails were old enough to join in the work, joining their voices with the ponies in the brown vests.

“You’re doing a wonderful job with that nest, darling,” Rarity told the colt next to her. “Make sure you don’t take too long, or Twilight will be on our tails. The mare can be surprisingly scary when some pony gets behind schedule.”

“Yes Miss Rarity!” Snips answered with a wide smile, weaving the twigs into the nest he was working on a little faster. A short distance away, Snails tried to slow his excited pace to match the Pegasus mare’s next to him.

“We really get to wake up mole crickets next?”

“Yes, I know just where their burrow is,” Fluttershy replied.

“Yippee!” Snails cheered, leaping into the air. A three-legged puppy raced over at his pony's happy voice, and danced around Snails' legs excitedly. Hearing Snails’ voice, Snips whirled around in glee.

“SNAILS! Hey Snails!” Snips shouted at his friend, waving wildly with both fore hooves.

“HI SNIPS!” Snails called back. Across the distance, the two colts did their Best friend greeting where they imitated Trixie waving her arms around magically. Laughing, they rejoined their craft masters. Life was good.