> Fireflies
>  by Jet Howitzer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue:  The Vacation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The wind was just strong enough to force me to correct for it with each beat of my wings.  My father was nearby, standing on a cloud with several of the other pegasi whom had come to witness the first test of the Slipstream Flight Aid, or SFA for short.  I already had the prototype strapped to my back and I could feel the tiniest eddies of the air on my primaries as the minutely unstable magics did their work.  For nearly an hour now I had watched as my father described the intricacies of the magical device to several prospective entrepreneurs and philanthropists.  My wings itched to fly the skies, but I knew that the demonstration was swiftly approaching.

The sprawling city of Manehattan was still visible in the distance, but our height made it a large grey smudge on the ground.  Three of the local guards had decided to come and witness the event, more because they knew my father and I than because they had a genuine interest in the invention.  The captain of the watch, though, was interested in the invention, and the three others had volunteered to come to watch me.  Scabbard, my only real friend in the guard, slowly moved to my side, his own wings maintaining a slightly slower beat than my own.  “So, Icarus, you ready to break some records?”

I scoffed and waved a hand at him.  “Hardly.  Dad tuned the whole thing down several levels from full power.  I’ll top out at two hundred.  Two-fifty tops.”

“That’s still pretty good.  For you, at least.”  He snorted as a wide smile came to his face.  “I mean, your top speed is, what, again?”

“One seventy.  But that was measured with a strong headwind.  Like you’re any better, though.”

He shrugged, his grin only widening.  “Any excuse, right?  ‘Sides, I get one seventy five with my armor on.  So I think I’ve still got you beat.  Anyway, I doubt that thing will help you to break records, now that I’m thinking about it.  Some girl over in Cloudsdale did a Sonic Rainboom some years ago.  Now that’s a record.”

“Pegasi can’t go that fast, Scabbard.  I mean, come on.  The math just...  It doesn’t work at those speeds.”

Scabbard was about to respond when my father called me over.  I lazily drifted over before my father gave me a warm smile.  “And this is my son, Icarus, the man who will be demonstrating the capabilities of the SFA.  As you can see the device sits comfortably between the wings with small leads running along the wings.  The encasing material for the magical flux core is naturally resistant to the magics utilized in a pegasus’ wings, so there’s no interference in that regard.”

“Enough talk, Daedalus, we already know the specifications.  Let’s see this creation of yours in action.  I, for one, am most interested to see if this device can do all that you claim.”

“All that and more, Quark.  For the sake of safety, though, the device has been turned back to just forty percent of it’s maximum capabilities.”  My father turned to look at me and he gave me a small nod.  “Now, if you can get going, Icarus?  And remember, keep it reasonable.  This is a prototype after all.”

I let a smile come to my face as I flashed a small mocking salute to my father.  “Right away, dad.”  I flew lazily through the skies as I gained some altitude and headed towards the cloud that Scabbard had moved to where I was set to start from.  The flight took only a few minutes but the butterflies in my stomach made it seem quite a bit longer.  I knew all the math behind the creation strapped to my back, but that made it no easier to realize that I was, literally, the first pegasus to actually utilize some device to facilitate the flight that came to us as easily as breathing.

“Relax, Icarus.  Your dad may be crazy, but he’s the good kind of crazy.”  Scabbard’s normally cocky attitude was in abeyance as he looked over the device on my back once again.  “Seriously, though, this thing’s really fucking scary.”

“Don’t remind me.  He swears he worked out ‘all’ of the kinks, but I know that’s bull.  If he had done that he wouldn’t have waited so long to test it.”  I settled onto the cloud, fanning my wings a few times to make sure they were fully limber for what was about to come.  “Flip the main breaker on the back, and let’s get this shit done.  Time waits for no man, no matter how great.”

I felt Scabbard mess with the device for a few moments before he slapped me on the shoulder.  “Any last words?”  His cocky grin was back in place, but the concern was still in his eyes.

“Always match your leathers?  No...  Forty-two?  Overdone...  Ah, I know.  Experience is the most brutal of teachers.  But you learn.  By the Creator, do you learn.”  With a little hop I leapt from the cloud, my wings remaining staunchly closed until gravity had done all the work it could.  Once I felt that I was going fast enough I snapped my wings open, the sudden change in direction sending a spike of adrenaline through my body.  Each beat of my wings felt more powerful than the last, and soon I was topping out for my natural speed.

The tiny handle clutched firmly in my hand seemed to weigh more than it had before as I rested my thumb on the button.  The faint pressure offered as I pressed the button belied the meaning and significance of the action.  In the first few moments after activating the system there was next to no change.  But, after a few heartbeats, things started moving a bit faster.  I felt lighter with each beat of my wings, and the world around me began to blur as I went faster and faster still.  I could still feel the air sliding around my body, but, somehow, the entire process seemed to be happening just over my skin.  As I approached the cloud on which my father stood I pressed myself harder still, determined to send the wing power meter into the hundreds.

I flashed past the cloud, and yet the exhilaration of the flight spurred me to greater heights and speeds.  With a quick change to my wings I rocketed nearly straight up, the faint tug of gravity acting as the only resistive force to my flight.  With a cry of unbridled joy I leveled off once again, now well over three miles above the ground, and more than twice as high as I had been before.  With even less air than before to resist my flight I sped up further still.

On a downstroke, though, something changed.  The tiny magical eddies that propelled the air around my wing seemed to be growing narrower, allowing me to go more than twice as fast as I had previously been able to go.  A sudden flash of pain lanced through my wings on the upstroke of that same sweep of my wings, and the spasm that flashed through my body prompted yet another spear of pain to be driven into my body.  The process cascaded over and over until finally my sight was lost in a blur of blackness.

The fall to the ground was notably uneventful, if only because I was unconscious for most of it.  My first return to awareness was as fleeting as warm water in a searing hot pan.  All I could see was the world far below as I lazily spun circles while plummeting.  My second return to awareness was filled with the sounds of distant shouting and the distant sound of frantically pumping wings.  My third, and final, flash of awareness came when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my body and the frantic pleading of a familiar voice in my ear.  I don’t know what was being said, but the tone of the voice indicated intense fear, panic, and sadness.

When I woke up for the next time I was in a hospital bed, several dozen different machines hooked up to nearly every bit of my body.  I didn’t feel at all unwell so I quickly took stock of what I could see within the room.  Most of it was standard hospital equipment and paraphernalia so I ignored most of that as I continued my search of the room.  When I finally spotted something worth noting it made me acutely aware of the fact that I wasn’t quite alone in the room.  Daedalus, my father, was sitting in the chair beside me, his normally pristine clothing disheveled and coated in more than a few rather large splotches of red.

As I sat up in bed I tried to speak to my father, in order to rouse him, but the only sound I could make was a coughing noise as my tortured throat rebelled against the sudden activity.  It seemed to have been enough, though, as his eyes opened and relief passed through his frame visibly.  With what seemed to be exaggerated slowness he stood and moved next to me, his eyes solidly locked to mine.  “Good...  Good to see you’re awake.”  I struggled to form another response, but my throat was still too angry at me to allow speech.  My father must have noticed because he quickly grabbed a glass of water from a table and handed it to me.  “Drink slowly.”

My first instinct was to do anything but drink slowly, but I did as he advised and the soothing water, despite being a bit warmer than I’d have liked, seemed like a balm for my throat.  I drank the whole thing over almost two minutes and when I finally finished my father had a small sad smile on his face.  “Before any doctor comes in I wanted to be the one to tell you what happened.”  I raised an eyebrow as my father grabbed the chair he had been in before and he moved it closer.  “First off, it’s been four days since the accident.  Everyone in the city has heard about it, including some people who are ecstatic to finally see me fail, even though they know how much it’s cost me.  Second...  You won’t be able to fly again.  Not under your own pow --”

“What?”

I reached a hand over my shoulder, but before I could raise my hand further than shoulder level I found my wrist in my father’s grasp.  “Icarus, the SFA...  It --”  Frantically, I pulled my hand from his grasp, unwilling to sit still and listen.  Both of my hands roamed along my back, the absence of any feathers acting as the first warning sign.

Featherless and numb...  Creator, PLEASE, featherless and numb...

Then, as my hands roamed further up my back I felt it.  A tiny wrinkle in my skin that I could feel the stitches in.  My dad averted his eyes as he choked back a half sob.  Two even ropy wounds ran along my back, held closed with more stitches than I could count.  The area was still numb from whatever anaesthetic they had used, but what little I could feel hurt more than I could say.  I felt tears run down my face but they were ignored as my hands continued to run up and down the two holes in my back that had once been where my wings merged with my body.

“The SFA.  It... Failed.  Catastrophically.  At the high altitude the system couldn’t cope with the thinner air.  It worked harder to compensate, and it ended up narrowing till your wings were caught in the magical eddies.”  He heaved a sigh as he began wringing his hands in his lap.  “The SFA literally ripped your wings to pieces.  Scabbard managed to save you from a hard landing, but by the time we got you here you were already cold to the touch.  Blood transfusions from myself, Scabbard, and a healthy amount of what they had in stock saved your life.”

“Why did they amputate my fucking wings?  I’ve seen plenty of gruesome wing injuries!  But they’ve never had to amputate!  Flying is...  Is...  Flying was.”  I fell silent, all of my fury vanishing, only to be replaced with sadness.  “I want to be alone.”

“Icarus...  Son...  It wasn’t salvageable.  They were torn apart.  No amount of magic could’ve repaired that level of damage.”

“Get out!  That damn machine of yours did this!”  My father only looked sadder, but my anger grew in response.  “Only when it’s someone else do you take all the precautions!  But for your son?  No!  No, instead you’ll go on pure mathematics!  When it really matters you fuck it all up!”  He didn’t say a word as he stood and walked from the room.  When he got to the door he looked back at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears.  He didn’t look back at me as he left, the sound of the door latching opening the floodgates.

Much after that was a blur of sadness and anger as I was given all manner of medications to help my body cope with the massive amount of blood in my system that wasn’t my own.  Over the course of my stay I learned the full severity of what had happened to my wings.  While knowing the truth was nice, it did nothing to soothe the emptiness I felt whenever I glimpsed another pegasus within the building.  I was only confined to my room for a day after I woke up, and after that it was just the room where I slept.  I was constantly watched, that much I knew.  Always just at the edge of my vision, or near the exit of the room, was one of three different unicorns.  They looked just like all the others, except for the fact that they were always watching me.

The fourth night after I woke up was probably the most memorable of all the nights.  I was in bed, as was the norm when I was in my room, and a nurse came in.  It was around three in the morning when she came in, and her surprise was apparent when she saw that I was awake.  She checked the IV that I was hooked up to each night and then she just took a seat next to me, watching me as I watched her.

She was the first to break the silence.  “Tell me about yourself.”  Silence followed her question before she finally started telling me some about who she was, and why she chose to be a nurse.  She told me so much, her voice never faltering, even when she told me about some of the harder parts of her past.  When she finally finished, she repeated her query.  I obliged her, telling her all about the things I had done with my friends, what I aspired to in life.  My dream to be the greatest inventor in all of Equestria.  My hope to finally crack the Starswirl Equation, despite not being a unicorn.  All of that and more, until, finally, I came to the help I gave my father in his inventions.

“Talk it out, Icarus.  It’s the only way to get over it.”  She gently took my hand in hers, offering companionship as I dealt with the emotional baggage that I had been gathering over the past few days, and even the weeks and months leading up to the test.  Finally, though, after nearly two hours of talking she stood up and gave me a quick hug.  “You’re stronger than you think, Icarus.  Just find someone you can talk to about all of this, and it’ll get better.”  She strode to the door before she looked back at me for a moment.  “Before I go...  Is there anything I can do to help more than just being there to talk?”

“You can find me a way to fly.”  Even with the help of her being there to talk I still wanted my wings back more than anything.  “Some way to be as free on the ground as I could be in the sky.”



	

It took a year.  A year, and now, finally, after all of it, the judge sits up there, a stack of papers in his hands.  “And in conclusion it is the feeling of the superior court of Manehattan that Icarus Apollo Phaethon be released from the contractual obligations of his employer, Daedalus Minos Phaethon, and sent to an unrevealed location for witness protection purposes.  As an added stipulation, the city of Manehattan feels that the services provided by Daedalus Minos Phaethon no longer outweigh the risk of his existence within city bounds.  As such, a petition was filed, and approved, with the Canterlot Scientific Researchers Board for an immediate relocation of the aforementioned inventor to an undisclosed research outpost.  Effective immediately.”  The judge looked down at me for a moment before he then looked at my father.  “On a strictly personal note, entirely off the record, this is probably the grossest abuse of my power as a judge I have ever seen.  The system was abused and molded to fit the agendas of certain corrupt officials within the various boards and coalitions of the Manehattan division of the Scientific Society.  The two of you have my sincerest of apologies.  However, they have the legal , if not moral, backing, and the ruling must be followed through with.”

Two royal guards stood by my sides as I was escorted through the room, and into a sparsely decorated antechamber.  Other than a few chairs and a single dead ficus tree there was nothing of note.  I swiftly moved to one of the chairs, planting myself in it before burying my head in my hands.  The two guards stood impassively at the door, their gazes never flickering from the wall immediately opposite them.  After nearly an hour of silence I finally tried talking to them, but, in line with their reputation, they ignored me completely.

Just as I was about to get desperate for interaction with someone the door opened and a rather attractive looking unicorn came into the room.  A young looking male was right behind her, a notepad in one hand, and a quill in the other.  “I don’t care if you have to juggle an appointment with the mayor and my hair appointment.  Make.  It.  Work.”

“Right, yeah, I’ll have to shift...”  His voice trailed off as he continued to write.  The unicorn looked at me for several long minutes before she levitated the chair over to her so that she could sit.  She quickly crossed her legs before she stared at me.

Unwilling to be the object of her scrutiny I did what anyone would do.  “Who the fuck are you?”

If she was taken aback by my tone it failed to show in even the smallest flicker of her face.  Instead, she just waited a moment before offering a small smile.  “The one unicorn responsible for giving you the best chance of having something go your way in this whole fiasco comes into the room, and your first thought is aggression.  I like that.  Totally goes against the information I have on you, but I suppose even my investigators aren’t flawless.”

“How should I know who you are?”  I crossed my arms as I leaned back in my seat, my gaze never leaving hers.

“Well, you wouldn’t.  But I’m here to tell you that I am here to help you, not hurt you.  These Manehattan lawyers are good at what they do, but when faced with a hardass like myself, born and raised amongst the nobles of Canterlot?  Well, they just don’t seem to measure up.  Now, my name is Dawn Sparkle, and I’m here to make sure you get the fairest possible treatment from here on out.”

“Dawn Sparkle?  You...  I know you, but I don’t know why.”  Her name had sent up some signals in my mind, but I couldn’t tell why her name was so familiar.  “Something about your son and Princess Celestia?”

“My daughter, Twilight Sparkle, was taken in as the personal student of Princess Celestia, yes.  My, how news travels.”  She sighed before she motioned for her attendant to come over.  “But we’re not here for a chat about my familial standing.  We’re here about you, and your predicament.  Now, in that regard, they are fully within the law to request a new place for you to stay.  It’s an absurdly old and outdated law, nearly four hundred years old, but it’s still a law.  As such, you now must be presented with new living arrangements, at the expense of the government, in the city or town of your choosing.”

“Manehattan, then.”

Dawn grinned at my answer, and how quickly I made it after she paused.  “In the city or town of your choosing that is at least one full day away when traveling by carriage.”  She grabbed the pad from her attendant, quickly flipping to a page covered in writing.  “Now, since the law is four hundred years old we’ll be using their standards to determine the distance.”  She showed me a list of equations, none of which were even a bit complex, before she continued.  “I’ve made a list of the best possible places for you to live, and now the choice is yours.”  She tossed me the pad before she leaned back in her seat.  “Ponyville, Baltimare, Canterlot, if you like stuffy asshole nobles, and Clopton all fall within the range, and would be able to house you immediately.  Personally, I’d stay away from Canterlot, since you don’t seem to be quite the type for the noble posh folk.”

“Ponyville.  Sounds familiar...”

“Situated just next to the Everfree Forest, and it’s one of the closest towns to Canterlot, excluding the settlements around the base of the mountain.  Also one of the sites of the last battles of the Secession War more than a thousand years ago.”

“What’s it like?”

She snorted as she shook her head.  “No idea.  I’ve never been there.  I’ve been told that it’s a pleasant little town.  Best apples around, too.  The Apple Family has one of their biggest orchards right next to the town.  It’s also the only supplier of the famed Zap Apple.”  She shrugged.  “Probably less than ideal for you, since you grew up in a big --”

“There.”  I tossed the pad back at Dawn, her eyes widening just a bit before her horn glowed and the pad floated over to her.  “I’ll live there.  I don’t want big city, I want small and out of the way.  Within a few days of my accident the entire city knew.  I’d rather avoid going anywhere that people might know me.”

“You’re sure?  Changing residence after this will be a bit difficult for several years.”

“Just do it, and be done with it.  I’m already changing my entire life because of my wings, I don’t want to go somewhere where everyone and their uncle will remind me of that fact.”

Dawn just smiled and nodded as she stood.  She strode over to the door before she paused for a moment.  “From one person to another, not from lawyer to client?”  I looked over at her.  “I really am sorry for what’s happened.  I hope that you can find peace with your new life.”



	

The gentle sounds of the train had long since lulled me into a state of quasi-consciousness.  I kept count of the stops, but more than that was a blur to me as my mind functioned at only a minimal level.  With just a single stop before Ponyville I forced myself into a more active state as I began to force myself to go through a list of the first twenty prime numbers.

Once I was fully roused from my state of inactivity I reached under the bench I was on and grabbed the bag I had taken with me.  All of my other belongings had already been shipped ahead of me, and placed within the house that was to be mine.  I was a bit worried about what it would be like, since Dawn, whom I had become close to, hadn’t been the most informative about where I’d be residing, save for the fact that it would be, in her words, ideal.  I had my reservations, but I figured that as long as it didn’t leak, didn’t creak, and had a good electric system I’d be happy.

The sun had yet to rise on this bleary May morning, and I was just a bit resentful about that.  The train ride from Manehattan to Canterlot had been last night, and the wait for the train I was aboard had been, instead of the promised ten minutes, more than four hours.  Still, it wasn’t all bad.  I got free tickets for the trains, and all of my stuff moved for free as well.  Not that there was really all that much to take care of.  I’ll be the first to admit that ninety percent of my belongings are books.  And of those books about half are technical manuals for various pieces of modern, and pre-modern, technology.

I couldn’t keep still on the train as we entered the small valley in which Ponyville sat.  With a sigh I stood, slinging my bag over my shoulder and taking to the halls of the train.  Due to the nighttime nature of the trip most of the cars were sleeper cars, rather than the usual passenger style train cars that were preferred.  As I moved from car to car I saw not a single other passenger, a thought which was just a slight bit unnerving.  When I finally reached the last car of the train I took a seat on one of the benches, relaxing for a few minutes.

A gentle sound caught my attention as I reclined on the bench, and I sat bolt upright as I saw an elderly woman approaching me.  The wide smile on her face, as well as her uniform and trolley, made it clear that she was a member of the staff for this train.  “Good morning, dear.  The next stop is the last, in case you forgot.”  She clicked the small locking mechanism on the cart into place and then she began fiddling with some of the snacks arrayed on top of it.

“I didn’t forget.  That’s actually where I’ll be getting off.”

“I’d hope so.  It’d be a shame if you decided to live on the train.  We’d have to start charging you quite a bit in rent.”  I chuckled weakly at her joke, and her smile seemed to shrink some.  “Dear, I’ve seen my fair share of heartbreak on trains.  Who was she?”

“Oh, no.  Sorry, it’s not a girl.  Or even a group of them.  I’ve never had a girl, let alone thoughts of my own herd.”

The kindly woman glanced at the seat opposite mine for a moment, and I nodded.  She looked back down the train car for a second, and then she took a seat.  “The conductors don’t like it when I sit on the job, but I say bollocks to them.  Dear, if it’s not a girl, is it a g--”

“No!”  My eyes widened.  “No, sorry.  I don’t really swing that way.  Don’t have a problem with anyone who does, but I don’t.  The problem is that I...”  I hesitated as I realized the absurdity of what I was doing.  I had no idea who this woman was, or even if I wanted to talk about what happened.  “I don’t really want to talk about it.  Suffice to say that things haven’t been going all that well for me.”

The woman laid a hand on my knee, and I looked back up at her.  “Make the best of whatever situation you find yourself in, dear.  Don’t let life keep you from living.”  She held my gaze for several long moments before she started cackling madly.  “Oh, by Celestia’s beard, this is rich.  Here I am giving advice to some young’n when I can’t even follow my own advice.”  Her laughter died off before she gave her head a gentle shake.  “Dear, find a nice girl, or a few, and enjoy yourself.  Find someone you can talk to, since dealing with your feelings alone is so much harder.”

The train rocked gently as it came into the station.  The old woman looked about for a moment before she heaved a small sigh.  “You ever get the feeling that somehow you do the same thing over and over, and yet nothing ever really changes?”

“I’ve heard that’s called insanity.”

“I suppose.”  She glanced upwards for a moment before she let out the tiniest of sighs.  “At least he lets me talk to different people.  Always ones with problems, though.”  Without another word the woman stood up, and released the locks on her trolley.  She cast a last glance over her shoulder before she reached the door to the next car, a small smile flashing over her features as she opened up the door and stepped through.  I just stared after her for a moment before I rose from the bench, my bag finding a home over my shoulder once again.

The door to the train car yielded to me as I opened it, and I stepped out into the brisk air of Ponyville’s compact little train station.  As I looked around I felt a tiny chill run down my spine as the intense quietness of the town hit me.  Back home, there had never been silence.  Short of a massive blizzard the city never really slept.  Day and night seemed to merge together into a constant stream of commerce that ebbed and flowed with the tides of day and night.  I adjusted the bag on my shoulder once more as I started walking down the platform towards the building that sat on the platform.

“Icarus!”  My name seemed to echo in the early morning as I entered the squat structure.  It only took me a moment to locate the source of the sound as a unicorn strode up to me, her usual smile gone and replaced with a look of annoyance.  “Where in Tartarus have you been?  You were supposed to have gotten here four hours ago!”

“Blame the trains.  Apparently my scheduled train departed ten minutes before I even got to the station in Canterlot.  I still don’t see why we couldn’t have done a direct line.”

“Stipulations of the law.  I tried to argue around them, but...  Well, there’s only so much I can do in the face of stupidity.”  She took a few deep breaths.  “Nothing we can do about that now, though.  During your unscheduled absence I took the liberty of more fully preparing your home for your arrival, as well as making a list of the things you’ll need to purchase to finish furnishing your new home.”

“Has the library been stocked with my books?”

“No.  As per your only request, the library has just had all the book boxes stacked in the center.”  I smiled as Dawn and I began the walk to my new residence.  She seemed to know exactly where she was going, since she never once faltered at any of the many intersections we came across.  “So, new home, new town.  What are you going to do with yourself, if you don’t mind my asking?”

I offered a shrug that she couldn’t see.  “I don’t really know.  I haven’t really given it all that much thought.”  Dawn stopped abruptly before a house, and I nearly walked into her as she gave me a smile.  “This is it?”

“Yes.  Took a good bit of work to get all the paperwork done, but this is your home, now.”

I glanced at Dawn for a moment before I frowned.  I bid her to follow, and she reciprocated my frown, clearly unsure where I was going, and what I was doing.  “It’s not a home yet, Dawn.”  As we neared the door the handle flashed with Dawn’s magic, and I opened it as soon as the shimmering light vanished.  The main room was a living room that was as bare as the trees in the midst of summer.  As I proceeded to explore the house I felt myself coming to both love and hate so much about the building.  When I finally reached the library, though, I smiled to myself.  “It’s not a home for me until this room is done.”

A gentle prod at my hand bid me to turn around, and I smiled when Dawn handed me a small roll of parchment.  “Thought you might like the deed.  And, as a small bonus, a full permit for construction.  It’s your canvas, Icarus.  Do what you like.  And, of course, fifteen percent of the bill, up to four thousand bits, will be covered by the government, as per the law.  After that it’s on you to pay full price.”

“Considering I need just parts, no labor, that’ll work just fine.”  I felt a yawn scrabbling for release, and I didn’t even bother trying to keep it down.  “But, now, I am going to sleep some.”  I walked from the library, back to the living room, and Dawn followed.  “Thank you for what you’ve done for me, Dawn.”  I held the deed in my hand as I opened the door for her.  “Feel free to come and visit if you’re ever in the area.”

“If what my daughter’s teacher tells me is true I’ll probably be back sooner than I’d like.”  As she stepped out she flashed a quick smile over her shoulder.  “And, just so you know, the Summer Sun Celebration this year will be a doozy.  Really, quite impressive.”



	

After the return of Princess Luna the small town of Ponyville became a short lived hot spot for activity.  It was during that time period that I finished my renovations, as well as my first job within the town.  It turns out that the various townsfolk weren’t oblivious to my efforts and workmanship within my home, despite the fact that there was very little outside evidence of what I’d done.  Still, bits were bits, and I wasn’t going to turn away business.

It was during those following weeks that I finally got myself settled into a pleasant, if not slightly isolationist, way of life.  I’d rarely venture forth from my home, and when I did it was solely for work, or shopping.  Just about a month after the return, a Monday, I think, I finally got my first contact with the newfound local celebrities.

I walked through the market much like I always did, my half full bag of produce weighing down on my shoulder.  A loud voice seemed to call out my name as I traversed the marketplace and after a few minutes I noted the source of the voice was none other than the Element of Honesty herself.  After a moment of indecision I approached her, unsure of why she had taken note of me.  A few customers got there before I could, so I simply waited for them to finish before I addressed the farmer.  “Good morning, Applejack.  You were calling me, right?”

She nodded before smiling.  “Yeah, I was.  I’ve heard that you’re pretty good with tools and the like.”  She motioned for me to come to the side of her cart while she spoke.  “This way I can chat with you and do business at the same time.”  A few customers came and went before she continued.  “Anyway, I’ve got a bit of a problem back on the farm, and I was hoping that you could help me out.  For a fee, of course, as well as any parts and tools you might need.”

I shrugged before putting my bag down beside my feet.  “Depends on what needs doing.  Are we talking farm equipment, or building repair?”

“A few things, really.  Normally Mac can take care of the problems we see on the farm, but these he just can’t quite seem to tackle.”  She grabbed an apple from the stand before tossing it to me.  “Consider it an incentive.  As well as a payment for your time.”  Several more customers came and went before she was able to speak with me again.  “Some plumbing, a damaged tractor, and a bit of repair on the barn roof.  Nothing serious, just some stuff that Mac can’t really do on his own.”

I finished the apple as Applejack tended to another customer.  When she finished she looked over at me once again, a smile on her face.  “I suppose I can see about fixing up that stuff for you.  I won’t give an estimate until I see what I’ll be doing, though.”

“That’s all I’m asking.  If you could come this afternoon, around two, I’d be grateful.”

“Sure, that’ll work.”  I bent down and grabbed my bag, casually throwing it over my shoulder.  “I’ll come to the farm at two.”  I threw her a casual wave as I walked off, my shopping still a pressing concern in my mind.  The rest of the morning was spent shopping and then taking care of the few small jobs I had already lined up for today.  As two rolled around I started making my way towards the Apple Family Farm.  I’d heard all kinds of good things about the farm, but I’d yet to visit the apparently idyllic estate.  The road that led towards the farm was in good condition, and I just enjoyed the pleasant day as I walked along.

As I entered the estate I was simply amazed at the vast expanses of land that were all occupied by the farmers’ crops.  It wasn’t exclusively apples, as I had heard back in Manehattan, but it was actually a decent mix of different crops.  True, it was mostly apples, but there was still some corn, and other staple crops growing on the farm.  My lazy pace down the road gave me plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, and it was a nice change of pace from the doldrums of my home and the town.

As I reached the end of the road I entered the clearing in which the farm house, barn, and sheds resided.  Applejack, and an impressively large man stood on the porch, the two of them both looking at me.  Applejack raised a hand in greeting as I came into sight, and she walked down from the porch, quickly closing the gap between her and I.  Once she was close enough to communicate without shouting she began speaking.  “Afternoon, Icarus.  Did you finish up your shopping?”

“Yeah, and a few smaller jobs as well.  I brought along some of my own tools, in case I need them.  Now, what’s on the agenda, and is there an order?”

Applejack fell into place beside me as we continued towards her home.  “The tractor in the barn needs some work, since it just refuses to start up.  That’ll probably be the longest one to take care of, so I suppose we’ll keep that one till last.  Mac fixed up the roof already, seems I was wrong about the damage, and he was able to fix that up.  Last thing I know of is a small problem with the cider press down in the basement of the barn.”  We went up onto the porch and I gave a quick nod to the mountain of a man that could only be Big Mac.  He returned my nod before looking at his sister.  “I don’t know if you’ve met Big Mac yet.”

“No, but I’ve heard quite a bit about him.”  I held out a hand.  “Good to meet you, I guess.”  He shook my hand in his, the pressure in his grip firm, but controlled.  After a moment he released my hand, and then turned his attention back to the horizon.  “I think we should start, as you suggested, with the cider press.  Automotive technology is, despite what many think, an entirely non-magical business.  And that means that it’s far more difficult to fix, let alone find the exact problem.”

“Alright, then.  I’ll show you to the press, and then we’ll go from there.”


------Four Hours Later------


“...  And from there it was just a matter of putting the whole thing back together.”

Applejack shook her head in amazement as she looked at me.  “You mean you took the whole thing apart to fix the problem?”

I gave the tractor a pat on the side, my smile widening.  “Yep.  Sometimes you need to tear things apart to figure out why there’s a problem.  That’s what I did here.”  I looked down at my ruined shirt.  “I just wish I had drained the oil before I had started.”

Applejack couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she threw an arm over my shoulder, leading me out of the barn and into the open area in front of her home.  “It’s fine, Icarus.  We can replace the oil, no problem.  Now, how much do I owe you?”

I waved my hand in the air, exhaling sharply.  “Call it eighty-five bits and we’ll be even.”  She opened her mouth to object, but I cut her off.  “That’s low, for all I did.  Before you object to it, or anything.”

“I know that’s low!  I was expecting more than two hundred for all you did!”

I glanced at the tractor again for a moment.  “Not everyday I get to work on a classic like this.  All original, hand crafted parts.  A piece of machinery like this deserves the love and care.  Frankly, if I didn’t need to eat, I’d have done a repair like this for free.”  She grumbled for a moment about how she should be paying me more, but I just laughed it off.  “Really, it’s a privilege.  Anyway, I need to get back home, so I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Whoa, hold on there, Icarus.  First off, I still need to pay you, in case you forgot.  And I also need to head into town for a get together with some friends, so I figure I can walk into town with you.  Keep you company, and have someone to shoot the breeze with.”

“Oh.”  I blushed as I broke away from Applejack.  “Yeah, the bits would be good.  I still insist that you don’t have to pay me for the work on the engine.”  She only glared for a moment before she ran into the house.  I idly kicked at a rock as I waited, my mind flitting about as I thought back to that magnificent beast of an engine.

Hard to think, sometimes, that my father contributed to the creation of that whole piece of machinery.  And how fast it spread...

I felt my smile vanish as I thought about my father, and when I saw Applejack returning I had to force a smile to my face.  “Well, Icarus, here’s your money.  As well as a little extra from Granny Smith as a thank you.”  I looked at the bag in her hand for a moment before shrugging, and taking it from her.  She furrowed her brow at my sudden acceptance, but she said nothing about it.  “Well, you’ve got to get home, and I’ve got some friends to see, so how about we get going?”

About five minutes later and we were on the main road heading towards the town in the distance.  The sun was nearing the horizon, and so the sky had been cast into a wonderful array of colors.  I was nearly able to forget about the company I was in, but it seemed that every time I looked over at her she was unashamedly staring at me.  “You’re acting different.  Since I went for the bits back home, you’ve been acting off.  And I’d like to know why.”

“It’s not really anything you need to worry about.  Just a city boy dealing with city boy problems.”

“Bullshit.  Icarus, I may not know you very well, but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that I know when someone’s lying to me.  So, with that being the case, why don’t you just spill it?”

“Maybe it has to do with the fact that I just don’t want to talk about it.”  I winced at my own tone of voice.  “Sorry.  Sore subject.  It’s, ah...  Not really something I’m comfortable with.”

She just nodded as she lapsed into a silence of her own.  The two of us continued in that way until, at long last, we reached my home.  She looked at it with a faint smile on her face before she followed me to the door.  “You’ve done quite a bit here, Icarus.  I’m impressed.”

“Yeah, not really.  The outside’s not where the impressiveness is most apparent.”  I opened my door, confused for just a moment as to why it was unlocked when I was bombarded with the voices of a dozen different occupants of my home.  For several long moments I just stared in awe at the impressive display before me.  The main library, which acted as the entrance hall, was filled with all manner of balloons, streamers, banners, and confections.  The large open space, which stretched the entire expanse of the three stories, was filled with a massive balloon sculpture of a rainbow.

“Welcome to Ponyville, Icarus.”  I turned to look at Applejack, her wide smile telling me plainly that she knew.  “Took us some time to find a way to get you out of the house for a while, but we pulled it off.”

Before I could manage a reply I found myself tackled and looking up at the pink haired girl I knew to be called Pinkie Pie.  Her smile was even larger than Applejack’s, and her eyes sparkled with merriment.  “Were you surprised, Icarus?  I bet you were, since you couldn’t have seen this coming from a mile away!  I mean, it took me weeks to figure out when I could throw you your ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-Party” since I throw one for every new person who comes to town!  I would’ve done it earlier but, sometimes, I totally forget when something really big happens, like when Twilight came and Nightmare Moon came back but she was really Princess Luna.  Hey, why am I floating...  Oh, hi Twilight!  I was just telling Icarus about how--”

Twilight put a hand squarely on Pinkie’s mouth, her horn glowing as she levitated the energetic female.  “Sorry, Icarus.  She tends to get a bit... Excited when she’s at parties.”

I sat up, checking my person for any injuries.  “I noticed.  She’s not always like that, right?  I mean, I’ve heard some things about her...”

“No.”  She giggled for a moment.  “No, only when she’s gotten into the Cakes’ sugar supply, there’s something big happening in town, or there’s a party.”  She paused for a moment, lost in thought.  “All of which seem to occur quite often when Pinkie’s involved.”  Twilight held out a hand to me, and I quickly took it, getting to my feet quickly.  “Now, Pinkie, there’s no need to get that excited.  Clearly he’s not quite as new to town so you don’t need to get super enthusiastic.”  She slowly lowered her friend to the ground, still keeping her hand solidly in place.  “But she has a point, Icarus.  Despite being new to the town, much like me, you don’t seem to be getting out much to socialize.  And I’ll be the first to tell you about the --”

“Magic of Friendship, I know.”  I flashed a small smile.  “Trust me, I’m just fine on my own.  I do my job, do some drafting at home, maybe some inventing, and I’m a happy guy.”

The unicorn just frowned as she let her hand fall from Pinkie’s mouth.  “I thought the same thing, and look at me now.”  Rainbow Dash, along with the other missing Elements, approached us with big smiles on their faces, save for Fluttershy who was busy hiding behind Rainbow Dash.  Before Dash could say a word Twilight continued.  “You need to get out some more, Icarus.  I’ve been here shorter than you have and I already have the six best friends I could ask for.”

“Damn right, Twi!  Who could ask for a better friend than me?”

Twilight turned to look at Dash for a moment before looking back at me.  “Yeah, Dash, that’s just what I was thinking.  But, joking aside, Icarus, you really should try and get out some more.  Maybe my friends and I could help you out with that?”

I looked between the assorted females for a moment, my mind torn on the issue.  Finally, I relented.  “Yeah, I suppose.  Mind introducing me?  Formally, I mean.  I already know who you are, but...”

“I understand, Icarus.  Maybe once the party winds down some we can talk, just the seven--”  She stopped when Spike approached, a smile on his face.  “Just the eight of us.”


------Two Hours Later------




The last of the balloons drifted slowly to the floor, my feeble swat having given it a pitiful amount of momentum.  I looked around for a moment before I exited the library, entering the living room where my other guests were enjoying themselves.  It had been my decision to end the party a bit earlier than Pinkie would’ve liked, but since it was my house she relented.  When I walked into the room I was pleased to hear them chatting amicably amongst themselves.  The conversation died when I entered the room, but I did see that coming.  Without pausing I moved over to the leather chair that I preferred to sit in when I was alone in the room, and the girls, and Spike, watched me with anticipation.

“So, now it’s just you and me.  I suppose I should start, since I’m the newcomer.  Sort of.”  I paused for a moment.  “Since I can’t think of any really eloquent way to do this...  My name is Icarus Phaethon.  I was born in Manehattan twenty-XXX years ago.  I draw, work with my hands, and I have massive fascination with the written word.”  I paused for a moment as I collected my thoughts.  “There’s...  Well, there’s not really that much more to me, to be fair.”

They took turns introducing themselves to me, although I was already quite familiar with all of them.  Twilight was the last one to introduce herself, and she stared at me for a moment before she took in a quick gasp of air.  “Wait, Icarus Phaethon?”  She looked at me for a moment before her eyes widened.  “The son of--”

“No.  I’ve heard it before, and that always irks me.  Granted, not many people even know who he is, but no.  There’s no relation between him and I.”  I felt horrible lying to her, all of them, but I knew that it would be easier than trying to explain everything.  The simple thought of doing so dredged up some memories, and for a moment I had to fight to keep my composure.  “He’s a great guy, but there’s no relation.”

Twilight just stared at me, along with the others, before Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence.  “Well, if that’s all we’re going to do tonight, I’m gonna get on outta here.  I’ve got weather to plan, and I’m kinda behind on my planning.”

“I’ve got to go too.”  Fluttershy stood up after Dash did, slowly walking to the door.  “I really enjoyed it, Icarus, but I have to go and help take care of my animal friends.  I’m helping Angel to do better on his own, but he’s not always so cooperative.”

“Glad you could make it, Fluttershy.  Maybe sometime I’ll come out and see your cottage.”  She just nodded before she followed Dash out the door.  “Anyone else leaving now?”  Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity all stood at that, offering their thanks for the party, and wishing both me, and each other good nights.  Once all of them had left I turned to look at my two remaining guests.  “So, Miss Sparkle, Spike, it seems it’s just us now.”

“Actually, dude, I’m gonna go too.  I’ve been helping Pinkie with this whole party for the past couple of days, and I’m dead tired.  Twi, I’ll see you back at the library.  Icarus, nice place.  I’ll see you ‘round.”  The dragon let out a yawn as he started for the door, his shoulders slumped.

I heard my front door close, and I looked back at Twilight, a bit of surprise registering at her intense gaze.  “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Um...  Oh, I know.  You’re the protege of Princess Celestia.  See, I can point out the obvious too.”

“My mother told me about you, Icarus.  I don’t know the whole truth, but I know more than you might think I do.”

“Oh?  Please, then, in that case, enlighten me.  I want to know how much you know.”

She visibly brightened at the chance to display her knowledge, and so she jumped right in.  “Well, for one thing, you are the son of Daedalus Phaethon.  You lost your wings, but I don’t know--”

“Stop.  Just...  No.  Your mother clearly told you more than she should have, and I don’t want to have to deal with this right now.  Maybe some other time, but not now.”

“I just want to help.”

“You, and a hospital full of doctors that didn’t really care.”  I stared at her for several long moments before I finally looked away from her.  “I think you should go, Miss Sparkle.  Before I say something even stupider than I have already.”  Not a word was spoken between us as she stood, and walked from the room.  She paused for a moment at my side, but she let the opportunity go by without a single action.



	

A few months passed after that party, and I grew even less sociable than I was before it.  Much of my free time was spent locked away in my study, and I spent only short bursts of time hanging out with one of the handful of friends that I had made throughout the town.  The Elements had all demanded quite a bit of time from me, often asking for me to help them out with some small task or errand, and I was often willing to help, if only to maintain relationships with them.  Of all of them, though, Pinkie and Dash both seemed to ask for more of my time than the others.

The day started like any other, and I was determined to spend as much of it writing as I possibly could.  Sadly, somebody, or something, was determined to see me fail in my attempts.  I sighed explosively as I pushed myself away from my desk, the sketchpad still as blank as when I had sat down before it more than an hour ago.  “Maybe something to eat...  Pinkie’s usually got some good stuff.”  I checked my clothing to make sure that what I didn’t want seen was safely tucked away as I grabbed my keys before heading out into the pleasant warmth of the afternoon sun.  The streets of the town were filled with all the usual townsfolk, and all of them seemed to have a smile on their face.  Not really a hugely surprising observation, though, given the beautiful weather.  Many of the townsfolk took the rainy days that happened as a form of imprisonment within their houses, and afterwards they were eager to escape into the town.

I was not such a person, but I could understand where they were coming from.  I greeted whomever approached me, but I never really went out of my way to talk with any of the passing locals.  The marketplace was the usual bustling affair of people shouting out over the crowd trying to sell their wares.  Of all the shopkeepers trying to gain my attention, only one succeeded.  And that one wasn’t even a shopkeeper, but actually just a girl with a cart of apples.  I gave her a casual wave as I passed by, and she waved me over, a small frown on her face.

“Hey, Applejack.  What’s with the look?”

“It’s Pinkie, Icarus.  I went by the Corner on my way here, and the place is absolutely mobbed.”  I nodded, not fully understanding where this was leading.  “She’s babysitting the twins today.”

“Oh.  So I take it her hands are full?”

“Sugarcube, you’ve got no idea.  Honestly, I don’t know how she’s doing it.  She’s not gonna ask for help, but I do think that she could use it.”

“Maybe.  Well, that’s where I’m headed, so I’ll see if I can do anything to help.”  I grabbed one of the apples off her cart after that, tossing her a bit as I continued on my way to the store that was my destination.  When I did reach my destination I saw that Applejack wasn’t kidding when she said that it was mobbed.  The line stretched out the door, and the inside of the shop was probably well over its maximum limit for people.  Seeing that it was probably hopeless to go in that way, I went around back, grabbing the spare key that Pinkie kept stashed under the broken flower pot.  A key she had told me about after I had helped her to close the Corner once.

The kitchen of the small shop was a buzz of activity as Pinkie rushed about the kitchen, ingredients soaring through the air as Pinkie worked her unique brand of magic upon the situation.  There was no smile on her face, though, as she darted about.  When she spotted me, though, she let a smile come across her face as she threw herself at me, her arms wrapping about me.  “Icarus!”

I had no real way to react to the situation I’d been forced into, so I simply waited for her to finish the hug before responding.  “Applejack told me that it was busy here.  She didn’t say that half the town was here.”

“Oh, well, you know...  After the rain we usually get a big surge in business.  I just wish that the Cakes were here, since it’s getting a bit much.  Still, I told them I’d keep things in line, and that’s what I’m doing.”  The repetitive ringing sound of the bell from the main room sounded out, and several loud voices called out, demanding attention.  “It’d be great if the crowd was a bit nicer about it, though.”  Forcing a smile to her face, Pinkie bounced out front, eager to continue taking orders.  The Cake twins, though, were anything but happy, as if to compliment the forced smile on Pinkie’s face.

I walked over to them, a frown on my face.  I held out a finger towards Pound, the tiny infant fingers wrapping around my own in a grip that was surprisingly strong.  It seemed that the small attention was enough to bring a smile to their faces, and soon I had one in each arm as I gently bounced them.  Just as I set them back in their crib Pinkie stumbled into the back, her smile vanishing in a moment as she rushed over to me and the babies.  “Are they crying again?  I’m running out of flour, and what I do have I need for baking...”

The bell outside rang once again, and Pinkie turned between the babies and the shop door over and over.  Her eyes began to water slightly, and I put my hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look straight at me.  “Pinkie, calm down.  I’m going to help you.  And we’re going to get this done.  And we’re going to do it right.”  Her eyes still shimmered with unshed tears, but the frown seemed diminished.  “You go and watch the front, I’ll do what I can back here.  Just send the orders back, and I’ll do the rest.”

“What about the twins?”  Her gaze finally settled on them, her frown returning as the bell sounded once again.  “I can’t just leave them back here without anyone to make sure they’re okay.”

“Well... you’re the better baker, so I’ll handle the front of the shop, you take care of the rear.”  I paused for a moment.  “Before you laugh, no, that wasn’t a pun.”  She threw her arms around me for a moment, and then she turned back to look over the controlled chaos that was her kitchen.  “If things get backed up, give me a shout.  I’ll come help out when I can.”


------Nine Hours Later------


I tossed the rag in my hand into the sink as I finished cleaning the counter.  The twins were both asleep up in their room while Pinkie and I finished up with the last of the cleaning in the kitchen.  I had arrived just after two in the afternoon, and I was only just finishing with the cleaning at just before eleven.  The shop had closed at nine, like always, but there had never been a chance to do much cleaning throughout the day, and so things had taken quite a bit of time to clean.  As I turned to observe my fantastic job in the kitchen I heard the sound of the bell once again, and I had to suppress a feeling of anger.

I stormed out front, my voice coming out more irritated than I should have allowed it to be.  “Look, we’re closed, you stup -- Oh.”  Pinkie was smiling at me as she held the small bell in her hands.  “By the Creator, Pinkie, I thought there was another customer.”

“Nope, just me.”  She looked over the shop as she admired it’s pristine state.  “I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me today.”  I waved a hand in the air, trying to dismiss the action, but she persisted.  “Really, Icarus...  Thank you.”  She leaned over the counter and planted a quick kiss on my cheek.  Unable to think of any kind of response, I did what came naturally.  My cheeks flushed a violent shade of crimson, and my mind refused to put any two words together in a sensible fashion.  As I stood there, waiting for the mental reboot that would never fully arrive, Pinkie bounded over to the tip jar that was overflowing.  Within a matter of moments she had it counted, and changed into larger bills.  Once that was done she opened up the register, and pulled out a single hundred bit note, and held it out, along with almost two hundred bits in tips.  “This is for you, as a thank you from me.”

“I...  That’s a lot of money.”

“And you earned, Icarus.  You didn’t need to offer to help, but you did anyway.”

“Any of your friends --”

“Our friends, Icarus.  And I know they would’ve, but it was you, instead.”  She hopped up onto the counter, her eyes sparkling with mirth.  “It was you who came to my rescue.”

I rolled my eyes as my brain finally managed to return to a state of almost proper functioning.  “I don’t think I rescued you.  I just helped you out some.  Now, I’m going to head home.  I’m really freaking tired, and even hungrier than when I came in today.”  I offered a casual wave as I stepped out front door, the bits intentionally left on the counter.  It wasn’t that I didn’t need them.  It was more a matter of principle, really.

A few months later, just after the new year started, I was approached by Dash as I was making my way through town, trying to make it back home before the snowstorm got underway.  I had just finished up with a fairly lengthy job taking care of a sagging roof, a job which ended up paying enough to last me most of the rest of the month without lifting a finger.  Rainbow Dash had spent some of the past few weeks in Cloudsdale, gathering up a team to arrange for the very snowstorm I was trying to escape.

She seemed a bit frazzled when she approached me, and soon she had my hand firmly clutched in hers, my steps following hers as she led me through town.  Within a few minutes she and I were beneath her cloud home, and she glared up at it.  “I kinda made a mistake when I planned the storm.  My house won’t be habitable for the duration, so I need someplace to stay.  I saw you first, so I figured I’d crash at your place.”  She looked at me for a moment, and then, when I looked over at her, she reverted her gaze back to her home.  “I mean, we hang out often, right?  That’s not a problem, is it?”

“No.  But isn’t Pinkie, or Twilight, or, dare I mention it, Rarity, closer to here than my place?”

“Yeah, but Pinkie’s a bit too hyper.  She hasn’t been out that much over the past week, and we both know what that means.  Twi’d try and get me to read a dozen books before the storm ended, and Rarity would try to give me a makeover.  And we both know how that’s going to end.”

“Blood and tears?”

Dash let out a small chuckle before she handed me a small necklace.  “Here, wear that.  I had Twi make it so non-pegasi could walk around my place without worrying.”  Without waiting long, she grasped my hand, quickly pulling me up to her home.  The brief flight sent butterflies to my stomach, and for just a moment I felt like I was free once again.  But before the sensation could really take hold I felt the familiar yielding texture of cloud beneath my shoes.  I slipped the necklace into my pocket without a thought, following Dash into her home.

By the time I made it inside, just a few seconds after Dash, she had already made it upstairs.  Her voice echoed down the stairs as I began looking around her home.  “I’m just gonna go and grab some of the essentials.  Feel free to make yourself at home.”  I didn’t shout back up at her as I started looking at some of the books on her few sparsely populated bookshelves.  Most of the tomes were Daring Doo novels, but there were also quite a few different books on weather patterns and acceptable practices for dealing with errant, and unpredicted, weather formations.  Some of them were painfully outdated, but I managed to hold my tongue.

Less than five minutes later, and Dash bounded down the stairs, a large bag slung over each shoulder.  “You mind taking one of these?  I could fly with both of them, but I don’t want to risk anything getting in the way of my wings while I take us down to the ground.”  I just nodded, and then moved closer to her, holding out a hand.  She handed me one of her bags, and soon we were outside her home once again, ready to make the trip to my place.  I cast a quick look at the encroaching storm clouds, frowning at their intensity.  “Yeah, I may have made a small mistake with them.  They’re probably gonna last at least two days.  Maybe three.”

“Then we’d best hurry up.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not get caught in the air when that thing hits.”  Rainbow Dash hesitated for just a moment before she grabbed my hand, throwing both of us off the cloud on which we stood.  Our trip down to the ground took us about halfway to my abode, and the walk from where we landed to my home took only a short while, but it was still enough time for the snowstorm to get started.  Even with my coat I could feel the chill in the wind, and I was quick to unlock, and open, the door to my house.  Dash rushed past me to get inside, and by the time I managed to strip out of my heavier traveling clothes I turned to see Dash’s stuff piled up in the middle of the library floor.

I only sighed as I began taking care of it, quickly hanging up her jacket.  I heard her rummaging about in my kitchen, and I walked in to find her looking through my refrigerator.  “Dude, Icarus, you’ve got a kitchen that I’d kill to have.  I mean, I don’t do that much cooking, but, seriously, this is pretty damn impressive.”

I shook my head as I walked up to her, forcing the refrigerator closed.  “Yeah, it was one of the few rooms I really spent time working on.  Now, I do have some work that I need to get done, but I suppose that you can hang with me in my study.  Or something.  I dunno, it’s up to you.”  She just shrugged as I led her through my home to my own private little sanctuary.  I could practically hear Dash’s jaw drop when we walked in, and I just chuckled softly as I walked over to my desk.  The drawing that was sitting out on my desk gave me a brief panic attack as I realized it was one of my less-than-reputable drawings.  And one of Rainbow Dash, no less.

I quickly threw the drawing into a drawer, slamming it shut with a bit more force than I intended.  I shot a quick look at Dash after the sound faded to silence, and she just stared back at me for a moment before she went back to browsing some of the books adorning the shelves.  As I regained my composure I took a seat at my desk, quickly locating the latest invention that I had been sketching out.  As I put pen to paper I felt a presence just behind me.  “Icarus, what are you drawing?”

“It’s a compressor.  It works to make refrigerators a bit better.”  I quickly delved into some of the mathematics behind the device before I heard Dash roam off to look at other things.  I only shrugged before I resumed my work on the drawing.  A few hours later, just before I was going to quit for dinner, I heard a shout come from the library.  I leapt from my seat, dashing through my home to get to the source of the cry.  As I burst into the library I noted with interest that Dash was looking around her, her eyes examining the walls with no small amount of agitation.

“There’s nothing to do here!  You just sit around doing science, and stuff, and the rest of your house is more boring that Twilight’s place!  At least she’s got some stuff that’s interesting to play with, or read, or something!”  She finished her rant staring at me, an almost accusing glare on her face.  “How do you stand it?  I mean, come on!  What do you do for fun?”

I looked around the library for a moment before I shrugged.  “I read.  I draw.  There’s not much else, really.  And if you’re looking for something more interesting to read than technical manuals, try the third floor.  That’s where I keep the fiction.”  At her blank look I sighed.  “The made up stuff?  Like Daring Doo, Storm Runner, Catalyst, Taupe, and all those other characters.”

“You’ve got Daring Doo?  And the NRS?  No way!”  At my look, she wiped the smile off her face, replacing it with a forced look of disinterest.  “I mean, yeah.  I guess that other stuff is okay.  Daring Doo’s my favorite, but I have heard some stuff about NRS.  I guess it’ll do.”

“Right, Dash.  I was here for that episode in the hospital, remember?  You don’t have to pretend to dislike books.”  I went over to one of the spiral staircases, slowly making my way up.  “Frankly, I know of few other pastimes better than enjoying the written word.”  I paused as I looked out at Dash who had taken to hovering up the open middle section of the library.  “What better way to spend the time than exploring the world of fantasy, revelling in the joys of some character you’ve come to love, and sharing with them the bitterness of the bad times.”  I finally reached the third floor, and Dash landed beside me, following as I led her to the section I mentioned earlier.  “It’s the greatest escape mechanism I know, Dash.  Your past can’t haunt you.  Your mistakes...”  I trailed off, frowning at the direction I’d taken.

“Um... Icarus?”  I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I recoiled from it.  “You okay?”  Her eyes roamed my face for a moment, before her eyes widened.  “Wait, where’s that necklace I gave you?  Did you lose it, or something?”

Seizing the opening, I pulled the chain from my pocket, holding it out to her.  “No.  I took it off a while ago.”

Dash snatched the necklace out of my hand as she looked at me.  “Twi is right, you really are a terrible liar.”  She stepped closer to me, quickly walking around me as she looked me over.  “She’s right, I’d never have guessed.  How did it happen?  Twi didn’t say, but I think she doesn’t really know.”

“I don’t know if she knows.”  I started walking away from the pegasus, my shoulders slumped.  “All I know is that I’m not going to tell you.  Definitely not now.  And probably not later, either.  I’ll call you when I make dinner, I guess.”

The remainder of that day passed without incident, and it was around noon the next day, as I was looking through my technical manuals that I heard another cry of dismay come from the other occupant of my home.  I only rolled my eyes as I continued looking through the manuals, hoping I’d find something worthwhile.  When I heard my name called out, I groaned as I began making my way to my study.  “Dash, it had better be something good this time.  Not something about how you just can’t...  Oh.  Yeah, I...”

Dash was staring down at a piece of paper on my desk.  While normally that wouldn’t be something worth noting, I also noticed that she had a certain folder open on my desk.  A folder which contained all of my personal drawings.  The kind of drawings that one doesn’t show to children.  Dash was just staring at me as I entered, and her cheeks were flushed.  “When...  Why?”

I only stared back at her, unsure of what I could, or should, do in such a situation.  “I like to draw things...”  I paused for a moment as I thought about the possible pictures she might be looking at.  “I like to draw pretty things...”  I started walking over to my desk, and Dash, to try and start salvaging at least some of the situation.  The picture on my desk was one of Rainbow Dash, posing before a mirror.  It wasn’t a picture that she had actually posed for, as I had done it entirely from memory.

I put a hand on it, trying to move it back to the folder it had been taken from, but Dash grabbed it before I could.  “But...  If...  Why not Rarity?  Or Fluttershy?  Or even Twilight?”

I grabbed the picture back from Dash, quickly putting it into the folder, and throwing the folder back into the drawer it called home.  “There are some of them, too.  And quite a few other fetching women from around town.  Yours is, ah...  The second one I did from memory.”

“But...”

“I think you’re good looking, Dash.  Maybe a bit rough around the edges, but when you try to look good, you pull it off well enough to make a priest renounce their vows.”  Her blush only intensified at my words, and I quickly looked away from her, unsure of what I’d do.  “I’m gonna go do... Something else.”  Before she could say anything in response I left my study, quickly making my way to my bedroom.  Without a thought I threw myself onto my bed, my gaze pointing up at the bare ceiling.

Only a short while passed before a gentle knocking sounded from my door, and Dash’s voice came from behind the door a moment later.  “Icarus?  I...  I just want to talk to you.”  I looked over at my door for a moment before I let out a loud grunt, my gaze quickly reverting to my ceiling.  The door opened quietly, and a moment later the door closed.  I heard her soft footsteps as she approached, and soon she was seated on my bed, just an arms length away.  “I know how I look, Icarus.  And I’ve had people draw me, and take my picture before, but this?  This is just so...”

“Different?  Insulting?  Perverted, provocative, wrong?  Stop me if I get to the right one.”

“No.  No, none of that.  I mean, yeah, it’s different.  And it’s certainly perverted, in the right ways.  But I just don’t know what to think.”  Silence descended upon the room for several long minutes before Dash turned to look at me.  “I think you’re a really cool guy, Icarus, but I just don’t know what to make of you.  You’re hidden away in here nearly everyday of the week, and when you do come out it’s to shop or to do work around town.  I just don’t understand you.”

“I don’t understand me either.”

She leaned a bit closer, one of her hands pressing gently on my chest.  “Then you should figure it out, Icarus.  You’re supposed to be the smart one, right?”

I nodded a bit.  “Yeah, I guess.  I just...”  I looked away from her.  “I just like my privacy.  Back home...  Back in Manehattan I kept to myself as well.”

“Well this is a new town, and you shouldn’t let your old habits color your new life.  I may not know all the details of why you came here, but I do know that you need to make something of it.”  She pressed down on my chest a bit, drawing my attention back to her.  “And I know just how we’re going to do that.”

The rest of that day passed in a blur of activity as Dash and I talked freely about the kinds of things that she was interested in, aside from the Wonderbolts.  By the time the conversation wound down, it was well into the evening, and the snowstorm was finally abating, signaling to us both that she’d soon be returning to her home in the sky.  We arranged for some plans for me to start going on runs around town with her, once the weather got better after the Wrap Up, and so she left me to my own devices after that, coming by about once a week to dabble in my collection of books, and to drag me out of my forced quasi-exile.

Several months passed, and with the Winter Wrap Up came the beautiful season of Spring, and, with it, a promise fulfilled to Dash.  Granted, I refused to do any further exercise with her after that, offering the excuse that I’d do it on my own, and to be fair I did follow through with it.  It was after one of those runs that I was stopped by Applejack as I was making my way back to my home.  She seemed a bit off in her mannerisms, and I was able to pick up on it right away.  After talking for several minutes she explained the problems she was having, and I promised that I’d come to the barn right after I got changed and took a shower.

With my toolkit in one hand and a canteen of water in the other, I started off from my home, my destination on the far side of town.  The pleasant weather was just cool enough for me to go without a jacket, but still too chilly for just a plain old shirt.  I made my way through the winding streets without much thought, and without a single real fact worth mentioning.  Much of the town was busy in the market, or working their jobs throughout town, and so I didn’t even get approached as I walked.  The road out of town, and to the farm was a bit muddy due to the recent rain, but that didn’t really serve to deter me from my quest.

The new buds forming on the apple trees let off an immensely pleasant scent and my trip onto the farm grew more pleasant with each step.  When the barn finally came into sight I noted with a smile that Applejack was waiting out for me, her hand rising in greeting when she spotted me.  She didn’t move from where she was, content to simply stand and wait for me to arrive, and so I picked up my pace just a bit.  When I was finally close enough to start speaking, Applejack began.  “Alright, Icarus, we’ve got a few things that need doing today.  Mac’s already started on the plumbing.”  I raised an eyebrow, and Applejack just waved a hand dismissively.  “Crusaders.”  I nodded, knowing that one word was a full explanation.  “Anyway, we’ve got a few things in the barn that need your attention, so let’s get to it.”

“Lead the way, AJ.”  Shortly after that, and we were moving through the barn while Applejack noted the various things around the barn that would need to be looked at.  Most of it was some minor damage caused simply by some wear and tear, broken tools and weathered metal parts.  However, the last part of the tour of repairs was something that disheartened me some.  The tractor had most of it’s bodywork removed, and much of the delicate hardware was exposed.  “Again, AJ?”

“Yeah.  We made sure that everything was fine for the winter, but when Mac tried to start it up...  It just wouldn’t do anything.  It sputtered a few times, but that was all.”

I nodded as I moved closer to the tractor, one of my hands running along some of the exposed metal.  “I’m going to see about getting this in order first.  I’ll come and get you when I get it working.”  I was already too engrossed in the mechanical beast of burden to listen to what Applejack said as she left.  I spent hours on the machine, looking over nearly every aspect of it before I really got into the heavy work.

With Mac’s help I was able to pull the engine out of the chassis, allowing myself a more free way of working with the delicate part.  As time dragged by I grew angrier and angrier at the stubborn piece of metal, and it was after an hour of fruitless work that I finally snapped, and did some work on the other articles in need of my touch.  It did little to relieve my mind, and when I finally returned to the infernal device I found no new inspiration waiting for me.  With a resigned sigh I swept the tools off of one of the many crates I’d gotten, and then I planted myself atop it, staring at the pile of parts that once made up the engine.

I heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind me, and I turned to see Big Mac walking in, his gaze flitting about the myriad parts laid out.  Just behind him was Apple Bloom, her typical bow bobbing with each step she took.  A tiny smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as her eyes widened when she looked at all the parts.  “So, Apple Bloom, what do you make of it all?”  I watched her reaction carefully as I spoke.  “What seems like it just doesn’t quite fit into the whole thing.”

Big Mac raised an eyebrow as he looked between me and his sister, but I waved a hand at him, hoping that he’d do as he usually does and keep silent.  Apple Bloom quickly took to looking at all the parts, and I offered explanations of the parts as she looked at them.  It was during this exploration of the mechanics that I realized what the problem was, but I wanted to see if she could make the same connection I had just made.  Finally, after she had looked at every part I had laid out, she finally fell silent, her fingers twitching as her gaze roamed from part to part.

“Can we put it together, Icarus?”  I nodded, and soon the two of us were working on putting the whole thing back together, laughing and talking as we did so.  Applejack came in as we worked, and she simply watched us for a time, a smile on her face.  However, when we reached the source of the problem, Apple Bloom slowly fell silent before pausing for a long time.  “Here.  Something here is the problem.”  She looked at me when she spoke, and I nodded.  “I don’t know what the problem is, though.”

I nodded again as I leaned forward, picking up a fairly small part of the whole device.  “Well, you’re right.  We’ve reached the part of the engine that’s broken.  Turns out that this little piece right here is the problem.  And, without this, I can’t make it work, no matter how hard I try.”  I tossed the piece back onto the ground, a feeling of bitterness welling up inside me.  I remained silent as I stared at the offending piece of metal, and I felt a hand on my own.

Apple Bloom offered a small smile as she looked at me.  “It’s okay, Icarus.  We’ve made do without the tractor before, we can do it again.”

Despite her positive attitude, I still felt a measure of resentment towards the device.  “Thanks.  Why don’t you go out and play some?  I need to get this all cleaned up.”  She hesitated for a moment, but I just pointed out the door.  “Go.  Have some fun.  Enjoy the nice weather.  It’s not going to last.”

She walked out slowly, a last smile coming over her shoulder as she gave Applejack and I a final wave.  I let out a massive sigh when she was gone, and I slowly stood, my glare of resentment returning to the engine once again.  “Well, it seems that, once again, I just can’t quite cut it.”

“Icarus?”

“It’s nothing, AJ.  Just...  Memories.  This isn’t the first time I’ve failed when it comes to things made by the inventor of this specific piece of machinery.  When I finally catch up with him...”  I trailed off as I spoke, emotions I had been holding back threatening to bubble to the surface.

“Bloomie is right, though, Icarus.  We’ll be fine without the tractor.  It’s mighty convenient, sure, but we don’t really need it.  Now, how about we just head on up to the farmhouse and have a nice drink or two.  Consider it a bonus to your pay.”  I only nodded as she and I quickly finished up cleaning up the remaining pieces of engine.  After that, we headed over to the farmhouse where Applejack instructed me to take a seat at a table on the porch.  I obliged, and a few minutes later the farmer returned with several bottles in hand, and a few glasses in the other.  “I don’t rightly know what you prefer when it comes to liquor, so I brought some options.”

I browsed what she had brought before I felt a smile come to my face.  “Chimay?  Who here likes the fancy stuff?”

“Mac.  He’s got a strong taste for the cider we make, but sometimes he likes to dabble in some of the foreign drinks that make their way to Ponyville.  This is one of his favorites.”  She leaned a bit closer to me as she gave me a smile.  “Don’t tell him I gave it to you, though.  He doesn’t much care for sharing it.”

I let out a sharp snort as Applejack popped the cap off the bottle.  “Hell, I don’t much care for sharing what good stuff I do buy for myself.”  I took to glass from Applejack as she finished pouring it.  “But, good company demands good drink.”  I took a drink of the beer, enjoying the taste as it ran across my tongue.  “Always a treat, this one.”

Applejack took a drink from her own glass.  “Yeah, it’s probably Mac’s favorite.  That, and Hoegaarden.  Honestly, I like our cider more, but Mac’s been one for some more exotic tastes.”

I leaned back in the chair as I took another long drink from my glass, savoring the tranquility.  “So, AJ, tell me, what’s with that hat?  I mean, I know some of the story behind it, but not the whole thing.”

She recoiled slightly at my question before pulling the stetson from her head and looking at it.  “Dad got it for me.  Just before Apple Bloom was born.  It’s been with me through thick and thin, and I could never replace it, no matter how bad it gets.”

“It is a bit... mangy.”

“Don’t you go calling my hat mangy, Icarus.  I take fine care of it.”  I opened my mouth, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips before Applejack leaned towards me.  “I mean it, sugarcube.  Call it mangy again, and we’re going to have a problem.”

My smile only grew as I leaned in to match her.  “That hat, AJ.  I have just one word for it.”  I tensed myself in the seat, readying myself for the coming run.

“Sugarcube, I don’t play around with stuff like this.”  She also tensed in her seat, a smile on her face.  “You’ve been around long enough to know not to really try and make me mad.”

“But Applejack, I can’t just let you wear that mangy thing!”  I burst from my seat at those words, quickly putting what little skill I had at running to use, the path from Sweet Apple Acres disappearing before me as I sprinted the length of the road.  Just moments later, and I heard the sound of boisterous laughter, prompting me to slow, stop, and turn around.

“You left your tools, Icarus!  You’ll have to come back eventually!”

After avoiding the farm for a few days, I was finally forced to return to the farm, and reclaim my tools and receive my comeuppance.  Admittedly, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought, and the entire episode quickly grew into a little running joke between her and I.  I usually reserved it for when I was leaving the farm, but I would often take the time to set it up in other places.

After that visit to the farm I found myself rushing about town quite a bit more than I had been over the past few months.  As summer approached, and with it the growing heat and humidity, many of the residents of town began seeking out various ways of keeping cool, myself no exception.  Granted, my familiarity with the cooling mechanism of refrigerators gave me a few ideas, I was still unable to make anything really effective at cooling the home.

It was in the middle of August that I was finally able to apply my greatest skill for the first time in Ponyville.  It was during a relatively cool week that I found myself heading to the Boutique in order to get some new clothing to replace what was no longer wearable, and to have repaired what could be repaired.  As was the norm, my entrance into the Boutique prompted a well practised response from Rarity, and true to her words she did come out a few moments later to help me.

There was the usual banter between the two of us at my arrival, but soon she paused, and moved to the open sign in the window, quickly flipping it to closed.

“Rarity, that’s not really necessary.  I don’t, for once, actually have a problem to talk out with you.  Dash hasn’t asked me to run with her since then, and I like to think that I can just come by for clothing without some ulterior motive.”

“Oh, certainly you can, Icarus.  But, I have need of your skills with those wonderful tools of yours.  And, of course, your mind.”  I merely raised an eyebrow before Rarity began dragging me into the back of the shop with her magic.  “You see, when it comes to making clothing, I am an artist.  And, as an artist, I must have a canvas to work with.  Those are my mannequins.  Each one built with the skill and care of a true artisan.”  She gestured, extravagantly, to each mannequin she passed.  “And the cloth is the paint with which I work.  Each hue a different shade of color, each fabric type a different base for the paint.  But, no matter how great the canvas, or exquisite the paint, it matters not if my tools are of poor quality.”  Finally, at the end of her little speech, she gestured towards her old fashioned sewing machine.

“Haven’t you been using this for years, Rarity?”  She nodded, and I approached the device, looking at all the intricate exposed metal work with a practiced eye.  “I don’t quite see what the problem is, Rarity.  It’s a sewing machine.”

“Yes, but it just...  It can’t keep up with the latest trends and styles any longer.  I’d love to splurge on the latest and greatest, but...  Well...  Business over the summer is, sometimes, not as good as I’d like.”  I raised an eyebrow, quickly looking at all the displays covered in clothing.  “Oh, it’s not like I don’t get any business.  It’s just that I’m not getting as much as I’d like.”

“And so you want me to do what?  Buy you a sewing machine?”

“By the Creator, Icarus, no!  No, of course not!  I was just hoping that you could devise some way of making what I’ve got better.”  I looked back at the machine for a moment, looking at what I had to work with.  “I can pay up to three hundred bits now, and I can cover whatever else it costs in installments.”

There was a trace of hesitance to her voice, and I gave her a smile.  “Don’t worry, Rarity.  I doubt that it’ll cost anywhere near that much.  I mean, it’s not quite like you want me to remake the entire sewing machine.”  I pulled my multitool from my pocket, quickly undoing the few screws that held the whole device together.  “I’m happy to help, Rarity, but you’ll have to be specific about what you want.  I can make it better, sure, but I need to know something to aim for.”  The fashionista rushed from the room at my words, and I shook my head as I went back to looking at the sewing machine.

A few minutes later, and Rarity returned, a magazine in her hand.  She held it out to me, and I took it from her, looking at the sewing machine on the page, as well as some of the fancier stitching methods it could perform.  “I’d like to have a machine that can do some of those newer stitching methods.  If you can’t make it do all of them, that’s fine, but I’d like to be able to make at least some of them work.  It’s mainly for strengthening the seam so that I can use heavier materials.”

I looked over the page for several long minutes before some ideas began swimming within my mind.  I could make it work, that much I knew, but some of the parts that I’d need to make would be pricey, even with unicorn magic to shape the parts.  “I think I can do it, Rarity.  It’ll probably be a long process, probably a couple days, but I think that I can make it work.  I’ll come back when I have all the parts, and then it’ll just be a day long process of getting it all to work together.”

Her eyes brightened at my words, and she threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.  “Oh, thank you so much!  This means so much to me!”  My cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and when she finally broke the embrace I was eager to depart, as much to save some level of my dignity as it was to keep myself from reacting to the uncomfortable tightness I felt in the muscles in my back.  A few days, and several trips to the metallurgist, later, and I had amassed my supply of hardware for the task.  My arrival at Rarity’s place went the exact same as the last time.  As I sat myself in front of the machine once again, Rarity sat down nearby, her eyes glued to what I was doing.  “So, Icarus, what will you be doing to make my dreams a reality?”

A grin flashed across my face before I spoke.  “Well, first I’d start with a romantic candlelit dinner, a grand bouquet of roses, and a bottle of some expensive wine.”  I looked at her for a moment, laughing at the blush on her cheeks.  “Hey, you asked--”

“I prefer alstromerias.  White and purple.”  The blush on her cheeks only intensified, and I quickly looked away, the machine suddenly demanding my complete attention.

“I... Oh.  Um, okay.  Good to know.  Anyway, it’s a long process, and I’ll do what I can to explain it as I go along.”  And so I did, explaining why I was doing what I was doing, and what it would do to help her sewing machine do what she’d want it to do.  Over the course of the three hour period she slowly moved closer to me, moving her chair whenever I would do some work on the device.  By the time I was finishing up my work she was leaning against me gently, one of her arms draped across my back, specifically in such a way to avoid where my wings once were.  When I finally put the last screws into place, securing the, now slightly bulkier, machine, I let out a small sigh.  “Rarity.”

She didn’t respond at first, her arm simply shifting a bit on my back.  I repeated her name, a bit louder, and she seemed to figure out what was going on and she quickly put some distance between us.  “Oh!  Icarus... I, um...  I was just watching you work.”  The blush on her cheeks was quickly fading, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes.

“Just watching me work?”  She nodded, the blush returning, and I let out a small sigh.  “Sure, okay.  I’ve managed to make it do nearly everything you wanted it to be able to do, and a bit more besides.”  I quickly walked her through all of my newest additions before finally stopping and explaining how she could go about using my unique additions.  Her eyes brightened with each explanation, and by the time I finished she was looking at the device with a level of admiration that I hadn’t yet seen in her.

“It can do all that?”  She swapped seats with me, her hands roaming over her sewing machine, gently exploring the new levers and switches that I had installed.  “Icarus, this is amazing!”  She turned around, looking at me once again.  “This is even better than the machine I wanted to buy.  It does all I need it to do and more, and it’s still my sewing machine.”

I just nodded a bit, before remembering one last bit.  “Oh, and just to make sure things stay neat and clean, I added a tiny little magical sensor just before the sewing needle.  Should things start getting messed up in any way, that little sensor will immediately turn the device off, hopefully saving you some trouble and some material.”  I pointed at the small crystal, and her smile grew just a bit more.

“Oh, Icarus, this is just...  I don’t even know what to say!”  I only shrugged, gathering up the few tools I needed for the operation.  “Really, that’s it, Icarus?  You’re just going to save me nearly eight hundred bits, and you’ll just nonchalantly walk out of here?”

I offered a sheepish smile.  “Well, I was going to write up a bill and deliver it to you.  Eventually.”

“No, no nononono!  No!  This won’t do!  I simply must repay you somehow.”

“How about I get the clothes I had originally come here for back on Tuesday?”

She stopped mid thought as she looked at me.  “What?”

“On Tuesday, when I came in.  I came here to get some new clothes.”  A smile flashed across her face as she took my hand in hers.  “Rarity, please!  No, I don’t want to be a mannequin for you again!  Not after the last time!  I still have holes in me from the last time!”

A few hours later, and after being stabbed with pins only four times (“That’s less than half of last time, Icarus!”) I sat on a chair in her dining room, waiting for her to emerge from her workroom.  She claimed that she would try to keep it fairly simple, but I knew her well enough to be certain that simple was far from her mind.  When the door opened, she walked out carrying just two hangers, each one with a single article of clothing.  The hanger in her left hand bore a pair of jeans, pristine, as she would only make the best, but still showing some of the trademark areas of ‘wear’ that came from a pair of rugged and worn in jeans.  Somehow, she managed to make them look old and new at the same time.  The other hanger bore a shirt with a sweater atop it.  The shirt was simple white, while the sweater was a pleasantly striped pattern.

“I thought about what you wanted, Icarus, and so I made what you asked for, much as I wanted to do far more than just these.”  I raised an eyebrow, and she just flushed a bit.  “Come now, Icarus.  I can do simple, when I want to.  Besides, it’s what you asked for, and the customer, no matter how wrong, is always right.”

“I appreciate it, Rarity.  And it’s not simple, it’s fashionably minimized.  It’s a statement without stating a thing.”  I walked over, taking the two hangers from her, admiring the feel of the fabric.  “I’m glad that you only did what I asked, Rarity.  It’s not everyday that I get what I ask for.”

“I aim to please, Icarus.  And, sometimes, every once in a while, I do just that.”

I had a quick flash of inspiration as I started readying myself to go.  I put both hangers in one hand, along with my toolbox before I grabbed Rarity’s hand, quickly raising it, and planting a kiss on the back of her hand.  “You, Miss Rarity, do it far more often than once in a while.  Now, if there’s nothing else you require, I’ll take my leave.”

Rarity seemed to avoid me for a few days after that, and any time I tried to bring it up she’d quickly pass it off, and soon it faded into the background of memories I have, and I thought about it no further.  Time passed as it is wont to do, and it was November, and I was working in my library, reorganizing some new sections that I had added, hoping that it’d be the last time till next year when I do my grand reorganization.  Unlike Twilight, I only do a reorganization once a year, putting all new additions onto a shelf kept specifically bare for purchasing and sorting new books.

As I was working, a few loud knocks came from my front door, and I quickly made to answer it, unsure of who was coming to see me, since I hadn’t been getting many visitors due to the crappy weather over the past few days.  A fact which had prompted my reorganization.  As I approached the door I gave a call of acknowledgment, hoping that it was loud enough to prevent the visitor from departing.

I threw open the door to find myself face to face with Spike, his bored demeanor speaking volumes.  He took a step back when I appeared, but he quickly steadied himself before holding out a hand.  “Hey, Icarus.  How are you?”

I took his hand, giving it a quick shake before motioning for him to come in.  “Not too bad.  I’ve been doing some quick reorganization, in anticipation of getting more new material in.  It’s not nearly as intensive as what Twilight does, but it’s still a bit of an onerous task.”

Spike nodded, a smile gracing his visage.  “Don’t I know it.  Twi does a reshelving and reorganization every other month.  Although at times it feels like it’s closer to every month.”

“With Twilight’s book related OCD, I’m not really that surprised.  Anyway, what brings you by?  I mean, you don’t have to have a reason, I’m just assuming that you do have one.”

“Oh, yeah.  I do.  Twi asked me to come and get you, along with what you think are your rarest books.  She wants to, maybe, do a book swap or something.”  Spike gives a quick shrug.  “She didn’t really tell me all the details.”

I nod, quickly turning to head to where I kept my more valuable books.  “I think I can do that.  Not all day, mind you, but I’m certainly willing to see what she’s got to offer.”  I walked up to the shelf, quickly pulling out the books that caught my attention.  “I’ve seen most of the library, really, so unless she’s got something hidden away inside that tree somewhere, I doubt she’ll be able to offer up anything I haven’t seen already.”

Spike laughed as he took some of the books I had from my arms.  “Trust me, Icarus, you’ve seen less than half of what Twilight’s got if you’ve only seen the public portions of the library.  I mean, she’s got access to the Royal Canterlot Library.  If it’s been written down, chances are she’s got a copy, or she’s read it.”

This time I laughed, as I turned to look at the other occupant of the room.  “Oh, is that so?”  Spike simply nodded, and I went over to the desk I had in the library, quickly pulling out a key from one of the drawers.  “Then, in that case, I think I’ll have to go into my more secluded stash.”  Spike followed as I led him to my personal study, and then up to a large safe in the wall.  After entering the combination to the lock, and then putting in and turning the key, I was rewarded with the sound of the locks disengaging.  “And in here, Spike, are two unique books; a two thousand year old copy of the founding of Equestria, and the outlawed edition of Stone Tablet’s predictions and theological observations.”

Spike’s jaw dropped as I gingerly handled the two ancient texts.  “Man...  Icarus, where did you...  Twilight’s gonna flip when she sees those.”

“Well, all the more reason to get them to her as soon as we can.  I’m interested to see how she reacts to both of them, considering that they are one of a kind.”  With that said, I grabbed a coat suitable for the cold weather outside, and the two of us set off for the library, Spike carrying a small pile of books while I held the two ancient tomes.  Idle conversation passed between us, and Spike hinted heavily at his interest towards the crusaders, even displaying a level of affection bordering on what he had towards Rarity.

As we made our final approach towards the library, Spike stopped for a moment.  “Um, Icarus.  I know what we were talking about, and...  I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention any of this to the girls.  Despite how old I am, Twilight still treats me like I’m a little kid, and I just know that she’d overreact if she knew.”

“What about Rarity?”

Spike blushed a bit, his gaze quickly lowering.  “We talked.  For, like, three hours a couple weeks ago.  It hurt, but...  I’m glad that it ended the way it did.  We’re still friends, and I still think she’s beautiful, but...  Age, maturity, and a lot of other factors are in play.  It wouldn’t work.”

I smiled, resuming the pace towards the library.  “That’s good, Spike.  The fact that you can see that is all the proof I need of your maturity.  I’m sure that you’ll be more than capable of making some girl, or some girls, very happy for a very long time.”

Just as I finished we reached the door, and Spike quickly opened it, ushering me inside before closing the door.  “Twi, I’m back!  And I’ve got Icarus with me!”  Silence was the only response for a moment, and then Twilight’s voice called from upstairs, asking for the two of us to come up.  Spike glanced at me, earning a shrug in response, and then the two of us started heading upstairs.  We followed the sound of activity until the two of us stumbled into a room that I had never seen in before, or even knew existed.  In terms of general appearance it looked much like my personal study, a desk, and walls of shelving.  Twilight was perched atop a ladder, several books in one arm as her other browsed, and several more texts levitating just behind her as her horn softly glowed.  “Twi, you really need to see some of these books Icarus has.”

“I’m sure that they’re very nice, Spike, but, as I said, he probably only has things that I’ve seen before.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, Twilight, but you couldn’t have seen these before.”

Twilight’s gaze fell upon me as I spoke, and she raised an eyebrow.  “I find that doubtful.  I’ve got access to--”

“The Royal Canterlot Library, I know.  Spike told me.  But, the Library doesn’t have these two books that I’ve got right here.”  Twilight climbed down the ladder, the books in her arm joining their brothers and sisters in the air as they levitated as well.  “These two books are one of a kind.  Originals, too.”

Upon reaching the ground, Twilight approached me, a look of genuine curiosity on her face.  “Oh, really?  And what books might these be?”  I held them out for her, and she grabbed them, her eyes widening as she looked at the leatherbound volumes.  With more care than I’d ever shown them, she put them both down on her desk, both opening to their first pages.  She turned to look back at me her mouth moving in a passable imitation of a fish, and yet she couldn’t utter a single word.

“Eloquently said, Twi.  Those are my two rarest books.  And, before you ask, yes, it’s the illegal version.”

“Where...  How...  Icarus, where did you get these?  These books have been lost to the ages for millennia!”

I only shrugged before taking a seat in one of the other chairs in the room.  “You go ahead and enjoy those, and I’ll browse through what you’ve picked out to show me.  I hope that you have as good a selection for me as I do for you.”

A few hours passed as we each plowed through our chosen selection of books.  Spike left after just half an hour of silence, claiming that he was going out to do stuff with some friends.  I caught his eye before he left, and he gave me a small nod.  Much of what Twilight had given me was older, and outdated, guides to working magic into new spells, and, while interesting, it did little to stimulate my mind.  As I closed my chosen book, I leaned back in the seat, letting out a faint sigh.  “So, Twilight, do you have anything more interesting to read, or just magical manuals from before Nightmare Moon?”

Twilight gingerly closed the book she was looking at before she turned around in her seat, a smile on her face.  “I do, but I was actually hoping that the two of us could just talk for a bit.  You spend a good amount of time hanging out with all of us, but I feel like I hardly know you.”

“For the record, I hang out with you, and the others, maybe once a week.  It’s because I’m usually busy working while you’re all out saving the world, and bonding, and all that jazz.”

“Well, now you’re here, so we can talk.  And not just about inventing, and science and stuff.  We can talk about each other, and ourselves.”

“I’ve already learned a ton about you, Twilight.  You, and all the girls, have been sharing with each other, and me, for the past year and a half, now.”

“Then maybe it’s your turn to talk to us.”

I narrowed my eyes as I leaned forward in my seat.  “Oh?  Just like that?”

“Well...  You are a bit of a unique individual in town.  You are the only flightless pegasus that I know of.”

“Funny, I’m the only flightless pegasus that I know of too.”

“Icarus, I’m only trying to help.  I don’t want this to be something so hard for you to deal with.  My mom told me some of what happened, but I still don’t really know the whole story.”

I let out an explosive sigh as I closed my eyes.  “I really don’t want to talk about that, Twi.  Eventually, maybe.  Maybe.  But not now.  It’s not you, really.  It’s me.”

“Icarus, we’re here to help you.  You’re our friend.”

I stood up, walking slowly about the room.  “Thanks, Twi.  But...  I need to figure things out first.  I don’t think about it a lot, and I haven’t seen a need to change that.”

Twilight gave a small nod, and a smile appeared on her face.  “Maybe we can figure out something to help with your flightless problem?”  I looked over at her, and she just gave a small shrug.  “Despite all the time I’ve spent reading the books in these rooms, I still learn more every time I go through them.  Maybe there’s something I’ve missed.  Some spell that’ll help you build something, or some spell that could let me regrow them.”  She cast her gaze around the room once again, her arms going wide.  “All of these books detail magic, in all its forms.  I’m sure that somewhere there’s an answer for you, Icarus.”

Much of the rest of the day was spent avoiding the topic, since I simply shifted away from it at any opportunity.  Twilight took great interest in discussing the two books I had brought over, and we simply talked for several long hours before I finally realized what time it was.  I missed both of my appointments for the day, but two quick letters sent out using Twilight’s magic took care of that problem, and the two of us soon came to an agreement around a regular book swapping exercise.

Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months as time enjoyed it’s fourth dimensional dance.  before long it was Spring again, and the Winter Wrap Up had once again progressed flawlessly thanks to Twilight’s organizational skills.  I contributed as well, my eye for efficient design allowing for the tasks to be taken care of much faster.  With the arrival of spring, new plants were being planted, and the town was soon awash with freshly blooming plants.  I’d heard that Fluttershy was known for having the most amazing arrangements in town, so I decided that I’d drop by, see how she’s doing, and maybe look at her garden.

To say that I was surprised when I saw Fluttershy’s home would be an understatement.  Her entire cottage was covered in blooming plants of all varieties and colors.  The owner of the cottage in question was flitting about her house, tending to the plants, and signing with the birds that were abuzz around her.  She took all the care in the world to ensure that her wings never hit any of the birds, and her every move was made with utmost care and precision.  She noticed my approach, since she gave me a small wave before landing softly.

I continued towards her house, my mouth still open in surprise as the beauty of her home.  “Fluttershy, this is amazing!  Do you plant all the seeds for this, or...  Or something, I don’t even know.”

She just blushed at my compliment, her wings gently resettling themselves on her back.  “It’s all my animal friends.  As a thank you for all the care I give them, they make my home beautiful for me each spring.”  She cast a quick glance over her shoulder before she looked back at me.  “They outdo themselves each year, too.”

“In all my years, even with a yearly botanical show in Middle Park, I’ve never seen a floral display to match this one.”  Her blush returned in full force, and I started walking around the perimeter of her home, taking it all in.  “Seriously, Fluttershy, this is great.  How do you manage all of it, though?  If plants can grow here, surely weeds can too.”

She nodded as she reached out and gently plucked a weed from the wall of her home.  “Oh, they do.  I have to do a thorough check at least once a week in order to make sure I get all the weeds.  Today just happens to be the day I check.”  She looked at me for a moment before she flashed a small smile.  “Would you like to help some, Icarus?”

I nodded, and soon the two of us were working at her house.  Despite her claims, there were a relatively small number of weeds strewn across all of her home.  I told her that I suspected that it had to do with the very animals that planted all these seeds, and she was quick to agree with me.  Conversation quickly fell by the wayside as we worked, though, and it was only after a couple of hours that we finally finished.

“Man, Fluttershy, I don’t know how you can do that once every week.  That was tough.”

“It’s not so bad, Icarus.  And besides, I love the weather, and the beauty.  Spring is my favorite season, by far.”  She looked at me, a smile on her face.  “It’s like the whole world is starting over.  The trees start budding, the plants start growing.  Everything is fresh and new.  Some things are the same as last year, but there’s always new things too.”  She gestured out at the view of the Everfree off in the distance.  “It may be wild and untamable, but it has a certain kind of beauty.  During the spring it enjoys almost a full month of majesty as the trees bud their leaves.”

“Back in Manehattan, I often went for walks, and flights, through and around, and over Middle Park.  To see all the tiny buds of green strewn across the trees.  It has this spark of amazement to it.  This kind of renewal.”

“That’s why I love it.  It’s a chance for nature to start again.  The long winter weeds out the plants that aren’t strong enough to last, and that gives the newer plants a chance to really start to flourish.  It’s a chance for us to start again as well.  People can change as much, if not more, than nature.  And we don’t even need to wait for spring to do it.”  She looked at me for a moment, before she looked back at her house.  “I may be shy, Icarus, and sometimes I’ll admit that I’m scared too often, but I’ve learned something through it.  I’ve learned that people are often blind to their own shortcomings.  I know and accept who I am, but there are some people who can’t do that.  They’ve built themselves their own little world, and the simple thought of changing it sends them running to protect their self-image.”

“Are you talking about me, Fluttershy?”

“You, and so many others.  Accepting that something needs to be changed is the first step towards fixing yourself.”  She let out a small sigh.  “Dash, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, even Pinkie.  All of them have something that they need to change, but they won’t do it because they don’t have the right motivation.”

I looked at Fluttershy before I turned away from her, my gaze roaming the skies.  “And what about me?”

“You just need to accept what happened.  It wasn’t your fault, and no amount of self loathing can change that.”

“I know.  It’s just...”

“It’s always hard to change yourself.  You just need to find the right thing to strive for, and to act as motivation.  Find that, and you’ll be amazed at yourself.”

Not another word passed between us before I left just ten minutes later.  Her words struck deeper than I think she knew, but her uncanny observational skills are what I really didn’t like.  I hadn’t told any of them about my father, and yet there was Fluttershy, commenting on him without really knowing a thing.  My life settled into a routine after that day, and I was amazed when I learned that the Crystal Kingdom was returning after all this time.  When they finally came back they were all tired from their endeavors.

As May neared it’s end I was approached by Spike with a letter.  That was when I learned about Celestia’s plan to send the Elements on a month long vacation for some relaxation.  Of course, I was genuinely happy for all of them -- plus it made sense that Celestia would, finally, give them a reward given how hard they work.  Spike told me, though, that the girls didn’t know about it -- she wanted to keep it as a nice surprise, and he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. I swore myself to secrecy.

We told them two days before they were scheduled to depart for the vacation.

Spike and I gathered them all in Twilight’s library, otherwise known as Twilight’s house, to tell them the news. The reason Spike and I gave was that Celestia had sent a letter about something very important; she had mentioned something about “Element stuff.”  It was true, technically -- it was “element stuff” -- but since the implication was that it was something that could decide the fate of Equestria, they all came quicker than you could blink.

To start off, Spike told them that there was no danger of any sort -- no monsters released, supernatural beings, or the creation of any very powerful city in the middle of nowhere. Everyone --  except Pinkie, who was hopping around the room in her normal hyper state-of-mind -- breathed a sigh of relief. That was one thing off the list of things to worry about.

Then I started to speak. “Celestia did send a letter, though. I want to read it to you.” Taking my hand from behind my back, I held out a letter. One with a very familiar official seal. I quickly opened it and started reading aloud.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony,”  I paused for a moment, as is demanded by the letter’s formatting.  “Let me start by thanking you for your actions in the Crystal Empire.  With Sombra’s defeat the kingdom is now thriving.  Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence have taken on the roles of the leaders of the Empire, and their rule is a benevolent one.

“Two years have already passed since the Elements of Harmony chose you as thier bearers.  In this time you have protected Equestria on numerous occasions, and, as such, I feel that it is time for Equestria to repay you for all your hard work.

“Therefore, I have arranged for a month long vacation in two days time, to Firefly Island, which is the second largest island in the Kalarosian Ocean.  You will be staying at my summer villa, which is located on the beach.  It affords easy access to the water, as well as being able to witness the sunsets that my sister and I create.  I urge you to enjoy yourselves, as the island has a wide array of stores covering every need you can imagine.  You will find that no location will be barred to you either.  The island is completely open to you all.  Additionally, I have made some arrangements for all of you at various restaurants and venues at certain points along the duration of your stay.  I have even taken the pains of making a special surprise for you on your final night on the island.

“You will find, enclosed, seven tickets for the boat trip to the island.

“This should be a perfect opportunity for all of you to relax and unwind.  May you enjoy your time to the fullest.  Sincerely, Princess Celestia”

With the reading out of the way, I carefully lifted the tickets out of the pocket inside the letter and showed them to all of the Elements and Spike.  What I saw when I looked up from the letter left me stunned as I saw all seven of them sitting there calmly.

That didn’t last for long, though.

“WE’RE GOING ON A VACATION!!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing off the walls with renewed vigor and excitement. “WE’RE GOING ON A-”

Her shouts were halted as a finger was placed on her mouth, effectively silencing her. “Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow intoned calmly. “We know.” She turned her attention back to the rest of the group. “I think a vacation would be totally awesome. It would be a nice break from all of our ‘Element’ stuff.”

“I would love to go on a vacation,” Rarity said. “It would be a great way to finally catch up on my beauty sleep.”

Everyone gave her a look.

“What?  Even I need to work on my beauty.  Despite appearances, I don’t wake up looking this good.”

“I would love to go,” Applejack sighed, “but a month is a long time to stay away from the farm. What if they need help?”

“I’m sure they will be fine,” Spike comforted.

My face lit up as I recalled a bit of the letter that I had omitted. “Oh! I forgot something.” Unrolling the letter again, I read aloud,  “P.S.  Applejack, I know you’re worried about your farm, and that you want to make sure everything goes fine while you’re gone; therefore I called Braeburn, from Appleoosa, to come to the farm in your absence.”

Applejack blinked. “There’s no way it says that.”

“But it does.”

“It can’t. You made it up.”

“Wanna see it?”

She paused for a moment as she glared at me.  “Gimme that.”

Snatching the parchment away from my hands, she furiously read over the paper. The expression on her face changed from anger to shock to confusion, and back to shock again.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” she muttered under her breath.

“Do you believe me now?” I asked, a smug smile on my face.

She gave me a bemused look. “Shut up, you.”

I only laughed in response.

“What about you, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash said, playfully elbowing her friend.

“Um, well,” she mumbled, “it would be . . . nice, I guess. Angel can take care of the animals, so I guess I would be . . . um, free to go.”

“Well, I guess that settles it, then,” Twilight said cheerily. “Two days from now, we’ll meet here, and we can finally take a well deserved vacation!”

The girls, especially Rarity, dashed off to start packing, leaving Spike and I behind.  I looked at him, and he motioned for me to follow.  I did so, and moments later we were in the kitchen, and Spike was looking at me nervously.  “Icarus, can I ask a favor from you?”  I nodded, and Spike heaved a small sigh.  “I kinda don’t want to go.  It’s not that I don’t want a vacation, it’s just...  Well, with all of them gone, I’ll finally be able to spend some time without them asking me to do stuff all the time.”

“You want to spend time with the crusaders, Spike.  It’s okay to admit it.”  He only glared at me for a moment before he finally smiled.  “Yeah, a bit.  Still, it’s a worthwhile cause.  I get to spend some time with the ladies I’m interested in, and you get to spend some time with some hot ladies too.”

“Yeah, because I’m totally their collective cup of tea.”

“Dude, don’t be so damn pessimistic.  It’ll be great.  For you, and them.”

I offered a small shrug.  “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Instead, ask what’s the best that could happen.”
> Chapter I:  The Beach
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I crested the small dune with a smile on my face.  The girls were already set up and frolicking on the sand and in the surf.  Fluttershy was playing with Pinkie in the water, while Dash and Applejack hit a beach ball back and forth.  Rarity was sunbathing -- something I had expected her to do -- and Twilight was building her scale rendition of Canterlot in the sand, which was actually fairly impressive.  None of them seemed to notice my approach, and so I decided to take the time to simply enjoy watching all of them be so happy.
        
This whole vacation had been Celestia’s idea, and I had encouraged them all to go, claiming that it’d do them some good after all the stuff that they had to deal with over the past few weeks.  I had only heard about most of it second-hand, from one of the girls telling me about what had happened, but that didn’t lessen the impact any.  Even after taking out all the embellishments that they all added they had still managed quite a bit in a short time.  After the whole Crystal Empire fiasco they had spent several days rooting out the last small pockets of King Sombra’s influence.

After that... Well...  It had been hectic for all of them, to say the least.
        
Now, though, they were all relaxing.  Or, to be more accurate, they were all enjoying themselves.  Dash, I knew, would spend quite a while enjoying some games on the beach, before she’d grab one of the recliners that they had brought down -- or, possibly, a cloud in the area -- and take a nap.  Applejack would probably do something quite similar to Dash, and after growing tired of the games she’d probably go for a run on the beach, or something of a similar strain.  It wasn’t really all that surprising, though.  Vacations and the Apple Family were strange bedfellows.
        
Pinkie, being the ball of energy she is, would probably keep playing for most of the day, always wanting somepony to join her in her fun.  I knew better than to be the one to volunteer for that position.  The last time I did that I had to spend a day sleeping just to get back on my feet.  Still, I enjoyed her company, and she never let a moment pass in a dull fashion.  

Fluttershy, on the other hand, could spend each and every day sedately spending time with her animals.  I could do the same, but I had always felt like there was some tension in the air whenever I hang out with her, so I didn’t do it quite as often as I’d like.  I’m pretty sure she knows more about me than she lets on, but she’s never said anything.
        
Rarity was, like usual, worrying about how she looks, and so her sunbathing was filled with constant adjustments to how she was lying on the recliner, these adjustments working to give her skin an even glow.  Twilight, I saw, had a small stack of books near her recliner, and I already knew that they all had to do with the beach, and all the possible ways to enjoy it.  A part of me really wanted to take those books from her and tell her to just enjoy the day, but she’d find herself unable to do so without some handy reference for just how much time to spend working on a sandcastle.

Or, you know, whatever.  Twilight and books.  Can’t have one without the other.
        
I’d been a bit slower to get ready up at the beach house, and so the girls had gone ahead without me.  I’d volunteered to carry the fairly hefty cooler, though.  I sincerely doubted that they’d work up an immense hunger or thirst in the half hour that I took to finish getting ready after they’d all left.  What was I doing, you ask?

Well, think about who I’m with, and what they’re all wearing.  Yeah, it’s a pretty picture.  Go ahead, be jealous.
        
Anyway, that’s why I took a bit longer.  I wanted to try and avoid any awkward scenes during the trip down to the beach.  Now, though, it was going to be a challenge, but it was a challenge that I’d gladly endure.
        
Pinkie was the first to notice my arrival, and so she gave me a big wave when she saw me atop the dune.  I couldn’t hear quite what she was saying, but I’m pretty sure that she was shouting out my name.  All the other girls looked my way at Pinkie’s exclamation, and soon they had all given me a quick wave before they turned back to their tasks.  They’d carried down a recliner for me, and I soon had the cooler planted in the sand next to where I’d be lying down.  While it was still fairly early, I decided that I’d take a brief nap and get a tan at the same time.  Risky for some, but I’d learned at an early age that I don’t burn, I just get a nice even tan, and then I’d stop.  I wasn’t going to question it, but I did think it was peculiar.
        
The recliner sagged gently beneath my weight, and it was with little extravagance that I pulled off my white t-shirt, exposing my less than spectacular chest to the air.  I’m not out of shape, but I didn’t have quite as much definition to my muscles as I’d like.  There’s a faint hint of a six pack where my abs are, but unless you really looked they’re hard to make out.  Still, I knew better than to worry about things like that when I’m around the girls.  I let my eyes close slowly as the sun beat down upon me, and soon enough I was dozing gently.




 
A drop of cold water fell down onto my chest as I dozed gently, and opening my eyes revealed the hunched over form of Pinkie Pie looking down at me with wide eyes.  Her mane drooped around her head as she looked at me, and, for just a moment, she had the weirdest sparkle in her eyes.  It vanished quickly, though, as she bounced back and looked me straight in the face, giving me one of her bright smiles.
        
“How was your nap, Icarus?”
        
I sat up and gave a little stretch of my arms.  “Nice, actually.  Not enough to really give me any more energy, but it was a nice way to pass the time.  And how’s the water?”

Pinkie looked over her shoulder for a moment before she turned and looked back at me.  “It’s really nice since it’s not too cold and not too warm it’s really just the perfect temperature for taking a refreshing dip and it’s crystal clear, too.  Anyway, the girls and I were talking and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us on going for a walk along the beach.”  I tuned out Pinkie Pie’s babbling and looked past her.  The other five girls were all looking over at me, expectant looks on their faces.  I started listening just in time to realize that Pinkie was talking to me.  “... and we all know that you have the best luck when it comes to finding seashells and sand dollars.”

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right.  Whenever we did take a day off to go to the beaches nearer to Ponyville I would usually find myself coming back from my long walks with half a dozen different shells and things of the like.
        
I gave a quick shrug before I responded.  “Yeah, I suppose I can join you all.  It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.  Just don’t expect me to be some shell finding savant.  It’s always a matter of luck, and patience.”  Pinkie barely listened to me past my affirmation, and she quickly whirled around and bounced over to the others, her usual smile plastered to her face.  I followed her after a moment, the simple act of getting out of the seat taking long enough for Pinkie to make it to the others.
        
No words were needed on my behalf as I reached the Elements, and soon enough we were walking along the beach, the gentle sound of the waves lending the walk a calming atmosphere.  I scanned the sand from time to time as I walked, the girls around me offering up plenty of other noteworthy sights.  All of them looked stunning in their assorted garmentry, and I often had to keep myself from staring.
        
Rarity had the most exotic bikini on that I’d ever seen.  The top -- if it could even be called that -- barely concealed anything, yet it somehow exuded an air of elegance.  It was just enough to hide what it had to, without doing anything more than that.  Her purple hair cascaded down her back in its usual curling fashion.  Only Rarity would take the time to style her hair so intricately just for a trip to the beach.  Then again, it added to her appearance in a big way, so I can understand it.  Twilight, almost as if in opposition to Rarity’s revealing attire, had gone with what looked like a wetsuit.  It was striped, horizontally, with alternating white and lavender stripes.  It hugged her form admirably, though, and my eyes were drawn to the curves that were accentuated by her chosen attire.
        
Pinkie was wearing her favorite frilly bikini, the ruffled fabric almost making it seem like she was wearing a very small dress on the bottom, while the top drew the eye towards her assets like a shaving of iron to a magnet.

Shut up, I like science.

Fluttershy, who was walking a bit separate from the others, including myself, had on a front tied bikini.  She also had a fairly large flower in her hair that was a darker shade of pink than her hair was.  An appealing picture to watch as she occasionally bent down to pick up a shell.
        
Rainbow had a pair of short shorts on, along with a strapless sports bra.  I honestly didn’t expect her to have a bikini, or even a one piece, since those would all be far too girly for the adventurous and awesome Rainbow Dash.  Still, she looked good in what she had, and I knew that if I had the chance I wouldn’t turn her down.  Applejack also looked quite good in her swimsuit.  She had a top similar to that of Fluttershy’s, but instead chose the orange, compared to the faint yellow color scheme of the shy pegasus.
        
In contrast to their flawless forms, there was me -- average, dull, and not the most appealing thing to look at.  As I’ve already told you, I don’t have the most buff body around, and my messy brown hair is impossible to tame, oftentimes seemingly acting like it has a mind of its own as it defies my every attempt at managing it.  And then we come to my most defining attribute, for those who know me.  My wings.  Or, to be more accurate, my lack thereof.  Save your pity, though, I don’t need it.  I get more than enough of that the first time most ponies meet me.  None of the girls know the real reason why I lost my wings, and none of them have asked since the first time they all tried to find out.  I’m not really all that ashamed of what happened, but that doesn’t mean that I’m thrilled to talk about it.

We spent almost an hour casually strolling along the beach before we stopped and turned back, heading back to where we’d set up our stuff.  As with the first half of the trip, I lagged behind the others, simply enjoying the beauty of the exotic paradise that we’d all be enjoying for the month.
        
As I finally reached the spot we’d set up in, almost five minutes slower than even Fluttershy, I saw that the girls had all started getting the food and drink out.  For some reason, -- they had put me in charge of preparing the food, so I simply went with what I knew I could do well: prepare some fruits for our snacking pleasure.  There was a large bag of grapes, some various melons, and some oranges as well -- not to mention the Apple Family apples.
        
The girls all tore into the fruit, consuming nearly all of it within just a few minutes.  I took only what I really wanted to eat, content to let the others have their way with it.  Frankly, it wasn’t really that big of a deal to head back to the beach house if I got hungry, so I contented myself with an apple, and a few pieces of the watermelon that I had cut up.  As the girls all continued talking amongst themselves I decided that I’d try walking in the opposite direction from where we had gone before.  I gave them a casual wave before I started my walk, and soon enough their voices had faded into silence.
        
A faint sound did catch my attention, and when I turned to see what it was I saw Pinkie running to catch up to me, her typical wide smile in its normal spot.  “I thought that it seemed kinda boring if you were going to just walk on your own, so I decided that I’d join you so that it wouldn’t be quite as boring since having someone to talk to would make it a lot more fun.”

I didn’t answer right away.  While I would probably enjoy the company in the long run, part of this walk was just to let me clear my head.  I’d been thinking about the girls -- all of them -- quite a bit over the past few hours, and now I just wanted to be able to think about something else.

It was only after a moment of pointed silence that I realized that Pinkie had stopped talking.  She only continued when I looked back at her after letting my gaze wander.  “I mean, if you really want to go alone that’s okay, but I thought that maybe you’d like someone to talk to.”
        
“No, it’s fine, Pinkie.”  I hesitated, looking at the ground a little nervously.  “I just wanted some time to think, but I suppose I can do that later.”  I looked back at her and for just a moment she looked like she was frowning, but the moment was so brief that I was pretty sure that it was just a trick of the mind.  “Well, let’s get going, then.  I’m going to be walking slowly, though.  Shells and stuff don’t find themselves, after all.”

Pinkie just nodded before she started following me. I was walking relatively slow  as I went along, and Pinkie, being Pinkie, took the time to look at every interesting thing she saw, or thought she saw.  It seemed like she was trying to find more shells than I could, even though I wasn’t honestly looking.  What surprised me more than that, though was the fact that she wasn’t bouncing about like she usually does -- she was just walking calmly.  Finally she grew bored of trying to find interesting things to look at, so she matched my pace and started walking beside me, inching ever closer to my side.

As we continued our trek, and she grew closer to me, she decided that it was time to shatter the silence.  “So, have you invented anything new, recently?”
        
“Not really, no.  Not that I haven’t been trying, but it’s just been a slow couple of weeks for me.  I’ve got some ideas for things, but the particulars never seem to work out…”  I delved into all manner of specifics for all the various devices that I’ve tried to make, and Pinkie listened to it all, always asking questions, and trying to get me to think differently about the problems that I had been finding.  While some of her questions were incredibly basic, they gave me some new ideas to think about, and it helped me to see what I was doing wrong with some of my newer ideas.
        
As we kept up our pace, we soon stumbled on a small river that fed into the ocean.  I leapt across it after a small running start, but Pinkie looked down at it with a childlike smile on her face.  She seemed so thrilled at this small discovery that I figured that I’d see what she would do.
        
“We should build a dam, or something!”  Pinkie started bouncing in place as she took in the seemingly innocuous stream, her eyes shining with childlike delight.  “There’s so many possibilities for fun with this little stream of water!”
        
“Pinkie, there’s an entire ocean right there.  Why do we need a stream of water?”
        
“Because, silly, this is more fun!”  And with that she leapt down into the stream, throwing up a spray of water that shimmered in the sunlight.  Pinkie, for her part, got a nice sheen of water all along her body, giving her an even brighter glow than she had a moment ago, and it made my jaw drop.  Pinkie, like all the girls, was beautiful.  Her pink hair and bubbly personality always gave her a certain appeal.  It was like she’d never be happy if others around her weren’t happy.  I knew for a fact that she wasn’t always this happy, but I find it hard to imagine Pinkie Pie as sad as she claims to have been during her time on the rock farm.  It’s just difficult to imagine her being anything other than the bubbly girl that I’ve come to know.
        
Her joyous laughter as she began piling up sand to thwart the progress of the water was infectious, and soon I was down there in the water with her, desperately trying to divert the flow of the stream using nothing but some sand, some rocks, and a handful of sticks.  We spent almost an hour simply trying to alter the flow of the stream before we changed tactics.  I ran into the jungle many times to bring larger and larger rocks, along with sticks, and soon we had a small functional dam built.  It didn’t hold back all the water, but that was never our real goal.  We just wanted to divert the flow of water, and have it carve a new path through the sand of the beach.
        
The vertical sides of the stream bed, about twenty inches tall, often collapsed into the newly formed channel, and so Pinkie and I went about clearing it every time it filled in.  There was never an idle moment as we played in the sand and surf, and the conversation that we shared was probably one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve ever had.  Sometimes we swapped jokes and stories, sharing long bouts of laughter after each punch line -- other times we would just fall silent, just so we could enjoy the sound of the ocean a few dozen yards away. I ventured into the jungle once again, telling Pinkie that I’d find a rock to help the alteration of the water flow.
        
When I returned, though, the normally bubbly girl had subtly changed in her demeanor.  It took me quite a while to notice it, but when I finally picked up on it I stopped what I was doing, and I just watched as Pinkie continued.  It only took a few moments for her to realize that I had stopped and was watching her, and when she noticed she stopped as well.
        
“Pinkie, I may not be the most observant person around, and I don’t claim to be the best at reading people, but even I can see that there’s something off about you.  Just a short while ago, you were having the time of your life.  But now...”  I hesitated, trying to come up with the right words.  “Now there’s something wrong... I can feel it.”  I watched as she sat down on the small ledge of sand, and then she looked over at me, the usual smile on her face absent.  She wasn’t frowning, but there was an obvious sadness present.  I moved to sit in the stream in front of her, and she smiled at the little gesture.  I’d always been taller than her, and I never failed to point it out.  Now, though, she had the advantage of height, and it made her a bit happier.
        
“It’s nothing, really.  Just…”  She trailed off as she looked at me, and then she averted her gaze, looking out to the ocean, and to the sky.  She looked everywhere that wasn’t me.  I simply sat there as she let her gaze wander.  She wouldn’t just leave the sentence hanging like that.  I knew her well enough to know that she was just trying to figure out what she was saying.  Finally, she gave a long sigh and looked back at me.  “Do you remember when I told you all about what happened when I thought the others were all ignoring me?”

I nodded quickly.  “Yeah, you kind of went crazy for a bit.”  I leaned back for a moment, spreading my hands out behind me in order to stabilize myself.  “You claimed that the others were all ignoring you because they had better things to do than spend time with you.  In the end, though, they were simply planning a party for you.  A party that you had completely forgotten was supposed to be held.”

“Yup.”  She gave me a quick smile before she continued.  “And AJ told you about what happened when she tried to take care of the entire orchard on her own, right?”  Pinkie paused for a moment as she looked at me expectantly.  I nodded an affirmative before Pinkie continued.  “Rarity, Dash, and Twilight all did the same, right?  Telling you all about times when they’ve struggled, or when we had difficulty with something as a group?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard quite a bit about everything that you girls have done.  Kind of makes my accomplishments seem a bit... insignificant.”

Pinkie just frowned as she looked down at me.  “No Icarus -- that’s not what I’m trying to say.”

“Then what are you trying to say?”  I stopped for a moment, trying to figure out where she was going.  “I’m not slow to understand things, but this is beyond my scope.”

“I’m not trying to say something, I’m trying to ask something.  And that something that I’m trying to ask will probably take quite a while for you to explain.”  I looked out towards the ocean, a hand rising to block the sun.  It was still quite a distance from the horizon, so there was still plenty of time before we headed into town for dinner.

“Shoot, Pinkie.  I’ll try to answer, but you do know that I won’t talk about what happened before I moved to Ponyville.”

She just shook her head.  “That’s just it, Icarus.  I want to know why you don’t trust us.  Not just me, any of us.”  Pinkie paused for a moment while she thought.  She tried to speak a few times but each time she faltered, the words coming in a halting fashion.

Eventually she managed to put together what she wanted to say, but it was still spoken slowly.  “We’ve all shared our moments of weakness with you, and yet you won’t do the same for us.  Are we just so... so...  I don’t know what the word is, but Twilight would.  Why can’t you tell us what happened?  What’s so bad about it that you can’t share?”

Okay, well, I suppose now would be a good time to confess.  I’m not actually comfortable with what happened.  Not even a little.  It was all my fault, and it cost me, and my father, quite a bit.  After the... accident... I had spent a few months recovering, and then I moved out.  But rather than have me tell you, I’ll tell you what happened between Pinkie and I.

“I trust you, Pinkie!  I trust all of you!  But...”

“But what?”

Before I could respond the sound of voices caused me to turn in place to look back the way Pinkie and I had come from.  “Tonight.  My room.  After the others go to bed.  I...  I’ll tell you what happened.”  Pinkie just nodded in response, and with that nod her frown vanished, a smile taking its place.  The approaching girls quickly spotted Pinkie and I as we sat in our relative positions, and soon after they spotted us they were standing there and looking at what Pinkie and I had done.

“You two do know that it’s been almost two hours since you walked off, right?”  Twilight sounded a bit perturbed, and when I heard how long it had been I was a bit shocked that they hadn’t come earlier.  Hell, after just an hour of one of the girls missing I would have gone looking.  Before Twilight could continue I jumped in, eager to cut this off before it could become a lecture.

“Sorry, Twi.  Neither of us really noticed how time was flying, since we were having fun with this small stream that we found.”   I motioned around myself at the stream I was sitting in as I spoke.  Twilight’s shoulders slumped just a bit as I headed off the rant she doubtlessly wanted to go on.  “Anyway, we were going to head back to all of you soon since we still need some time to get back to the house, clean up, and get ready for dinner.”  I let a small, knowing smile come to my face as I continued.  “And I know how long you ladies take to get dressed up for going out.”
> Chapter II:  The Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I placed the cooler on the floor of the kitchen after making sure that the door was closed.  The girls had all rushed ahead of me as I carried the cooler up from the beach.  I had arranged the assortment of shells I had collected precariously atop the cooler, and keeping them safe was my first priority.  As I picked up the first of the shells, I felt a small surge of pain run up my arm, grimacing for a moment as I rubbed it.  I laid out the shells on the small island in the kitchen before I turned my attention back to the cooler, and the contents within.

I was still nursing my arm by the time I finished putting away all the recliners and the last of the leftover food.  Applejack can hit quite hard when she wants to, and I think that I did deserve something for my little quip.  Perhaps a light punch...

But instead, of course, Applejack chose to go with an arm shattering blow.

I slowly closed the fridge as I stood, the last of the melon safely stowed within the chilly confines of the modern marvel.  I didn’t take as long as the girls did to get dressed, but I still took some time to make sure that I looked at least semi-presentable.
        
The walk to the master suite was a brief one, and soon enough I was stripping off my swimming trunks and heading into the bathroom in order to wash off the salt that had built up over my body.  As I passed by the mirror I paused for a moment, looking back at the person who was looking out at me.  While it was the same face that I had looked at not so long ago, it was also different.  When I looked the first time, I had been the son of a famous inventor, now I was the son of a famous inventor about to discuss why my father had stopped inventing.  Not exactly the most apparent change, but one that I could see.
        
Without giving myself any time to dwell, I hopped into the shower, savoring the flow of warm water along my body.  I didn’t take longer than I needed to in order to get myself clean, and before I knew it I was getting out, taking advantage of the towel I had brought in with me.  After that I returned to the master bedroom and started laying out some clothing that would be suitable for the evening fare.
        
I wasn’t too sure how fancy the place where we were eating was, but I could recall Rarity mentioning that the required dress wasn’t too strict.  I mean, as long as you had clothes on you were okay, so I had plenty of room to… express myself.   After spending a few minutes in deliberation I finally settled for a casual white collared shirt, short sleeved – of  course – and a pair of jeans.  While the island was hot during the day it could sometimes get just a bit chilly at night, hence the long pants.
        
As I finished buttoning up the shirt a few knocks sounded at my door, drawing my attention away from the mirror I’d been looking into.  There weren’t many options for who was at my door, but I was curious.  All of them were probably still getting ready, so I didn’t really have any way to narrow it down.

Rarity, it turned out, was the one who knocked.  Having been around them for quite some time I had grown to ignore their bodies...  Well, for the most part, anyway.  She was wearing a pair of lacy panties, as well as a matching frilly bra.  It must’ve taken a bit too long for me to respond to what Rarity was saying, since she had to prod me in the chest before I actually started listening to her.
        
“Icarus, I was in a bikini all day, and now you decide to stare?”  She let out a small sigh and she rolled her eyes before she continued.  “Anyway, I came by to get your opinion on which of these two dresses looks better on me.”  It was only now, when she drew my attention to them, that I noticed that Rarity had a hanger that was supporting a dress in each hand.  “They’re both flawless, but I can’t quite decide which is more perfect.”  She put each dress in front of her body as she spoke, looking at me expectantly.

All I could do was look on in amazement.  “Do you really think that I’m qualified to tell you – the fashion expert of Ponyville – which looks more refined?  I mean, I can barely put myself together when it comes to getting dressed up.”  It was true, sadly.  I don’t see the point in wearing fancy clothing very often.  “I mean, I’m flattered, but I just –”
        
“Icarus, you do yourself a disservice.  You’re perfectly capable of putting together nice outfits when you try.  Why, the last time we had a formal gathering you looked quite dashing in that suit you wore.  The black suit you wore was almost perfect.  It was the patterned tie that brought the whole ensemble together.”  She put the white dress before her frame once more before looking at the other dress she held.  “I really would like your opinion, Icarus.  As poor as you may claim you are at this kind of thing, I’d like to know what you think.”
        
I looked between the two dresses for a moment, desperately trying to fight down the dirtier thoughts that were running rampant through my mind.

Focus, Icarus.  Pay attention and remember, but focus.

As she switched the dresses once again I made up my mind.  “Go with the white one, Rarity.”  She had put the other one before her body while I spoke, and she raised an eyebrow as she looked over the white one once again.
        
“Are you sure?  It’s just so… plain.  It lacks any real statement, and I’d normally only wear it if I was going to be accessorizing quite a bit.”  She opened her mouth to speak again.

I decided to cut her off.  “The white dress draws the eye to your face and legs, two of your better aspects.  The red dress, conversely, draws the eye to your chest.  While I won’t say that that’s an unfavorable outcome, it’s probably not something that you’d appreciate in a social setting.”

At least not this kind of social setting.

I quickly continued before my mind could drift about the... appropriate types of settings for that manner of attire.  “Also, I just think that you look better in white than pretty much any other color.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish getting ready.”  A smile appeared on Rarity’s face before she looked me once over, and stepped back into the hall.
        
“Of course, Icarus.  Do let me know if you need help with anything.”  As she turned to start heading down the hall, I closed the door.  As I looked at the now closed door I felt a massive shudder run through my body.  I turned and leaned back into the door before sliding down to sit on the floor.  This wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, but it was the first time that she’d looked at me with such intensity.  Her glance down south was... a bit much.

Still, I had a few things left to get before I was ready to go, so I pushed off the door as I went over to the small bedside table that I had put my few important belongings onto.  My wallet was quickly stuffed into my back pocket, my watch strapped onto my wrist, and then my small keyring was deposited safely into my pocket.  The keyring was the most important of all those items because without it we wouldn’t be able to get back into the house.  As I looked myself over one last time I smiled at my reflection.  Without further ado I opened the door to my room and I headed downstairs to the living room, taking care not to make much noise outside the girls’ rooms.  It wouldn’t really do for any of them to accost me for more fashion advice.

Just as I planted myself on the large sofa I heard a fairly loud, and incredibly aggressive, shout come from upstairs.  I immediately recognized the voice of Rainbow Dash, but I knew far better than to try and intervene.

Dash and her looks...  I’ll just stay here and let this whole thing blow over.

As was the norm for Rainbow, she made sure to take advantage of her colorful vocabulary, using terms that were, until just recently, outlawed in most towns.  Moments later I heard a door open, and then moments later, a door slam closed.  Probably one of the girls going to talk to Dash, or, as was a bit more likely, Dash going to talk to one of the others.

About fifteen minutes after Dash’s outburst, I heard one of the girls coming down the stairs.  I didn’t look to see who it was, since I was fairly sure that she would come into the living room before doing something else.  As if to spite me, she refused to come where I could see her.  When she spoke, though, I was able to identify the speaker as Twilight.

“Ready a bit early, Icarus?”  Her voice carried from the kitchen, and I nodded.

“Yeah, a bit.  I didn’t really need that long, anyway.”  A few minutes later and Twilight came into the living room, a small glass of water in her hand.  She looked quite nice in her skirt and slightly frilly blouse.  Her hair was done up in a small bun, with a few smaller locks left to flow down into her face, effectively framing it.  She decided to wear a pair of high heeled sandals as well, and they made her normally good looking legs seem even better than normal.

“Wow, Twi.  You look really good...”  I took another moment to appreciate how she looked.  “And I like what you did with your hair.”  She just blushed a bit as she took a small sip of her water.  As she drank I noticed that her lips were a shade darker than normal, and so I looked at her face more intently.  She was wearing some makeup, something she did only rarely, and it certainly worked to draw the eye.  It was only after a moment that I realized I was staring, and so I quickly looked away, trying to find a way to keep from looking back at her for a moment.

Several more minutes passed before the sound of more people coming down the stairs was heard.  I turned to look this time, and I saw Fluttershy and Pinkie both coming down.  Shortly after, both Rarity and Applejack came down.  Rainbow Dash came down last, her hair nicely brushed and styled.  I raised an eyebrow when she looked my way, and she just glared at me for a moment.  I chuckled softly as she went over to sit on the couch opposite the one that I was on.

“So, are we all ready to go, girls?  Or is there anything still keeping us here?”  After a moment they all let me know that there was nothing to keep us from going now, and so I stood up, taking the initiative.  I walked over to the door, and, with a gesture, motioned for them all to go before me.  “Ladies first.”  They all filed through the opening, and I made sure to close the door as I went through.


Conversation flowed freely as we walked, and no single topic managed to hold our collective interest for very long.  While I knew that the walk would take about fifteen minutes to make, it seemed like a much shorter amount of time, simply because the lively conversation kept us all from focusing on the walk.  We were still early for our reservation, made in advance by Princess Celestia, so we decided to simply stroll through the small town, taking in the sights.

Much to Rarity’s unending delight, there were a plethora of different clothing stores.  We had to keep her from rushing into some of them, since we all knew that once Rarity started she’d keep going until she either ran out of money, or all the people that she had carry her bags were no longer physically capable of lifting the loads.  Sadly, given Rarity’s rather successful business, it was more likely that she’d buy more than we could carry before she’d run out of money.  Not really sad, actually.  Though when even Applejack complained about the weight that she was carrying, everyone knew there was a problem.

As we found ourselves at the restaurant it seemed that there was something here for all the girls to do, and even I had found some small diversions that I would be able to amuse myself with.  We strolled into the restaurant just a few minutes before our reservation was set for, and I quickly explained to the maitre'd who we were.  Within moments he had seven menus in his hand and was leading us to our table.  I noticed that there was a small sign on the table when we got there, but the maitre’d swept it away before I could get a good look at it.  I knew that the reservation for this restaurant was made by Celestia, so I don’t know whether she had requested the table, or whether it had simply been fortune.  Either way, whether it was Celestia, or just luck, we had a phenomenal view from our table where we could watch as the sun slowly set.

The waiter didn’t leave us waiting for long.  He quickly rattled off a list of some specials, as well as a selection of some wines before he told us that he would return promptly.  I mulled over my choices for a few minutes before I settled on a selection of different foods that I would be enjoying.  When I looked up from my menu I saw that the girls were all still busy looking over their own menus, so I simply looked out the window until they were done.

I was just about to look for the waiter when he walked up to the table, a smile on his face.  “So, monsieur et dames, have you all decided on what you’d like for the evening?”  His gaze roamed over each of the girls until he finally looked at me.

“Yes, actually.  I’d like a bottle of spiced wine, and seven glasses.”

“We have many spiced wines, monsieur.”  His tone was slightly cocky, mocking-like -- almost like I was just another person trying to be fancy.  “Which one would you like?”

“Tamika’s West Weald Wine.  The one spiced with juniper berries, 869 vintage.  Make sure that it’s a bit chilled.”  The waiter frowned at my display of knowledge before he gave a quick nod and wrote down the order on his small pad.  The waiter turned and strode off to the kitchen while the girls all looked at me after they placed their orders, and I offered a sheepish smile.  “Hey, I do hang out with some other people in Ponyville, and I happen to pay attention to Berry when she talks about liquor.  She’s really quite knowledgeable.”  Some light laughter met my little explanation, and a few moments later we had descended into yet another conversation, this one just as lively as the last, and just as entertaining too.

The entire meal seemed to fade into a blur of food, drink, and laughter as the night progressed.  Spike was actually a topic of conversation for quite some time, and I dropped some subtle hints about what I thought he was doing back home.  Neither Rarity nor Applejack were at all pleased with the implications of what I was saying.  The rest of us started laughing at the idea of what I was suggesting.  The laughter proved to be contagious, and soon enough Applejack and Rarity joined in.  Since Spike and the ‘Crusaders’ were all of age it really wasn’t any of our concern.

I only realized just how late it had become when I looked out the window once again, marveling at the impressive display Luna had put on with the stars and the moon.  As the meal wound down, and our conversation came to an end, the waiter returned to the table with a small booklet in his hand, a smile on his face.  Rather than put it in front of anyone, he simply placed it on the table and backed away.

Twilight was the first to grab it, and so she quickly opened it and smiled.  “It seems that Princess Celestia has this meal covered.  The rest of what we do, though, is on our own money.”  She pulled out a small note from the booklet, showing it to all of us as proof.

Just a few minutes later and the seven of us were walking out of the restaurant, our bellies full, and our spirits high.  Unwilling to head back to the house just yet, though, we strolled about the town some more, conversation flowing a bit more freely now that we had all had some alcohol.  It wasn’t really all that much liquor, but it was still more than some of us had had in quite a while.  Fluttershy seemed to be dealing with her partial inebriation the worst, since she was acting fully out of character.  Her voice had increased in volume, and things that would normally embarrass the shy pegasus only egged her on further.

Things came to a head when we started up a dirty joke contest.  Twilight was the first to drop out, her blush far more telling than her embarrassed mutterings.  Applejack dropped out shortly after Twilight, not out of embarrassment, but simply because she had exhausted her ammo.  Rarity surprised me with her amazingly good jokes, but she was the third to fall.  I was confident that I’d take the win, though.  I knew a dirty joke that put others to shame.  A dirty joke that made others seem clean in comparison.  Still, I didn't want to have to resort to using that one.

Pinkie was the next to drop out, albeit by choice, rather than by force.  She claimed that she still had tons of jokes at the ready, but that she didn’t feel like using them all, since there’s always another time to use them.  As the house finally came into view I decided that I’d finally settle the whole contest, and win this one.  However, it was Fluttershy's turn, so I looked to her expectantly, and she surprised us all with her little joke...



	



“By the Creator, Fluttershy!  That’s awful!”  I had to fight back the urge to hurl as I comprehended the implications made by the joke she told.  The girls were all expressing similar sentiments, and Fluttershy just let out a small giggle, the alcohol in her system preventing her from experiencing any of her characteristic embarrassment.  When we arrived at the house the girls were all still expressing their disgust about Fluttershy’s joke, while I had finally managed to see the humor behind it, and so I was chuckling softly as the girls all went inside.

I walked in the house as soon as I had managed to quell the last of my giggles and I was greeted by Dash and Pinkie sitting in the living room, a bottle of wine with two wine glasses sitting on the table.  “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

“Nah.  I’m good for another few drinks.”  Dash was quick to stand and headed to the kitchen as she spoke. Pinkie motioned towards the couch opposite her, so I walked over before settling in.  Dash came back just a minute later with a wine glass in her hand.  Once she filled the glasses with some wine I picked mine up and took a small sip.  It wasn’t quite as good as what they had at the restaurant, but it still had a flavorful taste and a pleasant aroma.  Dash continued as I drank.  “Anyway, Pinkie and I weren’t ready to head to bed just yet, so we figured that we’d see what Celestia has stowed away in the wine cellar.  I picked this bottle at random, though.”

I simply nodded and drank a bit of my wine.

Pinkie was quick to fill the silence that followed Dash’s explanation.  “Dashie and I were talking about what we could do tomorrow, since heading to the beach is fun and all, but we’ve got a whole island to explore.”

I finished my first glass before I voiced my opinion.  “Well, how about tomorrow we take the time to walk along some of the paths that were carved through the jungle?  I remember reading on the boat trip here that there’s almost a hundred miles worth of trails, and, hidden inside the jungle, there are scores of scenic spots to find.”  I paused for a moment as I considered all the people whose company I was in.  “Although I don’t think that Rarity would be likely to enjoy much of the wilderness.  She just doesn’t seem like the sort.”

“You got that right, Icarus.  Man, when we went camping that one time, she had more stuff than I even own!  And that’s including my Wonderbolts stuff.”  I raised an eyebrow at that last comment, and Rainbow Dash just smirked at me.  “Okay, if we don’t count the posters, then she had more than I own.  Happy?”

“Yes.  Yes I am.”  Dash just downed another glass of wine in response, and then she leaned back on the couch, sprawling out and taking up as much room as she could.  “Anyway, Dash, how are things going for you?  We haven’t been able to talk that much since just after the Crystal Kingdom incident.  I mean, with the weather, and the Wonderbolts training program, you’ve been quite busy over the past few weeks.  Other than that one brief attempt at the morning runs.”

“Tell me about it!  My napping time has been seriously cut down!  Not to mention time I want to spend with all of you.  I even missed the release of the latest Daring Doo book.”  She quickly looked at Pinkie and then at me before she continued.  “If either of you tell Twilight I will end you.  She won’t stop pestering me about books now that she knows I like Daring Doo.  But if she found out that I’m upset about missing the release...”

I leaned back in my seat some at that remark, a big smile coming to my face.  “I’ll ‘forget’ that little confession if you ‘forget’ about those drawings that you found.”  Dash’s face turned a deep shade of crimson at that little remark.

Pinkie just looked between us for a moment before she spoke.  “What’s he talking about, Dash?  What drawings?”

“Can you keep this a secret, Pinkie?  Like, Pinkie Promise?”  She quickly nodded, running through the motions quickly.  “Good.  Now that that’s out of the way, and since Dash already knows...”  Dash’s blush came back in full force.  “Well, Pinkie, I often have to do fairly detailed drawings in order to make sure that my creations are accurate.  A few people around Ponyville found out about my artistic talents, and so they asked for me to do some drawings for them.  One thing led to another, and, well...  I was asked to do some provocative art for Lyra.”  I smiled at Pinkie for a moment before I continued.  “As word spread through town, well, I discovered that I’m actually pretty good at drawing people.  This led to me trying to do pictures from memory.”

“I think I see where this is going, Icarus.”  Even Pinkie was blushing by this point.

Before I could finish Dash jumped in.  “But why me?  Why not Rarity, or Fluttershy?  They’re both way better looking, and I’m pretty sure that Rarity would’ve been flattered.  At least, after she got over the initial shock of seeing a picture of herself naked.”

“To be fair, I drew that shortly after spending a day hanging out with you.  It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.  And it’s not like I do anything with those pictures.”  I let out a small sigh as I looked at the liquid sitting in my glass.  “They just wind up sitting in a folder, gathering dust.  Hell, Dash, you were the first person to see anything that I wasn’t asked to draw.”  No one knew what to say to that, and silence followed my words.

Dash was the first to stand and leave.  Her muttered wishes for a good night seemed to linger for several minutes as Pinkie and I watched her leave and head upstairs.  Just a moment after Dash escaped my view I stood, and grabbed the wine and glasses; taking them to the kitchen.  After putting the glasses in the sink, I managed to stuff the cork back into the wine bottle before I put it on the counter, resolving to take care of it tomorrow.

When I walked back into the living room I noted that Pinkie had left, so I shrugged before turning off the lights.  With the room plunged into darkness I had to take my time crossing the room, the idea of stubbing one of my toes once again acting as a deterrent to increased speed.  As I mounted the stairs I noted absently that the doors to all the girls’ rooms were closed.  Light was only coming from a couple of the rooms, so I didn’t worry too much about making that much noise.

I was soon within my own room, the door to the balcony open to allow a gentle breeze that kept the room nice and cool.  I quickly changed out of my clothes and into a pair of boxers and a pair of jeans.  They were a really old pair, so they were probably the most comfortable pair of pants that I owned.  I walked out onto the balcony, the shimmering reflection of the moon on the water catching my eye.  After a few minutes I looked away from the moon, my eyes roaming over the jungle, looking for the namesake of the island.  Just as I spotted the first yellow flash of light a knock came at the door to my room.

As I turned away from the view to look at the door, the little confidence I felt at the beach vanished in an instant.  I silently hoped that there wouldn’t be a second knock and that Pinkie had simply gone to bed, rather than coming to see me.  A second knock did come, and I let out a small sigh.  “Come in...”  I quickly turned back to the view as my softly spoken call prompted the opening of the door.

Soon enough there was a presence at my side, and I glanced over to see Pinkie looking out towards the view.  After looking out over the jungle and enjoying the flashes of the fireflies as they signaled their mating calls, I pushed off the balcony railing, heading back in towards my bed.  I sat down on the edge, resting my hands on my knees, the floor holding my gaze.

Pinkie came in a few minutes later, a leap taking her fully onto the bed where she stayed sprawled out over the covers, her limbs splayed out at all angles.  “Start at the beginning?”  I glanced at Pinkie to see her nod, and so I just smiled at her.  “That’s what I figured.”  I fell back onto the bed with a small sigh before I started.

“My father, Daedalus, is one of the greatest inventors in Equestria -- yet his name is poorly known, even among the people who use his creations the most.  Much like myself, he simply created whatever came to mind, rather than focus on a single field of work.

“For instance, the steam locomotive was made far more efficient thanks to a small device that he created.  Not that he’d ever take credit for it.  He’d just brush it off, and then rant about some obscure problem that affects less than a handful of people.”  I gestured wildly into the air.  “But there was one invention that he’d been working on for months.  Years, even.  One that would make life for pegasi easier.  Or, at least, for the pegasi that thrive on flying fast.  You see, when a pegasus goes fast enough, their wings will eventually start creating as much drag as they do thrust, creating a top speed for the pegasus.

“My father’s invention would remove that barrier through some clever use of magical fields.  By channeling the air around the wing it would, theoretically, remove the barriers to high speed flight.”

Pinkie shifted position as I spoke, and soon she was sitting next to me, looking down at me.  “You tested it?”

“Yep,” I said, nodding quickly.  “All the math was right, but there’s always some variables that no one thinks to look for when testing out a prototype.  There are things that are so basic, so obvious, that we never even think of them.  Things like the air.  Tell me, Pinkie, how often do you really think about the air that we breathe?”  Pinkie seemed to sink into thought for a moment before she shook her head.  “My point exactly.  And that’s the mistake that my father made.

“At sea level, or right around it, the air is of a certain density.  As you go higher it gets thinner and thinner.  That’s what caused the mistake my father made to become such a big deal.  See, when I tested the system I had to reach my top speed, and then go just beyond that.  An easy enough task to reach my top speed, but I need quite a bit of room to do it.  So, it became logical for me to increase my altitude so that I would have plenty of room.”  I paused as I recalled the events of that flight.  “It all started out so simple.  I just flew faster and faster until I hit my natural top speed.

“Then I engaged the system, and I could feel the change immediately.  My speed increased by leaps and bounds, and I was having the time of my life.  It felt like there was nothing holding me back at all.  Faster and faster I went, and higher and higher.  Until, with a searing flash of pain, I stopped accelerating, and started falling.”  I felt a tingle on my back at the mention of the pain.

Pinkie cocked her head as she looked at me.  “But, what happened to your wings?”  She looked down at me with equal parts confusion and concern.  “Dashie’s been in tons of crashes, some of them pretty serious, but she didn’t lose her wings.”

“That’s because Dash didn’t have magical fields pulling her wings apart.  See, as the air grew thinner the magical field had to work harder to move the air as fast as it did.  This caused it to grow narrower until it started touching my wing.  Once that happened... Well, the field couldn’t tell the difference between the air and my flesh.  Turns out that my desire to push myself with the system was my downfall.  I flew too close to the sun, literally, and I paid for it with my wings.”  I rolled onto my belly so that I didn’t have to look at Pinkie any longer, and just a moment after doing so I felt Pinkie’s gentle touch run along the scars on my back.

“Did your dad carry you down after you started crashing?”

“No, he couldn’t keep up with me once I got going.  Some of his friends were members of the guard in town.  He asked a few of them to hang out ‘just in case.’  One of them carried me down, and to the hospital.  By the time I woke up I had already been operated on, and they had sewn the wounds on my back closed.”  Pinkie’s hand pressed down gently on the right scar before her other hand came down on the left one.

“Does it hurt?”  Her voice came out as a whisper, but in the relative silence of my room it was easily audible.

“When you do that?  No.  In fact, they don’t ever hurt, really.  Only if I stretch too far, but it’s rare even then.  Anyway, when the mayor found out what happened to me, he decided to get involved.  Even though I was an adult, he decided that it’d be in his best interest to take the legal proceedings into his own hands.  Over the course of a month they launched half a dozen investigations into my father’s work, coming up with all sorts of ludicrous claims about how he was a terrible father, and that I should be removed from his care.  Mind you, I was there by choice, not by force.

“After everything was said and done, with next to no input from me, I was told that I had been given a generous stipend from the government, and a new place to live.  And that my father was being given a new place to live.  Some weird government facility or something, working with the massive hulking monsters we call Minotaurs.”

Pinkie had started rubbing my back in an attempt at a massage while I spoke, and she kept at it for several minutes before she spoke.  “And why are you so reluctant to talk about this?  You made a mistake, just like anyone else would.”

“Because I cost my father so much.  I cost myself so much.  I messed up not only my own life, but my dad’s too, simply because I thought I was better than the stages of testing that my father had thought up.”

“Did your dad ever say that he was disappointed in you?”

“N...  No.”

“Do you regret what happened because of your choices?”

“I regret losing my wings.”

Pinkie flipped me over before she looked down at me.  “Do you regret anything else that happened?  Coming to Ponyville?  Meeting us?  Spending time with us?  Celebrating with us through the good times, and weathering the bad times as well?”

“No, Pinkie.”  I gave a gentle shake of my head.  “It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”  I started to respond before I stopped myself.  Again, Pinkie asked a simple question to provoke a deeper level of thought.  “Why can’t it be that simple?  You’re happy now, and you’ve got tons of friends who care for you.  What more do you want?”

“Aside from my wings, Pinkie...”  I hesitated as I thought about what to say.  “Aside from my wings, Pinkie, there’s just a few things that I want.  And those are things that I’m still looking for.”

Pinkie gave a knowing smile.  “I’m pretty sure that we both know what at least one of those things is.”  As she looked down at me, her smile grew a bit wider.  I felt a blush come to my cheeks.  “Anyway, you can’t just sit and wait for those things to come to you.  Sometimes you need to go out and find what you want in life.”

Before I could respond Pinkie leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.  Still looking down at me, the blush on her cheeks was nearly as intense as my own.  “Think of it as motivation, Icarus.  And think about what I said, too.  Sometimes the things you’re looking for are right in front of you, just asking to be noticed.”  As Pinkie finished speaking several loud knocks sounded at my door.  Before I could form a response the door burst open, with Rainbow Dash toppling in just behind it.

“Icarus...”  She looked over at me, her eyes squinting as she tried to focus on me.  “I was just thinking that it’d be great if we went for a run tomorrow...”  

Please let her be buzzed enough to not know what’s going on...

“Sure, Dash.  Just... Uh...  Just come and get me tomorrow morning.”  Pinkie was about to speak when I put a hand on her mouth.

“Sounds good, Icarus.”  Dash started walking out the door when she stopped and looked back at Pinkie and I over her shoulder.  “Oh, and Pinkie, this doesn’t count.  You cheated.”  With that, she turned and walked out the door, not even closing it as she left.  I slowly let my hand drift away from Pinkie’s mouth, and she let out a little giggle.

“I suppose Dash is right.  Although there wasn’t anything keeping her from doing this.”  I opened my mouth to inquire, but she shook her head and giggled once again.  “Just a little something between us girls.”  She paused for a moment as she thought about what to say, but then she gave a shrug before she continued, her smile growing wider.  “Nothing for you to worry about.”
> Chapter III:  The Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wakefulness was slow in coming, seemingly loathe to rouse me from the fitful sleep that had claimed me several hours after Pinkie had finally departed.  I found myself unable to stop thinking about what she had said, her words echoing through my mind.  It had to do with me, but more than that I couldn’t really say.  I sighed, taking a moment to try and figure out what their feelings were for me, but to no avail.

They’re the Element Bearers.  What would they want with some cripple like me?

A gentle knock came from my door as I turned to get out of bed.  By the time I finally managed to reach a standing position the door had been knocked upon several more times, the knocks growing louder as they grew more frequent.  Unwilling to deal with the auditory assault any longer I walked over to the door, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes.  Throwing open the door revealed Dash standing there, her fist poised to knock once more.

“Mornin’, Dash.  A bit early for you, isn’t it?”

She gave me a quick smile her eyes scanning me, as if she was looking for some sort of clue.  “Yeah, but we’re gonna do some running this morning, and it’s better to start early.  Besides, we don’t know how long we’re going to take, so it’s best if there’s no chance of us messing up Twi’s schedule.”

I groaned softly as I took a step back, gesturing towards my bed.  “But…  It’s comfy there.  Can’t you do enough running for both of us, and we say that I ran with you?”

She shot me a flat glare.  “Come on, Icarus.  Either you get up on your own, or I’ll make you come and go on a run with me.  You promised me back in Ponyville that you’d spend less time on your ass, and more time exercising.  I mean, you remember the first time we went running, right?”

“Yeah, and it would’ve gone better if you hadn’t been taunting me about going so slow the whole damn time!”  Dash lowered her gaze at that, and I regretted what I said immediately.  She’d apologized later that day, but it still wasn’t the best time I’ve ever had with the rainbow haired girl standing before me.  “Sorry.  Look, give me, like, five minutes, and I’ll be ready.  Just wait down in the living room, and I’ll come down when I’m good to go.”

“Alright, but if you don’t come down in five minutes, or less, than I’m going to come up here and drag you down, ready or not.”  With that said, she turned away from me and she started her trip back down the hall, heading for the living room.  I closed the door a moment later, leaning into it after it latched into place.

I made my way over to the dresser that housed most of the clothing that I had brought with me.  It only took a moment of rummaging for me to find my workout garb, and then a moment longer for me to put it on.

As I jogged down the stairs, I let my mind wander back to that first attempt at exercising that I had undertaken with Dash.  Considering how it had gone that first time I didn’t really think that she meant to continue.  She, on that run, had complained about my pace, often times rushing ahead and leaving me to play catch up, only to have her make some glib remark about how slow I was.  Not that I’d complained about it to Dash.  I knew it was fruitless to bring it up with her without first giving her some time to think about it.  Unwilling to just let it be, though, and wait for her to come around, I vented my frustrations about the run to Rarity.  I quickly learned that she made for a good listener when she wasn’t working.



	

I walked into the boutique, my freshly washed body lacking any of the offending odor it had less than an hour ago.  Rarity was, like usual, busy working on her latest creation.  Sweetie Belle, her latest living mannequin, was silently enduring the treatment her sister was subjecting her to.  Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened when she saw me walk in, and I could tell that she was hoping for some respite.

“Morning, Rarity.  Sweetie Belle.”

“Oh, Icarus!  What are you doing here?  I thought that you and Rainbow Dash were going to be busy for the whole morning.”  She continued her work on the dress that Sweetie was wearing, her attention still focused on her sewing.

I offered Sweetie Belle a shrug.  “I was actually hoping that I could talk to you for a bit, Rarity.”  She didn’t answer, so I politely coughed, hoping to get a reaction.  “Rarity?”

“I’m a bit busy, Icarus.”  She didn’t even look at me.  “Can it wait until I’m done?”  Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened as she looked between her sister and I.

I gave her a confident smile, an idea coming to mind.  “Sure, but until then I’ll just keep wearing this brown belt with these black shoes and a white leather watch band.”  Rarity gasped sharply, and she turned to look at me, her face set in a horrified expression.

“But you have to match...  Oh.”  She looked between me and Sweetie Belle a few times before she let out a groan.  “And I was in the groove...  Ah, well.  Sweetie, you can take that off, and go do something else.  We can continue later.  Icarus is clearly desperate for my attention, and I’d be an ungracious host to deny him.”  Sweetie Belle let out a joyous cry at her sister’s words, and within moments she had fled the room, her feet pounding up the stairs that led to the bedrooms.  “Now then, what seems to be the issue that so urgently needs my attention?”

“Well, it’s about Dash.  Dash and I, specifically.”

Rarity’s eyes widened rapidly at this, and she got a sparkle in her twin sapphire pools.  “You and Dash?  Well this I must hear.  We’ll head to the living room, though.  No need to talk about this here.”  Within minutes we were both seated in her living room, a small amount of tension poisoning the air.  “Well, do tell.  And spare none of the details.”  Over the course of about half an hour I regaled Rarity with all of the details of our run, and why it bothered me as much as it did.  By the time I finished I felt a bit better simply for having vented my feelings, but Rarity seemed to have fallen into deep thought on the matter.  “Given Rainbow’s nature in these kinds of things it’d be best if you let her stew for a while.  You did make it clear to her how you felt, yes?”

“Yeah, I spent several minutes telling her that what she did was uncalled for.”

“And I suppose she just threw it all back at you, claiming that you were the problem, and not her?”  I nodded and Rarity leaned back in her seat, a sigh escaping her.  “Yes, well, Rainbow does seem to have trouble with criticism, no matter the source.  Really, all you need to do is leave her be for a while.  She just needs to realize that you were right, and she was wrong.  Despite how bull headed she can be, this is something that she knows is wrong, and she’ll endeavor to fix it.  Even if it means swallowing her pride.”

“So, your advice is to wait?”

“Yes.”  I raised an eyebrow, and Rarity just laughed.  “What, not all the problems of the world require some grandiose solution.  Sometimes the easiest solution is the one most often overlooked.”



	

When I reached the living room I found Dash doing some stretches.  She gave me a smile as she continued her bodily contortions.  I walked past her, through the front door, and out onto the path that led to the dirt road that led to our house.  It was there that I began my stretching, making sure that I got all the leg muscles.  I was only about halfway through when Dash came out.  She offered some small tips to help me out with getting the stretches done right, and soon I was finished.

“So, Dash, do you have any specific route planned that you want to take?”

“Nah.  Figured we could just improvise something.  Find a path through the jungle and just go along that till we got bored.”

Bored.  Dash’s version of tired.

“I suppose that’ll work.”  I frowned slightly as I remembered the last incident.  “Just don’t do what you did last time, okay?”

Dash’s eyes fell to the floor.  “I won’t.  This time I’ll keep your pace, that way we can enjoy the scenery together.  ‘Sides, you’re the one who spent all that time looking at the map.  If we get lost I’m counting on you to get us back to civilization.”  I only nodded, and soon we were jogging down the dirt road, the scenery passing in a haze.

The rhythmic sound of my feet hitting the dirt road became the drumbeat by which I measured time.  Dash’s slightly shorter stature forced her to take slightly more frequent strides, the sounds synchronizing at times, and growing discordant at others.  As we continued along, Dash soon took us off the main road, and along a small side path.  This was less even than the dirt road we had been on before, so I slowed my pace just a bit.

I’m not going to risk a sprained ankle, or worse, just to try and prove something to Dash.

I started to take us down a path that led to the highest point on the island.  Dash didn’t seem to mind my leading the run, and it brought a smile to my face.  After about half an hour of constant jogging my body was finally starting to demand that I either relent in my pace, or take a short break.  I opted to continue, albeit at a slower pace.  Shortly after reducing my pace I found out that this pace was slow enough for Dash to start a conversation.

Or, at least, it was slow enough for her to talk to me.

“So, Icarus, what were you and Pinkie doing last night?”  Her question, while slightly expected, nearly caused me to lose my footing as I jogged.  She only smiled at my misstep, keeping her pace effortlessly.  “Think about an answer, but I want an answer when we take our first break.”  And with that said she brought her gaze to the path, continuing the run as if she hadn’t said a word.

While she could continue as if nothing had been said, I couldn’t.  A good deal of last night had been spent wondering just what Pinkie and I had been doing.  I could figure out most of what she had said, since it wasn’t a conversation laden with deep meaning.  But that kiss that she gave me...  It was like everything that she had said had been leading up to that one moment.  

She says that I shouldn’t worry about it, but I know that it’s about me.

As the run started to angle upwards I knew that our first checkpoint was rapidly approaching, and that I’d have to supply an answer to Dash.  My mind raced with all sorts of different answers, but I knew that Dash, while not quite as astute as Applejack, could almost always tell a lie from the truth.  The jungle quickly began thinning out as the path we were on turned to weathered stone rather than the dirt that we’d been on for the past few miles.

With the finish for the first leg of our run so close Dash poured on the speed, pulling ahead of me.  I knew that this wasn’t a malicious move by Dash -- she just wanted to ‘win’.  When I finally made it to the top of the small plateau I spotted Dash standing over by one of the benches that dotted the area.  As I closed in on the bench I finally allowed my pace to slow from a jog to a fast walk, and then finally to a steady walk.

Dash gave me quick look as I came up beside her, and then she went back to looking out over the grand expanse of the isle.  While not the largest isle in the chain, it was the most beautiful of them all.  The bench that Dash had stopped next to was one that looked out over most of the island before cutting off and turning to ocean.  An impressive vista, to be sure.

“You got an answer, Icarus?  Or is this going to be just like your past, a secret that you only share with people who help you get your rocks off?”

“I...  Wait, what?  Get my rocks off?”  I paused, and then my eyes widened as I realized just what she was saying.  “Do you really think that Pinkie and I... did it?  Because if that’s what you’re thinking-”

Dash finally stopped looking out over the island, and she focused her gaze on me.  “What else would the two of you be doing in your room, at one in the morning, with your shirt off and her fawning all over you?”  Her voice developed a bit of an edge to it, and she started advancing on me.  “I tried to do what she did for months, and all she has to do is talk to you on the beach for a few hours, and bam!  The fuck is that?”

Not this time, Dash.

“Right, let’s take this in order.  First off, we weren’t doing anything.  Pinkie managed to get me to tell her about what happened that led me to Ponyville.  I only told her because she was so damn insistent about it.  Second of all, we didn’t have sex, Dash.  I didn’t have a shirt on because I sleep without one, and I find it more comfortable.  She wasn’t fawning over me, I was simply being a lazy ass and lying there while talking to her.”  I jabbed my finger at her, forcing her to take a step back.  “And if you really wanted to talk to me then maybe you should’ve be a bit more persistent.”

“I tried!  But you were being just as stubborn as AJ during Applebucking season!  You’re just fine to talk about damn near anything, but when it comes to your past you act like a fucking pussy!”  Unwilling to continue this ever loudening ‘discussion,’ I turned away from Dash.  The urge to shout back at her was nearly intolerable.  I knew that I shouldn’t, but that didn’t make it easier to deal with.  After a few steps I stopped and looked up at the sky, heaving a massive sigh and clenching my fists for a moment.  A gentle touch on my shoulder was all the warning I had before a pair of arms wrapped around my body.  “I’m sorry, Icarus.”

She quickly released me from her embrace, and I turned to look at her, finding that in the moment between when she released me and when I could see her, she had moved back to the bench.  I walked to the bench after a moment, taking a seat beside her.  “Always one to break records, eh, Dash?  I think that’s the fastest you’ve ever apologized.”  She didn’t respond to the bait, so I continued.  “We weren’t doing anything, Dash.  I promise.  All we did was talk.”

“But why her?  Why not...  Why not me?”

“Because I hate what happened, and what I did, that’s why.  Now, I’ve answered your question, and we won’t get anything done by just standing here.  So, let’s go.  I know where we’re going next, so I’ll lead.”

“No.  I’ll lead.  I looked at some maps earlier, and I know a place.  Or, I think I know a place.”  She didn’t leave any room for debate, since she simply started making her way towards the path after she spoke.  With little other choice, I followed.  The trip back down to the jungle seemed to go by in a blur, and soon enough we were heading along the dirt paths.

Dash’s reaction atop the plateau was all the I needed to solidify my notion that there was something going on between the girls.  Something that involved me in a very direct way.

The path that we ran along was soon winding through the jungle with dozens of twists and turns.  As we wound along even I, with my self-proclaimed amazing sense of direction, lost track of which way would lead us back to the house.  The sound of running water soon became clear, and I nearly ran into Dash when she stopped at a small river crossing.  We looked for some rocks to use to cross the stream, the search taking a couple of minutes.  Rather than stick to the official path forged through the jungle, Dash started following the river.

It looked like there was a path that ran this way at some point, but it was too faded to really stand out.  Unless someone knew to look for it it would be easy to miss the path.  As we went along our pace gradually decreased more and more until we were walking through the brush, pushing large plants out of our way.

I thought about trying to talk to Dash a few times as we walked, but each time I wanted to say something I’d find some reason not to.  Just as I was about to confidently proclaim that we were lost Dash let out a cry of success, the sounds of fleeing wildlife clear for several moments following her outburst.  “Whoops.”  I only shook my head at her when she looked at me, and then she pushed her way through the foliage.  I followed just a step behind her.

To say that I was amazed with what I saw would be an understatement.  A large basin of water was laid out before us, an impressive waterfall feeding the pool, and even the stream that we had been walking next to found its origin here.  A clearing in the trees above the pool of water allowed for a perpetual dusk to settle in the area.  The columns of light that did penetrate the canopy only added to the beauty of the expanse.  As I finished taking in the allure of the glade my gaze finally settled on Dash.

To say that she was beautiful would be an understatement.  There had been many times that I caught myself staring at her, not thinking of her as a friend, but as a woman.  Intentionally or not she had stopped her advance in a column of light.  Her look of awe at the splendor of the scenery around her only worked to make me realize just how beautiful she was.  She didn’t have the curves that Rarity and Fluttershy boasted, but there was no denying the fact that she’s one of the most beautiful people I know, even if she would never admit it.  A blush quickly surged to her cheeks when she caught me staring.

“Did you know this was here, or were you just hoping?”

“A bit of both, honestly.”  She finally looked away from me after she spoke.  I started making my way towards the pool as Dash continued her visual exploration of the area.  As I walked around the rim of the basin of water I noticed that there were actually a few streams leading off of this waterfall.  Most of them were incredibly small trickles that probably wound up merging together later, so I didn’t really pay much attention to those.

A loud splash sounded behind me, and I whirled around to see what was happening when I spotted a pile of clothing on the ground where Dash had been standing.

She wouldn’t.

A second, and more subdued, splashing sound came from the water, and as I turned to look I saw Dash whip her hair back over her head as she burst from beneath the water.  Her prismatic hair fanned out in an arc, the light shining through it making the colors more pronounced.  More notable than that magnificent display was the attire Dash had on.  While she had gone for a sports bra and short shorts yesterday, she had on a fairly skimpy bikini today.

And by fairly skimpy, I mean it was pretty much a few triangles of cloth held together with some string.

After her brief display she turned her gaze towards me, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson.  “What, never seen a girl in a bikini before?”

“I have, but never you.”  A splash of water sent my way prompted a hop backwards.  “Keep that up, Dash, and I might have to come in and show you a thing or two about water based combat.”

She sent another spray of water my direction as she began laughing.  “Maybe that’s what I’m aiming for, Icarus.  Not like it matters, anyway.  We both know who’d win in a fight.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, Dash, but you’ve never actually gone toe to toe with me, and I’m not the worst fighter around.”  I quickly pulled off my shirt, tossing it down beside Dash’s own pile of clothes.  My shoes and socks followed just behind my shirt, and soon I was taking a few steps back from the edge of the water.  Several powerful strides gave me a good amount of speed, and with a powerful jump I leapt as far as I could into the pool of water.

The water was far warmer than I thought it would be, and even deeper than I expected.  My shallow dive carried me quite a ways across the pool of water and when I surfaced I quickly took in a deep breath before I went underwater once more.  Several powerful kicks sent me deeper, and I was only able to touch the bottom after spending almost ten seconds fighting my way down.  Pushing off the deepest recesses of the pool, I fought my way back to the surface.

“I was just as surprised by how deep it is too.  But enough of that.  We’ve got a score to settle.”  With that, she began showering me in a flurry of splashes, each one attempting only to douse me, rather than keep me from counterattacking.  Using this to my advantage, I aimed several splashes at her head, forcing her to stop in order to clear her face.  It was during this respite that I started circling her while keeping up a constant barrage of splashes, each one aimed for maximum effect.

After just a moment she dove beneath the surface of the water, her quick strokes beneath the water bringing her up to me faster than I could backpedal.  She breached the surface of the water right in front of me, a smirk on her face.  “It’s a good thing I figured out your weakness, Icarus, or I think you might’ve actually won.”  With her right in front of me there were two things keeping me from continuing my splash attack.  The first was her proximity, preventing me from getting her wet without getting myself wet in the process.  The second was her proximity.

“I know that we’ve known each other for a while, Dash, but we’re not even dating, or anything.”  Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she realized what I was saying, but she didn’t move away.  In fact, she almost seemed to move a bit closer.

“Does it bother you to have me so close?”  Her voice had dropped into a much more feminine tone, and I had to fight to keep a straight face.  “Am I making you feel... constrained?”  A gentle touch on my leg accompanied her words, and I quickly pushed away from her, the heat rushing to my cheeks bringing about a massive bout of laughter from Dash.  “Man, Rarity was right, it’s amazing what I can do with that voice!  And I thought she was full of it!”

“Creator damn you, Dash!  That’s not fair!”  This only prompted another bout of laughter, and I just turned away from her, my blush growing even deeper.  While Dash continued her laughing I swam over to the waterfall, trying to take advantage of the falling water to drown out Dash’s uproarious laughter.  I began scrabbling at the stones after some small handholds caught my eye.

A moment later I had climbed up the waterfall most of the way, and I came across a small ledge.  It was just big enough to stand on, so I pulled myself onto it, looking out over the pool of water.  Dash’s laughter had died down quite a bit, and she was looking up at me.  “Belly flop!”  I only glared at her before I pressed myself flat against the rock face of the waterfall.  With a single step I propelled myself into the void, a gentle rotation propelling me through a single backflip before I made contact with the water.

Surfacing rewarded me not with more of Rainbow Dash’s raucous laughter, but a slow clap.  “Not too bad, Icarus.  Not quite as good as I could do, but still good.”  Without even looking over at Dash, I climbed back up the rock face, looking down onto the pool once again.  This time I performed a double backflip, my body elegantly twisting through the air.  A third jump yielded a triple backflip, and finally I was rewarded with a suitably impressed reaction from Dash.

After that jump I simply rolled over where I landed, looking up into the sky.  Dash’s cheers quickly faded when she saw that I wasn’t reacting to her.  “Pinkie told us all last night what the two of you talked about.”  She remained silent for several long minutes, and I just kept floating, going where the current willed me to go.  “Not talking to me now?”

“No, you just didn’t ask a question, and I had nothing to add to what you said.”

“Alright, if you want a question, try this one:  Why didn’t you tell any of us?”

I let out a groan in response.  “Because I was ashamed of what I’d done.  Because I can’t stand to have the blame put on me.”  I quit my floating in order to look at Dash.  “Because I hate the fact that I can’t possibly blame what happened on anyone else.”

Dash had moved to the shallows, her feet dangling in the water as she sat atop a massive rock, slowly drying herself off.  “So what did Pinkie do that changed that?”

“She didn’t do anything.  She just...  She was Pinkie.  She asked just the right questions and did just the right things.  I don’t know, Dash, her method works, and I say that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  I began a slow stroke to bring myself over to Dash.

“Well what about your future?  Is that some big mistake too, or do you just like hearing us girls talk about our aspirations without sharing any of your own?”

I didn’t answer until I was atop the rock next to Dash, looking out towards the waterfall.  “No, I just never really thought about it.  I’ll probably follow in the footsteps of my dad.  I’ve got tons of potential, but I don’t have the motivation to use it.  I’m artistically talented, and technically gifted, but I don’t have the drive to really make use of it.”

“Why don’t you find the motivation, then?  You already know what I want to do, but do you know why I want to do it?”

I scoffed before looking at her.  “Everyone knows that one, Dash.  You want to show the world that you’re the fastest, swiftest, most agile pegasus around.  Equestria’s number one flyer, right?”

“You’re half right.  See, my mom and dad were both great fliers in their time, but neither of them ever got much recognition for their work in the royal guard.”  I raised an eyebrow before she continued.  “Yeah, not something many people know.  I used to be able to count the people who knew, outside the family, on one hand.  Now I need two hands.  Anyway, when I was young they amazed me with what they could do.  I want to prove to to the world that I’m the best, but more than that, I want to be the role model that my parents were.  I want to inspire the kids of the world to reach for their goals.”

“I don’t think I’ll be an inspiration by drawing some technical pictures.”

“And they say that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer...  Combine your passion with your interest.  Devise some great device that combines the best of both worlds.  Some great machine that looks great and works great things.”  The girl beside me turned to look at me, and I looked at her as well.  “But, before you can do anything, first you need to change your attitude.”

“And how do you suggest I do that?  This is the first interesting thing I’ve done in weeks.  Months, even.  While all of you go off gallivanting through the country, and beyond, I’m stuck back in Ponyville, working on drawings that will never see the light of day.”

“Try adding a bit of spice and variety to your life.”

I rolled my eyes as I looked away from Dash.  “Yeah, because I haven’t tried that before.”

“Well maybe you weren’t doing it right...”  A hand came up to my face, gently turning my head back towards the girl beside me.  “Maybe you need some... help.”  Her cheeks were a deep red when I was finally looking at her again.  With a surprising amount of force Dash pushed me back, forcing me off the rock and into the water.  My landing was much softer than I thought it would be, but I didn’t have much time to think about that before I found myself looking up at Dash as she looked down at me from atop the rock.

She hopped off the rock, her legs landing on either side of me, and in a single fluid motion she was lying on my chest.  Her eyes twinkled as she looked down at me.  With agonizing slowness she moved her face closer to mine until we were separated by mere inches, and then that distance shrank to nothing, our noses touching.  “D...  Dash?”

She responded not with words, but with actions.  She pressed her lips against mine, her hands moving behind my head and pulling me into the kiss.  Unsure of how to respond, I brought my hands up to Dash’s back, one hand moving between her stiffening wings, the other going to the back of her head.  As I felt her wings grow more upright I felt the telltale signs of arousal in my own body, along with the feelings of tightness in my own back.  Even without wings, I still had some of the muscles needed to fly, and in situations that prompted this kind of reaction I was often reminded of just what I had lost.

Dash broke the kiss abruptly, her face flushed.  She didn’t move far from me before she let out a sigh.  Her voice had the same sound as earlier, that slightly seductive tone, but this time there was a nervous edge to it.  “D...  Do you want to?  With me?”

“I...”  I swallowed nervously, the novelty of the situation getting to me.  A tiny flash of fear in her eyes made the decision for me.  “I’d love to, Dashie.”
> Chapter IV:  The First (SEX)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Partially Edited:  Wanted to get this up for... reasons.)

As Dash kissed me, one of her hands slowly moved down my side, gently caressing me.  She pressed her other hand against my chest, her warmth adding to my own.  “I... Uh.  This is new to me, Dash.”

She offered a small smile as she continued moving her hand along my chest, her fingertips working in small swirling motions.  “It’s new to me too, Icarus.  You’re my first.”  She moved in for a quick kiss before she let a small laugh out.  “I always pictured it being somewhere different, but this seems better than what I had imagined.”  Her hands moved away from me, and towards her own body.  She sat up on me, her weight settling on my legs.  Her hands moved behind her back, and after a moment her bikini top went slack, simply resting against her chest, rather than hugging her skin.  “How about you take this off me?”

Without waiting for a second invitation I moved my hands up to her chest, but not going for her breasts, but for the strings.  I grabbed the dangling strings from her top, and I slowly moved them up, revealing her chest at an incredibly slow pace.  Dash was biting her lower lip as I worked slowly, and I just let a smirk come to my face.  She knew I was going at this pace on purpose.  As the bikini top finally moved up and over her head she snatched it from my hand, impatiently tossing it off to the side.

As I worked I was able to finally allow my gaze to settle on her real body, not the one I had put on paper.  Her flat stomach was a flawless vision, her muscles offering faint lines along which the eye could easily travel.  Drawing my gaze further upward rewarded me with the sight of her breasts.  They weren’t particularly large, but they fit her frame perfectly.  The tan she had was just as prevalent on her chest as the rest of her body, and the image that flitted across my mind lasted only moments before I realized I had the real thing right in front of me.  While Rarity’s body had the classical measures of feminine beauty Dash had a body that was built in a much different, but no less appealing, way.

As I took in her body she let her hands begin roaming across my chest and arms.  Her touch was feather soft, but still enough to tease my body.  Unwilling to stand and just take what she was dishing out I moved my own hands to her breasts, cupping each in a hand.  This was enough to get a small gasp from her, and when my fingers found her nipples, a moment later, a second, louder gasp escaped her.  She simply enjoyed it for a moment before I began moving my hands, massaging the soft flesh.  Beneath my hands Dash’s body felt as if it held a fire within, the warmth radiating outwards.  Her skin was incredibly smooth as well, not a single blemish to mar her complexion.

Her eyes closed as I fondled her breasts, the sighs that left her were music to my ears.  After a moment I swept one hand down her stomach, simply enjoying the feel of her body beneath my hands.  With a gentle tug I pulled her down a bit, earning a soft gasp from her.  With her body closer to mine I could reach around behind her and begin running a hand along her wings.  My first touch sent a shiver through her frame as she snapped her eyes closed.

A delicate caress along the leading edge of her wing caused them both to snap out to the side, proclaiming her enjoyment of what I was doing.  I soon had both hands working her wings, and I let my fingers delicately tease the sensitive appendages.  Her own motions on my chest grew erratic as I worked at her wings, and soon she just stopped entirely, her eyes closed and a low sound escaped from her with each exhale.  Her body quickly warmed as I massaged her, and with small pants between her words she spoke to me.  “Creator, Icarus...  Didn’t you say -- Ooh, right there --  Didn’t you say that this was your first time?”

“Yeah, but it’s amazing what you can pick up while talking to naked girls.  Conversation about non-sexual things is remarkably difficult to keep up when I’m so focused on their bodies.”  Dash couldn’t manage a response to what I had said, she was biting her lip to keep from letting out even louder moans.  As my hands grew nearer to the tips of her wings she batted them away, looking down at me with a fire in her eyes.

One of her hands quickly moved down to my shorts, edging under the waistband, and heading for my hardening manhood.  I slid one of my hands down along Dash’s body, nearly mimicking her motions.  Her hand grazed softly across my shaft and I moved my hand beneath her bikini bottom, gently probing at her feminine lips.  The soft gasp that escaped my mouth was matched by one escaping Dash.  She smiled down at me and her hand began running along my length, gently grasping at it.  I responded by gently rubbing my fingers up and down along her moistening nethers, taking extra care to rub at the sensitive nub at the top.

As I tweaked at her button, she gasped, a moan escaping her as she increased her pace along my member.  In a single swift motion, Dash pulled her hand from my pants, and she stood and pulled the rest of her bikini off, leaving her body bare to me.  And, without a pause, she pulled my pants off me, leaving both of us equally exposed.  She knelt down between my legs after that, taking my fully engorged manhood in her hands, gently stroking along its length.  Her touch sent electric shocks of pleasure along my spine, each burst of pleasure following behind the last.

She brought her head closer to it, and soon I could feel her breath gently brushing against it, the feeling of her hands on my body, combined with her breath, slowly driving me mad.  The sensations were pushing me closer to the edge, and I only barely managed to contain myself when her tongue gently ran up my length.  Her first lick was followed by a second, even slower one.  At the end of her second lick she planted a quick kiss atop the tip, gently flicking her tongue along it after her kiss.  There was an incredibly brief pause between when her tongue left my member, and when her mouth descended upon it.

A long and low moan forced its way out of my body at the feelings running through me, and under her careful ministrations I was soon at the edge.  She moved her mouth up and down me in even strokes, her tongue continuing its elegant dance.  A poorly worded warning uttered to Dash was all I gave before I reached my peak.  The waves of sensation left me speechless and in a state of limbo.  All I could think about were the feelings shooting through my body.  By the time I recovered I noticed that Dash was lying atop me once again, her hands beneath her head as she looked at me.

“That good, huh?”  I only nodded, prompting a soft laugh from the girl to whom I had just lost my virginity.

I smiled down at her before I managed to voice my thoughts.  “You said...  You said that you’d never done this before...”

She laughed again before offering an explanation.  “I could tell you who taught me how to do that, but I think you might be able to guess.”  I thought for a moment before I chuckled.  “Ladylike my ass.  Now, then, you think you’ll be ready to go for real soon?”  Again, I nodded, and Dash offered a small sigh before she closed her eyes and just rested her head on my chest.  I slowly pulled her up to meet her lips with mine, and she only worked to help me in the matter.  Soon we were kissing once again.

As we kissed she began grinding her hips into my legs, the wetness between her legs turning my legs into a slippery mess.  With a small gasp she broke our kiss, putting her hands to my chest to push herself up so that she could better align our bodies.

She adjusted her position atop me until her sex was lined up with my tool.  She moved her hands from my chest to my shoulders to steady herself, and with a slow motion she began to lower herself onto me.  She let out a sharp gasp as she started her descent, pausing every few seconds.  Her face was contorted into a mask of mixed feelings, pain and pleasure mingling freely.  Seeing her in pain stirred me from my state of bliss and I reached up to her face, gently caressing her cheek.

“Dash, take as long as you need.”  She raised a hand up to the one I had put on her cheek and she closed her eyes as she began lowering her self once again, this time at a slightly slower pace.  When she finally bottomed out she stopped, a gentle hum escaping from her body as she simply enjoyed the sensations shooting through her body, and sending shivers up her spine.

While she enjoyed her own barrage of sensation the tightness that embraced me was all I could focus on.  I moved my free hand to her hip, simply resting it there and letting Dash get used to having me inside of her.  After several long minutes she finally began to move her hips in small circles, the hum she was letting out growing in volume until she was letting out a long, low moan.  With a small gasp I felt Dash begin to lift her body, the sudden exposure to the cool air adding to the pleasure I felt.  Once she reached the end of my member she started down again.

She moved down my length at an agonizing pace, each inch seeming to take centuries and seconds at the same time.  She was biting her lower lip to keep from moaning, but she was still letting out a low groan that escaped her form.

When she finally bottomed out a low, almost inaudible, exultation escaped her.  I moved my hand from her cheek to her hips as she just enjoyed the sensation of having me inside of her.  She slowly rocked her hips atop me, and her internal muscles gently rippled along me, timed to work in synch with her rocking.  I softly called out her name, the sound lost to the noise of the jungle around us.  All I could look at was the beautiful woman atop me, her eyes closed in bliss, and her lips parted, but soundless.

I reached a hand up to her shoulder, pulling her down onto me as she started to move up and down.  I brought a hand to her back, my searching quickly finding a wing.  I began running my hand along her wing in time with her own thrusts.  As she slowly increased her pace I found my body responding to her in more ways, my hips rising to meet each of her downward thrusts.

She put her head on my shoulder as she continued to move her hips up and down along my length, each time nearly allowing me to escape before she began the trip back down.  Each time she started moving down I thrust myself up earning a happy squeal from the pegasus riding me.  I uttered her name into her ear, and this just prompted a renewed vigor as she let out another loud squeal.  “Dash...  I won’t...”

She just kept up her pace as I tried to convey to her the thought that had come to be within my lust clouded mind.  She only rocked her hips against me as I tried to gather my thoughts into coherent words.  As she thrust down once again she let out a long and low groan, her entire body seeming to quake.  Her head snapped back as she entered the full throes of her orgasm, a cry escaping her.  “Icarus...”  Both of her wings quivered violently for a moment, and after a moment they both fell slack for a moment.  “Icarus...  I...  You...”  After her momentary respite she continued her pace, a bit shakier than before.

As she continued I could feel my own body grow closer to the peak that would signal my release.  As her body’s quivering slowed she managed to return to her previous pace, and then she started going just a bit faster, increasing the pace of my impending climax.  “Dash, if you --”  A gasp interrupted me as Dash’s muscles contracted around my body, forcing shocks of pleasure to radiate through my body.  “Dash, if you keep going I’m gonna...”  She slowly pivoted her hips atop me as she groaned in my ear once more.  “If you keep going I’m not gonna last much longer.”

She just kept her pace going, seemingly unable to comprehend what I was saying.  My body still moved of its own accord, meeting each of her thrusts with one of my own.  Her husky voice sounded in my ear, spurring the primal side of my body on.  “Yes...  Icarus, more.  By the Creator, Icarus, more!”  Her body clenched around my length once more, her thrust amplifying the effect, and finally pushing me over the edge.

As I was rocked by the waves of pleasure from my climax I felt Dash’s body quiver as yet another orgasm ran through her body, robbing her of her motor control.  As the waves of pleasure began to dissipate, leaving only the afterglow, I felt my body finally begin to calm down, and recover from the orgasmic high.  I wrapped my arms around the limp body atop of me, enjoying the comfort she offered, as well as the warmth.  My mind was reeling from the experience, and all thought was scattered as Dash recovered enough to look me in the eye.

While she had been consumed with lust just moments ago there was only love in her eyes now.  She darted her head forward for a quick kiss before she let her head fall onto my chest once more.  She was covered in sweat, and the sparse sunlight that filtered through the branches overhead gave her body a pleasant glow.  Her hands slowly released their grip on my shoulders, and soon they were simply draped over my shoulders, her hands idly playing with my hair.

Once we had both managed to recover some from our activities Dash sat up, and finally moved from atop me, the relief from her weight somehow leaving me wishing for it to return.  She kept looking at me as she sat across from me, a big smile on her face.  “Icarus, that was so awesome.”

I only nodded before the thought I had almost voiced while we were having sex reared its ugly head.  “Um...  Dash?  Are you, ya’ know, on birth control...  Or something?”

“Yeah, I am.  It’s some fancy pill that Twilight says will keep any fertilized egg from growing.  It’ll just...”  She paused at my look of dismay, and then she let out a light laugh.  “Nature does what it does, and then it’s done.”  Dash slowly started to stand as she spoke, and I reluctantly rose as well.  Dash and I were soon grabbing our clothing, and dressing once again, my watch telling me that we’d been gone from the house for nearly four hours now.  My pants were soaked, the time spent in the pool of water having left me with nothing dry to wear, save for my sweaty shirt.

Dash was dressed before I was, and she waited patiently for me to finish pulling on my shoes, and soon we were standing side by side, looking towards the pool of water once more.  I put an arm around Rainbow and she pulled herself closer to me just a bit in response.  “I think that we’ll probably have to come back here at some point.  Maybe not this vacation, but certainly someday.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Icarus.  Now, how about we head home and get cleaned up?”  I nodded, and Dash turned to head back through the jungle towards the path that we had taken.  I lingered for a moment longer, trying to get the scene stuck in my mind.  I turned at a sloth-like pace to follow Dash, the faint path she had forged already fading into the brush.

I caught up to her at the main path and then we started the long walk back to the house.

> Chapter V:  The Chat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
For quite some time we walked in silence, the warming weather and intermittent sunlight working to dry off body and clothing alike.  The silence that had fallen over the two of us was fairly disconcerting, and so I tried a few attempts at starting some form of conversation, but all my attempts died in my throat.  The miles seemed to vanish before us as we walked, and soon we were on the road heading back to the house.  I stopped abruptly as I finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“Dash, what are we going to tell the others?  Not that I have a problem with what we did, but...  I don’t know, it just seems like I’m doing something wrong, somehow.”  Dash stopped walking as I spoke, and she turned to look at me.  “I mean, given what Pinkie said last night, it was like she wanted to be in the position you were in an hour ago.  How do I --”

“Relax, Icarus.  I may not be the best at talking about emotions and stuff, but when it comes to talking to the girls I’m pretty damn good.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “As good as your flying?”

She just laughed at that.  “Pfft, no.  Flying is who I am.  Talking about what we did in the jungle is something that I’m just going to make up on the fly.  Trust me, though.  It’ll be fine.”  As she finished she continued making her way to the house, leaving me looking up at the sky, slowly shaking my head.  After a moment of silent contemplation I followed in Dash’s footsteps, gradually decreasing the distance to the house.

When the house came into view I stopped my walk, allowing me to simply look at the building.  I groaned as I resumed my pace, the last few hundred feet seeming to take as long as the rest of the walk.  When I opened the door I peeked around it before I walked in.  The silence that greeted me was both a comfort and a cause for concern.  With as much haste as I could muster I made my way to my room, closing the door as I entered, making sure to lock it.

Stripping off my now dry clothing I grabbed a towel and headed to my shower.  The soothing spray of water allowed for me to clear my mind, and by the time I finished I was feeling better about what Dash had said.

She doesn’t make a boast unless she can follow up on it.  If she’s confident that she can handle this then who am I to think I know better?

Getting dressed again was a momentary diversion, and I was soon heading down the hall towards the stairs.  As I passed by Dash’s room I was fairly certain that I heard voices coming from the other side, but I didn’t linger very long, the urge to listen beaten by the moral principles I held to.  I walked to the kitchen after reaching the ground floor, making a beeline for the refrigerator.  The absence of breakfast had left me with a hunger that needed to be sated.  My rummaging rewarded me with an apple and an orange, which was good enough for me.

I took my victuals to the balcony that was past the living room, and I was soon sitting at the table, my feet propped up, the apple and orange in my hand.  The sounds of the distant ocean did wonders to soothe my mind, and I began to drift off.  A sudden shout shattered my reverie, and I turned to look over my shoulder, expecting to see one of the girls storming out.  After waiting for a minute, and there was no one leaving the house, I went back to my relaxation, the refreshing ocean air blowing against my face.

(Chapter 5 Supplemental)

As I was finishing my orange, after having devoured the apple,  there was the sound of footsteps in the house, and I looked over my shoulder once more.  The girls all seemed amicable enough, but I’d been around them long enough to know how to read even the small amount of tension that pervaded the atmosphere.  It probably wouldn’t escalate into a full blown fight, but things would be less than pleasant until this had blown over.  Oddly enough, or perhaps expectedly, Dash and Fluttershy didn’t come down.  Considering how close the two of them are it’s not too surprising that they’d choose to remain together for the time being.

Applejack was the first to notice me on the balcony and she decided to come over, grabbing an apple from the fridge first.  She took a seat next to me, mirroring my posture, and casually taking a bite from her apple.  She didn’t say anything, but, with Applejack, words weren’t necessary.  Her simple presence was enough to get people to start talking when they felt that the silence had gone on long enough.  However, I didn’t fit in with ‘most people.’  Long bouts of silence in my study had inured me to the social awkwardness that people often felt in these situations.

As she finished her apple she let out a quick sigh before she stood, and went inside.  I let her go, knowing that she wasn’t leaving for long.  No matter how quiet things were, Applejack always said something before she left, whether it was a formal goodbye, or a casual departure.  When she returned she had a bottle of fancy beer, and two glasses in the other hand.  Without a word she put the glasses on the table, and then the bottle just behind the glasses.  I glanced at the beer, and noted with a smile that Applejack had chosen my favorite brew.

“Good to see that you know what I like, AJ.”  She simply nodded before returning to her seat, adopting the same posture she had held before.

More than an hour passed before the next word was spoken between the two of us, and it was Applejack who finally spoke.  “I’ve been wondering, Icarus.  What do you do in Ponyville while the girls and I are out and about?  I mean, aside from working on those technical drawings of yours.”

“Oh, all sorts of things.  I daydream, I sleep, I eat, I shop, the list is nearly endless,” I siad, maintaining a serious expression.  Applejack just frowned.  “Fine.  I think about all sorts of things, and I try to socialize about town.  I also work, quite a bit more than you girls might think, but what I do pales in comparison to what you do.  Still, I spend quite a bit of time with my hands full.”

“And what did you do in your spare time before you came to Ponyville?  Or, better, what did you do in your spare time while you were in Manehattan?”

“That’s quite the question, AJ.  You want the long answer, or the short one?”

“Somewhere in between the two.  We have some time, but not all the time in the world.  Fluttershy said that she was going to start making some dinner once she finished her little talk with Dash.

I nodded.  “Fair enough.  Before I start, how about we crack open the Chimay.  Good stories need good company... And plenty of liquid courage.”  A couple minutes later and the bottle was open, and each glass filled.  “Now then, things I did for fun, you asked?”

Applejack took a drink before she looked over at me.  “Not just fun, anything you did in whatever spare time you had.”

“Well, one of the things I did the most often was just spending time walking the streets of the city.  To see all those people, all of them with such a purpose to their stride.  Rarely would any two people stop to talk to one another.  The individual neighborhoods were different, but in the busier parts of the city it was all business.  That’s where I always had the most fun, though.  I’d find a good spot, sit back, and watch.”

“You’d just watch people?  Isn’t that kind of creepy?”

“If you’re in Ponyville, yes.  In Manehattan, no.  Back in Ponyville we all know each other.  If there’s someone just standing there watching everything it seems kind of strange.  Now, in Manehattan, people are too busy with what they’re doing to notice something like a person just standing there and watching.  It’s just not a factor in their lives.  And it wasn’t even like I was watching one person.  I was watching the communal whole.”  I paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to give Applejack a good comparison before I remembered that she had been to Manehattan.  “AJ, when you went to Manehattan, how did it feel to be in a crowd?”

“Like I was being swept along by the currents, without anyone caring where I went in the progress.”

“Exactly.  Now, imagine standing back and watching it take place.  To see the gentle changes in crowd dynamics.  To watch as the endlessly moving columns of people slowly shifted to the ever changing environment.  I loved to watch that.  I sometimes did it for hours, simply allowing the flow of the crowd be the guiding force for my thoughts.”  I took a small drink of my beer before I continued.  “But that wasn’t the only thing I did.”

As I was about to continue Fluttershy walked onto the balcony, an apron wrapped about her.  “Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to know how hungry the two of you are.  I don’t want to accidently make too much.”

I gave her a smile.  “I’m quite hungry, actually.  What are you making?”

“Well I’m making a salad, with cranberries and orange wedges.  Dash is making some steaks.”  I slowly lowered my glass to the table, looking at Fluttershy with a look of doubt on my face.  “It’s okay, Icarus.  I’ll be making sure that it doesn’t turn out like last time.”

Applejack gave a quick laugh before she gave an answer.  “I’m pretty hungry, Fluttershy.  And I hope that you keep a close eye on Dash’s cooking.  I can’t eat charcoal.”  She only blushed a bit as she turned and headed back inside.  “Now then, Icarus.  You were saying?”

“Yeah, crowd watching was just a diversion for when I didn’t want to do anything practical, or constructive.  Although it was something I did quite a bit more often than I should’ve.  Sometimes I would just spend the days hanging out with my friends, roaming the city and causing trouble.  We were...  Troublemakers.  We never did anything serious, if that’s what you’re thinking.  Still, we often took advantage of the practical applications of spray paint when it comes to graffiti.”  I chuckled as some vivid memories came back.  “Still can’t believe that we got away as many times as we did.”

“You were a vandal?”

“Wow, what a negative term.  We were artists with atypical canvases, seeking to share what we saw with the world.  Honestly, who wants to pay to see the kind of art that fancy people like, when you can wander the streets and see art that’s better than some stupid museum piece.”

“I suppose, but it’s still not allowed.”

I chuckled for several minutes before I managed to compose myself.  “That’s the exact argument I gave to my dad when I got caught.  And his response matched yours perfectly.”  I frowned for a moment as I thought about my dad.

“Seems like he was a reasonable man.  What was he like?”

“Quiet, most of the time.  He got the most animated when we were doing something together.  Entire days passed between the two of us without a word shared, but then we’d spend an entire day doing stuff and neither of us could shut up for five minutes.”  I looked at my empty glass for a moment.  “Those days were always my favorite.  We’d talk, and talk, and talk, with hardly a thing actually being said.  We’d just talk for the sake of having company.  Don’t get me wrong, we had times when we’d hold serious conversations, but most of the time it was idle chatter.”

“I know the feeling.  Mac and I do that sometimes.  Big Mac isn’t the most talkative guy around, but there are some days when he just won’t stop talking to me, or Apple Bloom.  He’d talk for hours and hours without really saying much of anything.”  She put her glass on the table before filling both our glasses again.  “I remember none of what we said, but I wouldn’t trade away what we did for the world.  Like you said, it was simply for the sake of having the company.  Of having someone to talk to.”

I gladly accepted my now full glass, noting with a smile the fact that Applejack poured a perfect glass of beer.  “I just wish, sometimes, that we had those days more often.  It’s not like my dad was incapable of it.  According to some of his friends he just wouldn’t shut up before I was born.  He’d go on and on about how great his inventions would be, and how much he’d change the world.  Then I was born, mom left, and he just stopped.”

Applejack paused mid drink at the mention of my mother.  In all the time I’d been in Ponyville I’d never once mentioned her.  “To hear my dad talk about her...  I swear, it was like he met his soulmate.  I only saw a picture of her once.  It was one my dad kept in his study.  The two of them could talk for hours about any topic.  It was like they were made for each other.”

Applejack spoke softly, clearly cautious of saying the wrong thing.  “Did... Did she die?”

“No.  And that’s what bothers me the most.  Dad always said that he’d tell me when he was ready, and when the time was right.”  I fell silent as I simply looked out towards the ocean.  Applejack didn’t breach the silence and so time passed the way it does, and soon the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, lengthening the shadows of the sparse palm trees.

“Hey you two, dinner’s ready.  And I didn’t burn anything this time!”  Applejack and I both turned at the words, and Dash was looking at us with a big smile on her face.  “Now let’s eat, I’m starving.”

Applejack stood before I did, taking her glass and the bottle of Chimay with her, leaving me alone on the balcony for a moment.  I stood stretching for several moments after Applejack went in, the long bout of sitting leaving me just a bit stiff.  After my stretch I grabbed my glass, and I turned and headed inside, closing the door as I passed through it.

The table wasn’t set elaborately, but a vase of flowers sitting in the center of the table gave it a nice appeal.  The girls had taken seats around the table leaving a spot open for me between Dash and Rarity.  I gladly took the seat that was available and soon we were eating the magnificent food Fluttershy and Dash had prepared.

The beginning of the meal passed in silence as everyone present simply ate the food that was available.  As we started to slow down in our meal, Twilight finally spoke up.  “So, Icarus, Dash, how was your run this morning?  You were out for quite a while.”

I was, luckily, not eating or drinking anything when she asked her question, because I’m fairly certain that, given the sharp intake of breath I made, I would've sucked anything into my lungs.  I looked up from my plate to glance at Dash before I looked over at Twilight.  Dash was busying herself with her plate, leaving it to me to answer the question.

“It was nice, Twi.”  I carefully grabbed my glass and I looked at the contents of it before looking back at Twilight.  “It was quite... invigorating.  We saw some really amazing sights while we ran, and even when we stopped for some breaks.”  I made sure to keep a level voice as I spoke, knowing all too well that Applejack would jump on any kind of change in how I spoke.  “It was as much a workout in cardio as it was... endurance.  And, I gotta say, I need to work on just how long I can last.”

Dash was quick to jump in with a follow up to what I said.  “Yeah, I’ll say.  For the first part you didn’t last long at all.”  When she realized what she said, she was quick to go back to playing with the food left on her plate, the blush on her face nearly as bright as the lock of red hair atop her head.  I gave a shake of my head before I looked at the rest of the girls at the table, frowning when I saw that all the girls were blushing and looking at the room around us.

“Right, well, since things have taken a turn for the awkward, and even I can tell that you all know far more than I’d like you to, I’m going to go for a walk, or something.”  As I spoke I picked up my plate before heading to the kitchen and depositing my dirty dishes in the sink. Just as I was opening the door to head out I heard the sound of footsteps in the dining room, and a moment later Twilight came to the door, a small smile on her face.

“I’ll go with you, if you like.”

“Because that worked out so well when I went with Pinkie...  But, fine.  But none of your mind games.  I am taking this walk purely to give myself time to think.”  As the door closed behind Twilight I started making my way back down the road I had come up not too long ago.  The sun had since set behind the horizon, plunging the world into the dark of night.  The moon was nearly full, though, so it wasn’t terribly dark.

Dash had to have told them all what happened...  That, or the girls are all way more perceptive than I’ve given them credit for.

A glance at Twilight showed that she was enraptured by the night sky, and I let out a small sigh of relief for that.  Of all the girls, Twilight was the one I got along with the best.  She was fully capable of holding an in depth conversation about the various inventions that I made, and she was also great for discussion about theoretical, or hypothetical, scenarios.  And she was a beautiful sight to behold, which was always pleasant.

As we neared the outskirts of town I started guiding us down the roads of the town, my destination decided upon.  Twilight gently cleared her throat as we walked past the restaurant that we had eaten at yesterday.

I slowed my pace just a bit as I looked at her.  “Yes, Twilight?”  My tone was genuinely inquisitive, and I think that I surprised her slightly as she widened her eyes.

“Oh, nothing.  I was just...  Just clearing my throat.”  I raised an eyebrow before I shifted my gaze forward once more.  The roads wound their way through the town and soon enough Twilight and I had passed through the whole town, walking up the paths that led to the overlook that was my destination.  When we reached the peak of the small rise that was the overlook I noted, with no small amount of amusement, that there were several couples up here.  They were all holding hands or looking into each others’ eyes with dopey looks on their faces.

With Twilight following I started making my way towards one of the benches that was near the cliffside.  While the view would be nice from that spot, I chose it because it was also well separated from the slew of couples that dotted the area.  As I planted myself on the bench Twilight approached the cliffside, looking out towards the distant horizon.

For several long minutes she simply stood there, the silence persisting like it did since the restaurant.  With a tiny sigh she moved to the bench, taking a seat beside me.  She didn’t look at me, but I could tell that she wanted to.

“Dash told us.  In case you didn’t figure that out from our reaction.”

“Yeah, I, uh...  I figured that out.”

“Do...”  She trailed off for a moment, the sounds of the distant waves filling the pause.  “Do you want to talk about it?  Or anything, really.  We don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to.”

“I really think that I’ve done enough talking for today, Twi.  Between Dash and Applejack I’ve shared quite a bit already.”  I fiddled with the watch about my wrist as I spoke, my words coming faster than I could think.  “And it’s not like there’s anything you don’t know about it.  Dash and I had sex, and the first thing she does when we get back is brag to all of you.”

“Icarus, it wasn’t like that.”

Her words set off something inside me.  An anger that I didn’t even realize I was bottling up.  “Oh?  What about that whole dare... challenge... thing that all of you had?  Or is it still going?  Is there a prize for second, and third place?  Hmm?  Trying to make me feel better, or something?”  She opened her mouth to reply, but I kept going, my volume remaining the same, but my tone growing more and more aggressive.  “I’ve been around Ponyville for two years, going on three, and it’s only now that any of you decide to show some real interest in me?”

“No, but-”

“But what?  Am I a game to all of you?  Are my thoughts and feelings something that you’re using to determine who wins a bet?”  She didn’t respond, and I felt my anger growing.  “Yes or no?”  Silence answered me, once again, and I hardened my gaze.  “We both know that you’ll crack first, Twilight.”  A tiny jerky nod was my response, and I just let my shoulders slump, her confession defusing the anger in me, and replacing it with sadness. 

Twilight put a hand on my shoulder, but I quickly shrugged it off.  “Icarus, we’ve been interested for more than two years.  Not just Dash and I, but all of us.  You’re just...  It’s hard for us to connect to you when you seem to push us away.  And the bet...  It’s not a race to see who can have sex with you first.”

“I push you away as a defense mechanism, Twilight.”  I leaned forward, my hands finding resting places on my knees.  “It’s not even something I do consciously.  You, any of you, try and get close, and my mind just tells me to push you away, in whatever way is most convenient.  Most of the time it’s playing dumb, or just imagining that you’re not really interested.”

“And now that we’ve made it clear that we are interested?”

“It’ll be harder to do, but I’m sure that I’ll manage somehow.”

“I...  Are you being serious?”

“No, probably not.  Won’t know till after it happens, though.”  Twilight didn’t say anything after that, and I found myself looking towards the other couples on the cliff.  Most of them had left already, the late hour dictating that it would soon be time for us to leave as well.  “Now that Pinkie’s breached the topic of my wings I’m surprised that you haven’t asked more about the project, Twi.”

“I do have questions, but I didn’t want to ask unless I knew that you really were okay with me asking.”

“Go for it, Twilight.  If I’m going to try and connect more deeply with any of you I have to get used to talking to you about my life, even if it’s uncomfortable.  And that would include my distinct lack of wings.”

“Well, if you’re sure.”  I nodded, and then she continued.  “What’s it like to know the sensation of having wings, but to not be able to feel them anymore?”

I let out a humorless chuckle as I stood, beckoning for Twilight to do the same.  “Just jumping right in, I see.  I can walk and talk at the same time, Twilight, I trust you can do the same?”  She stood, and then we started our trek back to the house.  “It’s not really a pleasant sensation.  I sometimes feel like they’re still there, some phantom twitch runs through the intact nerves, and it feels like I still have them.  Other times there’s no feeling at all...  I don’t really know which of the two is worse.”

“What do you mean, you feel them?  They’re...  Well, they’re not there.”

“Oh, you noticed too?”  I paused for a moment, realizing that I was already getting defensive.  “Sorry.  Yeah, I know.  It’s hard to explain, really.  It’s just...  Like when Dash and I were having sex.  I could feel the muscles in my back tightening, but there was no sensation to go with it.  I knew what should be happening, but there was nothing to go with the feeling.  Other times, like when I see another pegasus get their wing caught on something, I feel like I feel their pain.”

“So, this is an entirely mental thing.  It’s not like your body is sending you signals that you can’t explain, it’s that your mind is interpreting the signals it does get in a certain way.”

I shrugged.  “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.  I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never really thought about it all that much.  Or, at least, not since the hospital.  Back when I was there I felt them all the time.  Every few minutes I’d try to do something with them, only to find that they weren’t there.”

“But how could you forget something like that?”

“How many times a day do you use your magic?”

“Dozens of times.  More, probably.”

“Now, pretend, for a moment, that you can’t use your magic.”  Twilight’s pace slowed as she focused on her thoughts.  I slowed my own pace as well, not wanting to leave her behind.  “Now, imagine that every time you try to use magic you get a brief glimpse of what you had.  You feel, just for a moment, that you can use your magic, but nothing happens.  There is no spell, no sudden accomplishment.”  I lapsed into silence, trying to think of how to phrase what I wanted to say.  “Magic is such an integral part of your life that losing it seems impossible.  The simple thought leaves you speechless.  For me, that’s my reality.  Every time I see Dash or Fluttershy, or any pegasus, soar through the sky, I’m reminded of what I’ve lost.”

“I can’t wrap my head around that kind of loss.  How...  How do you deal with it?”

Our walk had taken us all the way to the house, and I gave the beautiful woman a wan smile as I opened the door.  “Time.  Time heals all wounds.”
> Chapter VI:  The Mall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The slow rise of the sun cast the room into an ever brightening light.  I groaned softly as I shifted my head in such a way as to keep the sun out of my eyes.  Sadly, having woken, I was unable to fall back to sleep.  I rubbed my face as I swung myself out of bed, a cavernous yawn escaping me as I slowly rose to my feet.  Half stumbling over to the lone chair in the room, I grabbed my jeans, and a moment later they were secured, however loosely, about my waist.  I also grabbed a shirt, and with a semblance of acceptable attire I began the trek to the kitchen.

As I entered the kitchen I was already starting to reach my normal level of mental awareness.  I could be, at times, very quick to rise.  This was, luckily, one of those days.  With a quick glance into the refrigerator I knew that I didn’t have enough supplies to make my ideal breakfast.  Instead of having pancakes and bacon I’d have to make do with just some pancakes.  Nearly an intolerable sacrifice, but I was certain that I’d be able to make do.  Somehow.

Moments later and I had a bowl sitting on the counter, my ingredients laid out before me.  Before I got too involved with mixing the ingredients I made sure that I had a couple of pans ready to go, and the table laid out with the basics.  After that it was a cooking marathon.

The process was just dull enough for me to lose track of time, and before I knew it I had created enough pancakes to satisfy everyone in the house two times over.  I felt a sheepish grin come to my face as I looked at the massive piles of pancakes.

Looks like no one will starve on my watch.

As I moved to take a seat at the table I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, so I turned around to see who it was.  I let a smile come to my face as I saw Rarity, but, more notably, her unkempt hair.  I couldn’t keep from staring, and when she noticed she just rolled her eyes.  Those same eyes, though, went wide when she saw the veritable feast laid out before her.  “How long have you been cooking, Icarus?”

“Dunno.  A while, I guess.  Not that these take long to make.”  I started waggling my fingers in a mysterious fashion.  “Old family recipe, and all that jazz.”

She let a small smile come to her face.  “Oh, like that cake you and Pinkie made?”

I snorted.  “I told her that the recipe called for chocolate.  It was her suggestion to use ground cayenne peppers instead.”  I gestured out over the pancakes.  “These, though, are by the books.  Or, at least, as by the books as they can be, given that the recipe has never been written down.”

She walked over to the table before taking a seat.  With all the elegance she could muster she began taking some pancakes, and putting them on her plate.  After she had made herself a sizeable pile of food she looked over at me, almost as if asking permission.

“Eat, Rarity.  I didn’t make them so we could gawk at them.”  And with my permission, she started eating.  While she ate the others all came down, equally surprised at both the meal I had made, and Rarity’s unkempt appearance.  All the girls were impressed with my culinary skills, limited as they were, and before long the veritable mountain of pancakes I had crafted had been demolished.  With the meal complete, I turned to face the mess I had made of the kitchen.

Well, this could’ve been quite a bit messier than it is.

As my gaze continued to roam across the landscape of the kitchen I caught sight of the small mountain of dishes I had left in the sink.

Okay, a bit worse than I thought.  Still manageable, though.

As I started approaching the pile in the sink I felt a distinct pang of disgust run up my leg as a faint crunching sound came from my foot.  Lifting the offending appendage revealed a -- now crushed -- egg.  And, almost as if looking on in horror I saw several other eggs sitting on the floor.

Alright, yeah, it’s bad.

It’d take quite some time to clean, but I wasn’t too put off by that.  As I got started I heard the girls all head upstairs so they could get ready for the day.  With another stretch of silence sitting before me, I sank into a bit of contemplative thought.

I took the pan I had used in my hand, and as the water began pooling in the pan I found myself slipping into the monotonous work without any real effort.  This didn’t happen too often, so I took advantage of the freedom of thought to enjoy some mental acrobatics.  Sadly, such thoughts failed to hold me, and soon I drifted towards other, more pressing, matters.  Like, for instance, the kinds of things we could do today.  With all the time we still had on the island, there was no real pressure to do anything amazing, so I pondered the matter as I finished with the dishes, and started heading up to my room so that I could take a shower.

The hot water ran down my body as I cleaned off what little dirt had accumulated since my last shower.  When I finally finished washing, and I had dried off, I walked into my room, a towel wrapped loosely around my waist.  Within a few minutes I was dressed, but still none the wiser as to what we could do today.  With a shrug, I headed back down the hall to the living room.

Maybe one of the girls has an idea about what we can do today...

To my surprise I wasn’t the first to finish getting ready, as both Twilight and Pinkie were already down there.  I couldn’t keep the grin from my face when I saw that Twilight was reading one of the many books she had brought along, although this one was at least a bit appropriate for the location.  Firefly Island:  Romantic Spots to Visit was the title of the book, and as I approached Twilight looked up and blushed just a bit.

“Oh.  Hey, Icarus.  I thought you’d be a bit longer getting ready.”  Her voice showed her embarrassment, but I didn’t harp on it.  Doing that would only make things worse, so I didn’t even mention it.

“Nah.  My hygienic needs are quickly taken care of, and it takes me even less time to pick something to wear.”

“But, like usual, you manage to pull off a pleasant look.”  I turned to see Rarity coming down the stairs, and she just shot me a smile.  “Really, though, it’s a bit impressive how well you put yourself together.”  Her voice trailed off as she spoke, and I knew the criticism was on its way.  “But I do think that you could do with something... new.  Something with a bit more style.”

I looked down at my shirt before I looked back up at the fashion obsessed woman.  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?  You, literally, just said that I looked good.”

“But it could look better.  Look at Twilight, for instance.”  The bookworm blushed even more under Rarity’s scrutiny.  “I picked out the clothing she’s wearing right now, and you’d be hard pressed to come up with something more flattering than what she’s got on right now.”

Clearly thinking she was missing out on something, Pinkie quickly stood up, spinning in place.  “What about what I’m wearing, Rarity?  Do I look super-duper stylish too?”

Before Rarity could answer I held up a hand, cutting her off.  “If you wanted to go shopping, Rarity, all you had to do was say so.”

A coy smile came to her features as she looked at me.  “Why, Icarus, that’s a wonderful idea!  I’m so glad that you thought to suggest it.”

“Icarus suggested what?”  All heads turned to see Dash and Fluttershy as they came down the stairs.

“Icarus suggested that we go shopping!”  Pinkie was quick to answer.  “Rarity came down and was saying that Icarus looked good, but that he could look better.  So then she started talking about how Twilight looked, and how good she is at picking out stuff to wear.  Then she got Icarus to suggest shopping, even though she’s actually the one who wanted to go shopping!”

Everyone had turned to look at Pinkie as she spoke, but I was the first to turn back to look at Dash.  “Yeah, what Pinkie said?  That sums it up.  You interested?”  The tiniest of blushes flashed across her cheeks before she nodded.  “Really?  Wouldn’t you rather do something more...  athletically inclined?  Shopping doesn’t really seem like something you’d want to do.”

As she recovered from her blush, she let a sly smile come to her face.  “Nah, I think I’ll tag along.  If only to see you regret suggesting a shopping trip.”

“Look, I didn’t...  Fine.  So that makes...  You, Rarity, and I?  Pinkie, Twilight, Fluttershy?”  They all shook their heads as I looked at each of them.  I turned to look up the stairs once again, and there was Applejack, her trademark hat in its usual spot.  “AJ, we’re heading into town to do some shopping.  You interested in coming along with us?”

“You realize who you’re talking to, right?  I only go ‘shopping’ when Rarity drags me to her boutique and forces clothes onto me.  And since we’re not in Ponyville you’re not going to see me anywhere near a clothing store.”

“You sure, AJ?  Maybe a new hat, to replace that old mangy one you’ve got on.”  I quickly leapt over the couch behind me as AJ rushed down the stairs after me.  “Oh, did I hit a nerve, AJ?”

“No, you didn’t!  But I certainly won’t miss yours when I get you!”  She chased me down the road for a few minutes before she finally slowed her pace, and stopped.  Unaware of this little fact, I kept up my pace for several minutes, nearly making it to the town before I glanced over my shoulder.  With a  light sheen of sweat on my body, I moved over to a nearby tree, seeking refuge from the sun until Rarity and Dash caught up to me.

Assuming, of course, that they followed just behind AJ and I.

Luckily, they were following just behind AJ, since they showed up about ten minutes later, amused grins on their faces.  I stood from under the tree, and I started making my way to them.  “So, AJ couldn’t keep up with me?”

“No, she chose to stop.  Although I don’t know why she has such a problem with you talking about her hat like that.”

“It’s not really a problem, Rarity.  Just a little joke between her and I.”  I quickly brought up a hand.  “An inside joke.  If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask her.”  That was enough to mollify the two of them, and then we continued on our way towards town.  The two of them were silent along the walk, and so I decided that I wouldn’t break the silence, instead using the time to let my mind wander as it would from topic to topic.

Allowing my mind to wander did wonders for passing the time, and soon enough we were approaching the town, the streets a bit busier than they were last night.  As we grew nearer to the town we could hear the sounds of stall vendors trying to convince the shoppers to purchase their wares.  Some of them had fairly creative calls to lure in customers, but since we weren’t really there for anything that could be purchased at a market stall we passed through without a fuss.

This brought us to the main street of the town which was lined with all manner of shops, big and small.  About four blocks long, running nearly the full length of the town, the mall, as it was called, was the best place to go on the island for all your shopping needs.  The area we had just passed through was an unofficial extension of the mall, and it only added to the charm of the town.  Before we walked even a dozen feet Rarity let out a gasp.  Without a word to me she grabbed Dash and ran into one of the stores that we were close to.  I looked through the windows to see that it was a clothing store, and I just shook my head.

Luckily there were benches scattered about, so I took a seat on one of the benches that was nearby.  A smile tugged at my lips as I realized that I had the chance to just sit back and people watch.  While not quite the sprawling metropolis that was Manehattan, Firefly Island certainly offered up a large diversity of people.  Pegasi and Unicorns both seemed to be a bit rare in town, but they were still present.

As I was really starting to get into my little hobby, someone took a seat on the bench next to me.  I glanced over to see who it was, and I offered the stranger a little smile.  “Morning.”

He looked over to me, and then he held out a hand, a smile on his face.  “Good morning.  Name’s Donut Joe, but my friends call me Joe.”  He looked around for a moment before he looked back at me.  “Who’re you with?”

I hesitated for a moment, before I answered, unsure of just how to classify the two of them.  “Couple of ‘friends’ of mine.”

An eyebrow went up.  “Friends?”

I waved a hand in an intentionally vague way.  “Yeah.  I, uh...”

“Courtship is hard, I know.  Trust me, they’ll let you know if they’re interested.  Then it’s just a matter of letting the pieces fall into place.”  He let out a chuckle at my look of disbelief.  “Look, I run a little donut shop in Canterlot.  Open all night, so I see my fair share of strange people with even stranger stories.  I’ve heard them all, and you’ll be hard pressed to surprise me.  And you fall perfectly into the category of the confused male in the midst of courtship.”

I let out a small laugh.  “Do you offer counseling in addition to donuts?”

“No, only coffee.  But it’s really good coffee.”  I looked back towards Casual Flair the store that the girls had gone into, before I looked back to the unicorn beside me.  “Trust me when I say that you’ll know what to do when the time comes.”  He lapsed into silence for a moment, before he motioned his head towards the shop.  “Those two with you?”

I looked over to the shop to see Dash and Rarity emerging, walking over towards me, several large bags hanging from Dash’s hands.  “Yeah.  Rainbow Dash, and Rarity Belle.”

“Rainbow Dash and Rarity Belle?  The Elements of Harmony?”  I nodded.  “You have quite a knack for attracting the ladies.”  He glanced at me for a moment, and then he smiled and made a rather crude gesture with his hands.  “Are you... ya know?”

I just rolled my eyes, and looked back to the girls.  “Yes.  But only one, and only once.  Now, if you’ll excuse me.”  As I spoke, I stood, and started walking over to the girls.  Rarity was beaming as I approached, and without a word Dash shoved the bags into my arms.  “Nice to see that your first stop was a success.  Now, based on past experience--”

“I’m just getting started, Icarus.  The day is young, and I’ve got bits to spend.  And, maybe, just maybe, I can convince Dash to buy something.”

“Pfft.  Not gonna happen, Rarity.  I’ll only get something if it’s at least ten... No!  Twenty percent cooler than what I’m wearing now.”  Rarity rolled her eyes, and then Dash smiled.  “Besides, I look awesome no matter what I’m wearing.”

I couldn’t resist the bait she’d given me.  “Especially when it’s a bikini.”  In anticipation of the violent physical response, I hopped away from the girls, a wide smile on my face.  Sadly, burdened by Rarity’s purchases, I couldn’t get away from Dash as she pursued me.  To my surprise, though, there was no immediate physical reproach from her.  Instead, she looked me right in the eyes, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I’d be more careful if I were you, Icarus.”  She leaned in closer as she spoke.  “Ten bits says I can make you blush twice as much as I am without breaking a sweat.”  I tried to take a step back from her, but she just matched my motion.  One of her hands moved to my side, and, with a voice that would’ve made a priest break his vows she continued.  “Are you up for round two, Icarus?”

Unable to keep myself controlled, I felt my cheeks growing incredibly hot as Dash stepped back and started laughing uncontrollably.  Even Rarity joined in, having been close enough to hear what Dash said.

“Creator take you, Dash!  That’s not funny!  That’s just cruel.”  She only laughed harder at that, and I just watched as the two of them slowly recovered from their laughing fits.  When they finally recovered their wits, I offered them a small smile.  “Are we done?”  They both nodded, and I abruptly turned away from them, facing the direction we were headed originally.  “Good, now let’s continue before you two continue trying to embarrass me.”

We walked for a bit longer before the girls wanted to stop again, but, luckily, this one wasn’t a clothing shop, so I decided to go along with them into the shop.  It turned out to be a little knick knack shop, and it was filled with some of the most interesting little devices I’d ever seen.  None of them were particularly practical devices, but they were interesting nonetheless.

A small metal puzzle caught my eye as I browsed, and within seconds I was entranced by the intricately linked rings.  Without even pausing to think about it, I purchased the puzzle, and then I walked out of the shop.  The girls would probably be out in just a few minutes, anyway, and it’s not like they needed me there to help them shop.  They’d shown, quite clearly, that they were capable of buying things without my moral support.

As I stood outside the shop, my mind occupied with the intricacies of the puzzle I didn’t notice when the girls emerged from the shop.  A sharp rap on my head shattered my concentration, and I looked up to see both of them with smiles on their faces.  “So, shall we continue, ladies?”  They rolled their eyes, and I picked up the bags while they started leading the way.  They pointed at many of the shops that we walked past, but it until a few minutes later that we finally stopped.

“That...  That...  That vile...  She has a shop here?”  Both Dash and I looked at Rarity, our puzzled expressions telling Rarity all she needed to know.  She raised a hand, and pointed at the shop before us.  Princesse Tam Tam’s Lingerie.

I was thoroughly confused by Rarity’s near loss of composure.  “Um...  What’s the big deal about a lingerie shop?  I mean, it’s not like it’s competition for you, Rarity.  You don’t make lingerie.  Or, at least, not that much.”

A small blush blossomed on her cheeks.  “That’s not the point!  The point is, Princesse Tam Tam is...  She is...  Well...”  She looked about for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.  “Oh, there's no polite way to say this... May I be blunt with you, Icarus?”

I shrugged, not really seeing a need for her to ask.  She knew that I was a fan of candid speech.  “Sure, Rarity.  I don't mind.”

She met my gaze.  “Princesse Tam Tam is a bitch.  She’s a cruel, vile, manipulative bitch.  The only reason she’s so successful is because she models all of her lingerie herself, and she’s got a figure that many women would kill for.”

Dash let a grin flash across her features.  “Are you jealous of her, Rarity?”  She nudged Rarity in the side.  “Eh?  Wish you were as successful as she is?”

“I do, actually.”  She looked back at the shop, for a moment.  “But I’d rather get there through the use of my talents, not the use of my body.”  She paused for a moment.  “Still, as much as I dislike the woman, there’s no denying that she makes good lingerie.”

Feeling a bit bold, I piped in.  “Oh?  Do you have... experience when it comes to lingerie?”

As Rarity started making her way towards the shop she let out a quick laugh.  “More than you might think, Icarus.”  She stopped a few steps later, and she looked over her shoulder.  “Come on, you two.  I want to pick some stuff out for you and I, Dash, and I’d like Icarus’ opinion on it.”

I let out a groan as I followed the girls into the shop, my mind already filling with images better left in the bedroom.

Then again... With Dash, there’ll be room for some fun.  Lingerie screams girly, and Dash and girly...

My posture changed just a bit as my thoughts raced through my head, and it was with a minimum of effort that I got ahead of Rarity just in time to open the door for the two of them.  “After you, Rarity, and you, Dash.”  Rarity smiled at me, but Dash just stared at me for a moment.  “What’s wrong, Dash?  Are you out of your element in a lingerie shop?”

“Five bits says you leave first.”

I smiled as she walked in, and I followed her.  “You’re on.”  As I entered the shop I realized how large my disadvantage really was.  The mannequins that dotted the sales floor were all wearing lingerie, and I could already see Rarity browsing through some of it, her eyes sparkling with a spark that only came out when she was working or shopping.  A special focus that would take a catastrophe to shatter.  But that wasn’t the source of my disadvantage.  My disadvantage was the fact that Dash was pointing at the changing rooms at the back, a smile on her face.

I didn’t let my worry show, though, and soon I was watching as Rarity discussed with Dash the merits of a good piece of lingerie.  I tried to zone out with my newest little distraction, but I kept on hearing various words and phrases that shattered my concentration.  What felt like mere moments later I felt a hand on my arm, and then it pulled me along.  I looked up to see Dash with a nervous smile on her face.  “Come on, Icarus.  Rarity and I want your... opinion.”

“That is cheating, Dash.”

“All is fair in love and war, Icarus, and I play to win.”  As we neared the changing rooms I noted with just a bit of trepidation that Rarity was nowhere to be seen.  We waited outside the changing room for a few minutes before the door opened, and Rarity stepped out.  While I had seen her in some fairly revealing garb before, just a couple nights ago, in fact, there was something distinctly different about seeing her in lingerie.

The lacy bra and panties that she was wearing was just see through enough to hide very little, but still be concealing.  When she saw me staring a blush came to her cheeks, and she took a half step back, as if she was embarrassed by my presence.  Dash was still just looking at me, judging my reaction, and I could tell she was pleased by what she saw.

“So, Icarus, Dash...  How do I look?”

I found myself responding faster than I could think.  “Sexy.  Seductive.  Really damn hot.”  One of my hands came up to my mouth after I spoke, but I could tell that it was the reaction Rarity was looking for when a smile came to her face, and her blush deepened.  “Although I have seen that particular ensemble before.”

“Well, maybe you’ve seen something like this, but I do think that some of the other garments I’ve picked out are a bit more risque.”  And, with that, she turned around, quickly disappearing into the changing room once again.

“Dude, Icarus, you’re not gonna make it through what Rarity’s picked out, let alone what I’m going to be showing you.”

“I’ve seen you naked, and I’ve had sex with you.  What makes you think anything you can do will get me to leave?”

“I can use that voice you love when I’m wearing something provocative and clinging to your side while batting my eyes at you.”

“Cheater.”  Still, it was an appealing prospect, and I lent it a bit of thought before the door opened once more, revealing Rarity in yet more provocative attire.  Gone was the lace and frills, and, in its place, was a corset and a thong.  Both were midnight black.  Both were unbelievably sexy.  “Wow.”

“You like it, Icarus?  It’s not really something that I’m all that into.”  She slowly turns in place, looking at herself in a conveniently placed mirror.  In my amazement I find myself at a loss for words, so I simply continue staring at her.  “Really, Icarus, try just a bit harder to keep your composure.  We still have to see how Dash looks when she really tries to put on a more seductive air.”  With that, she turned in place, her long legs accentuated by the high heels she’s wearing.

Dash punched me in the arm after the door to the changing room had closed, but there was no reproach in her gaze.  “Just wanted to see if you’re even still alive.  You were just staring without moving a muscle.”

“I’m...  Yeah, I was just enjoying the view.”  Dash only rolled her eyes, and then she averted her gaze, a blush suddenly coming to her cheeks.  “Something wrong, Dash?”  She didn’t look at me when I spoke, and that was all I needed to see in order to know that there was a problem.  “Rainbow, I know you well enough to know that something's wrong, so why don’t you just tell me what it is, rather than trying to act like you’re ignoring me?”

“Just nervous.  I’ve never worn lingerie before.”  She let out a weak, forced chuckle.  “I’ve never even thought about it before.”

“Are you worried about how you’ll look?”

Before Dash could offer an answer to my question the door to the changing room opened, and Rarity came out, her normal attire back in place.  She had a confident smile on her face, and she quickly grabbed Dash’s arm, and moved her into the changing room.  “The blue one first, dear.  And make sure it’s all sitting properly before you come out.  The point of lingerie is looks, not speed.”

The pegasus simply grumbled as she closed the door, a quick glance shot my way as the door closed.  A few minutes passed in silence before the sound of the latch opening was heard.  Before the door could open, though, a heavily accented voice sounded out through the store.  “Mizz Rarity?  Iz zat you?”

I searched for the source of the voice for a moment before my gaze settled upon a woman whose very appearance was the pinnacle of wet dreams for many men.  Her every aspect screamed out sex and desire.  Still, even with all of her beauty there was something... off about her.  Something in her eyes that just pushed me away even as her body tried to draw me in.

“Oh, Princesse Tam Tam.  What a surprise to see you here.  On Firefly Island.  When I just happen to be on a vacation here.”  Rarity’s voice clearly showed that she was, in fact, quite upset to see her here.  “I didn’t know you made visits to the individual branches of your company.”

“But of course I do, Rarity.  I mustn’t let mine employees grow lax in zeir duties.”  She looked away from Rarity to look me over, and a predatory smile came to her face.  “And who, might I ask, are you, my delicious little morsel?”

“I’m Icarus.  Why do--”

“Icarus... Phaetheon?  Zee son of Daedalus Phaetheon?  Zee inventor?”  Her eyes widened for a moment.  “My, zee zings I could do...  Rarity, what are you doing with someone of such immense class and distinction?  Zurely you and he aren’t... involved?  Not zat it would matter.  Such a small timer as you has nothing on me.”

“Actually, Miss Tam Tam,” I put an arm around Rarity’s waist, drawing her closer.  “Rarity and I are going out.”  As I drew in a breath to speak once again, the door to the changing room opened, and Dash stepped out.  It took all of my self control not to look at Dash, lest my resolve fade.  “And this beautiful woman is also with me.”  I put a hand around her waist as well, marveling at the silky feeling of her skin beneath my hand.  Whatever she was wearing, it was revealing as hell.  “So you can go right on ahead and buzz off.  Because this man is perfectly happy with what he’s got right here.”

Princesse Tam Tam’s eyes widened as her gaze flicked over the three of us.  “I think, Icarus, that you are making a mistake.  What can zese two give you that I can not give you ten times over?”

I smiled back at the slowly flushing designer.  “What can these two give me?”

Creator above, let this not come back to bite me in the ass...  And I hope that Rarity is okay with my forwardness...

I glanced at the girls beside me, and I was pleased to see they were both looking at me.  That would make things easier.  “These two can give me,”  I turned and gave Dash a quick kiss, praying to whatever deity would grant my prayers that I don’t screw this up.  “Happiness.”  And then I turned and repeated the action with Rarity, eliciting the tiniest of gasps from her.  “And love.”  I looked back at the nearly livid lingerie designer.  “Two things that you don’t know anything about.  I can tell this not only by the fact that you tried to steal me away from these two, but by the way that man behind you seems to cringe with every word you speak.”

Her face flushed crimson at my words.  “Out.  Get out of my store right zis instant!”  Her voice quickly rose to a deafening shriek.  “If I ever catch you in another one of my stores I will see to it that you will never walk again, in addition to your inability to fly!”  Her words bit deep, but I didn’t let it show.  Without a moment of hesitation, I led both girls out of the store, ignoring the protests from Dash.

As soon as we stepped out of the shop Dash managed to escape my grasp and run back into the store.  I simply let her go, my adrenaline finally slowing enough for me to realize just what I had done, and what had happened.  I slowly looked over to Rarity to find her staring at me with a mixed pot of emotions flickering across her face.  Finally, though, her feelings resolved themselves, and anger was clear on her features.

A stinging pain in my cheek followed just moments after her emotions sorted themselves out, and I raised a hand up to my cheek, finding it hot and sensitive.  “Don’t you ever...  Without even saying anything...  You...”  Rarity’s face had faded back into a mixture of expressions, and I just let her puzzle it out, knowing that I had deserved what she had just done.  Then she surprised me with a soft kiss on the cheek.  “Thank you.”

“You’re... welcome?”  Rarity didn’t respond to my puzzled answer, and so we simply stood outside the shop, uncomfortable awkwardness forcing us to avert our gazes from each other.  We weren’t forced to wait for long; when she did emerge from the shop her cheeks were flushed nearly as bright as the lock of red hair atop her head.  She avoided both my gaze and Rarity’s, instead opting to storm off ahead of us, her head angled downward to spare herself some measure of embarrassment.  “I don’t get it...  Why did she go back in?”

“Dear, she was still wearing the lingerie she was modeling for you.  And then you just went right ahead and dragged her out onto the street.”

It took a moment for Rarity’s words to register, and, when they finally did, I brought a hand to my face, resting my head in the palm of my hand.  “I’m willing to bet that waiting won’t solve this problem.  Nor, do I think, will this be solved by talking to her.  So, Rarity, could you talk to her for me.  I’ll...  I’ll go find a coffee shop, or something.”  I looked around for a brief moment before my gaze settled on a coffee shop just down the block a short distance.  I pointed to it, and a humorless chuckle escaped me.  “At least some things are easy.  I’ll be in there.”

“It’ll be fine, Icarus.  You worry too much.”  Despite her reassuring words there was a measure of concern on her face.  “I’ll bring her by once she’s calmed down some.”  I nodded, and then we went our separate ways.  As I approached the shop I glanced at the sign.  Coffee Thyme’s Coffee and Spice Shop.

At least it’s better than selling sofas and quills...

The interior of the shop had a warm and cozy feel to it, a feeling that, at the time, sickened me.  Not only did I not deserve these comforts, I had no desire to feel them.  I’d just fucked up royally, and it left me feeling like crap.

I know that Dash has little problem running through Ponyville in her, admittedly, skimpy running attire... but this?  This was different.

If I hadn’t told Rarity that I would meet her, and Dash, here, I’d have left in an instant.  I quickly found a table near the back of the shop, and then I dumped all the bags I still had on the floor by my feet.  Then, without much thought, I pulled out the small puzzle that had become a valuable mental distraction.

I could only fiddle with the brain teaser for a few minutes before even that failed to keep my mind off of what I had done just a short while ago.  A waiter approached the table with a smile on his face, and I looked up to regard him.  “Welcome to Coffee Thyme’s Coffee and Spice Shop, what can I get for you?”

“Hot chocolate.”  My tone didn’t seem to affect the smile on the waiter’s face, but I could see a change in the way he looked at me.  “Sorry, just a bit... distracted.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll get that drink out to you in a few minutes.  Do you want anything to eat, or just the hot chocolate?”

I pondered for a moment, before I decided.  I placed an order for a muffin, and then I went back to messing with my puzzle.  As the minutes dragged by I grew more and more frustrated with the puzzle, until, finally, I simply tossed it onto the table, looking at it with venom in my eyes.  The waiter came back just after I tossed the distraction onto the table, and he put the cup down on the table, and next to it the muffin I had ordered.  “You waiting for someone?”

His query surprised me, a bit, and I was slow to answer.  “Yeah.  Two someones.  Unicorn, purple hair.  And a pegasus, blue wings, rainbow hair.  If they come in send them back here?”

“Sure.  That’ll be six bits.”  I quickly counted out the money before handing it to the waiter.  A soft sigh escaped me as I grabbed my cup, pulling it closer and slowly rotating it before me.

Just as I was about to take a drink of the hot beverage I noticed Rarity and Dash entering the shop.  I waved to them, but they didn’t spot me.  The waiter did notice them, though, and he directed the two of them back to me.  Moments later and they were taking their seats across from me.  Dash still had a blush on her cheeks, but it wasn’t quite as prominent as before.  Without a thought I pushed the muffin towards Dash.  “Sorry, about...  Ya know.”  I faltered as I spoke, and then I motioned at the muffin.  “It’s your favorite.”

She took the muffin, but made no moves to start eating it.  “Did you even see what I was wearing earlier?”

The question surprised me, and I shifted my gaze from my hands to Rainbow Dash.  She wasn’t looking at me as she spoke, and I could see that her blush had returned.  “No, I didn’t.”

She looked up at me, a smile on her face.  “Well, you will.  Oh, and one more thing.”  She dug in her bags for a moment before she pulled out a five bit coin, sliding it across the table.  “You won.  Not for the reasons of the bet, though, but because, based on what Rarity told me about that prissy bitch, you just stood up to one of the most influential people in the business.”

I raised an eyebrow, looking at the coin but making no moves to take it.  “So, I didn’t win, and you didn’t win?”  Dash shook her head.  “Then keep your bits, and get something to drink.  I’ve just about had my share of shopping for the day.”  Dash pulled the coin back over to herself, and then she put it in her bag.  Rarity caught my gaze as Dash began messing with her stuff, and she just nodded at me, smiling.

A short while later and both girls had steaming cups of coffee, and a muffin in the other hand.  I, on the other hand, was busy carrying all of their purchases, in addition to my own.  As we traveled back along the mall, towards the road home, I insisted on stopping by the marketplace.  While we weren’t running out of anything back at the house, I wanted to get some food fresh for dinner that night.

I ended up with a small bag full of some fresh produce, and a rather bulky package of freshly cut meat.  There was a rather disappointing lack of bacon at the butcher, but I figured that I could make do, since I put in a request with the portly butcher.  After I had my newly bought goods secured the three of us started making our way back to the house, the afternoon sun steadily beating down upon us.
> Chapter VII:  The Suggestion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When we walked through the front door I made a quick trip to the kitchen, the once chilled meat already starting to thaw under the midday sun.  I didn’t linger very long, though, since I wanted to put some distance between myself and the girls.  Tam Tam’s words had cut a bit deeper than I wanted to admit, and I didn’t much feel like sharing with any of them.  A quick trip to my bedroom gave me a chance to change into some swim trunks, and a ragged shirt.  I grabbed my beach towel as I walked out of my room, and just ten minutes later I had found a nice palm tree to lean against.  Rarity had caught my eye as I left for the beach, but she didn’t say anything.

The distant, rhythmic sounds of the waves lulled my thoughts into a sense of calm that betrayed the turmoil within the deeper recesses of my mind.  I sighed as I let my head fall back to rest on the trunk of the palm tree.  My eyes closed against the glare of the sun, even with my sunglasses on, and so I was plunged into a world of touch, sound, and smell.  Taste too, if the faint saltiness of the air counts.

As I relaxed I let my mind run through all the myriad of events that I had dealt with through my life, each one seeming to linger longer than the one before it.  It seems to me that for each good thing I do, or that happens to me, there’s some bad thing that happens to outweigh it.  But the thing is, I can’t even do anything to stop most of it.

Tam Tam, for instance, knew Rarity.  Not something I could’ve stopped.  And then, because of their rivalry, I was dragged into it, and forced to endure another threat from the upper crust of Equestrian nobility.  Granted, I did earn most of those threats with my actions, but that’s not really the point.  Still, none of them had ever thought to throw my winglessness back at me.  Even the ones that knew about it had the common courtesy not to bring it up.

Except for Blueblood.  But he’s an asshole, so I can understand that...

I took another deep breath, slowly exhaling and trying to relax my body...  It didn’t work.  I opened my eyes to look down at myself and I noticed with a grimace that I had my hands clenched in the sand, my knuckles turning white under the pressure.  With a conscious effort, I unclenched my hands, allowing the fine sand to run between my fingers and form small dunes.

By the Creator, why can’t I get over this?

I adjusted myself until I was lying down, and then I lifted my hands up over my head, simply trying to stretch myself out as much as possible.  It made me feel a bit more loose, but it didn’t accomplish much else.  I pulled the shirt off my body, allowing Celestia’s pride and joy to shine on my entire form.  In this new position I tried, once again, to relax, and this time I had a bit more success.  I didn’t feel any real tension coming from my body, but my mind still resisted the attempts at docility.

With my eyes closed I couldn’t see anything, but the subtle change in light filtering through my closed eyelids prompted me to open my eyes.  Much to my surprise there was a fairly large tortoise looking down at me, it’s beady eyes glimmering with what I could only describe as curiosity mixed with just the slightest tinge of regret.  For several long minutes I stared up at it, and it down at me.  I knew that it could win a waiting game, so I decided to rotate, and sit up so I could get a better look at it.

That, sadly, proved to be a bit much for me to handle, since I didn’t expect to see someone sitting atop the back of the massive beast.  Nor, for that matter, did I expect the tortoise to be quite as large as it was.  The man looked at me with poorly concealed mirth in his eyes.  “Afternoon.  I was enjoying a nice sit here on Chelone’s back while she enjoyed a good walk, and I couldn’t help but notice you over here.  Not that seeing people on the beach is weird, or anything.  Just an observation.  Frankly, I’m glad we came over here, otherwise my curiosity wouldn’t have been sated.”

I finally managed to recover my wits, and I simply looked at the man, trying to make sense of it all.  “Is... Is that a tortoise?”

Nothing gets past me...

Another smile came to the man’s features, this one wider than the last.  “Is it a tortoise?  She tells me that she’s a tortoise, and I have no reason not to believe her.  Not only that, but she’s the first one, if her bragging is anything to go by.”  For just a moment the man looked down at the beast.  “She doesn’t speak often... Well, at all, really, but she did tell me that her name is Chelone.  And that she’s the first tortoise.”

“Right.  And who are you?”

“Garett.  That’s with one r and two t’s.”  He frowned for a moment, as if remembering something, but then his smile returned.  “So, mind telling me what you’re doing here on this beautiful beach of mine?”

I snorted, before gesturing at the beach.  “This isn’t your beach, but whatever.  I’m here to get away from my problems for a little while.  Just want to take some time to think, without having to worry about the distractions of life.”

“The distractions are what make life worth living, though.  Without the distractions we’d all be spending our time working non-stop, doing the kinds of things that slowly drive us mad.”  He paused for a moment, sinking into thought.  “Unless the distractions are what you’re thinking about, in which case getting away from them for a bit might let you organize your thoughts.”  I just sat there, unmoving, as the man ranted atop his faithful mount.  “But if you’re trying to escape the distractions, so you can think about the distractions, aren’t you just distracting yourself from the distractions?  Wouldn’t that make you as much of a distraction?”  A smile came to his face.  “But, I suppose that’s just wishful thinking on my part.  So, tell me, what is it that’s got you thinking so hard?”

“Women.”  My one word answer prompted no response from the mounted stranger, so I continued.  “See, I’ve been living in this great little town for a few years, now, and there are these six stunning women who like me, and who I like.”  The man nodded at me, his brow furrowing.  “But I’m not the best when it comes to relationships.  There are tons of reasons for this, but, the first among them, is my unwillingness to open up.  To anybody.”  I paused, realizing just what I was doing.  “For some reason, though, it’s only when it really matters that I seize up.  Clearly, right now, I’m talking about it just fine.  It’s when the topic is forced on me that I have trouble.”

The man smiled a wide smile, as if he’d just solved an incredibly difficult problem.  “Well you’ve just told me the solution to your problem.”

“What, bring up the topic myself?”  He nodded.  “No, that won’t work.  Whenever I think about bringing it up I just seize up and push them away.”

“Well...  Maybe a good first step would be talking to that fine specimen of female beauty that’s on her way here.”  For a moment the man appeared to be looking off into the distance.  “She’s well intentioned in what she wants to say, so don’t push her away.”

I raised an eyebrow, looking off towards the way he had come from.  When, as I expected, I saw nothing, I looked back to where the man was.  “Where is...  What?  Hey!”  Quickly turning in place, to look back into the jungle, I spotted the man slowly making his way between the trees.  “Where the hell are you going?”

A hand came up, and made a slow, casual gesture in the air.  “Home, you know?  Things to see.  People to write.  Stories to do.  Or maybe some combination of the three.”  He shrugged, the gesture nearly lost to the dense flora.  “The usual assortment of things that one must do when in the comfort of one’s home.”

I slowly blinked as I watched the tortoise riding man disappear into the jungle, the dense foliage obscuring him from view.  After continuing to watch the forest for another few moments, I finally let out a small sigh.  “What an interesting person.”  With that observation made, I turned back to my original position.  Doing so revealed an approaching figure, a hand raised in greeting.  I raised one of my own hands in return, reciprocating her wave.

Within just a few minutes she finally got close enough for me to make out who it was, and I wasn’t entirely surprised to see Rarity approaching.  She was wearing the same bikini that she’d been wearing the first time we came to the beach, but she had wrapped a fairly sheer piece of fabric about her waist, crafting a good imitation of a skirt.  The smile on her face was not one of happiness, though.

“Care to explain why you just stormed off?”  She came a bit closer before she tossed a towel onto the sand, taking a seat atop it.  “Hmm?  Playing the wounded hero, or some other bizarre act of self-sacrifice?”  I raised an eyebrow.  “Oh, don’t play dumb with me.  I know how to mope better than any of you.  And you, my dear Icarus, are doing an admirable job of making me appear level-headed.”

“Probably because you are level-headed.  Sure, you’ve got your moments, we all do, but for the most part you’re able to deal with your emotions quite well.”

She let out a quick laugh.  “Oh, hardly.  Why don’t you ask Sweetie Belle, the next time you see her, how level-headed I am while working on a project with the deadline looming.”  I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Rarity beat me to it.  “Yes, I’ve just described my status quo.  But I don’t simply hide from it.  I know my shortcomings,” she smiled for a moment, “as few as they are.  But, even a few is enough.  I know all too well that I can’t handle all the problems I have alone.”

“Which is why you and the girls have your weekly get togethers, and bi-weekly spa visits.”  She nodded and allowed me to continue.  “And?  What does that have to do with me.  You’ve already made it clear to me that I’m not invited to any of those get togethers.”

“That’s because that’s a chance for the six of us to get away from the world for a while.  A chance for us to talk about our various problems without anything held back.”  I scoffed at that.  “Alright, so we do hold back some things.  But, to be fair, some things aren’t meant to be shared.  Even with the closest of friends.”

“My point exactly.”  Rarity sighed and shook her head.  “Don’t give me that, Rarity.  It’s not like I’ve got a group session waiting for me every two weeks.  I spend a ton of time alone, and that’s how I’ve grown to be used to dealing with my problems.”

“And my point is that you don’t have to deal with it alone.”

“Yeah, because everyone wants to spend their time trying to make me feel so much better about myself.”

“If you keep talking like that, Icarus, we’re going to have a problem.”  Her tone brokered no argument, so I shrugged and leaned back on the palm tree.  “Now, for much of our trip into town you were doing just fine.  Maybe even having fun.  But then we see Tam Tam, and the two of you share some words and...”  Her eyes brightened with recognition.  “Oh.”

“Yeah, because being threatened is something that I can totally talk to all of you about.  Fluttershy would just curl up into a ball and cry about it.  Twilight would demand we send a letter to Celestia.  Applejack and Dash would both want to go and beat the apples out of her.  Pinkie would...  Probably do something totally random, so no points for me there.  And you’d try to resolve things in a diplomatic manner.  At least, that’s what I think you’d do.”

Rarity let out a quick laugh.  “Accurate on all accounts, save for one.  Before I followed you out here, the girls and I had a quick chat.  Dash and I laid out what happened, and you nailed everyone’s response, save for one of us.”

“Oh, Fluttershy’s self-confidence training showed?  Did she spout another one of those ludicrous one-liners?”

“No, Icarus, Fluttershy...   Well, she did pretty much what you described.  Although she wasn’t crying, just shaking a bit, and hoping that you were okay.”

“Pinkie made a reasonable, and logically straightforward suggestion?”  I smiled.  “If that’s the case, AJ and Dash both owe me ten bits.”

“No, that’s not...  Ten bits?”

“Yeah, I bet the two of them that Pinkie wouldn’t be able to make a logically sound decision until she was faced with a situation that forced her to act rationally.  They think that she’ll be able to make a rational decision before then.  Like, where she could either be her usual self, or she could act in a sensible fasion.”

Rarity returned my smile, a chastening look in her eyes.  “And you were talking about us making a bet based on your emotions.”

“Don’t look at me like that.  Pinkie knows about the bet, and even has some bits in the pool.  She’s on my side, by the way.”

“Doesn’t that make the results...”  She paused for a moment, thinking about what she’s saying.  “Actually, that makes sense.  In a Pinkie kind of way.  But we’re not here to talk about that, we’re here to talk about you.”

I groaned as I adjusted my position, pulling myself into a more comfortable arrangement.  “Fine.  If you want to talk about me, be my guest, just don’t expect much contribution from me.”

A frown came to her face, but she quickly wiped it away.  “Icarus, this won’t work without your contribution.  I hope you realize that I’m not doing this to bother you, or to make you feel uncomfortable.”  I nodded, agreeing with her.  “Then why do you simply snap at me as soon as I offer to try and help.”

A short chuckle escaped me as I closed my eyes, bringing my hands to my face.  “I’ve been fending for myself for so long it seems unnatural to ask for help, or to even have someone offer to help.”  I kept my eyes closed, but my hands dropped down to my lap.  “Do you know what the doctors kept asking me when I was in the hospital after losing my wings?”

I could hear her shift around some, but I kept my eyes closed.  “I could probably make an educated guess, or two.”  She paused.  “Maybe asking if there was anything they could do to help you, or make you feel more comfortable.”

“That’s it pretty much exactly.”  I opened my eyes, smiling as I saw that Rarity had moved herself next to me.  “They asked me what they could do to make me feel better.  And every time I answered them as honestly as I could, and they’d just offer me a smile, and ask what they could really do to help.”  I forced out a laugh.  “I answered their questions as honestly as I could, and they just passed it off as a joke.”

“What did you say to them?”

“I asked them if I could have a new pair of wings.  Or, failing that, some way to fly again.”  I felt my hands clenching again, so I forced myself to relax.  “Not even one doctor took me seriously.  The only person who I ever got a reaction from was some nameless nurse who came in one night when I was awake and reading a book at three in the morning.  All she did was tear up for a moment, and apologize that there was nothing that she, or anyone, could do to help.”

“And what about now?  Do you really think that any of us are going to do the same thing?”

I surged to my feet, a fairly loud curse escaping me.  “No, Rarity, I don’t think that.  But it’s hard for me to just walk up to one of you and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got all these feelings of unrequited love that I’m dealing with.  Oh, and I also have a metric fuck-ton of mental hang ups that I’m trying to deal with.  Would you be just the bestest buddy ever and help me out?’”  I stopped myself, realizing that I had been shouting at her.  “I’m sorry, Rarity.  It’s...  I don’t really know.  There’s all this stuff going on in my head, and sometimes it gets to be a bit too much.”

She just offered a smile as she patted the towel beside her.  “Sit.”  At first I didn’t move, but her smile quickly faded, a frown coming in its place.  “It wasn’t a request, Icarus.”  With an indignant grunt I plopped down beside her.  “Now, why don’t we start with something recent.  Something that affected you, even if you didn’t say so.”

“Nothing gets to me.  I’m like a rock.”  I smiled for a moment.  “I’m like Tom.”  Rarity laughed at that.  “Hell, I wish I could be half as tough as Tom was.”

“But that’s just what I’m saying.  You don’t have to be that tough.”  She grabbed my hands in her own.  “You don’t have to deal with all the problems you have on your own.  You can share with any of us.”

I didn’t say anything as I looked down at my hands being held by Rarity’s.  It was such a small gesture, but, for some reason, right then, it felt right.  Anything more would’ve been too much, and anything less would have kept this moment from occurring.  In a voice too quiet for her to hear, I thanked her.

“Icarus, all you need to do is start talking.  The rest will come as it does.  The hardest part of life is simply getting started.  Once you’re going you’ll find that things will fall into place.”

I sighed as I gave her hands a small squeeze.  “You remember what Tam Tam said, right?”  She nodded.  “It...  It hit me harder than I let on.”

“I don’t know about Dash, but I could see it quite clearly.  I have to be able to do all manner of fine work on the dresses I make, and that takes a fine eye for detail.  When she was talking to you, I could read your reactions as clearly as if you had simply told me.”

I chuckled softly.  “Am I that easy to read?”

“No, actually.  You have a remarkable ability to keep most of your thoughts off your face.  It’s when you try to hide your feelings that you become easier to read.  But now that it’s out, I want you to just talk about it.  Whatever comes to mind, say it.  We’ll work from there.”

“Without my wings all I have to get around are my legs.  Back when I had my wings I flew pretty often.  Not as much as Dash, but still quite frequently.  I often wondered, what would I do without my wings.  Now I know.  I don’t want to have to think about what I’d do without my legs.”

“Dear, it’s an idle threat.  She’d never do something like that.  But, if she tried, she’d have six very angry Elements of Harmony to get through first.”

I chuckled at that, the mental image painting a nice picture in my mind.  “Imagine Fluttershy trying to stand up to Tam Tam.”  Rarity didn’t join in my laughter, so it quickly died out.  “Yeah, I know.  Sometimes, though, I can’t help but crack a joke.  At anyone’s expense, really, not just Fluttershy’s.”

Her eyes widened for just a moment before they narrowed, a small smile coming to her face.  “Oh?  And what kind of jokes do you tell about me?”

I laughed once more.  “Oh, I never make jokes about you, Rarity.  A woman as beautiful as you could never be the butt of a joke as crass as those I tend to make.”  A small blush came to her face.  “But flattery?  Few get it from me as much as you.”

She blushed a bit harder before she regained her composure.  “Enough of this, Icarus, I came here for a reason.  As I said earlier, the girls and I spoke about what happened between you and Tam Tam.  You guessed what we’d all do, and you were right about all of us.  Except me.”

“You?  What do you mean?  You wouldn’t do anything, or you’d resort to violence, or...”

“None of those things.  You see, back when I was much younger I had to deal with a bully back in school.  He was a nasty and vicious child, the oldest in our grade.  He was among the first to get his cutie mark and he took no small pleasure from holding that above the rest of us.”  She paused for a moment.  “For whatever reason, he seemed to think that I was a good target for his aggressions.  He never hit me, he’d have been a fool to do so, but he still made a mockery of me in front of the rest of the class.”

“My guess is that he had a crush on you, or he was simply an ass.”

“The latter.  He was just an ass.  But, eventually, he went just a bit too far.  Unwilling to take the abuse any longer, I finally lashed out at him.  I spent almost five minutes simply tearing him apart verbally.  By the time I finished I had used almost every insult I could come up with, and some I made up on the spot.”  She let out a small chuckle.  “I have to admit, for a child of thirteen I was remarkably creative.  Once I finished, I noticed that I had reduced him to tears.  Less than an hour later and I was having a long conference with the principal and my parents.”

I shuddered in an exaggerated fashion.  “The dreaded parent teacher conference.”

“Exactly.  No small thing when you’re that age.  We spent about half an hour in his office, just my parents talking to the principal. Eventually, though, the bully came in.  All I remember is that I was forced to apologize, and then I was sent home.  I’ve never forgotten that horrendous walk home.  Neither of my parents spoke to me, and I simply ran to my room when we got home.”  I wanted to say something to her, but she kept going.  “Hours later, well after dinner, my mother came up to see me.  I’ll never forget that talk she had with me for as long as I live.  It’s something I passed on to Sweetie Belle as soon as she could understand it.”

My curiosity had been piqued.  “What did she say?”

“Much of it wouldn’t help you, since it was a girl to girl talk.  But one thing that stuck out to me, and has helped me so much when dealing with people like Tam Tam, was a simple suggestion.  ‘Always take the source into consideration.’”  She gave me a moment to think.  “At the time, I didn’t really understand it.  My thirteen year old brain didn’t follow the thought process required.  But then, two years later, I finally got it.  If some bully insults me, it means nothing, since they mean nothing.”

“So what Tam Tam says shouldn’t have any bearing on how I live my life because she means so little to me?”  Rarity nodded, a smile coming to her face.  I laid back on my towel, the clear blue sky drawing my eye.

“Well I do hope that you manage to make as much use out of what she said as I have.”  She looked over her shoulder at the ocean, a frown flashing across her face.  “Enjoy this while you can, Icarus.  It’s supposed to rain tonight, and all through tomorrow.  A real downpour, from what I’ve heard.”  She slowly stood, her gaze remaining fixed on the ocean.  “And do be sure to come back to the house soon.  Dinner’s not going to make itself.”



	

I paused outside the door to the house, gathering my thoughts for whatever might be waiting for me on the other side.  I had waited about half an hour after the departure of Rarity to make the way back.  I grasped the handle for a moment, before I tried to turn it.

What?

“Stand aside, door.  I’m a person, I command you to stand aside!”  Once again I grasped the handle, putting my weight into it once again.  “So, it seems that you yield for no man...  I have no quarrel with you, but if you keep this up I’ll have no choice.”  I tried again, this time putting a bit of weight behind the motion.  Still nothing.  “Am I really being beaten by a door?”  I heaved a massive sigh before I grabbed the handle firmly with both hands.  “Alright, door.  Have at you!”

...

“Right, we’ll call it a draw.”  I stepped back, a hand coming to my face.  “It was a fair fight, and I’ll be the first to admit that you’re the better combatant.  But, I have to say that gloating really doesn’t suit you.”  The door was unmoved by my convincing position, so I just threw my hands up, an unflattering noise escaping me.  “I’ll just go around, and go in through my balcony.  Let’s see you stop me from doing that!”

Just a few minutes later and I saw that I wasn’t being stopped by the door, but by the lack of handholds available on the back of the house.  Along with the remarkable absence of anything for climbing.  With my shoulders slumped in defeat I trudged back to the front door, my head banging into the door a few times.  “Don’t you dare say a word, door.”  A moment later, and the door swung inward.

Rarity was standing there at the door, a small smile on her face.  “Sorry, Icarus, I locked it when I got back.  I totally forgot that you were still on the beach.  To be fair, though, I thought that you took your keys with you.”

“Yeah, not this time.”

“Why were you knocking with your--”

“No reason.  I’m gonna go hop in the shower real quick, and then I’ll get those steaks marinating.”  Rarity stepped to the side as I walked past her, her smile growing just a bit.

“Don’t take long, Icarus, it’ll be dinner time soon.”  I nodded as I headed up the stairs, my room quickly approaching.  My shower didn’t take very long, and soon I was pulling on my jeans and a fresh shirt.  As I passed the mirror on my way out of my room I couldn’t help but look at myself for just a moment.  It really was just a fleeting glance, and soon I had reached the kitchen, and I was starting to work on preparing the food for our later consumption.  I was working in the kitchen alone as the girls sat in the living room and talked.  With the open space between them and myself I was easily included in what they were talking about.

The topic of the discussion was mostly the various mishaps that somehow seemed to happen to the, normally, peaceful town of Ponyville.  A common observation shared by the long time residents, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack, seems to be that the town was normally quite calm.  That it was oftentimes months without anything really happening to the town.  Once Twilight showed up, just a few months after Dash had arrived, everything about Ponyville seemed to change, starting with the day she got there.

I offered up the valid observation that I had been in town for just a few weeks when Nightmare Moon arrived, but they all agreed that I wasn’t the catalyst for change in the town.  I slowly faded out of the conversation as I started preparing some of the other foods for dinner, my desire to use the knife safely outweighing my desire to be a part of the conversation.

As I was cutting up the last of the meat, Pinkie’s voice sounded from much closer than I anticipated, and my hand slipped causing the knife to cut my hand quite badly.  A sharp intake of air accompanied my mistake, and, for just a moment, I could only see the injury, not feel it.

Oh...

Pinkie, due to where she was standing, couldn’t see my hands, the shape of the counter keeping my hands out of sight.  The pain started filtering into my awareness and I knew that I only had a moment before I’d start using my colorful vocabulary to make everyone aware of what had happened.  “T...  Twi?”  She looked over at me at my hesitant, and strained, cry.  “What, out of curiosity, is the range of your teleportation spell?”

She raised an eyebrow before she smiled, eager to explain.  “Well, you see, it depends on--”

“Short answer.”  It was getting harder to keep myself from crying out, but I was still managing.  Somehow.  “The short answer is, right now, infinitely preferable to the long answer.”  A flash of purple light blinded me for a moment, and then Twilight was beside me, a self-satisfied smile on her face.  “Impressive.  Still need an answer.”

“It varies.  Anywhere from a few hundred feet to almost a full mile.”

“Oh.  Good.  So you can get us to town in...  Two teleports?”  She raised an eyebrow, a look of concern coming to her face.  “Because, right about now, I need to go to town.”

“Icarus...?”  Her eyes widened rapidly as I raised my bloody hand.  “By the Creator, Icarus!  Why didn’t you say something?”  Her exclamation brought the others over in a hurry, and soon I had all six of them rushing to aid me as I slowly felt more and more faint.  A piece of cloth was quickly wrapped around my hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding.  I couldn’t help but laugh just a bit as I saw that it was Dash’s shirt that was wrapped around my hand.  “Icarus, hold on to me.  We’re going to be making three teleports in rapid succession.”

A sudden, intense, sensation of vertigo tugged at the pit of my stomach and then there was a popping sound as the displaced air rippled around us.  I cast a glance upward, frowning as I noticed the cloudy weather.  “Twi...  I think--”

Another burst of vertigo accompanied a familiar popping sound.  “--that it’s going to rain.  I...  I’d really much rather it be--”

A third burst of light came hand in hand with a sense of vertigo.  “--sunny.  Rainy weather’s a real downer.”  Twilight was panting at my side as she walked me into the small medical clinic in town.



	

For, probably, the first time, I was actually thankful for Twilight’s status as a Element Bearer.  Normally she doesn’t bandy the title about, not much enjoying the attention it draws, but in this case she was willing to deal with it.  Because of her, I had to wait just thirty minutes in the waiting room.  After that, Twilight and I spent the better part of two hours in the clinic, several different doctors and nurses gawking at my rather impressive wound.  I lost count of how many times I had to explain why my blood was showing up as that of a pegasus, despite my lack of wings.  Despite the reason for our coming being one of fairly upsetting circumstances, I did manage to make Twilight laugh at a few of my mocking responses to the questions asked by the doctors.  By the time I finally managed to leave I was able to wish every member of the staff a good night by name.

The cut on my hand wasn’t quite as bad as I had thought it was, but I still wouldn’t be able to do any manually strenuous activities with it for the next week or so.  Also, there’d likely be a fairly impressive scar there once the cut healed up.

Just another for the collection, I suppose.

The trip home was, as I had pointed out earlier, a real downer.  Despite Twilight’s spell protecting us from the rain I just didn’t much care for the downpour coming down around us.  Neither of us spoke much as we walked, and it felt like quite a while before the house finally came into view.  Twilight entered first, with my entrance occurring moments after hers.  All the girls were waiting for me, and they quickly swarmed over me, eager to see that I was alright.  Pinkie, though, seemed less energetic than she had been before.

After just a bit of fuss, and a simple dinner, since I had effectively ruined the food with my sanguine contributions, I finally took some time to relax in the living room, one of the couches acting as a de facto bed.  I didn’t fall asleep, but I did manage to get some rest and some quality digestion time in.  When I finally got up to head to my room I noticed that all the others had already gone to bed.  I was just a bit disappointed by that, since I would’ve liked to talk to Pinkie for a moment, if only to tell her that I didn’t hold her responsible for what had happened.  With a shrug, I turned out the lights, and I started making my way to my room.

The door to my room opened before me, the gentle coolness of the room welcoming me.  My slow pace towards my bed brought me over in good time.  I quickly pulled my shirt and jeans off, dropping them in a pile at the foot of my bed.  Thusly attired I looked down at my bed, a small smile coming to my face.  My bed seemed to suck me in as I fell atop it, the rigors of the day finally taking their toll on me.  I slowly dragged myself up the bed, making for a position that was just a bit more conducive to rest.  Sadly, just as I reached a position that I liked, a knock came at my door.  With a bit of reluctance I walked over to the door, my clothing left on the floor.  A quick glance down assured me that everything was in order, and then I opened the door.

Standing there, dressed in a tank top, pink, and a pair of short shorts, also pink, was Pinkie, her eyes wide, and just slightly bloodshot.  That was enough to shake me from my stupor.  I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room.  I sat her on the bed, and then I sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  She leaned into me for quite some time before she finally adjusted her position to wrap her arms around me.

“Pinkie.”  I tried to adjust my position without moving her, but it didn’t seem to work.  “C’mon, what’s wrong?”  She didn’t answer verbally, instead pulling herself closer to me.  She mumbled some words into my chest, but I couldn’t hear them.  “Talking works much better when you do it without something in the way, Pinkie.”

She pulled her head back, fresh tears falling from her eyes.  “I’m sorry, Icarus.  I...  You were cooking and...  And I got you hurt!”  Her voice cracked just a bit at the end, and then she buried her face in my chest once again, her arms wrapping around my torso.  Her anguish hit me harder than I thought it would, and I had to struggle to try and keep my composure as she softly sobbed into my chest.

> Chapter VIII:  The Second (SEX)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	For several long minutes I simply held Pinkie as she cried.  When her sobs started losing some of their strength, I brought a hand to her chin, slowly moving her head up, and away from my chest.  For a long moment she held my gaze, her tears slowly falling down her cheeks.  “Icarus...”

“Please don’t cry, Pinkie.”  My words were incredibly soft, and seemed to have a quick response from the pink haired girl.  Her tears slowed, and, within a few minutes stopped.  “What’s wrong?”

“I...  I got you hurt!  You had to go to the hospital because of me!”  Her eyes began to water once again.  “I cost us dinner, Dashie her shirt, and I cost you your evening!  I ruined everything today!”

Before she could start crying again I brought up my other hand, gently placing a finger on her lips.  “You didn’t ruin anything, Pinkie.”  She tried to say something past my finger, but I kept it there as I shook my head.  “Dinner is something that we can do again anytime.  I can go to the butcher again sometime to get us something to eat for dinner tomorrow.  So, you can see, you didn’t cost us anything that we couldn’t replace.  And as for Dashie’s shirt, I doubt she minded.  Besides, I didn’t hear anyone ask for it, she volunteered it.”

I lowered my finger from her mouth, and my other hand from her chin.  As I did so she looked down at my hand for a moment before she frowned.  “I still ruined your night.  As well as getting you a cut on your hand.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle just a bit at that observation.  “Pinkie, you aren’t usually around for it, but when I work on the prototypes for my inventions I often wind up hurting myself pretty bad.  Hell, I’ve probably done more to myself than everyone else has combined.  And that’s discounting my wings.”  Pinkie looked up at me, but she still didn’t smile.  “C’mon, Pinkie.  I’m not going to hold this against you.  Accidents happen, and this was nothing more than that.”

“I still feel bad about it.”

I smiled at her, prompting just the smallest smile from her, but it disappeared soon after.  “And that’s a totally normal way to feel.  But you need to cheer up some, because I can’t stand to see you so sad.  You need to be the Pinkie that we all know and love.  The Pinkie that brings a smile to everyone’s face.”

Her smile came back again, this time lasting a bit longer.  “Can we just spend some time together, Icarus?”

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table before I looked back at Pinkie and nodded.  “I suppose that we can spend some more time together.  Do you want to talk about something, or--”

“Let’s talk about what you and Rarity talked about on the beach.”  I let out an explosive sigh at her words, and she just laughed for a moment.  “Not really, silly, you’re spending way too much time dwelling on the things you’re trying to get away from.”

“Thank you.  Still doesn’t answer my question, though.”

“I don’t know, Icarus.  I didn’t really have much of a plan when I came here.”  She chuckled.  “And, for once, I don’t want to do anything that you or the others would describe as Pinkie being Pinkie.”  She looked at me for several long minutes before she shifted her position.  “Well...  Maybe there’s one thing I could do.”

I raise an eyebrow at her cryptic words.  “And what, might I ask, is--”  She throws herself at me, knocking me on my back while she sits on my chest, a wicked gleam in her eyes.  It was a look I’d seen her have once before.  “Don’t you dare.”  She raised her hands, a wicked smile coming to her face.  “Pinkamena Diane Pie, don’t you dare.”

She affected a small pout.  “Aw, really?”  I looked up at her for a moment longer before she shrugged.  “Oh well, I suppose that, just this once, I’ll have to live with you being upset for all of three seconds.”  Her hands quickly sought out my most sensitive ticklish spots, her fingers worming their way through what little defense I could muster.

She’d discovered my ticklish spots once when we had gone for a day trip to the lake nearby Ponyville.  It’d been an accident.  Mostly.  Pinkie had gone to extreme lengths to ‘accidently’ try and tickle me several times, and each time I rewarded her with failure until she happened upon the one spot she had most doubted.  A spot that she found endlessly amusing.  A spot that happened to be the underside of my chin.

Her fingers mercilessly ran along the underside of my chin, eliciting a series of strained laughs and grunts from me as I attempted, in vain, to maneuver myself away from her.  Sadly, with her atop me there was no chance of getting away.  “Creator--”  Her hands darted in quickly, cutting me off with another bout of tickling.  “Creator take you, Pinkie!”  I twisted a bit as she pulled back for a moment.  “This is cheating, and you know it!”  She lunged for another assault, but I somehow managed to hold her at bay.  “I don’t know where you’re ticklish!”

For a moment she looked down at me, the smile on her face growing just a bit.  “Find the spots, then.”  She reached her hands down once again, this time grabbing my hands instead of going for the spot beneath my chin.  When she started moving my hands I made my move, quickly rolling the two of us over.  With my new vantage point I could look down at the still smiling form of Pinkie Pie.  Her cheeks grew flushed under my gaze.  “Well, I suppose that now you’ll have free reign to find where I’m... ticklish.”

With just a bit of trepidation I reached a hand down towards her body, hesitation keeping me from actually touching her.  A faint giggle escaped her as her own hands came up to mine once again.  “If you don’t do something soon, I will.  And since I know where you’re ticklish...”  Her voice trailed off softly, and I knew that I had to act, or else she’d turn the tables on me.  With her words acting as motivation, I trailed one hand up along her side, gently probing in search of a spot that would provoke a reaction.  When I reached her arm, I frowned down at her.  “C’mon, Icarus, try a bit harder.”

“I...  What...  What are the boundaries?”  She just laughed again, her hands roaming down to the hem of her shirt.  With agonizing slowness she pulled it up, her body twisting just enough to allow the cloth to move upwards.  Just as she was about to pull it all the way off, she winked at me, and then it came off, revealing her body to me in all its splendor.  Once she had the shirt all the way off, she simply tossed it aside, and then she returned her gaze to mine.  My eyes widened, and I had to take a breath before I could speak again.  “Oh.  I...  I see.”

“Do you need some hints?”  I only shook my head, not really knowing just where to start.  My hands soon started exploring her body, going everywhere I could reach except for the part that most demanded my attention.  Pinkie didn’t seem to mind, though, as she was contented to lie there and allow me to take my time.  Her skin was irresistibly smooth beneath my touch, and the remarkably gentle feel of her drawing breath seemed to send tiny shivers running along my spine.  Finally, though, after having exhausted all other options, I moved my hands to her breasts.

The supple flesh yielded beneath my tender ministrations, neither too firm, nor too soft.  A tiny sigh escaped the girl beneath me as I gently massaged her flesh.  As I worked her breasts I let my fingertips trace circles along her body, the contact finally vanishing as my fingers grazed her nipples.  A tiny, almost imperceptible tremor ran through her body at my latest ministration, and so I repeated the process, enjoying the sight of yet another tremor running through her.

As I moved to adjust my position atop Pinkie I felt one of her hands grab the top of both my jeans, and my boxers.  I froze at the touch, hoping, but not knowing, just where Pinkie intended to take this.  She tugged at the button on my jeans, smiling up at me when it yielded to her efforts.  “Find where I’m ticklish soon, or this is going to end sooner than you’d like.”  I frowned down at her, and she just laughed at me.  “Once you find it, you’ll know.”

Encouraged by not only her words, but her actions, I began trying to puzzle out where she was ticklish.  I’d never seen anyone try to tickle her, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she wasn’t ticklish.  As her hands undid my zipper, I was hit by the tiniest spark of an idea.  My initial attempts had all been in the usual form of gently probing spots trying to elicit a reaction.  I needed to prod, rather than tickle.  My hands went to her sides once again, and I poked her just below her ribs.  She squirmed a bit under the tickle based assault, and I grinned at her.  “What’s my prize, Miss Pie?”

“Your prize?”  She giggles up at me as she smiles.  “Climb off of me, and you’ll get your prize.”  I did as she asked, and then I sat back down a couple feet away from her.  She sood up on my bed, and she looked down at me, a huge smile on her face.  There’s a blush on her cheeks, and it only made her seem more beautiful to me.  “Move to the head of the bed.”  Again, I did as I was told.  With my new position I leaned up against the pillows at the head of my bed, the headboard offering a solid backing.  “Good.  Now, just relax, and enjoy.”

As she finished speaking, she turned to face away from me, her entire body relaxing as she stood there.  With the smallest of motions she began moving her body to some unheard rhythm.  Her entire body seemed to flow along with the silent song.  Her every move drew my eyes along her curves, and she made sure to emphasize each and every one.  Her hands slowly moved down her legs as she continued to sway to the beat, and soon she was bent over; her gloriously toned backside sticking out and emphasizing its perfect shape.

As she brought herself back to an upright position, she cast a glance over her shoulder, her eyes in a half lidded expression of unconcealed love.  She brought her arms up to cover her breasts as she turned to face me, the poor attempt at covering herself only adding to the mesmerizing nature of the dance she was performing.  After concealing herself for just a moment, she dropped her hands, running them along her body in slow caresses.  When her hands reached the waistband they stopped.  Her thumbs slid below the elastic, and she started pulling them down.

Beneath the short shorts were a pair of black lace panties.  Even as she took off her shorts she kept up her ministrations, her entire body continuing to sway and gyrate.  After several more minutes of her dancing she dropped to her knees, her eyes locked on mine.  As she slowly leaned forward, she eventually put her hands on the bed as well.  With a smile she started crawling towards me, her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet.

Once she was over me, her hands quickly moved to the clothing still on my waist.  She started to take off my already undone jeans, slowly working them down my legs.  I lifted my hips to allow her to do so with greater ease, and she mouthed a silent thanks.  Once my pants were fully off of my legs she tossed them from the bed, her eyes never leaving mine.  With yet another barrier removed, she sat herself on my legs, her weight gently pushing me down into the mattress.  She put a hand on my chest, and her other hand soon joined it, the pair running in slow teasing motions along my chest.

As she explored my chest she began moving her hips on me once again, the gentle motion serving only to arouse me further.  As her hips moved, so did her hands.  As she put a bit of pressure on my chest she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on my lips, quickly pulling back before it could develop into something more.  Her blush only grew in intensity following the kiss, her smile growing wider.  “If you’re ready...”  I nodded, and she let out a faint hum as she closed her eyes, leaning back for a moment.

When she opened her eyes once again, she lowered her hands along my body, her fingers quickly grasping my boxers.  We repeated the same motions for my underwear as we undid my pants, and before long they were sailing through the air to join the rest of my clothing on the floor.  With my boxers removed, she slowly took off her panties, her eyes cast downward as her cheeks somehow managed to grow an even more noticeable shade of red.  Once her lace panties joined my boxers, I allowed my gaze to roam along the length of her body.

For her part, Pinkie didn’t give me long to observe before she gently grasped my already erect member.  “You ready, Icarus?”  I only nodded before Pinkie began moving up along my legs, gently stroking my manhood all the while.  “Good.  Because I want this to be amazing for both of us.”  Once she was positioned above me, she guided my shaft to her entrance, lowering herself just enough to get the head within herself.  A tiny gasp escaped her as I entered her, and she closed her eyes as she slowly moved down my length.

My hands moved to her hips, gently easing her downwards, but not forcing her faster than she was comfortable with.  Her internal muscles seemed to ripple along my length as she sank, and I let out a groan as the sensations ran along me.  As she bottomed out, a small exultation escaped her lips as she leaned onto my chest, tiny tremors shaking her body.  I brought a hand from her hips to her cheek, gently caressing her as she moaned into my chest.  After just a moment she started lifting herself off me, the efforts of her body unrelenting in their attempts to maximize my pleasure.

Just as I was about to be released from her silken confines she began lowering herself once again, another low moan escaping her.  When she reached the bottom, this time, she started slowly grinding her hips against me, adding yet another element of pleasure to the plethora of sensations.  I gently pushed her back from my chest, and she opened her eyes to look at me.  I matched her gaze for just a moment before I darted in for a kiss, my arms wrapping around her to hold her as close as could be.

Her tongue gently probed at my lips as we kissed, and I opened them to allow her in.  Her sinuous appendage quickly began exploring the limits of my mouth, leaving little undiscovered.  After a moment, she broke the kiss, a small gasp escaping her as she rapidly drew in a breath, a sigh of pleasure following just after.  I just continued to lie there, doing everything in my power to keep at bay my impending climax.  Abruptly, Pinkie leaned back a bit, her eyes closing as a longer moan escaped her.

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented, I moved my head towards her breasts, taking one of them in one hand, and the other in my mouth.  My teeth gently began playing at the erect nipple, gently teasing it with the lightest of nibbles.  She gasped as my teeth came down upon the sensitive flesh, and I cast a quick glance up to her face to see only a smile on her face.  Satisfied with my progress so far, I quickly ran my tongue in a circle around her sensitive nub.  As I pulled back from my first conquest, I moved my head to her other breast, allowing my hand to fall away from it as my other hand rose to the recently vacated breast.

I repeated my actions on the second mound of flesh, drawing it out a bit longer to prolong Pinkie’s gasps of pleasure.  As I drew back Pinkie opened her eyes to look at me, and within her twin cerulean pools was nothing but love.  “Icarus...”  She began moving herself along my length once again, her body quivering with excitement.  Her pace slowly increased, and I fought to keep my impending release at bay as long as I could.  “I’m...  I’m gonna...”

My hands moved down to her hips as she started growing more frantic in her movements.  With a grunt of effort I pulled her down one last time, the two of us climaxing at the same moment.  Her entire body grew rigid as her eyes closed once again, and her sex began rippling in a less coordinated fashion.  My own orgasm flashed through me with blinding waves of pleasure, the sensations assaulting me leaving me unable to speak.  As I came down from my orgasmic high I noticed that Pinkie was slumped against my chest, her breathing coming in rapid and shallow pants.

I wrapped my arms around her as her breathing slowed down, and she began to stir.  When she finally opened her eyes, she just looked up at me for a moment before she gave me yet another kiss.  Her arms quickly wrapped around my body, pulling herself as close to me as she could.  “Icarus that was... Amazing.”

I moved one hand to her head, gently pulling her in for another kiss.  As we broke the kiss she resisted for just a moment, wanting to continue.  She slowly eased me out of her viselike depths, shuddering just a bit at the sudden emptiness.  Just a moment later and she was curled up by my side, one of her hands running idle circles on my chest as we both enjoyed the gentle sounds of the rain outside.

After a few minutes of silence Pinkie changed her position just a bit, prompting me to look at her.  She opened her mouth for a moment, but then closed it.  A flicker of uncertainty ran across her face, but, at a gentle kiss from me, it vanished.  “Icarus?”

“Yeah, Pinkie?”

Her hand that was running circles on my chest slowed down a bit until she was just resting a finger point on my chest.  “I don’t...”  She bit her lip for a moment, her eyes locked to my own.

“Pinkie, I think I know what you want to say, so go ahead and say it.”

Her smile widened for just a moment as she moved in and gave me a kiss.  “I love you.”

I looked back at her for just a moment, my thoughts racing as they swarmed towards the singularity at the center of my mind.  No line of thought took me away from the beautiful woman beside me, and so I smiled back at her, kissing her in return.  “And I love you.”  Her eyes brightened at my words, and she pulled me closer still.  As I contemplated what I had just said, I realized that she wasn’t the only one I felt so strongly about.  The thought was liberating, and, at the same time, terrifying.

“Don’t worry, Icarus.”  Pinkie’s finger resumed its intricate traceries.  “It’ll work out.  Besides, now you’ve got me along for the ride.”  I nodded, and Pinkie leaned her head on my shoulder.  “I’ve wanted to say those words for so long...”

“What stopped you?”

“I don’t know...  It’s such a small thing, but...”  She paused for a moment as we adjusted our positions.  Soon enough we were under the covers, her eyes staring longingly into mine.  “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts.”  She let out an adorable yawn as she slowly closed her eyes.  “G’night, Icarus.”

> Chapter IX:  The Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As consciousness slowly reclaimed me, I became aware of several things at once.  The first of those things was the feel of Pinkie’s arms wrapped around me, and her body pressed against mine.  Her warmth was an amazing feeling, and I smiled at the feelings of happiness running through my body.  The second sensation I was aware of was one of a far less pleasant nature.  The rain from last night was still coming down, and the sun failed to illuminate the young morning.  The third thing that came to my awareness was probably the one that first forced me to wake.  A gentle knocking was coming from my door, and I was just a bit less than eager to get up and answer it.

Still, despite my unwillingness, I slowly started to sit up, my shifting weight causing Pinkie to cling more tightly to me.  I ran a hand through her hair, and she cracked open an eye, a pout on her face.  “Stay.”

I chuckled softly before I continued my efforts at extricating myself from her grasp.  “Pinkie, come on, someone’s at the door.  I need to--”

“Oy, Icarus!  Open up, we’ve gotta talk!”  Dash’s voice made me pause for a moment, and then she continued in a much softer voice.  “Please.”  My gaze rapidly flicked between Pinkie and the door, a feeling of dread swelling up in my chest.

This is not how it’s supposed to happen...

“Um, Dash, I’m still in bed...”  I brought my hand to my face.  “Not really presentable, is what I mean.”  Pinkie raised an eyebrow as I spoke, and I shot her a glare.  “Maybe come back in a minute?”

“You’ve got ten seconds to open this door or I’m going to open it.”  Pinkie shoved me off the bed as I started moving to grab something to wear.  “One.”  I scanned about my room, desperate to find at least my jeans.  “Two.”  I spotted the article of clothing sitting in a heap near the foot of my bed.  Thankfully, right next to it were my boxers.  “Three.”  With all the coordination I could muster I pulled my boxers up.  “Four.”

I glanced at the door for a moment as I grabbed my pants off the floor.  “Dash, come on!  Be reasonable!”

“Five.”  I groaned as I started pulling my pants up, hopping about just a bit as I fought with the pant legs.  “Six.”  I started for the door, figuring that my pants were on ‘enough.’  “Seven.”  I finally managed to get them up all the way as I reached the door.  “Eight.”  I threw open the door as she finished speaking, and she had a smile on her face.  “Dude, that was way more than ten seconds.  I was counting slow.”

“Slow or not, I made it.  Now, what do you need?”  I sounded far more irate than I intended, and Dash noticed.  “Sorry.  Just woke up, and was forced out of bed.  Not the best combo for a happy Icarus.”

She looked down the hall for a moment, her eyes flicking about.  “Can I come in?  I’d rather not talk in the hallway, if it’s all the same to you.”  I didn’t look over my shoulder, thankfully.  Instead, I took a step back, giving Dash just enough room to come in while still blocking her view of my bed.  “I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday.  About what happened at Tam Tam’s.”

“Tam Tam’s?  Hey, that’s where I got these panties!”  My neck audibly popped as I turned to look at Pinkie.  My look seemed to sufficiently state my emotions to Pinkie, since she blushed furiously, a hand coming to her mouth.  “Oops.”

“P... Pinkie?”  Dash looked from me to the girl on my bed, her eyes widening just a bit before they narrowed.  “Pinkie.”

“Yes, Dash.  It’s Pinkie.  Now, let’s all be cool, calm, and collected adults about this, okay?  None of the others freaked out about what you did, right?”  She nodded, a strange, almost distant look coming to her face.  “So, are you going to freak out?”  She shook her head.  I didn’t really know where to go from there, since her silence was leaving me without any real feedback to work with.

Just as I was about to try a new line of conversation, Dash spoke up.  “Pinkie, did he say it?”

Pinkie looked between Dash and I as she brought her hands together, their idle machinations distracting her from what was going on.  “Yeah.”

“Oh.  Well, that’s...”  She stopped for a moment as she looked at me, the tiniest teardrops forming in the corners of her eyes.  “That’s cool.  Good for you, Pinkie.”  A small tremor ran through her as she turned in place, quickly moving to leave.  “We’ll talk later.”  The door closed behind her as she swiftly departed, the sound of a slamming door sounding out just a moment later.  I heaved a sigh of massive proportions as I allowed myself to slide down the door.

Pinkie got out of bed with a small smile on her face as she came over to me.  “You gonna be okay, Icarus?”  She sat next to me as I just stared at the floor between my feet.  One of her arms wrapped around my shoulders as I let out another sigh.  “Icarus?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I think I’ll be okay.  But I’m not so sure about Dash.  That look on her face...”

“She’s not some delicate flower, ya’ know.  She’ll be fine.  When she bragged about what you did with her, we all felt like she feels now.  But we looked past how we felt right then to see that we still care for you.”

“Yeah, but --”

Pinkie’s hand landed softly on my mouth, silencing me.  “Icarus, there is no but.  I love you, and I know that Dash loves you.  She just wanted to be the first one to get you to say it.”  She lowered her hand.  “Dash hates losing, and for her this was the biggest race of her life.”

I looked up from the floor to meet Pinkie’s gaze.  “Am I that important to her?”  She just nodded.  “Why?  I mean, I’m not so full of myself to think I’m so important, but I...  Creator take all of this, Pinkie, why does love have to be so damn hard?”

“Because.”  She darted in for a quick kiss before she started walking back to the bed.  “It makes the rewards all the sweeter.”   She looked over her shoulder before she started collecting her clothes.  “Dashie’s probably not going to want to be around you for now, since she’s going to need to sort out her feelings.  But that doesn’t mean that you can ignore her if she is around.”  Once she gathered all her clothes, she tossed them onto the bed before she started putting the articles back on.  “Although given the weather, giving Dash the space she wants will probably be easier said than done.”  She hugged me quickly before she put a hand on the door, her smile growing just a bit.  “Take a shower, Icarus, and then come on down.  I’m sure that the seven of us will be able to think of someway to enjoy the day.”

I watched as the door closed behind Pinkie, a small sigh escaping me as I pulled my jeans off.  Without a care, I tossed them to the floor once again, a towel soon finding itself in my hand as I trudged over to the bathroom.  My shower seemed to pass by in a daze, and soon I was looking at my reflection in the mirror, my blue grey eyes staring back at me.  I flashed a smile at my reflection, but there was no happiness behind it, and it soon faded.  I couldn’t get over the look of sadness that I saw on Dash’s face.

After some quick work with my razor, I stepped out of the bathroom, ready to dress and face the day.  Opting to go for something a bit different today, I slipped into a button up shirt, rather than just a regular T-shirt.  Suitably attired, I made for kitchen my mind set on a solid breakfast.  I casually strode down the hall towards the stairs, my mind hardly registering the closed doors on either side of me.  Despite my lack of situational awareness, I did pause outside of Dash’s door.  I wanted to knock, or say something, but Pinkie’s words were still prominent in my mind.

Saying something now...  It’ll seem forced.

As I turned to continue down the hall, I heard the faint sound of a door closing, but I didn’t look back to see who it was.  At that moment, I didn’t really care who saw.  Shortly after that I was sitting down on a stool in the kitchen, the refrigerator open before me as I sized up everything we had available.  Even though we just went shopping yesterday we were running low on some of the more basic staples of consumption.  Namely bacon.

With a small sigh, I decided that pancakes would have to suffice.  Again.

This time, though, I’d settle for smaller pancakes, but more of them.  As I started mixing the batter I heard the sounds of feet behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Rarity and Fluttershy in the living room.  The two of them smiled when they saw me, and then they made themselves comfortable.  “What culinary delight will you be tempting us with this morning, Icarus?”

“More pancakes.  We don’t really have much else in the breakfast department.”

“Um...  We do have what you’d need to make some French Toast...”  Despite the distance I could still make out Fluttershy’s words.  “It might be a nice change of pace, rather than having the same thing.”

I checked the fridge again, adding some more ingredients to my sizable stockpile.  “I’ll make both, since I, at least, would rather have pancakes.  And it wouldn’t surprise me if any of you shared that sentiment with me.”  With my efforts now divided, I had to focus just a bit more on my cooking.  It wasn’t really that hard to do, but I didn’t feel like making any mistakes.  Just as I finish whipping up the two different batters, a knock comes from the front door.  I’m the closest to it, so I tossed my stirring spoon into the sink before I walked over.

As I opened the door I couldn’t tell exactly who I expected to see there.  I mean, it was raining quite hard, and we’re not exactly in town, so any visitor came as a surprise.  This surprise was just a bit harder to take than some others I’d had.  Standing there, on the doorstep, in full flight uniform, were Spitfire and Soarin, an umbrella clutched in Spitfire’s hand.  However, their attention was not focused on me, but each other.

“...  I still think that this is stupid.  If you get a cold, don’t expect me to play nurse.”

“Fire, you and I both know that Fleetfoot is far better at that than you.”

“Well excuse me for taking a request from Princess Celestia herself!”  I cleared my throat to get their attention, and it was only then that they noticed that I opened the door.  Spitfire looked at me, giving me a quick smile.  “One second, handsome, I’m a bit busy.”  Her gaze snapped back to Soarin, her previous look of irritation coming back.  “As I was saying, Celestia asked us to do this, and we’re going to do it.  Just...”  She looks out into the rain.  “Not today.”

“Um, excuse me, but why, exactly, are two famous Wonderbolts on the doorstep of my... Er, Celestia’s vacation house?”  I stepped back, inviting them in.  “Not that I’m going to turn you away, or anything.  Just a bit of curiosity.”

The two pegasi quickly entered the house, shaking off just a bit of water that had managed to get on them despite the umbrella.  Soarin looked at me while Spitfire seemed stymied by the umbrella which refused to close.  “Well, Princess Celestia asked us to give the seven of you a show and a bunch of free stuff.  It was supposed to be today, but with the weather...”  He shrugged, looking over at Spitfire.  “Love, you have to press the button near the top.”

“I know that, the damn thing won’t --”  With an abrupt snap the umbrella closed, a spray of water accompanying it.  “Close...”

Soarin chuckled as he turned back to look at me.  “Anyway, we just wanted to come by and let you know that we weren’t going to just not show up, or something.”

“Everyone, look!”  Twilight appeared at the top of the steps, a huge grin on her face.  “I got a letter from Princess Celestia!”  She quickly unraveled it, not waiting for a response from any of us.  Her eyes darted to and fro as she read the letter.  “She’s got a surprise for us in town, at the --”

Spitfire cut in.  “Bee and Barb bar, right?”

Twilight looked up, shock written plainly on her face.  “Yeah...  We’re going to...  Meet some... Celebrities.  Oh.”  She looked down at the letter for a moment longer before she looked back up.  “I take it that’s you?”

“Yeah, Spitfire and I didn’t really know that it was supposed to be a surprise or anything.  We were just told to meet all of you at the Bee and Barb, and then spend the day hanging out with you.  Given the rain, though, we figured that we’d spare you all the trip, since there won’t be a show.”

“Ah, well, no accounting for the weather team of Firefly Island, I suppose.  Care to stick around for some breakfast?  I’ve got it all ready, I just need to cook it.”  The two pegasi shared a look before they both nodded.  “Great, I’ll have some pancakes, and some French Toast.  Should be no more than fifteen minutes to get it all ready.”  As I spoke I turned and headed back to the kitchen, Soarin followed me while Spitfire joined the girls in the living room.  “I appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to help.”

“Creator forbid, I can’t cook to save my life.  I burn water that I try to boil.”  We shared a quick laugh as I started up the stove, a piece of margarine landing in the pan set for the pancakes.  “Still, Spitfire loves to watch me try.”

I glanced at him, smiling as he stood staring across the kitchen and into the living room.  “How long?”

“About a year.  Next month it’ll be a year.”  He walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out several cartons of orange juice.  “Pulp or no?”  I shook my head, and he grabbed a glass before filling it with some orange juice.  He handed it to me, and I took a quick drink.  “What about you?  How long you been with these fine women?”

I laughed for a moment, nearly screwing up the flip on one of the pancakes.  “Honestly, I just admitted to myself that I have a chance with any of them.”  Without breaking stride, I started up a couple pieces of French Toast, the satisfying sizzling of the food adding to the atmosphere of the room.  “Mind setting up the table?”

“Sure.” Soarin quickly started gathering the necessary supplies, and putting them on the table.  “Really, though?  The way the one with the purple hair --”

“Rarity.”

“The way Rarity was looking at you, it looks quite a bit like she’s already got her heart set.  I mean, it’s not like I’ve got all that much experience myself.  It was luck that got me with Spitfire.  Even more luck that got me Fleetfoot and Misty.  Watch the pancakes.”

I quickly flipped the pancake out of the pan, and onto the stack I had started, frowning just a bit at the burnt edges.  “Well, I guess I’ll be having this one.  Not that I mind, a bit of crisp never hurt anyone.”  I took the French Toast out of the pan, making a separate pile for that.  “I find it a bit surprising that you, of all people, had difficulty with women.  You’re a Wonderbolt after all.”

“Yeah, but it’s not always so glamorous.  Doing shows is only a tiny part of what we really do.  Rainbow Dash could probably tell you more about what we do than I could.  Speak of the devil.”  I turned to watch as Dash appeared in the living room, her eyes going wide as she spotted Spitfire in the living room.  A loud squeal sounded from the living room and both Soarin and I chuckled.  “She probably didn’t tell you, but when she was at the Academy, I asked her out.  She said no.”

“Really?  Well, I mean, the whole barrier between instructor and pupil...”

“That wasn’t even it.  She said that she already had her eye on someone.  Someone she described in quite a bit of detail.  Someone that I can now see is you.”  He trailed off for a moment.  “Though she said you were a pegasus.”  He looked at me a bit closer for a moment.  “What did you say your name was?”

“Ah, yeah, I didn’t.”  I held out a hand.  “Icarus.  Icarus Phaetheon.  But please, just Icarus will do.”

The Wonderbolt clasped my hand in a solid grip, a frown coming to his face.  “So, you’re that pegasus who lost his wings.  I heard about that.  Real sorry.  About that, and your dad.  I met him a couple of times.  Real nice guy.”

“Yeah, only if you got him in the right mood.  Otherwise he’s silent and brooding, constantly with a pen behind the ear, and an idea on the mind.”

“Better to say too little than too much.”  Soarin grabbed a dozen glasses and started filling them with orange juice.  “Anyway, not really here to talk about the pains of the past.”  Once he finished filling the glasses he brought them to the table, quickly putting a glass at each spot.  He nodded towards the living room.  “I remember them from the Gala.  And the Flying Competition.  Man, Icarus, you’ve got great taste in vacationing company.”  I turned to see that all the girls had come downstairs, and they were all talking between each other, laughing and shooting furtive glances into the kitchen.  “So, you with any of them yet?”

I shrugged, flipping the last of the pancakes and putting the last piece of French Toast in the pan.  “Kind of?  I mean, I slept with Pinkie last night.”

“Nice.”

“And a couple days ago Dash and I had sex in the forest.  Real nice natural pool with a waterfall.”

“Again, nice.”  He tossed the now empty carton into the garbage can, smiling at his success.  “So, we ready for some food?  Because, quite frankly, I’m starving.  I mean, I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“That long?  Man, I don’t know how you stand it.”  I quickly moved the plate of pancakes over to the table, and after that followed the French Toast.  I gestured towards the table, and Soarin just nodded.  I, on the other hand, walked over to the entrance to the living room.  “Ladies, I’d just like to let you all know that I’ve finished making breakfast.  Whenever you’re --”  They all surged at me, rushing to the table.  “... Ready, we can eat.  Alright, fine, that’s okay.”

I was the last to sit, and soon enough we were all enjoying the fruits of my labor.  As I glanced up from my meal, I noticed a look pass between Soarin and Spitfire.  A look that failed to inspire confidence.  I was about to comment when suddenly Spitfire spoke up.  “So, girls, any of you got your eyes on someone special?”  She cast a quick look my way before she leaned back in her seat.  “I know that it took quite a bit of doing for Soarin here to grow a pair, so, naturally, I had to take the first step.”

Dash’s response to this was immediate, but probably not the most noticeable thing.  Her hand tightened on her fork enough for her knuckles to turn white.  I quickly scanned over the others, trying to get a measure of the reaction to Spitfire’s question.  None of them showed any real sign of the question bothering them, or if they did I couldn’t see it.  Rarity cleared her throat, quickly drawing the focus to her.  “Miss Spitfire, as benign as that question may seem to you, it has ramifications well beyond what you might think.  So, on behalf of all of us, we’ll not answer.”

Spitfire nodded, and was about to say something, but Dash spoke up.  “Well, I kinda have my eye on this one guy.  Thing is, though, I just can’t tell if he’s really interested in me, or whether he’s just in it to just get laid a couple of times.”

It took all my self control for me to keep myself from saying something before Rarity managed to take charge of the situation once again.  “Rainbow, kindly drop the topic for now.  I’d rather not have to settle this here and now.  Especially not with guests present.”  She looked back towards the two Wonderbolts, a smile coming to her face.  “I’m terribly sorry about all this.  Perhaps at some later date we could enjoy a meal without the air being so thick with tension?”

Soarin nodded.  “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.  Come on, Spitfire, let’s head back to the hotel.  Fleet and Misty are probably getting worried that we’re taking so long.”  Spitfire stood up at Soarin’s words, and within just a few minutes they were heading out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind the Wonderbolts, I stood, quickly making my way to the stairs.  “And where do you think you’re going Icarus?”  I stopped with one foot on the bottom step, Rarity’s voice seeming to have a far firmer grasp on me than my own wishes.  “I don’t think I excused you from the table.”  I turned to look at her.  “Now, come back over here so we can settle this like adults.”

“Why?  So Dash can question my morality some more while she practically forces herself on me in the jungle?”

“Icarus, sugarcube, you need to calm down some.”  Applejack looked between Dash and I, her gaze narrowed.  “I’m sure that if you just take some time to think this through you’ll see that the two of you are acting like children.”

I let out a short laugh.  “I’m not the one who needs to calm down, AJ.  Talk to our resident hot head if you’re looking to calm someone down.  Now, I’ll be up in my room if any of you decide that you want to talk to an immoral monster.”  Without waiting for a response, I started up the stairs.  I took them two at a time, desperate to put what distance I could between them and myself.

My door closed behind me with a satisfying click, and for just a moment I thought about locking the door as well.  I decided against it, and shortly after that I was sitting at the desk in the room, my favorite notepad sitting opened to a blank page.  I held my pencil tightly, the emptiness of the page seeming to stare back at me.  With an angry grunt I threw my pencil onto my desk, the faint sound of its clattering barely audible over the sound of the rain.

An incredibly soft knocking came at my door, earning a sharp glare from me.  “Who is it?”  My voice had a biting quality to it, and right then I didn’t really care.  Hell, even the Princesses would’ve gotten an earful from me right then.

“Fluttershy.  I just wanted to talk to you some...  But, I mean, if you don’t want to talk that’s fine too.”

“Door’s open.  Come or go, it makes no difference to me.”  From the corner of my eye I watched as the handle rotated, and then opened, revealing Fluttershy’s eye looking at me through the crack.  I stared back at her for several long moments before she finally came through, a small frown on her face as she closed the door.  She stood there for a moment before I turned my gaze back to the still blank piece of paper.  “So, what’s the lecture for today?  A rousing speech on morality?  A gripping chat on the values of discretion?  Ooh, how about you tell me all about being confident?”

“N... No.  None of those things.  Like Rarity, I want to talk to you, about you.”

“Oh, so you’re interested in that kind of thing.”  I spun about in the chair, my abrupt change in position startling her.  “Alright, fine.  Talk.”

Instead of talking right away, she moved over to my bed, shooting me a questioning glance.  I nodded, and she took a seat, her hands settling in her lap as they began fidgeting.  “I know you don’t want to talk right now, but you need to.”

“Yeah, because I’m the best topic in the world.”  I glared at her for a moment, allowing her a chance to recover from my sharp retort.  “Why can’t we, for instance, talk about you?  Or Twilight?  Or anything that isn’t me?  I’m not Dash, I don’t have to constantly harp on about how great and wonderful I am.  I know I suck at a lot of things, and one of those things is intimate interpersonal relationships.”  I paused for a moment.  “Another problem is underwater basket weaving.  I just can’t do it.  But that’s not really the issue, is it?  The issue is that knowing the problem doesn’t mean I know how to fix it.”  I narrowed my eyes, after a small revelation came to mind.  “Do I really come across as being so broken that I need constant attention?”

She couldn’t manage to meet my gaze.  “No.  But we’re still worried about you.”  Her eyes rose, but darted back down when she saw I was still staring at her.  “I mean, if you really want to talk about something else I guess we can.”

“Yes.  Lets.”

She looked up at me, a small smile on her face.  “We could talk about girls having their periods.  I mean, I had mine a cou --”

“Creator, no!  Please, let’s talk about me instead!  No, man, no.  I don’t...  No.  Yeah, let’s uh...  Let’s talk about me.”

Her smile widened a bit, and then she adjusted her position on the bed, making herself a bit more comfortable.  “I wanted to talk about what just happened between you and Rainbow Dash.”

I grunted, averting my gaze.  “Too soon.  Something else.  It can still be about me, but not that.”

“How about the upcoming anniversary?”  I met her gaze once again, my own eyes narrowed.  “I mean, it’s real soon, right?  Just a few days, right?”

“Something like that.  How...  Who told you?  I sure as Tartarus made sure never to mention it to any of you.”

“It was really more of an accident than anything.  When you were in the hospital one time, after one of your inventions blew up in your face, I came by to see how you were doing.  I overheard a pair of doctors talking about your...  Anyway, they said that it’d just passed two years.  I remember when I heard it, but I never knew the exact day.”  She frowned at me.  “None of the others know, though.  I couldn’t tell them.  Not without talking to you first.”

“The anniversary.  What a charming and innocuous way to refer to that day.  Almost makes it seem innocent.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t really think it was something that you thought about in any real way.  It’s not really the kind of thing many people would want to think about.”

“Oh, I think about it.  Probably more than I should.  It’s probably one of the few times in the year when I allow myself to look at the first letter I got from my father after the accident.”  Before she can ask a question, I turn and look at my notepad, flipping it to the cover, and pulling a piece of paper out from behind the cover.  I show it to her, but don’t give it to her.  “His apology, along with a promise.”

She looks for a moment, and then she smiles.  “What did he promise?”

“That I’d fly again.”  I toss the letter onto the desk, hardly sparing it a second glance.  “I find it hard to believe, though.”

“Why wouldn’t you believe your father?”

“Fluttershy, the best doctors in Manehattan made it eminently clear that I won’t fly again.  Not under my own power, at least, and every attempt at giving flight to a non-pegasus has ended with failure.”

“What about when Rarity --”

“What about it?  She nearly died because of those wings.  They didn’t last, and they wouldn’t be able to stand up to the rigors of regular flight.”  I bury the letter in my notepad, putting it back in its usual spot.  “Not that I let things like that stand in the way of my own aspirations.  I’ve tried my hand at designing mechanical wings.”

Before I can pull out my drawings Fluttershy’s hand comes down on my notepad, preventing me from doing anything with it.  “No, Icarus.  We’re not going to talk about that.”  I turned to look at her, and her brow was furrowed.  “What you said hurt Dash.  What you did hurt Dash.  I know you didn’t do anything wrong, and so do the others.  But you’re Dash’s first...  Well, her first real relationship.  Even Twilight’s gone farther than Dash has.”

“Yeah, that may be, but she knows full well that all of you are in this... We’re in this whole bet to see who could get me to realize my feelings first.  Pinkie won, fair and square.”  I pushed away from Fluttershy, walking towards the balcony.  “It’s not my fault that Dash can’t handle losing.”

“She can handle losing just fine.  But this is more than just losing to her.  She wanted you to see that she cared for you, and she did it the only way she thought would work.”  She stayed over by my desk as I looked out the window.  “She gave you her virginity, thinking that would show you what you meant to her.”

I looked over at her once again, my harsh gaze making her flinch.  “So, this is just something else that’s my fault?”  Her eyes widened in confusion.  “I fail to attach the same level of emotional value to an act as Dash does, and so it’s my fault?  It’s because of me that she can’t control her temper?  It’s because of me that she nearly broke down when she saw me with Pinkie this morning?”

“Icarus, please, calm --”

“No!  No, I won’t calm down!  You, all six of you, are playing games with me, and you’re blaming me when you lose!  Twilight told me about it, and I thought I was okay with it.  Turns out I was wrong.  It just needed some time to sink in.”  I turned away from her.  “I...  I need time.  And I can’t get that here.”  With just a few quick steps I was looking into the closet, my eyes settling on the rain jacket I had.  It was a real heavy duty kind of thing.  Made by Rarity, and given some special magical enchantments by Twilight, it was impervious to all forms of precipitation.  Except for chocolate milk.

“Where are you going to go?  It’s pouring out.”

“Somewhere that’s not here.”  I pulled the jacket around my shoulders, quickly sliding my arms into the sleeves.  Throughout it all, Fluttershy just kept watching me.  “I’ll come back, but I don’t know when.”  I walked over to the door, my hand resting on the knob for a moment.  I opened my mouth to say something, but I decided against it as I walked out of my room, and down the hall.  The girls were all in the living room as I walked through, not a word passing between them.  With neither a pause, nor a word, I opened the door, and walked out into the rain.

The rain gave me the motivation to keep a brisk pace, and it wasn’t long before I was at the edge of the town.  I kept walking until I found the Bee and Barb.  It seemed to offer a hospitable atmosphere, so I shrugged and approached, eager to get out of the rain.  A nice hostess greeted me when I entered, and within moments I was seated at a table for two.  When the waitress came by to take my order all I asked for was a mug of hot chocolate.

“Trouble in paradise?”  I looked up to see some guy I’d never seen before standing there with a small, sad, smile on his face.  I nodded, and he motioned to the chair opposite me.  I just shrugged as he sat.  “Shit happens.  Deal with it.”

“Look, I don’t really know who you are, but I do know that I don’t need a lecture.  I just don’t care if you sit there.”  My waitress came back, my mug in her hand.  The stranger ordered a coffee before his gaze returned to me.  I stared back, unwilling to look away.

When he finally got his coffee he decided to speak up again.  “Oh, I know you don’t need a lecture.  I don’t feel like giving one either.  Convenient, isn’t it?”  The man looked at his coffee, and he shrugged.  “Still, I don’t often go out without a reason.  At least, Celestia doesn’t like when I go out without a reason.”

I looked up at him, my eyes widening at such a casual name drop.  “I know you, don’t I?”

“Most of you know me only through stories.  Or the news.  You, on the other hand, know me personally.  Well, as personally as you could know me.  So not very personally at all.  You do know six females who are intimately familiar with me, and the fun I had.”

“I know this one...”  My mind raced to put together the pieces.  “Discord?”

“Very astute.  No wonder they claim you’re one of the smart ones.  And level-headed, too.  I know quite a few people who’ve had reactions far and away from yours.”  He took a sip of his coffee, smiling as he put the mug down once again.  “Then again, I’m not often so polite.  Still, Fluttershy is quite good at what she does, teaching me manners and whatnot.  I still think she cheated, though.”

“Are you here for a reason, or just to cause trouble?”

“Maybe a bit of both.  Or maybe something else entirely.  Who’s to know?  Other than me, of course.  I know.  How couldn’t I know?”  He grabbed a small jar of sugar, spooning a single cube into his half full mug.  “Always nice to make that second half a bit sweet.  For your sake, Icarus, lighten up.”

“This coming from the god of chaos?”

“Depression isn’t very chaotic.  Tends to make those afflicted quite lethargic.  Lethargy isn’t good for business.”  He offered a polite wave to a passing waitress.  “Ah, yes, excuse me, but could I trouble you for a pair of menus, and today’s paper?”  The waitress nodded, flashing a quick smile.  “Thank you.”  His gaze met mine once again.  “Now, it’s quite rare that I do this kind of thing, so I suggest that you listen up, and listen good.  Your dear old great-great...  Suffice to say he’s related to you, and quite a bit older.  Anyway, he probably would’ve done quite better if he’d heeded my advice.  See, I wasn’t always so powerful.  I’d always had the gift of foresight, but I wasn’t always so certain about it.”

“Out with it, Discord.  I’m not here for a history lesson.”

“Fucking youngins.  Got no appreciation for history.  Anyway, you need to give the girls a bit more time.  They all expect quite a bit out of you, and you’re only just starting to give them that.”  The waitress arrived at that point, a pair of menus in one hand, and a newspaper in the other.  “Thank you.  Now, as I was saying, it’s not that they expect miracles, but they do want you to be more open to them.”

“I can’t just...  Open up like that.”  I took the menu Discord offered, not opening it.  “I’ve been on my own for so long --”

“Bullshit.  Now, I, only recently, rejoined the land of the conventional living, and it was with great gusto that I took to monitoring the affairs of individuals.”  Discord opened his menu and began looking at it with a high level of interest.  “Celestia tends to look at the big picture, while Luna often focuses her efforts on creating the laws of the land.  The various edicts that Celestia will oversee and enforce.  Things like no wearing purple plaid pants.  Luna just can’t stand alliteration in her lower garmentry...”  He glanced up at me, frowning.  “Don’t you want some lunch?”

“It’s only...”  I glanced at my watch, a frown coming to my face.  “Right, there’s no way it’s been that long.”

“Time is just a big mass of wibbly...  Ya know, it’s actually not.  He got it wrong.  Anyway, one important aspect of time is that it’s really easy to mess with for me.  At least, your perception of it.  Your walk into town took the better part of the morning.”  He smiled as he lowered his menu.  “Anyway, as I was saying, you’re one of those individuals.  Out of all those millions of beings I could’ve chosen, you’re one out of just ninety four people I’m interested in.  Not even for anything you’ve done, but because of your dear old dad.  He had great taste in women, I’ve got to say.  Now, pick something to eat, and then we can talk.  No sense chatting on an empty stomach.”

“I’m not hungry, really.  I had at least some breakfast.”

“Oh, sorry.  That’s another little thing.  I’m making you not feel hungry.”  As soon as he spoke those words, I suddenly realized that I was famished.  Far more so than I thought I would be given the passage of time.  “Now that you realize that you’re hungry, how about something to eat?”  I just nodded, quickly scanning the menu for something to eat.  It didn’t take long, and soon enough we had both placed orders for some lunch.  “Now, you got my initial interest due to your parentage.  But, now, you’ve got it for entirely different, and limitlessly more entertaining, reasons.  You see, I like the Elements.  Despite how they’ve treated me, I think that they’re okay people.  A bit too energetic for banishing gods, but not a terrible bunch.”

“You were plunging Equestria into a fourth age of disorder.  You, kinda, had it coming.”

“You look here!  I only caused the second one!  And that wasn’t all my fault.  But, I digress.  You’ve got the attention of the girls, and that means that I’m now paying more attention to you.  And you’re fucking it up.  Sure, you’ve got Pinkie, but she’s just the first step.  It’d be so easy if you just let them into that cold lump of emotions you call a heart.”  The waitress came by again, and the two of us quickly placed our orders.  “I’m not saying you need to be an open book.  That’d be no fun at all.  But you do need to realize that they’re trying to help you, not make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Look, at least you’re talking to your peers.  Try explaining this kind of thing to a Goddess who could readily wipe you from existence.”  He shuddered as he spoke.  “Good thing Celestia’s good at understanding things.  Especially when I’m talking.  She’s got patience like...  Well, I can’t quite compare her to Celestia for obvious reasons.  Suffice to say she’s really patient...  Wait, I got it.  She’s got more patience than the Creator.”

I chuckled.  “Man, Discord, you’ve got a way with words.”

“It’s a gift.  But, as I was saying, you need to change your approach with the girls.  The way you’re going, you’ll just wind up pushing them all away.  Even Pinkie would, eventually, find that she just can’t reach you.  And Rainbow Dash.  She’d be the last to give up.”

“I...  It’s hard, though.  To just lay out my failures, my hopes, my dreams, all of it?”

“Boy, you love them.  Not all of them, but enough.  Hell, there’s a fifth that’s not even here on the island, and yet she’s got a part of your heart.  Each of those five women has a part of your heart that you’re never getting back.  And you’ve got a part of theirs.”  He met my gaze, forcing me to meet his eyes.  “I’m older than I look, and I know all too well what it means to lose a part of my heart.  All because I was too proud to admit it.”  He broke away, a smile on his face.  “Still, you won’t make the same mistake.  I may be a god, but you’re a genius.  Figure it out.”

I watched him for several long minutes before our food came.  We ate in silence, our eyes never meeting throughout the meal.  My mind raced with ideas, but none of them seemed like they could come to fruition in the setting I was in.  Or, if it was something I could do, it was too cheesy, or predictable.  As I finally finished my meal, I looked up to see Discord looking back at me.  “So, the usual slew of ideas failed you.  Too cheesy, predictable, or simply undoable?”  I nodded.  His smile grew as he saw my facial expression.  “Yes, I can read your mind.  Interesting process you’ve got.  But, yes.  You’ll have to tread carefully, since you’re dealing with quite the collection of women.”

“Is there any real advice you can give?  Or will it all be cryptic rephrases of stuff I already know?”

“Fine.  But just one piece of advice.”  He leaned forward a bit, his voice dropping.  “In a race between a rock and a pig, don’t varnish your clams.”  He winked before he leaned back.  “Also, lighten up about what happened to you.  They want to be with you, but they can’t unless you let them.  You are your own worst enemy.”  His last words were added as an afterthought, almost like he just remembered them.

“That’s nothing new at all.”

“Maybe now it seems like an old thing.  But, trust me, it might change you some.  The smallest interactions can have long reaching implications.  Now, kindly make yourself scarce.  I’ve got another appointment arriving soon.”  I slowly stood, unsure of what was actually happening.  “Come on, Icarus, up you go.  It’s just after one, and it’s still raining.  Find something to do for a few more hours before you head back to the house.  Oh, and once you reach the second intersection, count to three before walking across.”  He shrugged at my expression.  “Hey, take it for what it’s worth.  I won’t tell you how long till that event comes to pass, but maybe you’d be served by simply being a bit more careful.”

I put my coat on, still staring at the god across from me.  “You want any money for the food?  Or, I mean...”

“It’s on me, Icarus.  Everyone gets one on me.  Some get more than one, but everyone gets at least one.”  I nodded before I turned to head for the door.  Each step away from the god of chaos seemed to put me more at ease, and, at the same time, I felt the tensions of my life returning.

“Have a nice day Mr. Phaetheon.  Try not to get too wet.”  I looked at the hostess for a moment, uncertain how she knew my name, considering that I never said who I was.  “Mr. Discord calls quite a few people here.  You’ve actually had a reservation for a few weeks now, courtesy of Mr. Discord.  That’s how we knew.  Anyway, have a pleasant stay on the island.”

The door closed behind me as I stepped into the rain, the faintest trace of a smile lingering on my face.  I cast a quick glance up and down the street, wondering whether Discord’s most immediate advice would still be relevant if I went a way different than he had thought I’d go.

Unless he knew I’d question his advice...  Fuck it, I’ll just go right.

With my decision made, I turned down the road, the gentle symphony of the rain on the ground drowning out all the possible sounds of the town.  I didn’t really know what I could do for those last few hours that Discord had suggested, but I figured that I could think of something to do, even in the rain.  As I approached the first intersection of roads I paused for a moment, looking both ways, before I started across.

A good number of the shops I passed were closed, or, if not closed, had only a few customers.  Just as I was about to reach the end of the block, I spotted a small bookstore on the corner.  I looked between the intersection and the store just once before I made my decision.

The gentle tinkling sound of the bell heralded my arrival, and an elderly looking unicorn popped up from behind the counter, a wide smile on his face.  “By Celestia’s horn, a customer!”  He walked around the counter, his eyes never leaving me.  “And here I was thinking that I’d close early today.  Alas, here you are, and here I am.”  When he finally stood before me, I realized that I was almost a full head taller than he was.  “Let me get a good look at you.  I’ve yet to be wrong when telling a customer just what they’re after.”

He was soon circling me, his eyes darting about, from me to the bookshelves, and back again.  “Look, uh... Sir.  I’m just here to browse, I don’t really have anything in mind.”

“Stratos.”

“What?”

“My name.  Stratos.  Stratos Lulamoon, to be complete.”  He stopped circling me for just a moment to bow.  “Now, if I’d have to guess, I’d say that you’ve got a penchant for math.  However, books of a more fictional nature, with a helping of realism, to offset any absurdities, are your first choice in literature.”  He continued circling, walking just two more laps before he stopped.  “And you cook.”  He looked up at me as he finished, clearly looking for a response from me.

I returned his smile.  “Yeah, that’s pretty good.  Although the realism isn’t to deal with the absurdities, but because I look for inspiration.”

The unicorn threw up his hands, a smile coming to his face.  “I’d say I did pretty well.  For a rough guess, not too shabby.”  He motioned for me to follow, and I did so, admiring the bookshelves packed to the rafters with books.  Were I to guess, I’d say that it rivaled what Twilight had.  If it didn’t outright beat her quantity.  “I’ve been collecting books for years.  In fact, I inherited most of these from my father, and the other ones were donations.  Not a single book in this entire collection was ever purchased from a supplier.”  He led me up a flight of stairs into yet another packed room.  “It also helps that my daughter sends me books on a regular basis.  Uses the money she earns to pay for postage.  Although they slowed down recently.  Still, no real reason to worry just yet.  Trixie’s a bit hot headed, and she does forget from time to time.”

“I’ve met her, actually.”  Stratos looked over his shoulder at me as we walked, a twinkling in his eye.  “Wasn’t really the best situation, though.  She was actually acting a bit... mean.  Not really the right word for it.”

“Ah.  Yes.  She told me about that episode.  Town called Ponyville, right?”  I nodded.  “Yes, that was probably one of her longer letters.”  He didn’t offer any further elaboration, so I let the topic drop.  “And, here we are.  Cookbooks.  Unless you want to look at the science fiction first?”  I shook my head, offering a small smile.  “Well, if you need any help feel free to give a shout.  I’ll probably be hovering about.”  I raised an eyebrow as he engulfed himself in a faint glow, his form slowly lifting off the floor.  He looked down at me.  “Easiest way to clean and organize, you know.”

I just nodded before I started looking through the cookbooks, marveling at the quantity, diversity, and condition of the books.  Some of them really showed their age, while some looked as if they had just come straight from the publisher.  Some of them caught my eye more readily than others, and I soon had a stack of five cookbooks balanced in one hand while I continued to browse with the other.  The weight in my hand was abruptly lifted and I was nearly thrown off balance by the act.  I turned to see Stratos levitating the books into a basket that he had.  “Figured you might do some picking, so I grabbed a basket for you.  It’s good for a couple hundred pounds, so I think that you’ll be what limits your shopping, not the container.”

I quickly thanked him before I continued browsing.  After passing the length of the shelves once, I looked into the basket, surprising myself at the impressive stack I’d formed.  When I tried to lift the basket I embarrassed myself thoroughly, my grunts of exertion seeming to echo endlessly in the shop.  From some distance away I heard the faint sounds of chuckling.  “Lift with your knees, boy.  Not the back, the knees!”  I grunted out my thanks before trying, and failing, once again.  With a resigned sigh, I looked through the stack, quickly pulling out any volumes that didn’t catch my eye right away.  By the time I was done paring down my stack I had just three books left.  Traditional Pegasi Cuisine, and You!, Multitasking in the Kitchen, Complex Recipes for Complex Minds, and, lastly, the abridged version of Thirty Three Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy Seven Recipes for the Aspiring Chef.

I picked them as much for titles as for potential payout.  With my reduced selection, I found that I was actually able to lift the basket, which was a nice change from before.  I stuffed a hand into my pocket, quickly pulling out my wallet.  A small sigh of relief escaped me when I saw that I had enough bits to pay for the books, and then enough to go and pick something up from the market, or something similar.  I made my way back to the entrance, and the counter, admiring the vast selection available.  When I finally reached the counter I noticed that Stratos wasn’t there.

“Um, Stratos.”  I raised my voice a bit, and I heard the sound of footsteps growing closer.  He emerged from amongst the shelves with a bit of show, his hands running along his front to brush off the accumulated dust.  “I found a few books I’d like to buy.”

Stratos quickly looked over my selections, the corners of his mouth turned up.  “Hmm, three cookbooks.  I didn’t really take you for being that much of a cook.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not really something that I publicize a lot.”  The old man nodded before he started plugging numbers into the cash register.  Once he finished, he started wrapping the books in plastic sheets, and placing them into a bag.  “So, how much for all three?”

“Well, I’ve got a rainy day special going, that I just made up, so all three are yours for just fifteen bits.”  I gladly handed over the money, taking the bag from him.  “Now, be sure to tell all your friends about Lulamoon’s Tomes.”  I offered the old man a wave as I stepped out of his shop, an hour having gone by since the last time I heard the gentle chime of the bell.

The rain seemed to have lightened up a bit since I went into the store, and I soon started making my way along the road.  Just before I could start crossing the road, though, I stopped.  I looked around for a moment, seeing if there was anyone around.  “One.  Two.  Three.”  I waited a moment.  “Huh.  Nothing happened.  What a surprise.”  However, just after I finished speaking a man came racing down the road, his features blurred by the rain.

“Stop, thief!”  Just behind the blurred running form was yet another running form, this one just a bit slower.  “Stop!  Hey, man, stop that guy!”  With no one else on the road, I knew that he had to have been talking to me.  After a heartbeat of indecision, I dropped the bag I had, and made for the figure.  As I closed the distance, I realized a few things.  First, I was a pacifist.  Fighting and I don’t get along well at all.  The second thing I realized was that this guy, whoever he was, was taller than I was by a foot, and was far heavier.

Being the sensible man I am, I didn’t let that stop me from throwing my full weight into him as we collided.  The whole world seemed to tilt and sway for a moment, and then a flash of darkness passed before me.  When the veil was lifted, I was sprawled out on the ground, soaking wet, and a few feet away from the much larger prone form of the man whom I tackled.  As I blinked the water from my eyes I noticed that there was a second man above me, a huge smile on his face.  His mouth was moving, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.  His words slowly faded in, and it took all my concentration, as limited as it was, to make out anything he said.  “... so much!  He took nearly everything I made so far today!  As a token of my appreciation I’d like to treat you to whatever you like from my shop!  Whaddya say?”

I moved into a sitting position, hardly aware of the fact that I was soaked all over, and that my coat had, at some point, come open.  “What happened?  Am I okay?”

“You should’ve seen it!  When you hit that guy he staggered a bit, and fell.  Didn’t really phase him much, but it gave me enough time to get to him and tackle him again.”  He looked down at his hand, nursing his bloodied knuckles.  “I may not look it, but I can pull a killer right hook when I want to.  After that, he stayed down, and I tried to wake you up.  Nice to see that you came around.”

“Glad I came around.”  I couldn’t see any injuries, but I felt a bit sore all over.  “How do I look?”

“You look fine to me.  Oh, and the town guard is on the way.  I sent a friend of mine to go and get them.”  I just continued sitting there for a few more minutes until the guard arrived.  After that it was a simple enough process to get everything taken care of.  Through it all I got several pats on the back, a hearty handshake, and a small card from the guard.  ‘For emergencies’ he had said when I took the card.  One of the guards had taken a chance to look me over after what had happened, and he said that I should just take it easy, and come to the clinic if anything started acting up.

The man whose money I had saved insisted that I come to his shop, to pick up some of his wares.  Luckily for me, it happened to be a grocers shop.  After several dozen more appreciative thanks, I finally managed to emerge from the shop burdened now by my bag of books and a large bag of freshly cut meats, free of charge.  I glanced at my watch as I emerged from the shop, noting with pleasure that it was almost three in the afternoon, and I could at last head back to the house.

As soon as I thought about that, though, I hesitated.  While I’d have to go back there eventually, there was no need to rush back to the women who had made things so awkward.

Dash, with her reaction to Pinkie and I.  Fluttershy with her...  Being Fluttershy.

Alright, fine.  Kind of my fault on that one.  But if she’d just left well enough alone...

Despite my train of thought, I found myself slowly making my way down the road towards the house.  Each step took me closer to the confrontation I knew would be coming, and each step took me closer to a warm place to rest.  Life’s just not fair sometimes.

When the house finally came into view I noticed that the door was ajar, and one of the girls was standing there.  It was just a bit too far for me to make out who it was, but as soon as they noticed me the door closed.  I trudged onwards, the distance between me and the house closing with every step.  I raised a hand to the knob, grateful to find it unlocked.  As I stepped into the house I noticed that Twilight was the only one in the living room.  She gave me a smile when I looked at her, and I quickly removed my coat, eager to lose my soaked clothing.

“Nice to have you back, Icarus.  You were gone for quite a while.”  I only grunted out an affirmative sounding noise as I started for the kitchen.  “Nice to see that your eloquence has only gone up during your walk.”  I grunted again, unwilling to speak to her just yet.  “Dash asked me to let you know that she wanted to talk to you as soon as you got here.”

“I’m not really interested in talking to her yet.”  Twilight made her way to the kitchen, where I was, and she just watched me as I put away my purchased food.  My bag of books sat in the sink, the accumulated water running off of it.  “She can wait a bit longer.  Maybe it’ll do her some good.”

“She was crying, Icarus.”  I raised an eyebrow.  “What you said hurt her.  And what you said to Fluttershy didn’t help things either.”

“Yeah, because that bet made things so much better.”  I turned back to face her, the momentary distraction offered by my books forgotten.  “Look, Twi, I’m going to see if I can fix things, but it’s not all me.  It’s never been all me.  The six of you need to give a little, and meet me halfway.  I’m going to try to ease up my defenses, but you all need to give me some time and space.”  I pulled the books out of the bag, amazed at the wrapping job Stratos had done.  None of them were even a bit wet.  “I need to get changed, and then I’m going to start making some dinner.  Maybe I’ll talk to Dash after that.”

I started to walk out of the kitchen, towards the stairs, but Twi grabbed my hand before I could make it past her.  Her touch froze me in place, and I looked at her.  Her cheeks flushed at my gaze, and then she pulled herself into me, her arms wrapping around my chest.  “I’m sorry.”  She pulled back a bit, her gaze meeting mine.  “I...”

I gently put a finger on her lips, stopping her before she could say any more.  “It’s not your fault, Twi.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And you’ve said that you get defensive in situations like this.”  After a moment, Twi broke the hug, her cheeks still just as flushed as they were before.  “Now, go and change into something dry, and then I’ll see about helping you to make some dinner.  And this time let’s avoid playing with the sharp end of the knife.”

“Wow, Twi, funny.  And so appropriate.”  She just turned away from me, her cheeks growing an even darker shade of red.  Shortly after, I was in my room once again, my clothing coming off and forming a neat pile on the floor.  Within moments I had on new clothes, and I was no longer feeling like Opal whenever Rarity gave her a bath.

Just before I left my room to start with dinner preparations, I noticed my notepad had something written on it.  As I walked over, I saw that it was a note.  Written in the typically sloppy handwriting that Dash used.  I only quickly glanced at it before I flipped over the notepad.  It’d keep till after dinner...

As I made my way back down the hall I heard sounds coming from behind the doors of Applejack’s room, and I figured that the rest of the girls were all there.  When I got to the kitchen I noticed with a smile that Twilight was already leafing through the cookbooks.  “Can’t leave any book unread, eh, Twi?”

She quickly snapped the book shut, acting almost like she was guilty of something.  “No, I was just...”  She looked down at the book again, her eyes darting about over the cover.  “I just wanted to see what you bought.”

I strode over, taking the book from her and chuckling at the look of annoyance that flashed over her features.  “If you wanted to look at something, why not the marvelous selection of meats that I got free of charge?”

“Free?”  She walked over to look at the wrapped meats that I was pulling from the refrigerator.  After removing enough to feed the seven of us, I gestured at the large amount still there.  “All of that?”

“Yeah, I helped out a store owner in town.  He gave me all of this as a reward.”

She just laughed as she took a closer look at just how much I had.  “What did you do, save his store from some burglar or something?”  I kept silent, looking pointedly at the knife I was sharpening.  “Icarus?”  Her tone demanded an answer, but I refused to respond.  “Icarus Phaetheon, what did you do?”  I looked over at her, flashing a smile, but still keeping my silence.  “I do know your middle name, Icarus, and I will use it, and tell the others, if you don’t answer me.”

That got my attention, and I put the knife down.  “Alright, yeah, there was some burglar running down the street, and I managed to, somehow, take him down.  Although, in retrospect, it was a bit like stopping a train with a brick wall.  Abrupt, fast, and incredibly painful.  I don’t know if I was the wall or the train, though.”

Her eyes widened, and she rushed over to me, her magic forcing me into a wider stance.  Her tone shifted from what it was before to a far more caring one.  “Why didn’t you say anything?  You could be ser --”

“Twi.”  I held up a hand, breaking her concentration, and her magical hold.  She stopped scant inches from my hand, looking past it with concern in her eyes.  “I’m fine, really.  You don’t need to worry so much.  I can take care of myself.  Most of the time.”

She grabbed my hand with hers, looking at it for a minute before she looked at me once again.  “I know.  But...  I don’t want to...”

“Trust me, I don’t either.  Now, how about you cheer up, and we see about some dinner, okay?  And if I feel any pain, I’ll let you know.  Fair?”  She nodded, and then she gave me a quick hug before she went over to the fridge, opening it up.  “Alright, Twi, here’s what we’ll need...”  We quickly entered a smooth rhythm, my instructions coming at a pace that Twilight could keep up with, but not so slow as to keep us from getting it done in a timely fashion.  As we cooked words flowed freely between us, and not a moment passed where one of us wasn’t talking, and sharing the highs and lows of the past.  So much of it was stuff that we already knew, but I did tell her some things that she didn’t know before.

“So, back in Manehattan, before I lost my wings, a couple of my buddies and I thought we’d be real clever.  We broke into the zoo late at night; easy work when you can just fly over the gates, and we made for the manticore cages.”  Twilight stopped stirring the pot for a moment as she looked at me.  “Keep stirring that, Twi.  Clearly you can see that I came out alive.”  She chuckles weakly before resuming her stirring.  “Anyway, Gale, buddy of mine, decides that our original idea, painting the walls of the habitat wasn’t quite enough.  He wanted to paint the manticore itself.”

“Do you have any idea just how stupid that idea sounds?”

“Trust me, I know all too well.  Frankly, I’m amazed we all made it out.  Some of us a bit less scathed than others.  Anyway, I said that it was stupid, but someone needed to be the voice of reason.  So, we went for it.  Needless to say, we ended up waking it.  I mean, come on.  Massive predatory beast inside a habitat that also acts as a perfect acoustic amplifier.”  I shook my head, smiling over at Twilight.  “We all got away before it could do anything, but, well, I owe one of my scars to that beast.”

“Allow me to repeat myself:  Do you have any idea just how stupid that idea sounds?”

“Well, yeah.  Anyway, that was probably one of the riskier things we did.  Now, enough distractions, we’re at the hard part.  Now, what you’ll have to do is...”  After a bit of finicky business we had that massive vat of sauce and meat stewing pleasantly, further attention required only to stir it occasionally.  I rested on one of the stools at the island, watching the flames lick at the bottom of the pot.  Twilight took a seat beside me, scooting just a bit closer, and laying a hand on my arm.  I looked over at her, but her gaze was solidly focused on the pot.  The blush on her cheeks told me that her mind wasn’t on the pot.

Just a few minutes later, and Twilight shifted her position, leaning into me a bit.  I wrapped my arm around her, and she let out a wistful sigh.  “Sometimes you don’t have to say a word to do something right, Icarus.”  I held my tongue, content to simply enjoy her company.

Silence will only get me so far.  Eventually I’ll have to talk.  To Twi, to Pinkie, to all of them.

I cast a glance at the clock, and with a groan I broke from Twilight’s arms.  “Time to finish this up.  The noodles will be easy enough, so we can get that done in fifteen minutes or less.”  I got things going while Twilight got the table set up and ready to go.  It only took her a few minutes, and then she came over to watch me work.  “You could go and get the others, Twi.  I don’t need a babysitter for everything.”

“You went out earlier, unsupervised, and got yourself hurt.”

“It was a fluke.”

Twilight just snorted, matching my gaze.  “Do you want me to provide proof that you shouldn’t be left unsupervised?”  I just looked away, a snort sounding out.  “That’s what I thought.  Now, I’ll be back in a minute.  Don’t set the house on fire, okay?”

I flashed her a mischievous look.  “Oh, now I have to.”  She just swatted at my arm, a peal of laughter escaping her.  She walked from the kitchen, allowing me to settle into the dull monotony that is cooking noodles.

Within moments she was back at my side, an arm around my waist.  “They’ll be down in a minute.”  She squeezed me for a moment, prompting me to look at her.  “Are you going to --”

“I don’t know yet.  It’d be a good idea, but I want to talk to Dash before I do anything.  Her and Pinkie together, for that matter.”

“Just remember that it’s not your job to please everyone.”

“No, it’s not.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.”  As I finished I heard the sound of a door open upstairs, followed by the sounds of people coming down the stairs moments later.  I kept my gaze focused on the boiling water, counting down the seconds until I had to turn to face the group of women sitting at the table.  When that moment finally came, I did so with grace and dignity.  And a bowl of steaming hot noodles.  “Well, ladies, for dinner today I, with help from Twilight, have prepared for you a special sauce with some freshly cooked noodles.  The sauce has a bit of spice to it, so don’t just heap it on.”  As I finished speaking I placed a bowl of sauce on the table, looking at it with a critical eye.  “Pretty sure I got it right, but I’ll let all of you make that call.”

After I finished speaking, I took my seat, patiently waiting for the girls to finish helping themselves.  Most of the meal passed in silence, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence.  When I was the last one eating, I let out a small sigh.  “Right.  Um.  What did you all think?”  Silence answered me, and I felt the tension in the room growing.  I stood up, my sudden motion drawing all of their eyes to me.  “Fine.  I fucked up.  Happy?  Creator above, I cook dinner and it’s still not even enough to bridge the gap.  Well then, I suppose I should just get started.  Fluttershy, I’m sorry that I snapped at you, and nearly bit your head off.  It’s not really you that I’m angry at.  Pinkie, Dash, I want to talk to the two of you in private.  My room, after I finish cleaning up.”

Fluttershy didn’t meet my gaze, and both Pinkie and Dash just looked at me with blank expressions.  “Icarus, how about you go on ahead up to your room, and leave the cleaning to us.”  I looked at Applejack as she rose and started gathering the dishes.  “Maybe another chance to arrange your thoughts will do you some good.”  I nodded before I started for my room.



	

I sat on my bed, my hands resting in my lap.  A knock came from my door, and my eyes immediately found the knob.  I put my hands on my knees for a moment, my mind racing.

Just two options, but an infinite number of possibilities.

I stood, and walked to the door, my hands clenched to keep from shaking.  I couldn’t believe the situation that I found myself in.  My hand clutched the knob as I drew in a deep breath.  The gentle sound of the latch clicking was audible clearly against the white noise of the still falling rain.  Both Dash and Pinkie stood there, framed elegantly in the space afforded by the portal.

“Girls.”  I stepped back, allowing them both to enter.  I didn’t look at either of them as they walked past me, and after I closed the door I turned to see them both seated at the head of my bed, their eyes focused on me.  I walked over to the bed, taking a seat at the end I was at, my gaze flitting between the two of them.  “I think that it’s only fitting that I start, since I’m the cause of all of this.”  I sighed softly.  “First off, Dash, I want to apologize for what I said.  You didn’t force yourself on me, I wanted it as much as you did.”  My gaze switched to Pinkie.  “And I want to apologize to you, Pinkie.  I put a strain on your relationship with Rainbow Dash because of my actions.”

No matter what we do, it all comes down to a single path of life.

“Dashie and I already made up, Icarus.  You’re important to both of us, and we understand that you are having trouble with what is, normally, the second stage of building a relationship.”

“And because of that fact, both Pinkie and I were expecting too much of you.  Normally you would spend weeks, or even months with one of us before even offering to have another girl join you.”

“And, after talking for quite some time, Dashie has come to a realization.”

I looked at Pinkie for a moment before I looked back at Dash.  “And what would that be?”

“I love you, but I don’t know how to show it to you.  What I...  What we did in the jungle was just an expression of how I feel.  I hoped that it would spark something in you.”

Probabilities collapse until the path lies before me.

“It did, Dash.  But...”  I sighed, my thoughts running together and making things worse.  “I don’t know how to explain it.  I know that I want to love you, but there’s just... Something missing.”

Dash smiled at me, tiny tears forming in the corners of her eyes.  “I know.  And I’ll find what it is, I promise.  Who knows, maybe the problem is as much me as it is you.”

Pinkie moved over to me for a moment, taking my hand and pulling me over to the two of them.  “Someone smart once said something even smarter to a friend of mine.”  She looked at me, and then back at Dash.  “He said: ‘knowing the problem doesn’t mean you know how to fix it.’  You don’t have to fix it alone, Dashie.  You’ve got me, Icarus, and the others to help.”

And thus, my feet lie planted, my fate sealed for the moment.

Dash moved a hand to wipe away her tears, but I beat her to it, my hand resting on her cheek for a moment.  “I’m going to do what I can to help Dash.  I won’t change a thing about me.  I’m just going to let you see more of me.  The parts that I’ve kept hidden from all of you for years.”  She smiled for a moment.  “But, for now, I really need to get some sleep.”

Dash pushed my hand from her cheek, a flush coming to her cheeks.  “So that’s it, huh?  An apology and then you kick us out?”

I only let my smile grow.  “I didn’t say you had to go.  Just that I needed some sleep.”  Dash’s cheeks flushed an even darker shade of crimson, and then she got off the bed.  I grabbed her hand before she could go a step, though.  “Dash, really, I’m here.  If you want to talk to me, talk to me.  But, know that you aren’t the only one who wants a part of my heart.”  I squeezed her hand a bit before letting it go.  “Lucky for you that I’m a patient man with a big heart.”

Dash let a smile come to her face as she walked out of my room, her gaze lingering on me for just a moment as she closed the door.  Pinkie wrapped her arms around me when the door closed, and soon I was lying down with her clinging to my arm.  “Thank you.”  Pinkie planted a quick kiss on my cheek after she spoke.

I let a smile come to my face.  “For what?”

“For starting to fix yourself.”

I couldn’t think of a response to that, so I simply enjoyed the company for a time before I stood, and I made my way over to the balcony.  “Like I said to Dash.  I’m not changing anything.  I’m just letting you see more of who I am.  I’ll show you that I’m the same as I’ve always been.  The only change will be how much of it you see.”  I pulled aside the curtains that blocked the balcony from sight, a smile coming to my face.  “The rain stopped.”  My gaze went to the swathe of jungle that I could see, and a single spark of light flashed.  “And the fireflies are out again.”  My smile widened as I turned back to the bed.  “Tomorrow is a new day, Pinkie.”  I reclined next to Pinkie, her arms wrapping around me once again.  “It’s a magical world.  Let’s go exploring.”

> Chapter X:  The Game
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There is something distinctly magical about the slow dawn of light filtering through the gaps of a curtain ruffled by the wind.  A distinct sense of ‘right’ that surges up in one's chest.  That is the feeling I got as I slowly roused myself from my sleep.  With gentle motions I extricated myself from Pinkie’s grasp, a quick peck on the lips bringing a smile back to her face.  In just a few short strides I was standing before the curtains, the flashing glimpses of the wide open skies prompting the corners of my mouth to rise.  In a single sweeping gesture I pulled open the curtains, revelling in the veritable bath of sunlight.  Not a cloud was in sight, and it was with pleasure that I stepped out onto the balcony, my eyes roaming skyward.

A pair of arms soon wrapped about my waist, and then I felt Pinkie pull herself against my back.  I put one of my hands atop hers, gently intertwining my fingers with hers.  For a few minutes we just stood like that, enjoying the tranquility of the new and beautiful morning.  When, at last, Pinkie broke the embrace I turned around immediately, hugging Pinkie back, and earning a delighted sigh from her.  I broke the hug with a gentle kiss, earning an adorable blush on her cheeks.  After that she went back inside, leaving me alone for just a moment before I, too, returned indoors.

I watched as Pinkie vanished into my bathroom, and then I tossed myself once more onto my bed, content to wait until she was done to go in there myself.  Not that I was opposed to the idea of showering with her.  I just wanted to be a bit more productive that day, and I knew that if I did go in there, I’d probably end up wasting most of the morning.  As I gently dozed on the bed, only half aware of my surroundings, I let my mind wander to the events of last night, and the promise I had made to not only Pinkie and Dash, but to myself as well.  Simply stopping myself from being defensive was a start, but I needed to take the initiative.

At the thought of Dash I rolled off the bed, my destination set.  My notepad was still just where I had tossed it earlier, the pages slightly folded due to my carelessness.  With a bit of hesitation I picked up the pad, slowly fixing the pages without turning it over just yet.  I let out the breath I was unconsciously holding, flipping over the pad at the same time.  Written there, in the middle of the page, was just a short message from Dash:


	

I want you to draw me again.  In person.



	
I felt my cheeks grow warmer at the proposition, and I grabbed my pencil, a smile coming to my face as I rested the point on the page.


	

Name the time and place.  I’ll bring the paper and pencil.  You just bring yourself.



	


As I finished my note, the door to my bathroom came open, a small cloud of steam billowing forth.  I watched the cloud with rapt attention, waiting for Pinkie to emerge.  When she did emerge her appearance certainly didn’t disappoint.  The towel that she had wrapped around her body clung to her curves, concealing just enough to give her that casual sexy look she could pull off with such a degree of ease that Rarity often grew jealous.  Her hair was wrapped in that magically attractive look that only the women of the world could really pull off.  Without a thought I stood and walked over to her, my eyes drinking in her wonderful appearance.

“With a look like that, Icarus, you better be ready to act on it.”  She flashed a quick seductive smile before she laughed.  “But not now, since I just finished cleaning up, and getting all sweaty wouldn’t do much to help my cleanliness.”  I kept up my approach before I stopped just in front of her, my hands settling on her waist.  She blushed at my touch, and it only grew as I gave her a quick kiss.  She tried to prolong the act, but I broke away, a quick hop taking me out of her reach, and putting me a step away from the bathroom.  “I’ll be sure to repay that kiss, Icarus.  And I’ll make sure it’s just as... steamy.”

“By the Creator, Pinkie, puns?  Don’t you think it’s a bit early?”  She only laughed at her own joke, making her way over to the bed.  “Go and get changed.  I’ll head on downstairs once I’m ready.”  Before she could reply with anything more than a nod, I closed the door to the bathroom, sealing myself in the room until I finished what I had set about doing.  About twenty minutes after I had started, I finished my shower and shave.  The image that gazed back at me when I looked into the mirror seemed far removed from the reflection that had stared back at me just a few days ago.  Unlike before, there was that long since vanished spark of happiness present once again.

A genuine smile spread across my face, and soon I was back in my room happily striding about as I gathered and put on my clothing.  Once I was dressed I made for my door, the spring in my step quickly bringing me to the door, and then down the hallway.  As I reached the living room I saw that I was the last to arrive from upstairs, and I got a small wave from Twilight, who had looked up from her book upon my arrival.  Applejack gave me a quick smile before she went back to her discussion with Dash on the finer points of distance running.  I made my way to the kitchen as I returned Twilight’s wave.

The scene in the kitchen was much more chaotic than the one in the living room, since Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were all trying to work in a space that could’ve easily fit them all, had they not all been trying to work on the same thing.  I approached slowly, trying to see what it was that they were making without making my presence known to them.  I fought off the urge to laugh when I saw them fighting over a bowl of batter.  “Girls, it works best if just one person makes the batter.”

Rarity just turned to glare at me, a smear of pancake batter marring her cheek.  “Yes, but we want to make sure that it’s done right.”

I chuckled softly as I wiped the batter off Rarity’s face, her cheeks flushing just a bit at the touch.  “Eggs, flour, milk, and a few other things.  Really, it’s probably the easiest recipe I know.  Aside from boiling water, but that’s hardly a recipe.”  Both Pinkie and Fluttershy turned to look at me as I spoke, and they both had some of the ingredients splattered about themselves.  I raised an eyebrow before I pushed them all aside so that I could get at the bowl.  “Girls, please.  If you wanted me to cook breakfast, you should’ve just said so.”

“We didn’t want you to cook breakfast.”  Fluttershy stepped up beside me as she spoke, her hands wiping some of the flour off her clothing.  “We wanted to make it without your help, since you’ve been making it for us, and we wanted to repay you.”

I laughed for a moment before I took a quick taste of the batter.  “Repay me for what?  Making too much food for myself?  I cook for me.  You are all just lucky that I always make way too much.  And that I don’t mind sharing.”  After a few more jokes, and a quick fix to the batter, I had the pancakes started.  “Seriously, girls, we need to get some more stuff for breakfast.  This is getting really old, really fast.”

“Maybe we can pick something up this evening.”  I turned to look at Twilight as she walked in, a map clutched in her hands.  “I found some interesting stuff on the map that we might want to go and take a look at.”  She unfolded it and laid it out on the island, but I turned back to my cooking as she did so.  “There’s the cave, here, and a small secluded cove over here that’s supposed to be...  Romantic.  Especially at night.  When the fireflies come out.”

I chuckled as I flipped the pancake in the pan.  “Your subtlety is commendable, Twi.  I almost didn’t pick up on that little hint.”

I could hear the smile in her words.  “Who said anything about getting you involved?”  I glanced over my shoulder.  “Maybe I’m just interested in the entomological aspects of the location.”

“Yeah, that may be.  But I don’t really think that you’d be blushing quite so much if that was the only reason.”  She kept silent after that remark, and within about fifteen minutes I had finished all the food, and we were seated at the table, ready to eat the meal I had helped to prepare.  Most of the meal passed in quietude, only short bursts of meaningless chatter passing between all of us.  Despite the conversation that had passed between myself, Pinkie, and Dash, there was still quite a bit of tension in the air.  Finally, as I finished the last of my pancakes, I cleared my throat to garner the attention of the girls.  “Ladies, last night, as you probably know, I spoke with Dash and Pinkie.  I’ve come to a conclusion, and I figured that I’d share it with you all.”  I looked at each of them in turn before I continued.  “Each day, from here on out, I’ll answer one question that you, collectively, have.  No matter what it is, short of something self-incriminating, I’ll answer to the best of my --”

“When are you going to tell the others about the anniversary?”  Every head turned to look at Fluttershy, and I let a frown come to my face.  “They all want to know, even if they didn’t know it.”

My frown vanished, and was replaced with a sad smile.  “Yeah, but I was hoping we could start with something a bit... Easier.”

Applejack looked from Fluttershy to me, and back again.  “Fluttershy, what are you talking about?  What anniversary?”

“The anniversary date for when I lost my wings.”  Comprehension slowly dawned on all their faces, and I shrugged.  “I don’t really know when I’d have told them, Fluttershy.  Today, tomorrow, a week from now...  I don’t know.  I never really set a date in my head.”

“Why not now, then?”  Pinkie set her hand on mine, and I looked at her for just a moment.  “None of us are going to think any different of you, Icarus.  Besides, maybe we can make it something worth celebrating, rather than something grim.”

“For all I know, we might just be able to do that.  Not tomorrow, but the day after that.”  I let out a humorless chuckle as I shook my head.  “That’s the date.”  All the girls averted their eyes from mine, and I just frowned, looking between all of them.  “What is it?  It’s a day just like any other, there’s no need for this kind of behavior.”

“You don’t remember, do you?”  I looked at Applejack, waiting for a bit more information to be forthcoming.  “That’s been the date of the Grand Galloping Gala for the past few years.  You know, that massive party that we go to?”

“I know what you’re talking about, AJ.  I still don’t see the importance.”

“We’ve been off having a grand time at the Gala while you were sitting back in Ponyville reliving painful memories, that’s the problem.”  Rarity had risen to her feet while she spoke, and she leveled her gaze with mine.  “We’ve been promenading about preaching the values of friendship while, all along, you’ve been there suffering silently.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far.  I mean, suffering?  Really?  It’s more like being bored senseless.”

“That’s hardly the point, Icarus.”  Twilight leveled her gaze with mine.  “We, all of us, have been at the Gala the past two years while you’ve been back in Ponyville stuck alone with your thoughts and memories.”

All the girls started trying to get a word in, but before they could get any more involved I held up a hand, quickly silencing them.  “Please, stop.  It was my decision not to tell any of you, so you can’t hold this against your reputations.  I’m the only one responsible for keeping this a secret.”  Silence answered me as the girls looked away from me.  “If you all want to do something on that day, that’s okay by me.  Maybe we can go on a picnic, or something.  Just...  Don’t feel bad about what happened.  I’m going to get over it, you all can too.”  I smiled at them for a moment, but when none of them reciprocated I huffed in irritation.  “I just said not to feel bad.  And what do you all do?  Feel bad.”

Dash glanced at me for a moment, her eyes flitting from the girls to me and back again.  “It’s not that easy, Icarus.”

My smile only widened, and I leaned on both hands, matching gazes with each of the girls.  “Why isn’t it that easy?  Are you saying that it’s hard to change something like that in your head just because one little detail has changed?  Welcome, ladies, to my world.  It’s nice here, and I know most of the people.”  They all looked back at me, oblivious to the small joke, and I remained silent.  “But, my world is one that is changing.  A dynamic place where the problem is always something new, and the solution is never easy.  But, it’s a place I know and love.”  I pushed off the table, taking a few steps back.  “But, this is a grim topic, and so I suggest we do something better.  This is a vacation, after all.  Maybe a trip to some notable landmark, or something?  Twi, you’ve been looking at those books you’ve got, where can we go?”

All eyes shifted to the bookworm, and she just blushed under the attention.  “Oh, well, the books I’ve read have mentioned some interesting places around the island.  There’s a big cave on the far side of the island, famed for it’s underground lakes.”  I motion for her to continue, and she just blushed a bit more.  “There’s not really more to it, Icarus.  I mean, at least, nothing that any of you would find that interesting.  Just some stuff about the geology, and rock makeup.”

I finally let out a short laugh, the tension of the room seeming to vanish with my outburst.  “By the Creator, I thought I could add tension to a room.  But, man, you girls have me beat six ways to Sunday.  I’m going to fix myself, so I’ll leave all of you to fix this little problem of yours.”  I gestured at the table.  “And you can fix this, too, since I made breakfast.”

Without waiting for a response I turned in place, quickly heading to my room so that I could change into clothing more befitting an underground foray.  By the time I came back down everything was cleaned, and all the girls were ready to go.  After checking a map, and gathering some supplies for a picnic later, we set out for the cave on the far side of Firefly Island.  The first few minutes of the walk passed in a tense silence as all the girls seemed lost in their thoughts.  For, probably, the first time since getting to the island, I found myself wanting to have some conversation, rather than having time to think.

The silence was finally shattered when Twilight let out a sharp gasp, her hand pointing at a plant growing on the side of the road.  We all looked on in amazement as she proceeded to very closely examine what looked like all the other trees we could see.  I took a few steps closer, but it was Applejack who finally spoke up.  “Twi, is there some reason that you’re looking so closely at that tree?”

“It’s not the tree, it’s the bug on the tree.”  As I got closer I saw what it was that had garnered her attention.  Sitting there, just where Twilight had pointed, was a butterfly with an immense wingspan, nearly a foot across.  “Papilio libitina.  I’ve only ever seen pictures of them.”  Her voice was a hushed whisper as she simply admired the insect.  “In some old urban legends they’re supposed to only show up when there’s love in the air.  Although some other legends say that they portend immense disasters.  So I doubt that they mean anything more than a miracle of nature.”

Dash walked over, and she looked at the butterfly for a moment.  She looked between the butterfly and Twilight a few times before she shrugged, and turned away.  Fluttershy, on the other hand, got much closer than Twilight or I had, and her eyes went wide at the marvelous creature.  She didn’t say a word as she slowly reached out a hand, gently offering it as a perch for the insect.  Slowly, the insect climbed onto her hand, and her smile grew just a bit.  With its removal from the tree, Fluttershy held it out to us, so that we could see it better.  “Papilio ingentem.  Third rarest butterfly in the region.  Famed not only for it’s wings, but its lifespan as well.  Under the right conditions one of these can last almost two years after metamorphosis.”  With a gentleness that only Fluttershy could manage, she put the butterfly back on the tree, a whispered thanks escaping her before she turned back to look at us.  “And Twilight, they only predict happy events in the old stories.  Papilio libitina, a close relative of Papilio ingentem is the one that predicts sadness.”

Twilight blushed as she averted her gaze, one of her feet idly kicking at one of the rocks on the ground.  Fluttershy must have noticed, because she quickly approached Twilight, a frown on her face.  “Don’t worry, Twilight.  It’s a common mistake to make.  The visual differences between the two are nearly impossible to spot unless you know to look for them.  I mean, I wasn’t sure until I picked it up.”

“I’m not upset because I made a mistake identifying the species.  I know that you’re better at that then I am.  I’m just wondering how much truth there’ll be to the old stories.”  Her eyes flitted in my direction for a moment and I only offered her a smile before I started off down the road once again.  “Who knows, though, given our history with myths and urban legends we might just see if there’s any truth to what they’ve said.”

After our brief stop it didn’t really take us that much longer to reach the town.  The girls took the lead when we entered the town, and soon we were standing in front of a quaint little inn.  The architecture looked like early Canterlot influence which meant that it was probably an original building from the first settling of the island, or someone wanted to make it look that way.  A decoratively painted sign hung from a set of hooks on the front, and it depicted a ship with full sails out.  “The Swift Galleon.”  I softly muttered the name a few more times to myself as I enjoyed looking at the old world style architecture.  Sadly, while I had been admiring the design of the building the girls had moved inside.  I quickly followed them in, noting with a frown that they weren’t in the vestibule.  There were several different directions I could go from here, so I just picked one at random.

I walked down the short hall, and soon I emerged into a quiet little sitting room, complete with three leather armchairs and an impressive looking fireplace.  I sighed as I came to the conclusion that I went the wrong way.  With a quick change in direction, I made to start back to the entrance, thinking to start over.  “Typical.”

“What’s typical?”  I immediately stopped walking, and I turned to look around the room once more.  The voice was distinctly male, but I couldn’t spot the source of it.  “I asked you a question, boy.”  I looked up towards the ceiling, scanning the tall room for someone perhaps perched on a ladder.  My eyes widened when I realized that the room was actually twice as tall as a normal one, and that there was a balcony running along the second floor.  A unicorn was leaning over the rail, his eyes twinkling with delight.  “I do hope that you’re not always this swift.  Otherwise you might have some trouble in your day to day.”

I smiled when I saw him, a quick shrug preceding my answer.  “Not always.  Sometimes I do far better than this.  As for my earlier comment, it was in regards to my typical choice of paths leading me to this room, rather than the room my friends went to.”

“Ah, they went ahead of you, leaving you to play catch up?”

Again, I shrugged.  “I don’t think it was something they did intentionally.  These things just tend to happen, and I’ve learned to deal with it.”

“Well, I assume that you’re not here for a room, since you don’t seem to be in the right mindset for a traveler.  Normally they gawk at just about everything, taking pictures of anything that moves.”  He moved back from the railing as he spoke, his voice carrying in the room.  “And the things that don’t move are subject to even more of their incessant photography.  Still, what brings you by, then, if not a room?”

“I, honestly, don’t really know.  They brought me here, and I was just along for the ride.  Although we were headed for the caves, and we passed through town.”  I heard the faint sounds of voices echoing down the halls and I turned to look before I continued.  “Why are you here?  You an owner, or a patron, or...”

“Patron.  I’m here with some friends.  You’ve probably heard of them, but not me.”  He slowly made his way down the spiral staircase in the far corner of the room.  “I do damn near all the hard work, and they lap up the fame.”  He extended a hand to me when he stood before me.  “Solar Flare, manager of the Wonderbolts, at your service.”

I took his hand in my own, his firm grip bringing a smile to my face.  “Icarus Phaetheon, close friend of the Elements of Harmony.  And I do recognize the name.  You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“So, you’re the one that Celestia asked us to perform for.”  He released my hand as he motioned for me to follow.  “I’ll admit, it was a bit of a shock for a personal show request to come in at this time of year.  Normally we just get dozens of show requests that we have to sort through.”

“Funny, I thought personal show requests would be more common.”

“At the prices we charge for time and set-up and a half hundred other things?  A single show, private or not, costs more than most people make in a decade.  Hell, with my salary I couldn’t afford a show for less than two years worth of work.  And that’s assuming I didn’t spend a bit on anything else.”

“And we’re getting a show for free?”

The unicorn just laughed as he stopped at a door.  “Free?  No.  Creator, no.  The Crown is picking up the tab on this one.  To be fair, you got it at a discount.  Miss Dash’s quick thinking, and quicker reflexes at the competition did make quite the impression on the ‘Bolts, and they wanted to show it.”  He pushed it open, revealing the Wonderbolts relaxing on some couches while the girls sat with them.  None of them noticed our arrival, and when the conversation finally died down Solar stepped forward, clearing his throat to get their attention.  “Hey, everyone, just thought I’d come by to show Icarus where you all were.  Seems that he got lost.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Yeah, thanks Solar.”  He just flashed me a quick smile before he moved over to sit with the rest of the ‘Bolts.  “So, girls, why did we come here, exactly?  I mean, we’re going to the cave, aren’t we?”

Dash just waved a hand at me, her annoyance plain to see.  Twilight rolled her eyes as she stood and moved next to me.  “Yesterday, while you and Soarin were cooking we talked with Spitfire.  She asked us to come by today to pick when we wanted to have our little show.  Dash chose tomorrow.”  I just nodded.  “It’s not like we’ve got anything else planned.”

“True, but this seems like the kind of thing we’d talk about, rather than just make a decision on a whim.”

“Icarus, it’s the Wonderbolts.  I’m amazed she hasn’t begged them for another set of personally addressed signed posters.”  I chuckled softly, content to let Dash have her moment.  And it wasn’t like the others weren’t enjoying themselves.  With the addition of Solar the conversation began to veer away from the show, and more towards their lives on the road.  We spent nearly an hour there before we finally managed to wrest Dash away from her idols.  After departing from the inn we continued on our way towards the caves.

As we walked down the road all the girls found ways to keep the walk entertaining.  Conversation seemed to flow more easily than it had before the stop at the inn, and it made me happy to see them enjoying themselves.  Pinkie spent quite a bit of her time right at my side, her hand sometimes grabbing at mine for a moment before she’d skip away to examine something that caught her interest.  Each time she seemed to vanish into the jungle she’d emerge with some oddity clutched in her hands.

A few of the things she came back with were interesting enough to keep.  Probably the most interesting of that collection was a ten bit coin that was more than two hundred years old.  After that discovery she increased her rate of exploration, figuring that where there is one coin, there are bound to be more.  During that time Rarity moved over beside me, her gaze flitting across me as we walked.  “So, Icarus, I gather that you, Pinkie, and Dash have settled some things?”

I let out a short snort as I looked over at her.  “I suppose you could say it like that.  We talked, and we covered some things.  But Dash...  She still needs to really apologize for what she said.  I’m willing to forgive her, but she needs to see that she made a mistake.  You all need to see that you made mistakes.  Big mistakes.  Even Pinkie needs to see it.”

I kept my silence for quite some time as we walked, and Rarity always kept my pace as we went.  “Icarus...  We...  Well, I never really wanted to have the bet.  I didn’t think that it was the right way to get you to say or do something you weren’t ready to do.  Hence why I have yet to do much in regards to that little challenge, despite my interest.”  I glanced over at her, my eyebrow raised.  “Dear, even you can’t be that oblivious.  I’ve been interested in you for quite some time.”

“I’m not that oblivious, I just...”  I faded off, my mind fighting with itself to find the right way to phrase it.  “I’m total shit with women, I guess.  Still, you, just like the others, said nothing.”

She sighed, taking my hand in her own.  “I’m far from perfect.  Despite what Spike may tell you, I have my flaws, and one of them is that I hate to break from the standards established by romantic culture.  The male is the one who is supposed to approach the female.  Not the other way around.”

I glanced down at my hand held in hers.  “Well, those standards are stupid and sexist.  Societal norms shouldn’t decide who we want to express interest in.”

“I agree with you.  Really, I do.  But, at the same time, I have trouble making myself do it.  Even now I’m avoiding what I want to say because I hope that you’ll pick up on it.”

I lifted our held hands for a moment.  “Because this is so subtle.  I get it Rarity.  But you still have something to say before we can really go anywhere romantically.”

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but a certain pink haired attraction stole her place in our dialogue.  “Hey, Rarity, what’re you talking about with Icarus?”  Pinkie suddenly clutched at my other hand, her skipping slowing to a walk as she matched the pace set by Rarity and I.  “Is it about something special?”  Her eyes widened for a moment as she released my hand and started walking backwards in front of us, a hand rising to point at our clasped hands.  “Is it about something extra special?”

“Yes, Pinkie, it’s about something ‘extra’ special.”  Rarity’s voice had just the right amount of annoyance to it so that Pinkie would get the point.  “Now, if you’d give us five more minutes, I’d appreciate it.”

She let out a quick giggle, her cheeks flushing just a bit.  “Okie dokie loki!  But just remember, Rarity, that there won’t be that special period with Icarus.  We’re skipping the first step.”  As she finished she darted in for a quick kiss, her lips brushing mine before she skipped off to go and chat with the rest of the girls.

“About that whole exclusivity period...”  Rarity trailed off for a moment, her voice dying in her throat.  “Do you think that, maybe, when we get back to Ponyville, we could...  You know?”

“Let’s just take things one step at a time, Miss Belle.”  She playfully swatted at my arm.  “Before I make any promise like that, I want to see how things develop between you, me, and any of the others who are interested.”

Rarity just offered me a nod before she released my hand, a small blush coming to her cheeks.  “I’m looking forward to it.  And, for the hundredth time, just call me Rarity.”

“It’s actually the two hundred and thirty second time.  Yes, I’ve been counting.”  She quickly shut her mouth, the complaint dying before she could speak it.  I only laughed as I jogged a bit to catch up to the others.  Rarity caught up a few minutes later, and soon we were idly chatting away the minutes as we continued walking.  Dash, during my conversation with Rarity, had started up some stupid competition with Applejack involving coconuts and lots of throwing.

As we arrived at the beach that would take us to the cave we paused for a bit to simply enjoy the scenery.  Some shouting off in the distance drew my attention, and I quickly notified the others.  After just a moment we started off down the beach, the interest aroused by the sounds enough to make us temporarily forget the destination we had in mind.  As we crested yet another dune we spotted a net, along with a team on either side.  The shouts of merriment and good cheer were audible even with our great distance, and it was with a smile that Dash turned to look at us.

“Rainbow, we were heading to the cave, remember?”  Twilight sounded a bit nervous as she watched the game.  “Besides, they seem to be having plenty of fun on their own.”  The rainbow pegasus wouldn’t hear any of it, and soon she, and Applejack, were walking over to the group, calling out once they got a bit closer.

I sighed as I started following them.  “Well, girls, I think our plans just go derailed a bit.  I suggest we go and keep Dash from making a complete fool of herself.”  As I reached the bottom of the dune I cast a quick glance over my shoulder to see the rest of the girls following me.  In that short time Dash and Applejack had made it to the group, and they were apparently waiting for a lull in the gameplay to pose whatever questions they were going to ask.

Dash, in her usual boasting fashion, decided that she’d speak loud enough for everyone to be able to hear her.  “So, you guys seem pretty good.  But, I bet that me and my friends could beat the lot of you in a series of matches.”  I fought off the urge to stop and scream my frustrations to the sky as I started to quicken my pace.  “In fact, what say we make things a bit interesting?”

“Yeah, Dash, by leaving.”  I had gotten close enough by this point to hear Applejack’s voice, and she sounded none too pleased with what Dash was saying and doing.  “Look, my friend here got a bit ahead of herself.  We don’t really want to play with you, we were actually heading somewhere.”

I stopped a few steps behind the two as the largest of the volleyball players approached Dash and Applejack.  The guy was taller than even Big Mac, and he leaned down to get on the same level as Applejack before he spoke.  “You going someplace, or are you just too afraid to play us?”  Dash visibly bristled under the comment, but Applejack managed to keep her cool.  “I mean, come on, what chance do you stand against us?”  He looked up at the rest of our group, myself included, and he shook his head.  “Wow.  With a team like that I’m not surprised that you’re chicken.”

Applejack just turned to look at all of us before she smiled.  The smile on her face wasn’t a particularly pleasant one, and she quickly turned to look at the man once more.  “Oh, see, we’re not chicken.  We just don’t want to beat you so bad in front of your little friends.”  The man’s smile vanished.  “But, I mean, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of, right?”

With an enraged snort the player rose to his full height before he waved all his friends over.  “Well, these chumps just challenged us to a set of matches.”  He looked back at us, smirking as he spoke.  “Best of three.  Winner gets bragging rights.”

I stepped between Dash and Applejack, moving right up in front of the admittedly imposing tower of a man.  “May I have just a moment to speak to the rest of my team?  I think that it’s quite vital that I speak to them, so, if you’ll excuse us.  Oh, and to keep you busy while we’re gone, think about the word lebstronomous.”  With that, I quickly turned in place, glaring at the two women as they looked at the now confused man.  “The two of you aren’t excluded from this chat.”  My tone brokered no argument, and they quickly followed me over to where the rest of the girls were standing.  Once I was sure that we were out of earshot I rounded on the two girls.  “What the hell are the two of you doing?  I expected this kind of thing from Dash, but you, AJ?”

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of competition, sugarcube.  Besides, I’m sure that we can beat them.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “Overconfidence is, again, what I expect from Dash, not you.”

Dash waved a hand at me before glancing at Applejack.  “Icarus, normally you see AJ and I competing with each other.  When you put us on a team together, we’re the best around.  And with the rest of you to help out we’ll be unstoppable.”  I turned to look at the girls behind me, and Dash put a hand on my shoulder.  “Don’t worry, Icarus, we’ve got this.”

“Alright.  Fine.  Looks like we’re going to be playing some volleyball.”  A small smile came to my face as I watched Dash’s smile grow.  After a few minutes of preparing, we ventured back over to the team of players and I finally took the time to look them all over now that we’d be playing against them.  There were eight of them, each one appearing to be at the peak of physical fitness.  The meathead who we had been talking to was the largest of the group.  His friends were made up of five women and two other guys.  Several of them were pegasi, one was a unicorn, and the rest were just basic people.  Once we got close enough to the net I called out to the leader who had a pained look on his face.  “First off, we’re accepting...  Well, we’re going to see through with the challenge.  My team versus your team, seven on seven.  Best of three matches, each one to two points.  Pick one of yours to stand out, and we’ll go from there.”

The man just snorted as he looked over his shoulder, the once pained expression on his face vanishing as it was replaced with one of poorly concealed mirth.  “Lug Nut!  You’re reffing for the matches.  These chumps think they got what it takes to beat us.”  He looked back at our group, and his smile wavered for a moment.  “We doing this Earth style, or full team make-up?”

I just raised an eyebrow, but Dash stepped forward.  “Give us a minute.”  She turned to look at me, and she rolled her eyes.  “Earth style means that we all play without wings or magic.  Just what we’ve got in our bodies.  Full team means that we can use whatever we’ve got at our disposal.  There are more rules in full team, but I think that it’d be a more interesting match that way.”

“I’m all for an interesting match, but which one gives us better odds?”

“Full team, I’d say.  We’ve got Twi and Rarity to act as interceptors, and Fluttershy and I can keep the skies under control.  It’ll be up to you, AJ, and Pinkie to keep the ground, though.”  At my blank expression Dash sighed.  “Twilight and Rarity will be responsible for slowing and directing the enemy shots.  Fluttershy and I will be making the actual play calls, and the three of you will have to get the ball up to ‘Shy and I after Twi and Rarity do their thing.”

I nodded as I stepped back from Dash.  “Well, full team it is.”  I held out my hand.  “To a fair match?  Name’s Icarus, by the way.”

He took my hand, trying to crush it in his vice like grip.  “A fair match.  And you can call me Iron Ingot.”

“That’s quite a grip you’ve got there, Iron.  I assume that it’s from practice holding a certain object long into the night?”

Iron snorted as his eyes widened.  “I think this is going to be fun.  And no, it’s from working the forge.  Doing real work, like a person should.  Not that you’d know anything about that, shrimpy.”

I broke the handshake, wresting my hand from his grip.  “Please, in the name of the creator, work on your smack talk.  That was deplorable.  Oh, and before we start, another word to ponder.  Phlebotomist.”  I chuckled at the sudden confusion that appeared on his face.  “Come on, girls, let’s show these arschlochs how we do it.”

We convened on our side of the net and AJ and Dash quickly delved into proper strategy for the approaching match.  I wasn’t the only one new to the game, since Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie joined me in asking far too many questions.  Within just a few minutes, though, I had enough of an understanding of the rules to work the rest out myself.  At the insistence of both AJ and Dash I was standing just before the net on the left hand side of the court, with Pinkie mirroring me on the right, and AJ holding the middle of the net.  Twilight and Rarity each had a back corner from which they had to work their magic, and the two pegasi hovered just over our half of the court, the steady beat of their wings lulling my mind into a zen-like state.

The ref, Lug Nut, walked over to the ref stand, where he quickly clambered up to his seat.  “Coin toss dictates first serve.”  He looked over at my team.  “Challengers call the toss.”

Before anyone else could respond, I called out my claim.  “Whatever side starts up when you flip the coin.”  I got a blank look from Lug Nut, and I just sighed.  “Look at the coin, and tell me what side is facing up right now.”

“Tails is up now.”  I let him know that I wanted tails, in that case, and then he flipped it through the air.  He gave it plenty of spin, and as it arced through the air everyone watched with anticipation as it soared.  When it landed it did so right at my feet, and I looked down to see that it had, miraculously, landed on its edge within the sand.  Lug leapt from his perch to the ground, and he looked at it with a confused look on his face.

“We serve first, then!”  Iron’s voice carried a hint of laughter to it, and I glared at him.  “Hey, you wanted tails.  It’s not tails, so we serve first.”  I wanted to object, but I just waved a hand in his direction before plucking the coin from the sand, and tossing it to Lug Nut.  “Hope you chumps are ready to lose.”  He caught the ball that was tossed by Lug, and then he walked to the back of the pitch.  When he got there he turned back to face us, and he threw the ball high into the air, watching as it slowly spun.  Once it started its descent Iron leapt up, and gave the ball a mighty hit, sending it straight towards Rarity.

The familiar blue glow of Rarity’s magic encircled the ball, slowing it a bit and redirecting it towards Applejack.  With a solid hit, Applejack sent the ball skywards, towards the waiting pegasi above.  Fluttershy gave the volleyball a solid whack, sending it plummeting towards the other team’s side of the net.  One of their pegasi swept in to intercept the ball, and with a light tap, they sent the ball up into a lazy arc, rather than it’s previous high velocity flight.  One their unicorn then handled the ball towards their two front members, one of whom leapt to meet the ball.  With a grunt of exertion he slammed the ball down towards the ground on our side, I lunged towards where the ball would land, and I only barely managed to get a hand beneath it before it met with the ground.

Without any additional energy from a hit, the ball just barely bounced off my hand.  Applejack dove beneath it as well, and with a flick of her hand she sent the ball skyward.  Dash returned their spike with one of her own, yet their unicorn managed to slow it just enough for one of their pegasi to intercept it.  Their return, after getting the ball to one of their front players, was a lazy one, and I managed to give it a hearty lob up into the sky where Dash, once again, managed to spike the ball.  With a burst of speed given by Twilight’s magic, the ball lanced right into the sand on their side of the net.

We let out a collective cheer at our minor victory.  “First point to the challengers.  Score is one to zero.  Challenger serve.”  He tossed the ball over to our team, and I caught it before lobbing it to Applejack.  She caught it with ease before walking to the back line.  She gave the ball a few quick spins before finally settling herself in position.  With a small smirk, she lobbed the ball high into the air, watching it with rapt attention as it reached its peak and started its apparently slow descent.  Applejack almost appeared disinterested as she leapt up to meet the ball as it came plummeting back down to the ground.  The flash of fire in her eyes as she hit the ball made it clear just how serious she was about this.

The ball just barely cleared the net, and the other team scrambled to react to the projectile in their midst.  One of their ground members got beneath the ball as it flew, and with a grunt of exertion she sent it skyward, allowing for one of their pegasi to redirect it towards our side.  Just before it could clear the net, though, their unicorn redirected the ball, forcing Rarity to slow the ball’s destiny with the ground.  Pinkie gave the sphere a solid hit, and Fluttershy swept in to deliver it promptly to the other team’s airborne members.

With frightening speed the ball shot down from their pegasi to their ground members.  Iron lunged for the ball at the net, and with a surge of magic he spiked the ball onto our side.

Or, at least, he tried to.  Applejack, during the brief moment of my distraction, had moved up right to the net.  When Iron tried to spike the ball he wound up simply pushing the ball a few inches before it was met with Applejack’s hand forcing it back down and onto the sand on their side of the net.  As she landed Iron just stared at her, his eyebrow raised and a hand coming to the back of his head.

“And that, Sugarcube, is how we do it back on Sweet Apple Acres.”  My team let out a cheer as the ref went to grab the ball from its small crater on the ground.  “Don’t look so glum, though.  I’m sure that you’ll do better next time.”

Iron’s face turned beet red as he glared at the gloating farmer, and one of his teammates moved to grab his shoulder.  “Just you wait, losers.  This was just a fuckin’ warm up.”

Lug looked from me to Iron a couple times before he shrugged.  “Two minute rest, then we start the second match.”

I nodded to him before I moved over to the girls who had all gathered around Applejack.  “Girls.”  They looked to me as I approached, and soon I was a part of the circle they had formed.  “That was good, but I think that we need to have a bit of a plan for this whole fiasco.  They’re probably less than thrilled with how things turned out, and I’d rather not have to deal with them without a plan.”

Dash flashed me a quick grin.  “I got you, Icarus.  I was paying attention to them as they played, and I think I’ve got them figured out.  Here’s how we’re gonna do things...”  Dash did not overcomplicate things, and by the time she finished her previous grin had turned to a smile.  “Oh, and I thought up a play.  I know it’ll be hard to pull off, but if they return the ball to Fluttershy, or me, I want to try it out.”  She got several quick nods.  “Great.  Now, let’s show these guys how it’s done.”

As we broke up our ring I saw that they had assumed a different setup than they had before.  They were more closely mirroring our own arrangement, and I quickly settled my gaze on the pegasus opposite me.  She gazed at me with an impassive look on her face, but her eyes never left mine.  Lug lobbed the ball over to Iron who caught it in a tight grip.  While before there had been a slight spring in his step, there was, now, not even a bit of happiness to his frame.  He glared at our entire team before he served the ball.

It just cleared the net as it flew, and Pinkie managed to just barely hit it up towards Fluttershy.  She hit the ball back down towards me, and I gave it a sharp spike down towards the ground.  One of their grounded pegasi managed to snap a wing under the ball, launching it skyward with a minimum of effort.  As it soared skyward yet another pegasus got behind the ball, smashing it across the line towards Fluttershy.  Dash was closer, though, and so she darted forward to return the play.  My call of warning came too late, though, and the second airborne pegasi on their team swept in and crashed into Dash, sending her, and the ball, plummeting to the sand.

Despite her renowned speed and agility, not even Dash could respond in time to save herself from her swift descent.  She managed to rotate herself during her brief trip to the sand, but it did little to alleviate the crushing impact.  The ball was lying a couple feet from her prone form, and it stayed there, abandoned as I knelt down next to the whimpering form.  The others all moved to her side, the game forgotten as we tended to Rainbow Dash.  Twilight’s magic quickly enveloped her form, and she let out a gasp as she realized just what had happened.  “Dash, there’s no way you can keep going.  We need to get your wing looked at.  It’s not broken, I think, but it’s definitely popped out of the joint.”

Dash just looked up at Twi before she nodded.  I stood from my spot beside the prone woman, my gaze quickly finding the smug smirk on Iron’s face.  Without a thought I began walking over, my fists clenching.  He looked down at me when I stopped just before him.  “You planned this.  Just to win a fucking beach volleyball match you risked some serious physical injury to an innocent pegasus.”

His smug grin grew wider still, and he leaned down to get his face at my level.  “Problem?”

“A bit, yeah.  See, I don’t much care for that kind of shit.  You see, there have been quite a few times in my life when I saw bullying, and did nothing about it.  Times when I could’ve changed the way things went, for better or worse, simply by speaking up.”  I looked back to the girls, smiling when I saw them moving Fluttershy off the pitch and back towards the road we had come down.  Only Rarity was still there, her eyes locked on mine.  I looked back at Iron, suddenly feeling braver than I had a moment ago.  “This isn’t one of those times.  I’m too late to stop the bullying from happening.”  I clenched my hand once again.  “But I’m not too late to retaliate.”

Before I even knew fully what I was doing, my fist smashed against Iron’s face, waves of pain lancing up my hand from the weight of the blow.  Clearly he hadn’t seen the blow coming, since it succeeded in knocking him flat on his ass, but otherwise no worse for wear.  It took a moment for comprehension to dawn on his face, and when it did I let out a faint, humorless, chuckle.  “Oh my.  Not only do you look like a refrigerator, you’re built like one too.”  I turned in place, quickly bringing myself to a run.  “Now’s not the time for gawking, Rarity, now is the time for running!”

Rarity only managed to keep pace with me for a couple of minutes before she started to lag behind, but it was enough time for us to escape from our pursuers, since, clearly, they didn’t want to follow us into the jungle.  When we finally stopped, Rarity was gasping for breath, and I was a bit winded myself.  “What...  What possessed you to hit him, Icarus?”  Her eyes carried an accusation in them, and I just shrugged.  “What happened to being a pacifist?”

I shrugged again before stretching for a moment, eager to get the tension out of my legs.  “Sometimes, Rarity, there is no easy solution.  Sometimes a guy has to stand up and deliver, rather than stick by some silly moral code.”

“What if it had been me?”

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at Rarity.  “What, that hurt Dash?”  She shook her head, an irritated expression flashing across her visage.  “Oh, that got hurt.  I’d have done the same thing.”  My breathing finally reached a normal pace, and I sat down on a convenient rock while I looked at Rarity.  “This isn’t about you, or Dash, or anyone.  It’s about doing what’s right.  Hell, I’d have done the same for Tam Tam.  Things like what Iron did aren’t okay.  My reason would be different, but my actions would be the same.”

She stood from where she had sat down, and she sat next to me.  For several long minutes she remained in silence, her breathing still a bit faster from the escape.  “Did anything like that ever happen back in Manehattan?”

I was about to respond, but I quickly closed my mouth, preventing the quick response I was about to make.  After a moment of thought I tried again.  “Yeah, a few times.  Although the setting was never quite as nice, and the girl never quite like Dash.  In fact, I can’t recall a single time I ever had to stand up for a girl.  Not that I wouldn’t, just that I never had the chance.”  I paused for a moment as I looked at the small clearing we were in.  I glanced over at Rarity as she sat beside me, and she looked at me as well.  “Kinda glad about that, really.  Saving the damsel in distress is just a wee bit too cliched, don’t you think?”

She smiled, and moved a bit closer to me.  “It is, Icarus.  And so are a lot of things that happen to us everyday.  But one of those magical things about cliches?  They’ll never go away, and they’ll never be any less horrendous.”

I chuckled for a moment.  “Wow, Rarity, what a ray of sunshine you are.”  She joined me in laughter, and after we finished I noticed that she had grown just a bit closer.  Her eyes stared right into mine, and for just a moment I had to fight the urge to stand.  I brought up one of my hands to her cheek, gently wiping away a drop of sweat.  With a smile, I planted a quick kiss on her lips, feeling her surprise in her reciprocation of the motion.  It only lasted a moment, but that was more than enough for both her, and me.  When I broke the kiss I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.  Not just because of the kiss, but because of the lone thought that had come to mind after the kiss.  “You’re right, Rarity.  They’ll never go away.  But they aren’t always so horrendous.”

Rarity’s blush spoke volumes, but she made no move to add any more distance between the two of us.  I stood from the rock, holding out a hand to the unicorn as she looked up at me.  “Come on, Rarity.  We need to go and see how Dash is doing.  They’ll probably be wondering where we’ve gone.”

She took my hand, and used the motion to pull me into a hug.  “Thank you.  Maybe we can continue this later?”

I waited for the embrace to end before I offered Rarity a small smile.  “We’ll see.  But before we do anything there’s a few things that you need to say.  Things I need to hear from Pinkie and Dash, and all the others too.”  She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word I put my finger on her mouth.  “No.  It needs to happen without prompting.  At a moment when it’s right.”  She nodded, and I removed my finger.  “Good.  Now, if North is that way...”  I trailed off as I slowly turned a circle.

“Icarus, are we lost?”

She had trouble hiding her amusement, and I continued turning in place.  “No, not at all.  We’re simply not where we should be, and I don’t quite know how to get us where we want to be.”

“May I make a suggestion?”  I glanced over at her before offering a shrug.  “Twilight’s not the only one who can use the teleportation spell.  I could move us to the town, if that’d help.”

My shoulders slumped as I sighed.  “Yeah, I guess.  I mean, you know, if you like cheating.”  She just shook her head as she stood up and grabbed my hand.  The familiar flash of vertigo passed through my mind as we shifted our position, and I groaned softly as my eyes tried to adjust to the new lighting.  “Not only is that cheating, it’s incredibly dissatisfying.  I mean, it’s about the trip, not the destination, Rarity.”

“Yes, but when you’ve got someplace to be, and there’s a sense of urgency, few means of travel can beat teleportation.”  I rolled my eyes as Rarity started making her way through the town towards the same place I had visited not too long ago.  I followed close behind her, keeping silent as my mind raced with thoughts of what I’d say and do with the girls.

Pinkie, Dash, Rarity...  I’m pretty much positive about Twi, too.  Pinkie will be happy with just about anything, but not just anything will do.  Dash won’t admit it, but she likes girly stuff.  Rarity’s obvious, and Twi is too, to a certain extent.  I’m going to have to start making some plans, methinks.

Rarity pushed open the door to the medical facility, marching right up to the nurse at the desk before quickly, and concisely, explaining who we were, and why we had come here.  The nurse offered a quick smile before she stood, asking the two of us to follow her.  A minute later, and we were brought to the room where Dash and the others were.

Rarity immediately rushed over to Dash.  She seemed to shirk a bit under the attention, but when she spotted me she perked up a bit.  “Sorry we’re a bit late, girls.  I had to have a chat with Iron, and things didn’t go as well as I’d have liked.”

“Icarus, you punched him in the face.  You barely even tried to talk to him.”

I shot Rarity a glare as Dash burst into laughter.  “You did what?  Icarus, I thought you were a pacifist!”

“Yeah, well, sometimes assholes get what they deserve.  Even if it’s from me.”  I walked over to the bed, grimacing when I saw that Dash’s wing was still lying at a bad angle.  “Any word from the doctors yet?”

“They took a couple X-rays just before you got here.  We’re waiting for the results.”  Twilight gestured at Dash’s wing before she continued.  “I’m almost positive that it’s just dislocated, but the doctors wanted to make sure before they did anything drastic.”

“And, Miss Sparkle, drastic is something we can avoid.”  All heads turned to look at the source of the new voice, and standing in the doorway was a doctor wearing the typical garmentry of a doctor.  “As you suspected, the injury is little more than a dislocated wing.  I can simply, albeit painfully, pop the two joints back in place.  Now, Miss Dash, we can use an anaesthetic, if you like.”

“Nah, just get it over with.  I’ve had worse injuries that I’ve taken care of on my own.”  The doctor just shook his head as he walked over.  “I mean, how much can it hurt?”

“Stronger pegasi than you have said things much the same.  You’ll see just how it feels when we get this done.”  He pointed at me.  “Someone’s going to need to help out, since we’re a bit short staffed today.  You can help.  Hold her still while I work.  The rest of you can help too.”  After a few quick instructions Twilight and Fluttershy were holding Dash’s wing up, while Pinkie and Applejack held Dash’s legs.  Rarity was sitting next to me while I held Dash’s hands.  “Now, Miss Dash, we’re going to count to three, and then pop the joint in.”

I adjusted how I was holding Dash’s hands, and she gave me a small smile.  “Don’t count.  Just...  Just do it.”

“Alright...”  He trailed off, and I let go of Dash’s hands with one of mine, and I brought it to her cheek.  A sudden motion from the doctor prompted a muffled scream from Dash, and a sudden popping sound followed.  Both of her legs jerked out under the influence of the spasm, and she nearly crushed my hand in her grip.  Her eyes were closed shut in pain, and a few tears trailed down her cheeks.  With all the gentleness I could, I wiped the tears from her cheek, caressing her softly.

Dash let go of my hand with one of hers, quickly moving the now freed appendage up to meet mine on her cheek.  “Now, we need to make sure that it’s set properly, so we’re going to go through the motions of a flap.  Can you do that for me?”  Despite the pain on her face, she nods, and slowly starts moving her wing.  After a few minutes, during which she had clenched my hand a few more times, the doctor made a satisfactory noise.  “Well, it seems that everything’s in order here.  I’d suggest that you get some ice on it, and let it rest for several hours before trying to do anything strenuous.  As per Miss Sparkle’s ‘request’ a bill will be sent to Canterlot for processing.  I’ll get all the final paperwork started, and in a bit I’ll come back with the release forms.”  After about an hour the doctor finally returned, a small stack of papers clutched in one hand.  “You ladies have a nice day, now.  And, please, try not to come back again.”

“Don’t worry, Doctor Greene, I’ve no intention of coming here again this vacation.  Nor, for that matter, do I intend to let any of the girls come here either.”  Doctor Greene offered me a smile as I led the girls out of the room.  However, just before I could follow behind them, the good doctor grabbed my arm, pulling me back gently.  I raised an eyebrow as he looked down the hall at the diminishing figures of the girls.  “Is there something you want, doctor?”

“I wasn’t here for your last visit, but, um...  Is it true?  About your wings?”  I heaved a sigh as I nodded.  “And there’s no residual nerve damage?  Nothing at all?”

“Look, Doc, I’ve got things to do.  And, frankly, talking about my lack of wings isn’t high on my list.  Send a letter to Doctor Gram in Manehattan.  She can give you all the details you might be interested in.  But, in the name of the Creator, don’t spread it around.”  He just nodded, and I flashed a quick smile.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”  With that said, I hopped out of the room, the momentum throwing me into a jog down the short hall.  It only took a couple minutes for me to catch up to the girls, and when I did I slowed my pace to match theirs.

It only took a moment for Twilight to fill out all the paperwork for Dash’s release, and before I knew it we were walking out of the building.  Dash was leaning on Applejack as she walked, the ordeal with her wing having taken a bit out of the normally dynamic peagsus.  At my approach she pushed off of Applejack, throwing her weight onto my shoulder.  Her cheeks flushed a bit at the contact, but I managed to keep my gaze level.  As we neared the edge of town, I figured that someone needed to break the silence, so I drew in a breath.  Sadly, the profound wisdom that was destined to escape my lips never made it to the world.

“So, Iggy, what are you gonna make for dinner today?”  Pinkie’s bubbly voice came from right beside me, and I nearly lost my footing in my surprise.  “Silly, that’s not how you’re supposed to walk.  You just put one foot in front of the other!”

“Pinkie, did you just call me Iggy?”  She offered an energetic nod, and I frowned at her.  “Please, don’t.  I can’t stand that name.  It’s just awful.  A horrendous mutilation of the wonderful appellation Icarus.  And as for dinner?  Well, I’ll just have to see what I can whip up with what we’ve still got.  Maybe I’ll have to get creative.”

The pink haired girl just smiled as she began skipping ahead, her attention flitting about as randomly as she saw fit.  Simple conversation passed amongst all of us as we walked onward towards home.  When the house finally came into view Pinkie eagerly ran towards it after collecting the keys from me.  Dash and I were the last to reach the house, and I quickly led her over to one of the couches in the living room so that she could rest some.  Fluttershy appeared just after I got her comfortable, an ice pack in one hand, and a towel in the other.  With a few deft moves Fluttershy wrapped the ice pack in the towel, and she proceeded to help Dash in placing it just where it needed to be.  I traipsed to the kitchen after making sure Dash was comfortable, and it was then that I spotted our planned picnic basket.

“Girls, how about we settle for an early dinner now, in the form of our planned lunch, and later this evening we have ourselves something for a nice dessert?”  My suggestion was met with approval, and soon I created a platter with a nice arrangement of all the possible fillings for the sandwiches.  I also filled a few small cups with mustard, mayonnaise, and any other possible condiments I had on hand.  By the time I finished my preparations I had created quite a nice display, despite my lack of available food.

I decided to warm up the bread that we had at the house, figuring that a nice warm baguette, cut into nice sizes, would make a marvelous platform onto which we could build our sandwiches.  It took only a short time to warm up the bread, and after that I used a knife to cut it into easily managed slices.  With my work complete, I balanced the bread basket on one hand, and the platter of meats, cheeses, and salad on the other.

“May I present to you, dinner du jour.  A mix of all manner of toppings, along with a perfectly toasted baguette, cut to size.”  I placed the platter and basket on the table in the living room before taking a small step back.  “Enjoy.”  As I looked up from the dinner I had made, I noted that there were few empty spaces on the couches.  The first one I noticed was one that would put me directly between Dash and Pinkie.  Rarity and Twilight were sitting on the couch for two, and Applejack and Fluttershy had a spot between the two of them.  There was also the reclining chair available.  With only a minimum of thought, I moved over to the spot between Dash and Pinkie.

Dinner was a rather short affair, and shortly after starting we had devolved into a conversation about the changelings.  The food only seemed to act as a distraction, and by the time we had finished eating it was nearly eight in the evening, and we had somehow gotten to the topic of Oak trees and how they make for the best possible lumber when building a catapult.  When a lull appeared in the conversation, I finally decided to take advantage of it to stand and take away the empty dishes and the platter.

With that brief task completed, I took a quick stock on what materials I had available for making a dessert of some sort.  After several minutes, I let out a sigh.  I silently trudged over to the freezer before removing a handful of ice cubes that I tossed into the blender.  Several bananas followed the ice, and then some milk.  I tossed in a few strawberries after that, and soon I was looking at my fruity concoction.  With a small shrug I turned the blender on, and I started grabbing some glasses out of the cabinet.  By the time I had all the glasses out, and the small umbrellas in place, the blender had stopped, the mixture possessing a pleasant pinkish coloration.  I poured a small amount of rum into the blender, and I gave it another quick burst of mixing to ensure that it came out just right.  Each glass was filled, and the umbrella placed in at a jaunty angle.

I placed the drinks onto a tray, and then I walked into the living room.  “Well, girls, it’s nothing all that special, but I whipped up a fruity cocktail with bananas, strawberries, and a shot of rum to keep things interesting.”  As I placed the tray down on the table, the girls all grabbed a glass, quickly returning to their seats as they started to imbibe the beverage I had crafted.  Good cheer went around the room as we continued the conversation where we had left off, and we conversed well into the night about whatever topic happened to be up for discussion.

During a brief pause Dash put her empty glass on the table before she looked at me, a small smile flitting across her face.  “Well, girls, we’re going to be seeing the Wonderbolts tomorrow, so I’m gonna hit the hay a bit early, so that I’ll be ready to go flying with them.”  She slowly stood as she spoke, until finally she was fully upright.  I glanced at the clock as Dash did a quick stretch and I was a bit surprised to see that it was well past midnight, nearing one in the morning.  Twilight followed Dash’s example, and soon all the girls had gone upstairs, save for Pinkie and Rarity.

The two of them shared a quick look before Rarity stood as well, a dainty yawn escaping her as she headed towards the stairs.  “Pinkie, Icarus, I’m going to head to bed as well.  I do need my beauty sleep, and I’d hate to look anything less than my best for the Wonderbolts.  Good night, both of you.”

I gave her a small wave as she ascended the stairs, and after a moment I heard the sound of her door shutting.  With a small groan I stood up, quickly gathering up the empty glasses and putting them on the tray I had brought them out on.  Pinkie remained seated while I worked, and her gaze seemed to follow me each step of the way.  “So, Pinkie, you looking forward to seeing the Wonderbolts again?”

“Yeah, but not nearly as much as Dashie must be.  I mean, yeah, they’re fun and all, but I’m no pegasus.”  She stood as I made my way into the kitchen, and she hopped up onto the counter beside the sink as I started rinsing out the glasses.  “What about you?  Won’t it be hard for you to watch them?”

I chuckled softly as I put down the glass I was filling with water.  “Pinkie, I live in the same town as Rainbow Dash.  I’ve long since gotten over my lack of wings.  Besides, it makes me happy to see her happy, and that’s part of why I’m looking forward to it.”  As I finished rinsing the glasses I noticed that Pinkie kept opening her mouth and closing it just a moment later.  “Is there something on your mind, Pinkie?  If so, speak your mind.”

“What were you and Rarity talking about earlier?  While we were walking down the road, towards the beach.  I mean, I’m almost certain I know, but if it’s just about that, why didn’t she want me around?”

I sighed after I turned off the water, one of my hands coming to rest on Pinkie’s leg.  “It’s got to do with you.  Not just you, but you girls.  That bet, specifically.”  Pinkie looked down for a moment, her brow furrowing.  That look vanished in a moment, and then she smiled again.  “It’s not something to take lightly, Pinkie.  What you did, what all of you did, it hurt.  I can forgive you all, but you’ll need to take the initiative in earning that forgiveness.”  I moved my other arm over to Pinkie as well, and I pulled her off the counter, and into a hug.  “But love is a strange thing, and it makes us do strange things.”  I loosened my embrace some, and Pinkie gave me a quick kiss.  “Now, shall we retire for the evening?”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the most comfortable way you could carry me.”  I nodded as I adjusted how I was holding her, and soon she had her head snuggled up against my chest as I carried her.  “Much better.  Now, let’s head to bed.”

Within just a few minutes I made it to my room, and I gently laid Pinkie down on the bed, taking just a moment to shed all my clothes, save for my boxers.  In that short time Pinkie changed into her own sleeping attire, and I just chose to ignore it, rather than wonder how she did it.  As I laid down in bed Pinkie pulled herself close to my side.  I wrapped an arm around her as her breathing slowed to a calm measured pace.  My own breathing matched hers, and soon enough I faded into the marvelous world of my dreams.

> Chapter XI:  The Wonderbolts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wakefulness was less than gentle in its coming.  Normally it gently knocks upon the door, and allows me to welcome it in with all the pomp and ceremony it is due.  It is, after all, the single most important activity one can perform in the morning.  Honestly, without the waking part, there is no morning.  That morning, though, it was thrust upon me as a sudden pressure on my chest forced a violent expulsion of air from my lungs.  The sudden change in my situation caused me to jump to nearly full awareness in a moment, and it was with no small amount of irritation that I looked up at Pinkie sitting proudly on my chest.

Her eyes sparkled with mirth at the situation, and her genuine smile quickly defused the small anger that had swelled in my chest.  With gentle motions she slid down along my chest until she could put her chest on mine so that her head was level with my own.  She planted a feather light kiss on my lips before she slid down a bit more so that she could rest her head just below my own.  “I wanted to talk to you some...”

I gently ran a hand through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp.  “And it couldn’t wait until a reasonable hour?”

A faint giggle escaped her as she adjusted her position a bit.  “It could’ve, but I didn’t want to wait...  I woke up awhile ago, and I’ve been thinking.”  Her voice seemed to shift a bit, losing some of the normal giddiness it carried.  “About what you said.  What you’ve done.  All sorts of things.”

“Oh?  And has a revelation appeared?”

“Kinda.  Do...  Do you still remember that one time when I was babysitting for the Cakes?”

“The first time, or --”

“No, not the first time.”  A quiet giggle escaped her as she let her mind wander back to the instance I was talking about.  “No, when you came by and helped.  When I had to run the shop as well as watch the little ones.”

I raised an eyebrow for a moment as I struggled, for a moment, to remember which instance she was referring to.  “The time when you were at your breaking point?”

“Yeah... That time...”

Together we recounted what happened that day, and we shared some laughs over a few of the more outrageous moments that had taken place.  At the time none of it had really been all that funny, but, such if the gift of hindsight.  As we finally finished the day’s events, I let out a small sigh.  “And, so, you put down that pile of bits, and I left them there, not wanting to take your money.”

“You left the bits there on purpose?”

“Yeah, I did.  But I still can’t make the connection.  Why were you thinking about that day now, at...”  I glanced at the clock.  “At four in the morning?”

“Well, I wasn’t really thinking about that as much as I was thinking about you.”  She gave me a quick kiss.  “And what you mean to me.  See, I think that was the first time you did something for me, something so totally selfless.  I needed help, and you were there for me.”  She laid her head down on my chest once again.  “That was probably the first step you made towards forging a spot for yourself in my heart.  It took more than that to make me feel for you like I do now, but that was what got it all started.”  She rolled off of me and grabbed my arm, pulling me into an embrace.

“Pinkie, as much as I love reminiscing, where is this going?”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry, Icarus.  What I feel for you isn’t something I should’ve risked over a stupid bet.  None of us should have played with your feelings like we did.  It’s just...”

I brought a hand to her cheek, gently lifting her lips to mine.  “I was so damn thick and stupid you couldn’t see any other way to make it work?”

She giggled softly as she looked at me.  “I suppose that’s one way of phrasing it.”

“That’s the best way of phrasing it.  I couldn’t see what you and the others were offering because I was too busy wallowing in my own sadness.  A sadness that I did nothing to alleviate.  Honestly, it’s funny how, now, I can see that the only times I really enjoyed myself was when I was out doing things.”  I let out a yawn as Pinkie pulled herself closer still, her head nestled against my chest.  “But now let’s try and sleep some more.  We’ve got a big day ahead of us, and I can’t help but feel like something big is going to happen.”



	

I sighed as Dash continued to rant about the Wonderbolts and the kinds of tricks that she’d show them to impress them all.  While she took in a breath to continue I butted in.  “Dash, relax yourself and eat your thrice damned breakfast.  We’re not even supposed to meet up with the Wonderbolts until --”

“But we’re meeting them!  It doesn’t matter when, we’re going to see them!  Today!”  The other girls rolled their eyes and just ate their breakfast as normal while I was the chosen target of Dash’s ranting.  I only half listened while she babbled, trying to eat my breakfast while making the expected rote responses to Dash’s queries.  This continued all through breakfast, and persisted even after I had finished cleaning up all of the dishes.

Finally, when I could take no more, I turned to look at Dash whose wide smile seemed to take all the wind from my sails.  “Dash...  Please.  We’re going to meet up with them in...”  I glanced at the watch on my wrist.  “An hour and a half.  Maybe you could just let the suspense build.  Maybe they’ve got some new moves to show, rather than the same old routine you’ve got memorized.”

Her eyes widened, and I realized in a moment of insight that I had only made things worse with my commentary.  “Ohmygosh!  You think they might have new moves?  Imagine all the possibilities!  They could...”  And so she launched into a renewed rant, quickly trying to cover all infinite possibilities for aerial maneuvers.

She followed me into the living room after I was done in the kitchen, and when she finally stopped to draw a breath I jumped in once again.  “Just let it go, Dash.  There’s no possible way you can guess what they’ll do, since there’s a limitless number of possibilities.  Instead, let’s just enjoy the gentle tranquility of the morning.  You know, quiet --”  A loud crashing sound punctuated my words, and I gently sighed as I put my head in my hands.  “Or that.  I mean, ya know, of course.  Why would things go how I want them to?”  I stood up slowly and made my way towards the stairs.

A second, louder, crash sounded from upstairs, and I hesitated for a moment before I began climbing the stairs.  “Girls?  What’s --”

“PINKAMENA DIANE PIE!  You put that down this instant!  If you break one more --”  A shattering sound cut off Rarity’s fury, and the soft sound of an apology seemed to echo in the silence of the house.  Several long moments of quietude seemed to reign over the house after the outburst, and I decided that it had lasted long enough.

“Hey, don’t mind me, but I think that Dash and I are going to head out a bit sooner than planned.  I’d rather not be here for when --”

“No!  That’s fine.  I’ll come with you.”  Rarity stormed from her room, her cheeks flushed and no small amount of frustration was visible in her eyes.  “I need to get some fresh air.  And an escape from a certain pink haired friend of mine.”  She stopped when she reached where I was on the stairs, and her eyes met mine.  “Now, Icarus.”  I moved to the side so that she could walk past, and I made no move to stop, or slow, her descent.  I looked to Dash for a moment, but she was just shaking with silent laughter.

I gently lowered my head into my hand once again.  “Alright, fine, this is good.”  I turned to look up the stairs once more, a tiny sigh escaping me.  “Alright, the rest of you, Dash, Rarity, and I are heading out early.  Meet up with us in town, or...  Or something.  We’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”

I swear these girls are going to be the death of me...  They’re all amazing, but sometimes I feel like they’re, at times, dumber than should be legal.  And when they aren’t acting like children they’re trying to get me to talk about my feelings.

I closed the door behind myself as I stepped out onto the stone path that led to the road and I took a deep breath of the fresh air, already feeling a bit better after the tension of the house.  Rarity and Dash were both already on the road, looking back at me, but neither of them really seemed comfortable.  Rarity, I was certain, wanted to think some before she would talk about it, and Dash was just showing outwardly how I felt.

Once I reached them I motioned for us to get going, and I took the lead as we started down the long and winding road.  The silence lasted for almost ten minutes before Dash couldn’t keep her enthusiasm contained any longer.  Without a willing audience she hopped back and forth between Rarity and I, her gushing praise incessant and quickly growing repetitive.  When she saw that neither of us were willing to entertain her antics she slowed a bit, until finally, blissfully, stopping.  After a few minutes she matched my pace, walking beside me.  I pulled her a bit closer, after several minutes, eliciting a surprised gasp from her.  I didn’t do anything more than that, though, and yet it seemed to be enough for her.

I glanced over my shoulder at Rarity and gave her a smile, waving her closer.  She didn’t return my smile, but she accelerated her pace just enough to catch up to Dash and I.  I did the same with her as I did Dash, and the three of us just walked down the road in companionable silence as I held the two of them close to my sides.  When the town came into sight I relied on the girls to lead me to where we were going to meet up with the ‘Bolts, or wherever we were going to go, since we still had more than an hour until we were meant to see them.  After just a short walk we wound up in front of the store of the same owner I had helped with the thief.  He happened to be inside, and as we entered he waved me down, a wide smile on his face.

“Icarus!  You’ve come back!”  His eyes roamed over the girls, and his smile seemed to widen just a bit.  “And you’ve brought along two of the finest women to ever grace my store.  Save for mine own blushing brides, of course!”  He let out a weak chuckle after he spoke, and then he walked over, his smile never faltering.  “So, what brings you by today, my friend?  Anything in particular, or are you just here to peruse mine wares?”

Before I could respond Rarity took a small step forward.  “I’m actually the one who brought us here, on Icarus’ insistence.  We...  Well, I am looking for some ingredients for a certain dish that I’d like to make, and we seem to be lacking those back at the house we’re staying in.  I was hoping that you, my good man, would have those ingredients for me.”

“Of course!  And if I don’t have it I’ll be sure to get it for you.”  He pulled a pad out of his pocket and he pulled a pen from behind his ear.  “Now, what do you need?”

I aimlessly wandered off while Rarity rattled off a list of ingredients, all in specific quantities and sizes.  The store was impressively sized, and I simply ambled up and down the aisles as I waited for Rarity to finish up.  As I looked at some of the items on the shelves I marveled at some of the more bizarre items I spotted.  When I reached the end of one aisle I turned to walk along the next, and I simply repeated this over and over.  As I turned to walk down yet another aisle I spotted an employee walking up towards me, a small tag on his shirt identifying him as an assistant manager.

He gave me a small smile when he saw me, and he quickly approached.  “Hey.  Do you need help finding anything?”

“Eh, not really.  Just here with a couple of my friends, waiting for them to finish up so we can get going.”

“Ah, okay.  So, you got dragged along, or what?”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes.  “Sort of.  We’re going somewhere, and one of my friends decided that she wanted to come by to place an order for some specific items.  Your boss seemed really eager to do what she asked.”

“Yeah, some silly policy of his.  If a customer asks for something and we don’t have it, he, or to be more accurate, I, will go and do whatever it takes to get that item.”  He let out a small chuckle.  “He’s really lucky I’m a damn fine employee, or he’d be up shit creek.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “There’s no one else here?”

“Oh, no, not at all.”  He rolled his eyes as he gave a small shrug.  “I’m just one of the only ones to actually do what I’m told.  Speaking of which, I need to get up front before ‘boss-man’ blows a blood vessel.  Again.”  I fell into step beside him, and he gave me a small smile.  “Not often I find a personable customer here on the island.  Most of the types we get are either stereotypical tourists or stereotypical Canterlot snobs.  Mixed in with the locals, who are, sometimes, no better.”

I shrugged, and was about to speak when a voice sounded out over the intercom.  “Quill to the front ASAP!  Quill, to the front end!”

A sigh of epic proportions escaped the man beside me as he quickened his pace.  “Once again, duty calls.  Come by again, sometime.  Good conversation is a valuable commodity in this store.”  He broke into a jog as he made his way to the front of the store, and I let him go, content to walk at my own pace down what was left of the aisle.  Just as I made it back to the front of the shop Rarity seemed to have finished her list, and now Quill and the manager were speaking and gesturing wildly.

I watched for a moment, and then the manager turned to look at Rarity once again.  “We can get you all of what is on your list!  Would you like it delivered,”  Quill visibly paled at this mention, “or would you like to pick it up?”

Rarity clearly noticed because she flashed the assistant manager a small smile.  “Oh, we’ll come and pick it up, don’t you worry.  What time would be good for you?”

The manager looked over the list one last time before he frowned a bit.  “Probably not till this afternoon.  Some of this is a bit more special than what I normally deal with.  Around...  Four, I’d say.  Is that acceptable?”  Rarity just nodded, and then Quill sighed before walking over to grab a cart.  “Quill, here’s the list!  Get started!”  The assistant manager’s shoulders slumped a tiny bit as he grabbed a small cart and began walking the aisles.  “Now, as a courtesy to you for what your good friend Icarus did, I’ll be taking off ten percent.  To be calculated when you pick it up.”

“Of course.”  Rarity flashed a wide smile at the manager before she glanced at the elegant watch on her wrist.  “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we do have some other things to take care of.”  The manager gracefully led us to the door, and he gave each of us a hearty handshake as we stepped out, and as the door shut behind us Rarity grabbed my hand.  “Time for us to make our way to the field.  Oh, and you’ll be preparing dinner for me today.  I’ve already taken care of the others, so it’ll just be you and I tonight.”

“What?”

“Icarus, she’s making you make her a fancy dinner.”  I looked over at Rainbow Dash who had a cocky smile on her face.  “Jeez, even I picked up on that.”

“Well, yeah, I got that.  I’m not that slow, Dash.”  I turned to look back at Rarity.  “What I can’t quite figure out, aside from the obvious reason, is why.”

“Let’s just say that I want things to be different tonight, and I’m not going to let anything, or anyone stop it from going how I’d like it to go.  Also, you owe me a dinner.”

“I do?”  She gave a quick nod before she let her gaze drift.  I nodded as we lapsed into silence.  We soon wandered to the edge of town, and then along a few different trails in the jungle until we came upon a fairly large clearing.  It was at least a hundred yards across to the other side, and roughly circular in shape.  Up above, hanging from cloud tethers, were several dozen rings and other contraptions that the Wonderbolts would be using in their upcoming show.  I could see the forms of the ‘Bolts dashing about amongst their various props and tools as they made sure that everything was okay, and ready to go.  One member seemed to spot us, since they quickly dropped into a dive, leveling out just before hitting the ground and performing a fairly impressive landing.  The wing color made it clear that we were speaking to the esteemed captain, and she quickly lifted her goggles, holding out a hand towards Dash.

“Welcome to the show, Rainbow Dash.”  She gave Rarity and I a nod as well before she and Dash started walking over to the stands that we’d be occupying for the show.  One other form descended from the sky and landed before us, far less dramatically than did their captain.

Soarin shook his head when he glanced over at Spitfire.  “Sorry about her.  She and Dash sometimes forget about the fact that life isn’t all about the show.  Anyway, you’re here early.  Any reason why?”

I offered a small shrug and a smile.  “Needed to get out of the house, and get some air.  Figured that we’d come here, and see what’s going on.”

“Oh, that’s fine.  We’re just about ready.  Care to head over to the stands so that you can get comfortable?”  Rarity nodded, and soon we were on our way to the stands.  “Fire and I have been planning this show for a few weeks, now, and we figured that we’d let the seven of you, once the others get here, be the first to get a glimpse of it.”

I nodded before glancing skywards for a moment.  “Are the rings new?  I, uh...  Since the accident I’ve kind of been missing out.  Hence why I wasn’t there for the Young Flyers Competition.”

Soarin just nodded before he and Rarity joined me in looking towards the suspended devices before he decided to respond.  “I understand.  Frankly, I can’t imagine how you deal with it.”

“Not helping.”

“Sorry.”  Soarin stopped looking up as he continued on towards the stands.  “Anyway, yeah, the rings are new.  Specially crafted and enchanted by some of the best unicorns available.  I think that you’ll be suitably impressed when we do the show.”  By the time we reached the stands the other Wonderbolts were all swooping down to the ground, and generally finding comfortable places to stretch and relax before starting the show.  Dash, unsurprisingly, was acting like Pinkie did whenever she went to visit Bon Bon’s shop back home; like a child in a candy shop with no fear of cavities and an allowance that would make Silver Spoon envious.  However you looked at it, she was ecstatic.

After that it was just a matter of waiting for the others to arrive while Dash fangasmed with the ‘Bolts.  I let my gaze roam the clouds as I waited, but it wasn’t meant to be as soon I found a hand resting on my chest, and a pair of rose colored eyes gazing into my own bluish gray eyes.  “And this is him, Icarus Phaethon.”  I looked between the Wonderbolts and Dash a few times before I offered a feeble wave.  “He’s the one I was talking about.  His dad’s a great inventor, Daedalalulus, or something.  I can’t really remember.”

“Daedalus, Dash.”  I gritted my teeth as I spoke, yet Dash seemed not to notice.  “His name is Daedalus.”  She glanced at me for a moment before she started back towards the Wonderbolts.  “Dash!”  Again, no response.  Finally, having had enough, I stood and walked to catch up with the rainbow haired athlete.  She was, already, busy bragging to the Wonderbolts about how amazing she was, and she failed to notice me as I came up behind her.  I gently grabbed her arm and turned her to look at me, and her irritation vanished in a moment as she saw my own expression.  “Dash.  We need to talk.”  I could see the pleading in her eyes, but that only prompted me to speak again.  “Now.”

A few moments later, and we were at the base of the bleachers, Dash following just behind me as I led her around the bleachers and out of the sight of her mentors.  When I finally stopped I turned to look at her, and she looked at me.  She looked contrite, but I couldn’t tell if it was genuine, or just some act she was putting on so she could get back to the Wonderbolts.  “Icarus, look, I know.  I’m sorry.  I just wanted to impress the Wonderbolts.”

“I...  What?  Do you even know why I’m angry with you?”

She furrowed her brow for a moment as she seemed to sink into thought.  “Because I was using your dad to boost my own ego?”

“As horrible as that is, no.  I’m upset because you claim to care about me, and you can’t even remember my father’s name.  I’m upset because you didn’t even wait for me to bring up who my father is.  What if I didn’t want them to know?  What if I don’t want to go around publicizing who I am, and what happened to me?”

Dash opened her mouth to speak, but then she quickly closed it.  She repeated the action a few times over before she finally stopped trying, and her gaze sank to the ground.  “I didn’t even think about that, Icarus.  I was just so busy trying to impress the Wonderbolts that I didn’t think about how you might feel about what I was doing.”

“And therein lies the problem, Dash.  You’ll think about yourself without end, and then, when someone else finally gets hurt, you realize your mistake.  But you never learn from it.  You keep doing the same thing over and over, never seeing that something needs to change for the outcome to change.”

“I do learn from my mistakes!”

“Yeah, sure, but what about everyone who gets hurt in the process?  What about them, Dash?”  Dash recoiled slightly from my tone, but her gaze remained steadfast.

“I’m not perfect, Icarus.  I know that I fuck things up, and when I see that I’ve fucked up I’ll apologize.  But I’m not going to make it out like it’s all my fault when I know it’s not.  Maybe you should just toughen up and accept what happened, rather than hiding it from everyone.  The six of us know, and what changed?  Nothing!  What in the name of Tartarus are you afraid of that keeps you from talking about what happened?”

I felt my entire frame drain of tension as I looked away from Dash, my anger replaced with regret.  “Enjoy your show, Dash.  I’ll see you back at the house.”  Without another word I turned away from her, quickly making my way across the field and back to where we had come in.  I heard my name called out a few times as I walked, but I ignored them, instead opting to try my best to tune them all out.

She’s right.

That simple thought rang out in my head as I walked, and just as I was exiting the field I heard the telltale sound of teleportation.  I didn’t slow my pace as I walked, figuring that either Rarity or Twilight could catch up to me.  I had been walking for nearly twenty minutes when I finally just stopped walking.  Nothing was forthcoming from whoever was following me, and I didn’t have it in me to turn and look to see who it was.  “I fucked it up again, didn’t I?”  My shoulders slumped as I brought my hand to the bridge of my nose.  “I’m faced with my past, and I just lash out, desperate to keep anyone from even trying to get close.”  I whirled around to find myself looking at Rarity, her gaze level with my own.  “What the hell is wrong with me, Rarity?”  I motioned past her, towards where the field was.  “She wants to get close to me!  Hell, I want her to be close to me!  But I just can’t stop myself from...  From acting like a complete asshole.”

Her gaze softened for just a moment.  “Icarus, it’s not --”

“It has to be!  It has to be me that’s the problem!  I’m not young, Rarity.  I’ve tried, in the past, to get with women.  Back in Manehattan I tried, at least.  Four times I tried, and every single time I fucked it up.  And, as if to prove that it’s me that’s the problem, there wasn’t even any accident that I could try and pin it on for those three women.”  I found myself panting from the exertion of my tirade.  “And now, when you’ve done nothing wrong, I find myself shouting and screaming at you.”

Rarity slowly approached, her gaze still as soft as before.  “Icarus, dear, you really need to lose some of that tension that you’re carrying with you everywhere you go.”  She took my hands in hers, her fingers gently wrapping around my own.  “I’m sure that Dash didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, or to offend you.  She’s simply being herself.”  Her gaze moves away from my own for just a moment.  “At least, as much as she will let herself.  Now, it’s not my place to say, but there’s quite a bit more to her than you see.  Things she refuses to talk about outside of our usual weekly spa trips.”  I only nodded as Rarity released one of my hands, her other using my hand to lead me along.  “Now, we’ve got the whole day ahead of us, and I aim to spend it in your company.  And there’s nothing you’re going to do about it.”

I said nothing as she began dragging me along, my feet at first unwilling to follow.  After just a few moments, though, I gathered my wits, and I began walking beside her.  We walked about the town without any real destination in mind, but the silence that persisted between us killed any attempts at a normal or comfortable walk.  After a while of walking I started recognizing where we were walking, and soon we were on the road back to the house.  Rather than go in, though, Rarity turned us off the road and towards the beach.  When we got onto the beach she led me towards a nearby palm tree, and then she sat down beside it, leaning back on it and enjoying the shade.  I sat down next to her, and she quickly adjusted her position so that she was leaning into me.

“I was thinking some while we walked.”  I looked down at her, meeting her gaze and raising an eyebrow.  “About a lot of things.  My sister, for one.  For so long she looked up to me as a role model for everything she did and does.  She so much wanted me to be proud of her.  Given how rarely mother and father are around, it’s not really a huge surprise.  But now?  Now she’s grown so much more independent.  Often she’ll come back to the boutique in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes a bit more intoxicated than she should be.”  Rarity trailed off slowly, her gaze becoming unfocused.

“She’s at that age, Rarity.  It’s just something that she’s going to do until she grows out of it, or finds someone that she doesn’t feel the need to impress, or whatever her reason is.”

“Yes, I know.  I just wish that it hadn’t been me that she learned it from.”  A deep sigh escaped Rarity as she took one of my hands in her own, her fingers working at mine and playing with my digits.  “When I was younger, before I had the boutique really going, I often would spend a night out on the town, leaving Sweetie alone in the house for hours on end.  More than once I came back so drunk that I couldn’t even make it upstairs to my bedroom.  My sister...  My sister had to come down at one, two, or even three, in the morning and take care of her older sister.  The one person who should be taking care of her.”

“You were young, Rarity.  You were just doing what kids do when they’re young and impressionable.”

She gave a sharp shake of her head, her hands clenching mine a bit tighter.  “No.  No, I was supposed to be better than that.  And it wasn’t until I nearly hurt Sweetie that I finally realized what I was doing to her.  I never once hit her, I couldn’t live with myself if I had done that.  No, it was just a few years ago, about two years before you came to Ponyville, that Sweetie finally confronted me about what I was doing.  About how I was ruining her life, and that she hated me.”  Rarity lapsed into silence for a few minutes and I just waited, not wanting to ruin whatever she was thinking.  “Have you ever wondered, Icarus, why my sister and I are so far apart in age?”

“It’s crossed my mind a few times.  But I never wanted to ask about it.”

“She was...  She was an accident.  My parents were celebrating their anniversary, and...  I assume you can figure out the rest?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I can.”

“She knows, now.  But at the time she didn’t.  I came so close to telling her.  So close that I promised myself I wouldn’t ever drink so much again.  And I lasted quite a while.”

I felt a cold touch of realization.  “Blueblood?”

“Yes.  It didn’t even hit me until several months after the event.  I found what I thought was the perfect man, and then I saw what the ‘perfect man’ really was.  I tried my hand at winning you, but you seemed so distant.  You never seemed to acknowledge any of my attempts.  And then, when you finally were forced into a situation that put us together, you simply brushed off my attempts.”

I felt a tiny smile tug at my lips.  “And what about now?”

She returned my smile, her eyes sparkling with no small amount of delight.  “Now I’ve got you right here, and I’m content to just leave it at that.”  I wrapped my free arm around her shoulder, gently squeezing her.  “Of course, you’d just have to find some way to make it better, wouldn’t you?”

“Necessity is the mother of invention, Rarity.  Not totally applicable here, but I think that, somehow, it can be used.  Something about creativity, and seeing a way to make things better, or something.”  Rarity didn’t say anything back, she simply pulled herself a bit closer to my side, her head resting gently against my shoulder.  For quite some time the two of us simply enjoyed the serenity of our own silence and the gentle sounds of the waves lapping up on the shore.  I closed my eyes as we basked together in the sun and silence, the feelings of warmth slowly working the tension and stress out of my frame.

After quite some time I felt Rarity gently stir.  “You’re so much more comfortable when you’re relaxed, Icarus.  And I mean that as both a pillow, and a person.”  I looked down at her azure pools, and she looked back up at me.  “It’s just a shame that you’re almost always so tense.”

I looked away from Rarity, a flash of sadness running through me.  “I know.  It’s just that it’s hard to just...  To just change my way of life.  I spent all that time in Ponyville trying to put distance between myself and the world, but it didn’t work.  And, now, I’m here.  With at least three --”

“Four.  Twilight has her eyes on you as well.”

“Four girls who are after me.”

“It’s nothing really new, though, Icarus.  I know that Rainbow Dash has had her eye on you for more than a year, and the same is true for Twilight and Pinkie.”  She fell silent after that.

“And you?”

“Since Blueblood.  After the Gala you helped me to vent.  You were, somehow, always there when I felt at my worst.  You remember at Berry’s bar?  When I was there on my own?”

“Yeah, I remember that time.  You were already halfway to drunk when I got there.”

“That was my worst moment.  I really didn’t want to talk to any of the girls about it anymore, since I couldn’t bear to heap more onto them.  And then, lo, you arrived.  And all you did was listen.  You sat there and listened to me as I went on and on about all of my problems, never once complaining.”  She stopped playing with my hand at that point, her fingers interweaving with mine.  “If you had pressed it right then, I probably would’ve slept with you.  There you were, a pillar of strength that I used to weather the storm of my own emotions.  That was when I decided that I wanted you for my own.  Or, at the very least, to be a part of your herd.”

I turned in place to look directly at Rarity, the soft blush on her cheeks only growing at my direct attention.  “And a place you shall have, Miss Rarity Belle.”  I put one hand on her cheek, gently pulling her in for a quick kiss.  What started as only a gentle kiss soon took on a more passionate edge, and she put her arms around my back, pulling me closer to her body.  The kiss still only lasted a few moments, but both her breathing and my own were a bit quicker after the kiss broke.  “A place not only within my herd, but within my heart.”

Rarity’s smile vanished in an instant.  “You are the most cliched person I’ve ever met.”  I fell back from her, laughter bursting from me.  “I swear, if you weren’t as amazing as you are that one liner alone would’ve ended any chance you’d have with me.”  She joined in my laughter, and just a few minutes later we were both seated back where we had been just a few minutes ago.

I spared a quick glance at my watch, and then I looked over my shoulder over the trees towards the spot where the Wonderbolts would be performing.  “I think that the Wonderbolts are probably done by now.  You want to do anything, or is just sitting here fine?”  She didn’t respond verbally, instead choosing to pull herself as close to me as she could.  I was content with that as an answer, and soon I was gently dozing, my consciousness drifting in and out with the ebb and flow of the winds and tides.

When I finally roused myself from my quasi slumber I saw that the sun had traveled a good portion across the sky, and a glance at my watch put the time at just a bit after four.  Rarity, during my state of unawareness had moved herself into an adorable position, her entire body flush against my side and my arm tightly held against her chest.  Through the thin fabric I could feel the gentle and steady beat of her heart, and the measured rise and fall of her breathing.  With excruciating care I removed myself from her grip, taking extra care not to rouse her from her sleep.  Once I was out of her grip I took a moment to stretch out my joints before I stooped down to gently pick her up.

She was far lighter than I expected, and so it wasn’t too laborious a task to take her from our spot on the beach to the beach house.  I made sure to put the key to the house in my hand before I started picking up Rarity, so it only took a few awkward moments of fumbling before I had the door open, and the two of us inside.  The first thing I did after gaining entry was to put Rarity down, gently, on one of the couches in the living room.  As soon as I put her down I took a moment to look around, and ponder just where all the other girls were.

I took a quick trip up the stairs, glancing in each of the girls’ rooms to see if they were there.  When my brief search yielded nothing I paused at the top of the stairs, a pang of brief worry shooting through me.  I made my way back down the stairs, still striving to keep quiet, and I went to the kitchen.  A small note rested on the counter, and it drew my attention.  I unfolded the note and I quickly took in the contents, clearly written in Twilight’s neat handwriting.



Icarus,
Rarity asked that we leave the two of you alone this evening, at least, until midnight, so the rest of us are spending the rest of the day with the Wonderbolts.  You really need to talk to Dash.  She needs to talk to you just as much, so I hope that the two of you can put aside your differences for at least a little bit to get these issues resolved.  Preferably before one of the two of you says something that you’ll really regret.
We’ll probably be



There’s a distinct change in the handwriting, and I chuckle softly as I imagine what happened.



Twi’s super good with words and stuff, but I think I know what to say better than she does right now!
I really hope that you and Rarity have fun together!  Oh, and remember her favorite flower!  I know that the two of you will get along just great.  Rarity’s been talking about you for a while, and I just know that it’ll be great when I get back tonight!
I hope that your bed is big enough for the three of us.  Wait, is that coming on too strong?  I’m sure that you won’t mind when it comes time for bed, so we’ll just have to see!
Lots of Laughs and Love,
Pinkie and the rest of the girls except Rarity who you’re already with!



I rolled the note up into a tight roll, and then I slipped it into my pocket before grabbing a new piece of paper and a writing implement.  I wrote a note of my own to Rarity, quickly outlining what I had learned, certain omissions made, of course, and where I was going before I put it on the table in front of the couch where she was lying.  Just as I was about to leave, an idea came to mind, and I ran up to my room to fetch my small stash of extra bits for those ‘just in case’ situations.  It amassed to a small fortune, but I was fairly certain that it’d be a worthwhile expense.

I quietly slipped out the front door of the house, locking it as I stepped out, and then I started making my way down the road towards town, a small spring in my step as my plans for the evening began taking shape.  Dinner would be both the easiest and hardest part of the evening.  The actual preparations for the meal would be difficult, since I had only made Beef Bourguignon once before, and it came out in a less than spectacular way.  And by that I mean that it was only edible in the loosest sense of the word.  Still, learning by doing is the best way to do it.

As my plans continued to manifest in my mind, I entered the town, my destination already set in my mind.  First to the grocer’s to make sure that everything that was needed would be available, and then to the same mall as I had visited a few days ago.  As I walked into the grocery store a few employees that must’ve recognized me looked over at me before giving a half-hearted wave.  I only nodded as I scanned the storefront, looking for the manager, or Quill.

I spotted Quill first and I approached him.  He noticed me as I walked over, and he got a smile on his face.  “Oh, you’re back.  I just finished up getting your order together about twenty minutes ago.  I’ll go get it for you.”  He started for the back, and I watched him for a moment before I heard someone shout my name out.  It only took a moment of searching for me to find the party in question, and I offered a smile to the manager approaching me.

“Icarus, you’ve returned!  I take it that you’re here for your groceries?”

“Actually, I’ve got a couple other stops I need to make first.  I was just here to make sure that you’d gotten everything, and that I’d be able to pick it up.”

A flash of hurt appeared on his face before it vanished.  “You doubted me?  HA!  It’s okay, it’s only natural.  But, yes, I got all that you asked for.  You are certainly an ambitious one.  I recognize most of the ingredients, and I have to ask who the chef is going to be.”

“That would be me.  Second time making the recipe, so I’m hoping for the best.  Anyway, I do have a few more stops to make, so would you be able to hold onto that order for just a bit longer?”

“Of course, Icarus.  Please, take your time.  I’ll make sure that it is ready for you when you return.”  I gave a quick nod and my thanks before I turned and headed from the store, a new destination in mind.  It didn’t take me all that long to make it to where I was headed, and the gentle chime of the bells above the door heralded my entry into the small shop.  The plethora of display cases offered countless distractions for me to look at, but I didn’t allow them to sway me from my course.  My objective was a simple one, but its simplicity did nothing to alleviate my coming expense.

When I reached the back of the shop I found myself face to face with an elderly unicorn who appeared to be either lost in deep thought or asleep.  I waited patiently for a moment before a surprisingly loud snore escaped her, and I resolved that she was, in fact, asleep.  I tried several times to get her attention by speaking at a normal volume, but, when that failed to get her attention I hefted a small sigh.  It seemed that, after several shouted attempts, that she was a deceptively heavy sleeper.

I muttered several rather colorful terms under my breath and the woman’s eyes snapped open.  “Watch your language in my store, sonny.  I’ll not have you tainting my air with that kind of sailor talk.”  She stared right at me for several moments before she leaned back in her chair, boisterous laughter escaping her.  “The look on your face!  Oh, Creator, it never gets old!  At least, not as old as me.  I’ve got no problem with that kind of language, boy.  My husband always said that he enjoyed bantering with me the most of all his wives.  Claimed that my choice use of vulgarities was probably what attracted him to me the most.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “It wasn’t your looks?”

If I thought her first bout of laughter was loud, this one just showed me that I didn’t really know what loud was.  “Boy, he was blind!  And I don’t mean that he had bad eyesight, I mean that he really couldn’t see.  He never let that hold him back, though.  Always made jokes about how we were all the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.”  She pauses for a heartbeat, a look of longing flashing across her face.  “And now, here I am, the purveyor of jewelry that he could never appreciate.  Bah, don’t let me weary you with my lamentations.  I take it you’re here for something?”

“Actually, yes.  Several somethings.  At least two.  Probably more.”

She adjusted herself in her seat, her gaze settling squarely on my eyes.  “Oh?  And what might these somethings be?”

“Amulets and necklaces to go with them.”

“Cutie marks?”  I nodded, and a small grin spread on her face.  “Traditionalist, eh?  It’s fine.  They’re a bit cliched as far as gifts go, but it’s still a fine sentiment.  Now, you have a picture of the marks, or are we going to work on some vague description?”

“Neither.  I’m hoping that you’ve got paper and a pencil I can use.”  She provided the requested items, and soon I had near perfect recreations of Rarity’s, Pinkie’s, Twilight’s, and Dash’s cutie marks.  “For now, I just need these two,” I pointed at the triple diamonds and triple balloons.  “If you can get those done as soon as you can, I’d be most grateful.”

The elderly unicorn looked at the two designs for several long moments before she offered me a small smile.  “Does the name Moirai mean anything to you?  Or, perhaps, Atropos?”  I shook my head slowly, the word resonating strangely within my mind.  “I didn’t think so.  It’s of little consequence.  Still, wait here for a moment.”  She went into the back room for several minutes, and when she emerged she had two small boxes in her hands.  “Creator knows why I made these when I made them.  But, here they are.”  She opened up the two boxes to display the amazingly crafted amulets.  “They’re yours, for now.  I’ll expect payment when you come for the second set of two.”

I looked at the jewelry, my mind reeling slightly at the obviously staggering amount of time that had gone into crafting the items.  “I don’t know what to say.”  I looked up at her, my mind refusing to work in sync with my mouth.  “This is one of those rare times when I genuinely don’t know how to respond.”

The old woman just shrugged as she put the two boxes into a small paper bag.  “Sometimes saying nothing is preferable to saying something stupid.  A wise man once said; ‘Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.’”

I accepted the bag of jewelry, the weight seeming much larger than it actually was.  As I lowered my hand to my side a flash of realization passed through me.  “Thank you.  I’ll be sure to come back when the time is right, since I’m guessing that you’ll somehow know when that is.”  I offered a small smile.  “Fate’s a strange thing, isn’t it?”

Her own face broke into a smile.  “The strangest thing I’ve ever seen.  The strangest thing I’ll ever see.”



	

“I swear to the Creator, I really hate carrying bags of groceries.”

“Yeah, Quill, I’m sorry.  I really didn’t want for you to be dragged all this way just to help me.”  A huge sigh escaped my companion, and I offered him a small smile.  “We’re almost there, at least.”

“I know.  Whenever Celestia or Luna comes to take a vacation, a blessedly rare event, we at the market have to make frequent trips to bring them their stuff.  Celestia’s a great tipper, though.  She usually goes for a two hundred percent tip.  Luna not so much.  Still, she makes up for it.”

As we reached the door I realized that I didn’t have a hand free to get the key out of my pocket.  Luckily, the door opened just as I was about to begin fumbling around to get the key, and Rarity was standing there in an amazing looking dress.  It was, by no means her finest garb, but it was still quite impressive.  “Oh, Icarus, you’re back.  And Quill, you came to help him out?”  He gave a sheepish smile and a nod.  “Excellent.  You two can just put the bags in the kitchen.  I’m actually still getting ready, so you can get started as soon as you can, Icarus.”

She quickly made her way back up the stairs, leaving Quill and I to deal with the grocery bags.  It only took a few minutes, with Quill’s help, to get everything sorted and put away.  There was a slight flush on his cheeks, and when I tossed him a small bag of bits he barely reacted in time to catch it.  “Enjoy, Quill.  Do like I did.  And am doing.”

He barely seemed to acknowledge the fact that he was now significantly richer.  “She’s beautiful.”

“I know.  But I’m sure there’s someone out there for you.  Find her, Quill.”

He looked down at the bag of bits in his hands, and he held it tightly for a moment.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I’m sure.  I’ll see you around, Icarus.”  He was silent after that as he walked to the door, and left.

As soon as the door shut behind him I turned to regard the kitchen I would be working in for the next hour or so.  My actions seemed to meld together as I worked on each part of the meal, and it was with a tiny jolt that I remembered the most important thing that I had picked up at the grocer’s shop.  Quill had put them in the fridge to keep them fresh, and I gently put the alstromerias into their vase, making sure that they were elegantly arranged and that they would compliment the table setting.

As soon as I had that done, I truly immersed myself in the cooking, each step being followed as best as I could remember, in order to make sure that everything came out as perfectly as I could manage.  About halfway through the cooking Rarity came back downstairs, her attire the same as before, but, somehow, she seemed far more attractive than she did before.  The open side of the dress ran up her leg high enough to show her cutie mark, and I had to fight with myself to keep from staring.  She seemed to enjoy the attention, though, as she let out a lighthearted laugh that drew my eyes up to her face.

“I take it that you like it, Icarus?  It’s just a little something that I whipped up a few weeks before we left home.”  She did a quick pirouette, showing me every amazing side of her in a single quick move.  “It took me days to get all the curves just right in order to have it accentuate without overwhelming.”

“Beautiful isn’t a strong enough adjective.”  She just blushed at my compliment, and I gave a quick start as I realized that I still had food to prepare.  That, and I was woefully underdressed for our meal.  “Um, I’d love to keep heaping on well deserved compliments, but I still have a meal to make.  So, if you’ll give me a few minutes...”  I trailed off as I continued working the various ingredients together in order to craft our dinner.  Time passed in a blur of activity as I brought our dinner closer and closer to a state where it would be edible.  Each time I took a small taste of what I was crafting I was rewarded with a sample of edible bliss, and a bit of confidence began worming its way into my mind.

Once I was certain that the food could stand on its own for a short while, I dashed up to my room, eager to dress up in as fine attire as Rarity had on.  It only took a moment for me to liberate my suit from the confines of my closet, and then a few moments later I was dressed up in the suit.  I ditched my usual rugged watch for a more ornate golden watch, and I slipped Rarity’s gift into the coat’s inner pocket, wondering just when the perfect moment would present itself.  Just as I was about to depart from my room I cast a quick glance at myself in the mirror.  The man staring back at me from behind that pane of glass seemed so familiar, and yet so different from the man I thought I was.  Before I could grow philosophical, I left my room, the hall vanishing before me as I walked back down it towards the stairs.

When I got to the kitchen it took me only a moment to take stock of everything that I still had to take care of, and I went at it with gusto, each step still to go flowing with an ease that betrayed how much focus I was really putting into the act.  No true thoughts passed in my mind as I worked, each move a part of a larger machination in which I was a mere pawn.  As I completed my meal, and my mind returned to my full command, I realized that this was yet another moment of magic within my life.  I looked over my shoulder at Rarity and I saw a massive smile on her face, along with a slight flush on her cheeks.  “Did I...  Was that another one of those Magic of Harmony moments?”

“Yes, Icarus.  And I have to say, it was really quite good.  I even got a few singing parts.”  She walked over to me, just the right amount of sway to her hips to get all of my attention.  “It’s just a shame that you never seem to really remember them.  If you did I’m sure that you’d change your opinion of them.”

“Maybe.  Maybe not.  I just don’t think I’m much of a singer, or anything like that.  Still, it got the job done, and now we have a wonderful meal ahead of us.”  I elegantly turned as I spoke, my blush fading from my cheeks, and I picked up the two plates of food that I had prepared, each one perfectly portioned and plated with pinpoint precision.  “For dinner, Beef Bourguignon served over rice.  Dessert is yet to be decided, but I figured that I’d just whip us up some milkshakes, or something.”

I put the plates down at our respective places and then I pulled out Rarity’s chair, waiting for her to be seated before I sat myself.  Once she was seated, and so was I, we started eating.  I waited for Rarity to take the first bite, and the flash of pleasant surprise that passed over her features was enough to bring a smile to my face.  The meal passed in relative silence as we simply enjoyed the fruits of my labor.  Once the two of us were done eating, I took the initiative to take both her plate, and mine, to the kitchen.  I put them in the sink before running some water over them.  When I returned to the dining room I found it empty, but I heard Rarity call me from the living room.

When I walked into the living room I saw her reclined on one of the couches, a space left open on that same couch for me, as evidenced by her gesture towards said spot.  At my approach she adjusted her position slightly, and once I was seated she returned to her position, her side leaning against mine.  After just a moment I adjusted our positions to something more palatable, and soon she had her back resting against my chest while the two of us both reclined on the couch.

“Tell me something about you that I don’t know, Icarus.  Something big and secret.  Maybe something that no one else knows.”  She took one of my hands in hers and she began playing with it just like she had when we were on the beach.

“A secret?”  She just hummed her assent as she continued marveling at my hand.  “Oh...”  I lapsed into silence as I struggled to think of something that would meet the criteria Rarity had set forth.  “I don’t really have any big secrets, Rarity.  The biggest one I had is something that you already know about me.”

“Really?  There’s nothing else to know about you?”

“Well, there’s my personality.  But aside from what happened to my wings there’s not much to tell.  Well...”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been working on making a set of wings.  They’re still too heavy to work, but with the right magical spells woven into them they’ll let me fly again.”

“Why would you keep that a secret, Icarus?  Isn’t that something that you’d want all of us to know about so that we could help where we can?”

I let out a small sigh.  “I don’t want to get my hopes up, really.  The six of you have this infectious positive attitude about you.  And I don’t want to get my hopes up for a project that will probably never come to fruition.”

Rarity shifted her position until she was seated on my legs, her head just a bit higher than mine, forcing me to look up at her.  “Are you really that worried about failing, Icarus?”

“A bit...  A lot, actually.  It’s kind of a part of why I never tried anything with you.  Or Pinkie or Dash, or anyone.  I don’t want to deal with the rejection.  Or the failure.  And, at the same time, I’m afraid of success.  That elusive moment of happiness that comes when you finally get it right.  I’m afraid that when I finally get that satisfaction it won’t live up to what I hope it will be.  So I just play it safe, and I don’t do anything I don’t already know I can do.”

Rarity’s arms came down around my neck, and her eyes sparkled with mirth.  “If you only do what you already know you can do, how do you expect to do all the things in life that are the most fun?”  She leaned in quickly, her breath teasing across my lips.  “How can you expect to live and learn when you do neither part?”  Her sparkling blue eyes looked deep into my own, and I leaned in for a quick kiss, a satisfied hum escaping her as our lips locked for just a moment.  As I broke the kiss Rarity leaned back just a bit.  “So, you can do new things?”

“Yeah, I can.  And, sometimes, those new things I do are the most fun.  I’m striving to change some things about myself, and that’s one of them.”  I made no further motions as I contented myself with just looking at the beautiful woman in my lap.

“You know, Icarus, most men wouldn’t be quite content with just looking.”  Her eyes sparkled with mirth at her words, and without a moment of hesitation she swept her leg over me, elegantly dismounting my legs while nearly flashing me a pleasing view.  “You said something about making some milkshakes for dessert?”

“Yeah, I did.  You’re interested?”  She nodded as she sauntered into the kitchen area.  I followed just behind her, and just a few minutes later I had the blender running with a good helping of chocolate ice cream and milk forming the concoction.  As the blender did it’s gruesome work upon the ingredients, I got out some glasses and straws for us to use.  “I’m, honestly, surprised that you didn’t comment on the flowers, Rarity.  I seem to remember you saying that they’re your favorites.”

“Oh, they are.  And I appreciate it.  I’m just hoping that this isn’t the entirety of what you had planned for the evening.  Flowers and a fancy meal are one thing, Icarus.  A full evening spent with a... With one you love should be far more refined than this.”

I smiled at her as I filled the glasses with the now finished milkshake.  She gladly accepted the glass from me as we moved from the kitchen back to the living room.  “When we get back to Ponyville you, Pinkie, and whoever else I wind up with, is going to get a week with me, and no one else.  And, for that week, you can expect plenty of pampering and pleasantries.”

“I’m looking forward to it, darling.”  As she finished her milkshake she used her magic to levitate the empty glass over to the coffee table.  “As you are likely aware, I’ve spent a good amount of time looking at your hands today, and I must say that they’re quite impressive.  When I think of all the things you do with them, I can only imagine what you could do if you put your mind to a quality massage.”

I gave her a flat stare.  “That’s probably the worst way you could’ve asked for a massage, Rarity.  Did it occur to you to just ask?”

She flushed for a moment, but then quickly regained her composure.  “I couldn’t possibly be so direct.”  She lets out a small laugh before she turns towards the stairs.  “Why don’t you take care of the last of the dishes, and then come upstairs to your room.  I’d like to see how good you can be when you put your mind to something new and different.  Maybe after the massage we can see where things go.”

Without another word she started going up the stairs, and I was left staring at what was probably one of the more enticing views of the evening.  The plunging backline of the dress provoked all manner of thoughts, and it took a measure of self control for me to tear my gaze away from that long enough to not chase her up the stairs.  I took my time with the dishes, allowing thoughts of what was to come to permeate my thoughts only intermittently.

With Dash it was just sex.  With Pinkie it was more than just sex.  And, now, I think this is going to be the first time where it’s really something that I’m going into it knowing what’s coming...

Once the last piece of silverware was away, I started for the stairs.  Once I got to the top, I saw that the door to my room was closed, even though I know that I had left it open when I came down earlier.  I approached it slowly, and I took a deep breath before I knocked on the door.

> Chapter XII:  The Third (SEX)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The silence that followed those knocks seemed to stretch long into the dark of the night.  But then, like a wondrous chime, came Rarity’s voice.  “Come in.”  My hand rested on the doorknob for a moment as I steadied my breathing.  The first thing I noticed as I opened the door was that there were dozens of candles spread all over the room, and a faint odor that I couldn’t quite identify wafted about the room.  I made sure to close the door behind myself as I entered, and as the latch fell into place I finally noticed the most important thing in the room.

Rarity was sitting on my bed, resting her back against the headboard, her legs curled up beneath her in a way that seemed to accentuate them in all the right ways.  Her attire, if you could really call it that, was as seductive as it was beautiful.  The stirring in my pants told me all I needed to know about the garments, and I slowly approached the bed as she beckoned me closer.  “I take it that you like what you see, Icarus?  I made it myself.  That devil woman may have a larger chain than I do, but she can’t hold a candle to the quality I make.”

I stopped at the foot of my bed, my mind still trying to recover from the shock of Rarity’s beauty.  Finally, after several moments of silence, I found my voice again.  “You look beyond beautiful, Rarity.  I, honestly, can’t think of any good adjectives to describe how you look.”

A light flush descended on her cheeks, and she looked away for just a moment.  When she looked back at me the blush was still present, but her gaze was changed slightly.  “Now, why don’t you come up here and we can get started on that massage you’re going to be giving me?”  I only nodded as I started to climb onto the bed, but Rarity raised an eyebrow.  “You’re distractingly overdressed, darling.”  She giggled softly as she looked me up and down.  “Maybe you should change that?”  I only hesitated for a moment before I stepped back from the bed, my suit quickly coming apart under my practiced hands.  Once I was just in my shirt and boxers, Rarity spoke once again, a trace of amusement in her voice.  “Oh, that’s enough.  I can help you with that last bit.”  I only had a moment to wonder what she was saying before I felt that familiar tingling sensation that comes along with being levitated.

Once she had me deposited on the bed she moved a bit closer to me, her hands seeking out the buttons on my shirt.  With her so close, though, I found myself unable to stop, and I pulled her into a quick kiss, a surprised squeak escaping Rarity as I pulled her in.  Her surprise did little to diminish her eagerness, though, as just moments into the kiss I felt her tongue gently probe at my lips.  I granted her entry, and she just teased my tongue with hers before withdrawing, a wide smile on her face.  “More later, darling.  Now, though, you have other matters to attend to once I remove this offending piece of garmentry.”

“Offen...  Offending?  This is a shirt you made...”

She laughed softly as her hands played at the fastenings, each one coming undone under her delicate ministrations.  “At the moment I want that shirt to be anywhere but where it is now.  For all I care, it could be a one of a kind Fancy Pants dress shirt.  Right now, I want to see you, and not your clothing.”  As she reached the bottom button on my shirt her hands lingered where they were for just a moment, gently feeling at my manhood.  “And that’s something that we’ll get to soon enough, love.”

After she spoke, her horn glowed once again, this time bringing over a small bottle of scented massage oil.  I took it from the air, and in the time I spent opening it, and squirting some into my hands, Rarity had laid herself down beside me, her silken half robe gone from her body and likely calling a spot on the floor home for the night.  The lingerie she had on beneath that was still present, though, and I gently undid the small tied knots that held the garments on her body,  Once her entire back was bare to me, I ran a hand along her spine slowly, simply marveling at how silky smooth her skin was.

When I finally allowed the massage oil onto her skin, she shivered for just a moment at its cool contact, but that shiver soon faded into nothingness as I began massaging the oil into her skin, gently pressing down on her to start easing her into it.  Once I had the oil spread out, I began kneading at her muscles, my lack of experience making the act take much longer than it should have.  As I slowly puzzled out what I had to do to see the best results from my efforts, I was rewarded with a low sigh from Rarity.

Spurred on by her positive reaction, I started working more diligently at her back, my hands running along her flawless body, a low moan escaping her every so often as I found and worked at each knot in her back.  “Work a bit lower, dear.”  I obliged her and started working down on her lower back, eliciting a series of sighs as I found and eliminated several knots.  I lingered there for a few more moments before I took the initiative to move a bit lower, nothing more than a few scant inches separating my hands from her inviting butt.

The thin fabric, despite barely covering anything, was still in the way, so I gently took it in hand.  As I did so I noticed a tingling coming from my boxers, and when I looked down I saw a faint glowing field of energy that matched Rarity’s magic.  “Go ahead, darling.  I just figured that we’d keep even as far as clothing goes.”  I could hear the smile in her voice, and I felt a smile of my own come to my face.  As I slowly moved her last piece of lingerie down I felt my boxers gently sliding down my legs at the same rate.  Once I finally removed the piece of cloth I tossed it aside, letting it join the rest of the clothing on the floor, my attention focused more intently on the prize I had revealed.

Before I could stop myself, I found my hands gently caressing the twin orbs, their amazingly soft feeling only prompting me to gently squeeze at them and marvel at their appearance.  A soft giggle, followed by a moan, escaped Rarity as I groped her ass.  “You like it that much, Icarus?”  I only gave a nod that she couldn’t see, my mind too consumed with the beauty in front of me for words to form.  After a few moments of helping myself to the visual and tactile feast, I resumed my massage, gently working my way down each of her legs.  I didn’t linger on her legs as long as I did her back, and soon I finished with my task.  “Done, darling?”  I told her that I was, and she just sighed as she shifted her position slightly before rolling over.

During the act of rolling over she brought her hands up to her chest, her eyes sparkling with delight as she looked down at me.  She didn’t even try to cover the delta between her legs, and that was fine, as my gaze was held firmly by her eyes and face.  She didn’t move an inch as I moved over to her side.  I put my hands down on either side of her head, and then I lowered myself for a gentle kiss.  She lifted her head up some to meet my kiss, and for several moments we enjoyed the simple pleasure of kissing.  When she let her head fall back to the bed I moved one hand from beside her head to her cheek, gently caressing it.

“Do you want to continue the massage, or...?”  She shook her head, and I nodded slowly.  I lifted myself up some, and then I moved myself down her body some before stopping when my head was over her breasts.  I looked up at her for a moment before I lowered my mouth to her nipple, taking it in and gently suckling on it.  A surprised squeak escaped her as I gently nibbled it and then let it escape from my mouth.  I repeated the process on her other breast.  I blew gently on the saliva left behind, eliciting a shiver from Rarity.

I felt a gentle tingle play along my back, and soon it focused on the scars that marred my back.  Rarity’s horn glowed softly, and I was about to speak when I felt the tingle run along, over, and through the sensitive spots on my back, forcing a moan out of me.  “If you’re going to tease me, Icarus, expect me to do the same.”

Her magical touch didn’t let up, and I found it difficult to arrange my thoughts as I spoke.  “I think, Rarity...  I think that I’ll win this one.  You, ah...  You have more places to tease.”  To accentuate my words I blew once again on her erect nipples, forcing a gasp from her lips and a brief respite from her magical ministrations.  During that momentary lapse in her attentions, I moved further down her body, gently placing kisses along her silky smooth skin.

As I grew lower and lower Rarity’s breaths came more and more rapidly, small moans spread amongst her gasps of pleasure.  When I was finally above her womanly folds I blew gently on her clit, a shiver running through her body in response.  I looked up at her from my position above her body before I lowered my mouth to her sensitive nub.  My tongue plied delicate circles around it, never breaking contact with it and constantly altering both rate and direction.  I brought one of my hands up to her entrance as I continued my oral ministrations, making sure to bring her as much pleasure as possible.  I gently slid a pair of fingers into her opening, a steady rhythm quickly building.

Rarity’s gasps and moans grew in volume and intensity as I worked, and after just a few minutes her entire body stiffened for a moment and a low keening sound escaped her as she began shivering.  Her tunnel clamped down on my fingers during her orgasm, and I did what I could to continue moving them in and out at a steady rhythm.  When her orgasm finally came to an end she just laid in place, her breathing coming in rapid gasps.

She grabbed my head in her hands, and lifted me up so that she could look at me.  She opened her mouth to speak, but I quickly shook my head.  “We’re not done just yet, Rarity.  Besides, the night is still young.”  She nodded quickly, and I shifted position so that my manhood stood at her moist entrance.  With plenty of care I pushed into her, relishing in the tightness that pressed down on my member like a vice.  The pressure was amazingly pleasurable, and I let out a low moan as I reached the full length of my erection.

She rotated her hips just a tiny bit as I thrust into her, adding to the friction and the sensations shooting through me.  For just a few moments were both nearly still, simply enjoying the sensations.  I looked down at her for a moment, and she just gave me a quick nod.  That was all I needed, and I started moving myself to an unheard beat, timing each of my thrusts with her gentle ministrations.  Her inner muscles seemed to ripple in time with my thrusts, and it wasn’t long before I was riding the razor’s edge.

She opened her eyes a bit, and she looked down at me as I worked, and she let out a long and low moan as she suddenly tensed up, her canal contracting abruptly, shattering both the rhythm, and my concentration, quickly sending me over the edge and into a blissful release.  My world was awash with pleasure for several moments as I recovered from the intensity of the orgasm, and I made sure to fall down beside Rarity, and not atop her.  Rarity took longer than I to come back to awareness, and when she did she just reached out a hand for me, fumbling until she finally found one of my hands.

“Thank you, Icarus.  It’s been too long since my last time with someone else.”  I squeezed her hand a bit, prompting her to squeeze back before she rolled onto her side so that she could look at me.  “None of them were as good as you were, Icarus.  Even if you don’t have the skill they had, you make up for it by being who you are.”

I chuckled softly as I sat up, releasing Rarity’s hand.  “Enthusiasm can go a long way towards replacing skill.”  I grabbed the blankets that we were atop, and I pulled them down so that we could move beneath them.  Rarity aided the process after a moment, and soon the two of us were simply lying beneath the blanket, enjoying the cool air as it came through the open balcony.  “And good company, too, can take you further than anything.”  As I finished speaking, I let my head rest against the headboard while Rarity leaned into my side, her fingers intertwining themselves with my own.

For quite some time we just enjoyed the silence and tranquility before the sounds of voices, soft ones, drifted up the stairs and into my room.  “Icarus, there’s nothing wrong with what we’ve done.  No need to tense up.”  I looked at her for a moment, and she lifted up our meshed hands, showing me that my knuckles had gone paler due to increased pressure.

I released her hand entirely as I looked at my own.  “Knowing and acting are two entirely different things, Rarity.”

Before Rarity could offer a response, a gentle knocking sounded at the door.  The knocks were so soft that, even paying attention, I nearly missed them.  I looked to Rarity, who only nodded, before I bid the knocker to enter.  I was just a bit surprised to see Pinkie, who had a smile on her face that only grew when she looked to Rarity.  In a way that only Pinkie could she skipped over to the bed in complete silence before throwing herself onto Rarity, locking her in a giant hug.  After a moment Pinkie let up on the hug long enough to throw an arm around me to pull me into the hug as well.

“I knew it would work out.  I told you it would, Rarity.”  Pinkie moved back after she spoke, kneeling on the bed between Rarity and I.  “But you --”

“I recall what I said, Pinkie.  No need to bring it up yet again.”  Rarity flushed a bit as she spoke, and I looked between the two of them, certain that I was missing something.  “Now, don’t you think that you should get changed?  Your attire is unsuitable for the kind of situation the three of us are in.”

Pinkie hopped off the bed before she grabbed the hem of her shirt.  Before she lifted it very far, though, she looked over at me with a curious look on her face.  I shook my head.  “No, Pinkie.  Tonight was Rarity’s night.  Tomorrow, maybe, but not tonight.”  She only nodded before she quickly stripped down and hopped into bed beside me, quickly snuggling up against my left side while Rarity occupied my right.  “Oh, and speaking of missing something, what happened this morning, Rarity?  What was Pinkie breaking?”  Even in the dim light I could see Rarity’s cheeks flush at my words, and I felt a grin come to my face.

Not much makes Rarity blush...  This has to be good.

“Oh, yes.  That.  Well, Icarus, Pinkie was looking at some of my... Personal ite --”

“I was looking at some of Rarity’s glass dil --”

“Personal.  Items.”  My grin only grew.  With a flash of magic I felt a pillow connect solidly with my face.  “Wipe that grin off your face, Icarus.  I’ll have you know that they were crafted of fine crystal, and that they were quite expensive...  Pinkie, don’t you dare.  If you tell him what I told you...”

I looked at Pinkie, and the smile on her face told me that she dearly wanted to tell me whatever it was that Rarity didn’t want revealed.  “Do you know that Rarity names them?  Do you know what she named the one she showed me?”  I looked at Rarity, and I could see that she was caught between outrage and humiliation, with humiliation beating out her anger.

Pinkie was only teasing Rarity, but the fashion oriented unicorn seemed unwilling to allow this to go any further.  “Oh, for Celestia’s sake!  I named one of them after you, Icarus!  Since I’m a part of your herd, now, this kind of information can be shared.”  She raised a single threatening finger towards me.  “But if you tell a soul, not even Princess Celestia will be able to protect you from me.  By Tartarus, I’d get her and Princess Luna to help.”

“Good to know, Rarity.  Now, girls, let’s get some sleep.  Today was a long, and busy day, and I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep.  And, as I said, Rarity, good company can make anything, and everything, better.”

> Chapter XIII:  The Explorer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	



Chapter XIII:  The Explorer



	

I was the first awake of the three of us, and I spent a short while simply enjoying their company before I slowly dragged myself up and out of bed.  I took extra care to keep from waking either of them up, but it was in vain as Rarity tightened her grip on me as I started to rise.  “No.  Stay.”

I grabbed her hands in my own, gently pulling them off of me.  “Sorry, Rarity, but someone has to make some breakfast.”  She cracked an eye open, doing everything she could to glare at me.  I just leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before sitting all the way up.  “Don’t glare like that, Rarity.  You look no less beautiful when you do, but I find you to be limitlessly more attractive when you look happy.”  She flushed a bit at that remark, and during that brief lull in her attentiveness to where I was I slipped out of bed, and into some clothes.  “Come down in a bit, Rarity.  And bring Pinkie with you.  We both know that she’s awake.”

“No I’m not, Icarus...  Um, I mean, I’m...  Yeah, I got nothing.”  Pinkie rolled onto her back, quickly sitting up, uncaringly allowing the blanket to fall down her form, exposing her.  Not that she seemed to mind.  “Could you make some waffles?  With sugar?  And syrup?  And butter?  And whipped cream? Oh, and ice cream?”

I rolled my eyes at her.  “It’s eight in the morning, Pinkie.”  She shot me a stare that could make the famously serious Royal Guards break their silence.  “I didn’t say no, Pinkie.  We’ll just save the ice cream for tonight.”

Her expression rapidly shifted to a wide smile and she started bouncing and laughing, exclaiming to Rarity just how excited she was, all of a sudden, for dinner tonight.  I only smiled as I turned from the door, ignoring Rarity’s pleas for me to come back.  “Breakfast waits for no one, Rarity.  And it’s up to me to get started.”  The door behind me closed with a satisfying sound, and I slowly made my way down the hall and towards the kitchen.  Just a few minutes later, and I had a couple bowls out, my ingredients at the ready.  As I worked, I found myself humming a tune to a song that was eerily familiar, and when I finally started the actual cooking the words to a song jumped, unbidden, to my lips.  Before I could really get into it, though, I stopped myself.  “By the Creator, magic sucks sometimes.”

“Only when you don’t know the how and why, Icarus.”

I turned around, momentarily, to see Twilight sitting on one of the stools at the small island in the middle of the kitchen.  She had a cup of coffee in her hands, and I just shook my head as I turned back to my cooking.  “Was I really distracted so much that I didn’t notice you come in?  Or were you just taking pains to be extra quiet?”

“Both.  Well, sort of.  You were fairly distracted, and I was being neither loud nor quiet.  That tune you were humming was pretty nice.  I wish I could’ve been there for it.”  She took a quick sip of her coffee before she continued.  “I know you don’t like the music, but I find it exhilarating.  A real chance to express how I feel.”

“Yeah.”  I turned around again, pointing at her with the spoon I used to stir the waffle batter.  “But you don’t have things you’d rather not share, do you?  I still have stuff that I don’t want to talk about, and those songs have a nasty habit of sometimes going too far with feelings and stuff.”  Her horn flared for a moment, and I found the spoon pulled from my grip.  “I’m using that, Twi.”

She stood as the spoon reached her, and with a few steps she was beside me.  “And now I’m using it.  Besides, you cook all the time, allow me to help you out some.  It’s the least I can do.”  She shrugged.  “It’s the least any of us can do.”  I made a few attempts at getting the spoon back from her, to no avail, before she finally let out an irritated huff.  “If you don’t stop trying, Icarus, I will teleport you up to the roof.  Again.”

“We’re not at the library, Twi, and I didn’t do anything to your books.  You can’t threaten me with that.”  She flushed for only a moment before she made her horn glow with a menacing purple aura.  I took an instinctive half step back, before I remembered a single interesting aspect of the unicorn, and all unicorns, before me.  “I know how to stop you, Twi.”  She only smirked before the glow intensified, prompting me to latch one hand onto her horn, right at the base, softly pinching the skin just above her horn, painlessly dissipating the magic, and preventing her from charging her horn again.  “Like I said, I know how to stop you.  The griffin people may be bad at a lot of things, but figuring out ways to win on the battlefield is one of the things that they are phenomenal at.”  I quickly released her horn, and took the spoon from her so that I could continue my cooking, nudging her gently aside while she continued to stare at me with wide eyes, and a growing blush.

“Icarus, you...  I...  You remember that talk we had about unicorn erog --”

“Yes.”  I stopped her before she could start the lecture that her tone threatened.  “And I also know that the hold I just used prompts, er, arousal, in less than five percent of the unicorn population.  It’s designed to stop a unicorn, not let them get their rocks off.”  I paused for a moment.  “In a manner of speaking, of course.  You’re a girl, so the release...”  Twilight’s cheeks were a deep shade of crimson, and she was nervously playing with her hands, doing everything she could to avoid looking at me.  “O... Oh.  Yeah, I think I’ll stop now.”  The remainder of the breakfast preparation was done in silence, my own thoughts occupied with what had just happened, while Twilight just stared at the floor, clearly engrossed with her own ruminations.

Applejack was the first of the other girls to come down, and she clearly noticed the strain between Twilight and I, since she started a conversation right away, trying to force us out of our funks.  “Morning, Twi.  And good morning to you, too, Icarus.  I trust things went well with Rarity last night?”  I gave a nod, barely glancing at Applejack as I continued my work on the food.  “Icarus, I’ve known you for some time now, and while I never got a real good handle on your past, or the way you think, I can read your emotions like a book.  So, that being the case, spill it.  And don’t try any of that hogwash about how nothing’s wrong.”

“I did something really stupid a short while ago.”  My voice and Twilight’s flowed together as we both spoke, and my blush nearly rivaled that of Twilight’s.  Luckily, I had the food to distract me, and I whirled around to attend to the already done waffles.  Twilight continued, though.  “It was my fault, really.  Icarus was cooking, and I tried to take that over for him.  He wasn’t interested, and I just kept going.  I, also, might’ve made a not so subtle threat indicating that he should really stop.”

“Not so subtle?  Twi, that’s an understatement.”

Applejack shot me a glare.  “I swear to-- Not so subtle is what it takes to get through to you, Icarus.”  I was about to retort when she held up a hand.  “Rainbow Dash.”  She raised one finger.  “Pinkie Pie.”  Another digit went up.  “Rarity Belle.”  A third finger came up.  “Do I have to keep going, or have I proved my point?”  I only grumbled a response, and I felt as much as heard Applejack’s approach.  “I asked you a question, Icarus.”

“Yeah, you’ve made your point.  It’s not really my fault that Twilight falls into a three percent bracket of the unicorn population.  And, no, unless Twilight explains the context for that, I certainly won’t.”

“You won’t explain what, Icarus?”  Both Rarity and Pinkie came down the stairs, each with a smile on their face.

“Nope.  No, not going to continue this.  Twilight and I have to talk about some stuff, and there’s nothing else to it.”  I looked sharply at Twilight.  “Isn’t that right, Twi?  Unless you want to explain to them just what it is that we were talking about?”  She flushed, and looked away.  “So, if you’ll all let this go, we can see about having some breakfast.”  Much to my satisfaction, the topic between Twilight and I wasn’t brought up again, and we were able to enjoy breakfast just a few minutes after the arrival of Rarity and Pinkie when Fluttershy and Dash both came down.  Over the course of the meal we discussed our plans for the day, and after some discussion we concluded that we’d split up, since not all of us could agree on something to do.

Rarity, to no ones surprise, wanted to head into town for some shopping.  Through some work of literary magic, she convinced both Applejack and Fluttershy to accompany her.  Pinkie, Dash, and Twilight all decided to head to the beach.  That left me with tagging along with either group, or heading off to do some stuff on my own.  After some time in thought, I decided to tag along with Pinkie and company, if only for a bit.  I did want to take some time to explore more of the island, so I settled on spending a couple of hours at the beach before heading off to wander the island.  So, with our plans settled, we went about making them reality, and within a half hour Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy were heading down the road towards town, while the rest of us made for the beach.

I was saddled with carrying the cooler and the chairs, while the girls made their way down the path towards the beach.  I quickly set everything up, and once I had the chairs laid out, and the cooler buried a bit to keep it colder longer, I stripped down to my swim trunks, and I charged for the sea, heedless of the cool spray, and colder water.  Once the water reached my thigh, I dove in, holding my breath as long as I could to swim beneath the surf.  When I finally emerged from the depths of the sea I took a deep breath of air before submerging myself once again, hoping that the spell Twilight had weaved on my necklace earlier was working properly.  She claimed it would keep the water away from my eyes, acting just like goggles, and that it would allow me to see without worrying about getting salt water in my eyes.

To my immense satisfaction the spell worked flawlessly, and I could see for hundreds of feet in all directions through the crystal clear water.  The bottom, a couple dozen feet below, was swarming with countless colorful fish as they lived their lives amongst the rocks and coral.  As I swam through the sea, I enjoyed the vast array of colors laid out before me, and for a time I could simply enjoy seeing the simple lives of the fish.  Several times I took a deep breath before spending as long as I could amongst the denizens of the reef, each time swimming deeper amongst them, reveling in the freedom of movement.  After more than a dozen dives I began swimmingly, lazily, back towards the shore.  I was scared senseless, though, when I was suddenly shifted upwards, and out of the water, by an immense shell.  When I looked down at what I was riding, I saw that it was Chelone.

“Oh, hey Chelone.  Nice of you to pop in.  Or out.  Whatever the terminology, it’s nice to see you again.”  She just raised her head to look at me through one eye before she set her attention back on the shore.  “Wait a moment, what are you doing out in the ocean, aren’t tortoises land animals?”  With all the eagerness of a young child going to the dentist for the first time, Chelone raised a flipper above the surface of the water long enough for me to get a good look.  “Magic?”  For a moment the tortoise’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and I just settled down on her back, enjoying the ride.  Before long the shore was just a stone’s throw away, and I inelegantly rolled off Chelone’s back and into the shallow surf.  Chelone, undaunted by the disembarkation of her passenger, continued on into the shallows, her flippers transforming seamlessly into webbed feet as she made it to land.

I moved beside Chelone as she exited the surf, and after just a few steps she simply laid down, her shell slowly drying in the sun.  “Have.”  I looked at her in amazement as she looked up at me.  “A nice.”  She continued to look up at me for several long minutes.  “Day, Guard of Dawn and Dusk.”

“Guard of Dawn and Dusk?  I’m not... Wait you can talk?  I thought Garett was just full of it.”

“Yes.”

I worked my mouth for a moment, without words being formed before I finally got my speech centers working again.  “Yes?  Yes to what?”

“Yes.”  The word carried a sense of finality, ending that line of discussion.

I sighed, and dropped down in front of her, not minding the sand that now covered my legs.  “And what was that you called me?”

“You will.”  Her head tilted just a bit as she spoke, and then she just laid it back down, her eyes closing slowly.  “Become the third.”  As I was about to speak, she cut me off, which is no small feat for her.  “I know this shall come to pass.  Mine sister Cassiopeia was not the only one gifted with foresight.”  As she finished her head dropped down to the sand, and she let out a long yawn.  “Go, Icarus, and be merry.  I am tired, now, and I shan’t speak again for nearly six hundred years.  I do hope you can be there for it.”

As a gentle snore escaped the tortoise, I stared at her for several long moments before I finally stood, shaking some of the sand off my legs.  “She’s right, you know.”  I whirled around to see Garett approaching.  “But that’s not the point, you should probably head back to the others.  They’re a bit worried.  I don’t know why, though, seeing as how you’re alive and well.”  He tilted his head to look at Chelone.  “As for you, Chelone, I can’t believe you.  I wait almost seven hundred years for you to talk, and I miss it?”

“It was kind of personal.  Not really something that I’d want you to hear.”  Garett looked at me for a moment, before he shrugged.  “Anyway, I’m probably going to head back to my friends, now.  Maybe even explore some of this paradise while I’m at it.”

“Sounds good to me.  Not that I could, or would, stop you.  Now, off you go.”  He raised a hand to point along the beach, and I looked down that way for a moment before looking back at Garett and Chelone, only to find them now absent.

“I swear to the Creator, magic’s just not fair.”  After uttering a few more choice expletives I started off along the beach, stopping occasionally to pick up some of the interesting shells and stones that I found.  Most ended up being tossed back into the vast sea from whence they came, but I did end up holding onto some of them.

My walk along the beach was eerily silent, save for the waves, and I found my mind wandering from topic to topic as I walked.  The only theme that kept forcing itself upon my thoughts, though, was in regards to what Chelone had said to me.  As I thought about it, I also recalled some of the great disasters that had been brought about due to the misinterpretation of prophetic discourse.  One of the most notable instances was the fall of the Crystal Kingdom.  With a small sigh, I pushed the thoughts of Chelone’s words from my mind.  “What happens, happens.  Knowing the future is the fastest way to guarantee it doesn’t happen that way.”

After a bit more than half an hour of walking I finally made it back to where the girls were lounging in the sun.  I only glanced at Pinkie’s impressive sand sculpture before I planted myself in my seat, and closed my eyes.

“Icarus, you’re back!”  Pinkie’s voice cut through the air, prompting me to open my eyes and look over at the bubbly girl as she and Rainbow Dash jogged over to me.  Twilight was just a short distance behind them, her horn glowing softly as she levitated several dozen shells around her.  I offered a small wave in response, and soon after Pinkie threw herself atop me, her arms wrapping around me as she quickly planted a kiss on my lips.  After breaking the kiss, she shifted herself in my lap so that she was leaning against me, and I had an arm around her shoulders.  “We found some good stuff while we were walking.  I even found a huge sea shell!  Twi’s got it!”

“Yeah, and I found three sand dollars.  That’s better than you usually do on such a short walk, Icarus.”  Dash was standing just a few steps away, her eyes focused on me, deliberately avoiding looking at Pinkie.

“But Dashie, we were walking for nearly an hour, and you only found two --”

“That’s not the point, Pinkie!”  Dash’s cheeks were a shade of crimson that matched the lock of red hair atop her head.  “What’s important is that I found some!”

“Oh, yeah, that reminds me.”  I reached over, with my free hand, for my own small pile of findings.  “I have some nice stuff I found too.”  Pinkie reached over to my pile as well, and she quickly climbed off of me, and started laying out everything that I had found.  Twilight added her, and the others’ collections, to my own.  She and Pinkie quickly sorted them out into separate groups, and within just a few minutes we had piles of shells and other sea based goodies, lined up and sorted.

“Well, this is a pretty good haul.  Eight sand dollars between all of us, and a large collection of intact, and nearly intact, sea shells.”

I looked at the various piles as Twilight spoke, and then I stood, moving to the cooler.  “Any of you want something to drink?”  After getting an affirmative response from each of them, I dug around to get their drinks of choice.  We spent some time just enjoying our ice cold beverages before I finally stood up and stretched, enjoying the faint pull of my muscles.  “I’m going to go out and explore some of the forest.  Any of you care to join me in my glorious expedition?”  From Pinkie I got a quick shake of a head, and Dash looked away after blushing.  “You don’t want to go and explore some, Dash?  Think of what magical sights we might see!”  She only blushed more fiercely as she stood up and walked a few steps away before sitting down once again.  Pinkie looked between Rainbow Dash and I for a moment before she gave me a harsh glare, and stood to go to Dash.  I let out a sigh as I set my head in my hands.  “What about you, Twi?”

“That was mean Icarus.”

“I know.”

“She’s already --”

“I know, Twi.  I’m already trying to figure out what I’m going to do, but belaboring it endlessly will not make me better at figuring it out.”

“And snapping at me won’t do it either.”  I looked up at her, and she gave me a tiny smile.  “It’s okay, though.  I can see your side as well as hers.  Now, you wanted to go exploring?”  I nodded, and Twi quickly stood, taking my hand in hers.  “Then let’s go.  Maybe the serenity of the forest can give you the clarity to figure out what you want to do about Dash.”  After I stood Twilight released my hand before heading to Pinkie and Dash.  After speaking, in hushed tones, for a few moments, she stood again, and walked over to me.  She didn’t take my hand this time, but she did start leading me towards the house so we could put on some attire better suited to exploring the depths of the jungle on the island.

After a brief time spent at the house Twilight and I stood at the beginning of a small path that led into the depths of the jungle.  It wasn’t the one that Dash and I had taken earlier, so I wasn’t too worried about coming across the same isolated pool of water as before.  Wordlessly, Twilight took the initiative and started down the path, her confident strides leading her into the chaotic underbrush.  I followed just behind her, taking in the sounds and sights of the jungle.  More than once the two of us stopped simply to enjoy the majestic beauty of the strange flora and fauna that dotted the jungle.  After about half an hour we came across a massive tree that had hundreds of vines hanging from it, and I felt a spark of childlike energy as I took one in my hand.  After bouncing on it a few times I figured that it would hold my weight, and I started climbing up it.

“Icarus!  What are you doing?  What if you fall?”

Twilight’s voice cut through the quiet of the jungle like a hot knife through room temperature butter, and I just gave her a wide smile as I looked down at her.  “I’m having fun, Twilight.  Ponyville is distinctly lacking in vines, so now is probably the only chance I’ll have to relive that one scene from Daring Do.”

“That’s fiction, Icarus!  You can’t really intend to swing from vine to vine!”  I only laughed as I continued my climb up the vine, the exertion of the task sending a spike of adrenaline to my blood, and making me feel more alive than I had since...  Well, since last night with Rarity.  As I got higher and higher in the tree, I started finding myself amongst more and more vines.  When I felt I was high enough, about forty or fifty feet, I reached out and took another vine in my hands, while keeping my legs firmly wound around the vine I had climbed.  The vine I had in my hands seemed strong enough to support my weight, and with incredible gentleness I shifted my weight from the one I was on to the new vine, and after a bit of groaning from the vine above me, it seemed to support my weight perfectly.  “By Celestia’s horn, Icarus, come down here this instant!  You might fall, or...  Well... You might fall!  So come back down before you hurt yourself!”

I laughed for a moment.  “I’ll come down when I’m done, Twi.  There’s no way I’m going to pass up a chance like this!”  With a quick shift in my center of gravity, I started gently swinging back and forth, my target vine already in sight.  I had to get a rather large swing started to make the leap, but I was confident that I could make it if I tried.  As my swings grew in intensity, the groaning of the vine grew a bit more pronounced.  With a mighty cry I threw all my weight into my swing, and I soared through the air, alone for the first time since the accident, with all the grace of a one winged flamingo.  I latched onto the vine as it came into reach, and I quickly shifted my weight again, turning my landing into yet another takeoff.  After a few swings, though, my hands were starting to hurt from the roughness of the vines, and I stopped my swinging when I had landed on the fourth vine.

Despite the slight throbbing in my hands I was laughing like an idiot from the exhilaration of the moment.  Twilight, I noticed, was looking at me with a mixture of anger and concern, and I gave her a small wave from my lofty perch.  “Twilight, by the gods, that was the most fun I’ve had in months.  I’m going to head to the top of the tree and look around.  Feel free to come up, too.  I’m sure that the view will be great.”  Before the unicorn could offer a protest, I began climbing the vine once again, each handhold sending a brief spike of irritation along my arms.  Twilight’s cries of protest grew less energetic as I continued up the tree, and soon I was making my way through branches, rather than vines.  As the branches grew thinner and thinner, I was forced to drastically slow my pace.

It didn’t take me long, though, to reach the point where the foliage was beginning to thin, and the view I was afforded was majestic, like a sea of green rippling gently in the breeze.  I heard the faint popping sound of teleportation come from below, and I looked down to see an irate unicorn looking up at me from about a dozen feet below.  Her glare would’ve made a hydra back down, but it just made me smile wider still.  “Ah, so you decided to join me up here?  Good thing, too.  This view is amazing.”

“I couldn’t care less about the view, Icarus!  Do you have any idea how dangerous what you were doing was...”  She trailed off as she looked at the sight I had already taken in.  I pulled her up to the branch I was sitting on, and she let me, nearly limp in my hold.  “I’ve seen this kind of sight before, when I’ve been traveling by chariot, or my hot air balloon, but...”

“It’s different when you earn it through hard work.  Or, in your case, magical work.”  I leaned back against the thin trunk of the tree for a moment, breathing deeply and closing my eyes.  “Ten minutes of beauty and success are worth all the hard work in the world.”  I opened my eyes to gaze once again at the treetops.  “Just be sure you enjoy what you do, or it’s a hollow victory.”  Twilight looked back over at me.  “My father.  Just before he revealed an invention when I was six or seven.  He worked on it for days and weeks and months.  The presentation lasted ten minutes.  The smile on his face as he talked about that little doohickey said more than he ever could with words.  It was moments like those when he was at his happiest.  It wasn’t even like he was showing off, or anything.  He was just displaying the fruits of his labor, and that made him happy.”

“And what makes you happy?”

“Much the same thing, really.  I want to earn my rewards, not have them handed to me.”  I looked back down at the ground for a moment.  “Care to make the descent with me?  It’ll make the trip up pale in comparison.”  She looked down for a moment, and a shiver ran through her.  “Afraid of heights, Twi?”  She only nodded, and I grabbed her hand for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze.  “I’ll be right beside you the whole way, Twi.  Don’t worry.”  She squeezed my hand back, much more strongly than I had hers, and she nodded.

Climbing down the branches was easy work, and we moved through them fairly quickly.  When we reached the vines, though, Twilight hesitated.  I demonstrated how I moved up them, explaining how I was going to work my way back down, and she gave me a small smile as I went through the steps.  It only took a few minutes to find two vines that went down to the ground side by side, and after a bit of coaxing the nervous unicorn finally latched onto the vine, her knuckles turning white under the pressure.  “Twi, ease up a bit.  Too hard, and you’ll start to hurt your hands.”  She didn’t say a word, but the color of her knuckles did lighten just a bit.  “It’s a start, at least.”  With a measured pace, the two of us began descending, myself a bit quicker than Twilight.  Once I was about halfway down, I wrapped my legs around the vines several times, making sure that it would support my weight without my hands as I rested for a moment.

I looked up to watch Twilight’s progress, and despite her initial timidness towards the whole notion, her progress wasn’t terrible.  I rubbed my hands together for a moment and flexed my fingers.  A quick vibration ran along the vine I was on, and then it stopped, prompting me to look up again, away from my hands.  Twilight, too, was looking up.  After a moment of silence, the vine that Twilight was on dropped a couple feet, and then stopped.  She looked down at me for a moment, her eyes wide with fright.  Before I could say that she should just teleport to the ground the vine she was on snapped, sending her plummeting to the ground.  Without a thought I swiveled around the vine I was on, stretching an arm out towards Twi as she was falling.  Her hand landed in mine, and I latched onto her as firmly as I could, my other hand coming down on her arm and solidifying my grip on her.  The vine continued it’s trip to the ground, though, and it was soon a rather large pile sitting on the ground looking as innocent as could be.

I looked from the pile to Twilight as she clenched, painfully tight, to my arm.  I was upside down on my vine, and I couldn’t fight back the laughter as it burst out of me.  Twilight’s angry glare only prompted me to laugh more as I, between bouts of laughter, got her to cling to the vine, rather than me.  After several more minutes of climbing, the two of us were safely on the ground, and I was still chuckling.

“What are you laughing about, Icarus?  I could’ve died!  Or, at least, been seriously hurt.  This isn’t something that you just laugh about!”

I wiped a few tears from my eyes after another bout of giggles before I looked at Twi.  “I know, Twi, I know.  But, just, the whole thing.”  I stopped speaking as I started laughing again.  “It was either laugh at the absurdity, Twi, or cry over something that didn’t happen.  Also, it’s just a nervous reaction.”

Twilight glared at me for a moment before she sat down atop the massive vine she had been climbing down.  “I chased you up a tree, enjoyed a beautiful view with you, and then nearly died while climbing down.”

I pointed up at the massive tree that we had just navigated both up and down.  “And there, Twilight, stands a monument to what you did.  That tree, succumbed to your wits, strength, and agility.  No matter what happens, you beat that tree.”  A smile tugged at her lips for a moment.  “There it is!  That satisfaction of doing something with your bare hands!”

Her smile grew for a moment, and then she, too, laughed some.  Not as much as I did, but she still laughed a little.  “I think I see what you mean, Icarus.  There is some satisfaction that comes with looking up at that tree, and knowing that I climbed it.”  She looked at me.  “And I get why you laughed, too.  The exhilaration when I looked back up at what we climbed.  It made sense, even if it was only for a moment.”  She let out a few more laughs before she finally stood, and looked at the vine that had failed to hold her up.  I brought a hand to my mouth to stifle another laugh, and Twilight glared at me.  “Go ahead, Icarus.  Make a joke.”  She leaned towards me, her horn flaring.  “I dare you.”

“I don’t need to make a joke, all I’d have to do is grab your horn, and that’d be the end of that.”  She flushed deeply at that, and I let out another laugh.  After I got over yet another bout of laughter, I stood up, and stood beside Twilight.  “Come on, Twi.  It’s a joke.  I like you, you like me, we’ll have to get used to these kinds of things.  Especially if anything is going to come out of what’s between us.”  Her blush, which had faded mostly, returned in full force as she averted her gaze.  “I’m not blind, Twi, I pick up on these things.  At least, I do when I get them pointed out to me, and I’m not running around with my head up my ass feeling sorry for myself.”

After a few moments of silence between us, I started walking again, the unicorn following just behind me.  After my quick adventure in the tree my desire for thrills had been sated, so we just enjoyed the more peaceful aspects of the jungle, examining some of the more exotic flowers and plants that we spotted.  Eventually we came across a small clearing, and after just a few moments of looking around Twilight let out a cry.  I ran over to her after hearing her shout, and when I made it over she was looking at an entrance to a rather impressive looking cave.  She pointed at it, and her smile grew wider.  “We found it.”  I raised an eyebrow, and she just shook her head.  “And you said that you read some of the books about the island.”

“Well, I did.”

“Clearly not the more important ones.  Like, for instance, the one that outlines how the island got its name.”  I only shrugged before Twilight groaned and pointed at the cave.  “That cave is where the island gets its name from.”  I opened my mouth to speak, but Twilight cut me off.  “It’s not called cave island for a reason, and that joke would’ve been awful.  This cave is home to several hundred thousand, or perhaps more, fireflies.  The whole island chain gets all of its fireflies from this cave.  And the emergence day is coming in just two days.”

“Several hundred thousand?”  I looked around.  “This place will be lit up like it’s the middle of the day.”

She nodded.  “During the first hour, yes.  After that they quickly disperse, and fly out over the whole island chain.  I want to be here when it happens.  I’ve read about it before, and even Princess Celestia has spoken of it.  From what she says, it’s amazingly beautiful.”  She looked at me for a moment as she said that.

“Not tomorrow, but the day after?  That’s the day it happens, right?”  She nodded.  “Then we’ll be here.  Do you think any of the others --”

“No.  I mean, I was kind of hoping that it could be just the two of us.  I know that pretty much nothing about your courting process has been, well, normal, but I still want to have something that’s just between us.”  She flushed as she realized what she said, and I just walked over to her before giving her a quick hug.  “I didn’t want to assume anything, but it all just came out before I even realized what I was saying, or if you’re even interested in someone like me.”

“Twi, stop rambling, it’s fine.  I know, all too well, what it means to speak faster than you think.  Hell, I do it more often than I like.  It’s just a matter of recovering.  As for being interested in you, I am.  You’re beautiful, smart, and you’ve got a level of wit that puts most people to shame.  I had yet to meet someone who could keep up in a verbal spar, let alone beat me, until I met you.  I’d be elated to have someone like you interested in me.”  She flushed a deeper shade of crimson than I’d yet seen in her, and she quickly averted her gaze.  “Now, we were talking about this big hole in the ground.”

She took several minutes to recover, and I just stood aside and waited while her blush faded, and she looked back at me.  “Yes, as I was saying...”  She trailed off for a moment as she looked at the entrance to the cave.  “It doesn’t happen every year, just once a decade, on average.  It’s famous across the entire chain of islands, and everyone tries to see it at least once in their life.  I was hoping that just you and I could enjoy it, this time.  It does take several days for all the fireflies to get out, so it could just be you and I for the first day.”

“That sounds fine to me, Twi.”  I looked around for a moment before I sighed.  “This place doesn’t have much else going for it, though, so what do you say we continue our explorations?  Or would you rather start heading back?  Either way is fine with me, so I’ll let you make the call.”

She looked around once more before simply starting off towards the jungle on the far side of the clearing, continuing our exploration.  I looked around for a second, memorizing the location, before I hurried to catch up with the receding form of Twilight.  As we continued through the jungle it was much as it had been before, but the conversation between us flowed in a different fashion than it had just before the clearing.  While there was no longer a tension between us, as there had been before, there was now something else entirely that made things seem so much more interesting.  Eventually, not too long after we passed the cave, we stumbled across a ravine that cut through the jungle and carved a deep trench that ran out of sight in both directions.  I leaned out over the edge for a moment to get a look down, but Twilight grabbed my arm and gave me a stare that could put a cockatrice to shame.

After teleporting across the ravine, which I stated was blatantly cheating, we continued on our walk in companionable silence.  After walking for nearly an hour after crossing the ravine we found ourselves standing on an isolated stretch of beach, two massive rocky outcroppings separating this section of beach from the rest of the island.  The sea seemed to echo strangely in the cove, and each wave seemed to break a dozen times, each repetition warped slightly to create a soothing perpetual sound of the sea.

After just a few minutes of silence between the two of us I just sat down, and let a smile come to my face.  Twilight looked at me for only a moment before her horn began to glow, and a large pile of sand swelled up behind me, affording me a pleasant place to lean against.  Without a word, Twilight sat down beside me, and leaned into me.  I wrapped an arm around, her, pulling her closer, and together we just sat and enjoyed the natural rhythmic disorder of the crashing waves.  I lost track of how long we just sat there, but I do know that when I finally decided that we’d been there long enough Twilight had fallen asleep against me.  With as much care as I could muster I picked her up, making sure not to wake her if I could help it.  Sadly, only a couple of minutes later she woke up, her eyes cracking open when I happened to look down at her.  Her cheeks flushed as she looked up at me, and the heat in my own cheeks was indication enough that I was competing with her to see who could turn a deeper shade of red.

We stayed that way in awkward silence for several long minutes until Twilight finally spoke up.  “Are you going to, uh, put me down?”

“Oh, yeah.  Um, one second.”  With just the slightest level of awkwardness I allowed Twilight to regain her feet, and I quickly turned away to give the two of us time to regain our respective composure.  It only took a few minutes, and soon we had turned back to look at each other.  However, as soon as we looked at each other the strangeness and uncomfortableness of the situation returned.

“Do you, uh...  Do you want to head back to the house, now?”  She looked up at the sky for a moment, and then back at me.  “We’ve been out for quite some time, now, and the others might start to get concerned.  Or, worse, they might start creating fictitious happenings to account for our extended leave!”  I let out a chuckle at that, and turned to start walking back towards the house, the general direction we had to travel in coming to me with ease.  Twilight, though, remained rooted to the spot, her cheeks flushing and hurt flashing across her features.  “It’s not really funny, Icarus.  Back when I was in school, before I came to Ponyville, I had to deal with a ton of rumors regarding the herd I was in.”

That stopped me in my tracks, and I slowly turned to look back at the unicorn.  “You’re going to have to say that again, since I’m pretty sure that I misheard you completely.”  She repeated herself, a bit softer than the first time, and I walked back beside her before wrapping an arm around her, gently easing her into a walk as we started home.  “Twi, think about who we’re talking about.  Pinkie, Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack?  None of them would ever do that.”

She smiled just a bit, and raised an eyebrow.  “And Rarity?”

“Rarity is Rarity.  She’s not happy unless she’s got some bit of gossip to spread.  But we also have to consider that she’s a part of my herd already, and I doubt she’s going to spread rumors and gossip about herself.  She may be a bit self absorbed, but not even she’s that hungry for rumors.”

Twilight let out a small sigh as we plunged back into the murky half light of the jungle.  “I suppose that you’re right.  I just...”  She trailed off, her brow furrowing.

“Take your time, Twi.  Words are hard, sometimes.  Even for you.”  Our progress back towards the house was much more rapid than our trip out, and we only rarely paused to look at the astonishing variety of interesting sights.  After nearly an hour of bushwhacking we finally found a usable path through the jungle that would take us to the main town, and from there we could head back to the house.  As we wound through the miles of our walk, Twilight remained stubbornly silent, not even acknowledging the glances I shot at her.  After the tenth attempt at breaking into her silent ruminations, I gave up, deciding to sink into my own brooding.

While I was beside the unicorn, my thoughts refused to linger anywhere else but on her, and I wasn’t at all disappointed with the many thoughts that I had about her.  Her situation with her last herd troubled me, though, and I knew that was probably a big part of why she turned out the way she had in Ponyville.  She’d probably never admit to it, but her reclusive behavior, at times, is a defense mechanism.  Even just before we left, after getting the letter from Princess Celestia, she secluded herself for a time just to, as she phrased it, make sure that everything was in order for her extended leave.  Spike, in adherence with the unspoken tenets of bro-code, informed me that she was freaking out over an extended stay in relatively secluded company with me and the other Elements.

When the town finally came into sight, I began guiding Twilight towards the market where I was already establishing myself.  The manager, as boisterous as ever, swept me into a bear hug, barraging me with questions about, ‘that fine looking woman’ that I was wooing.  I quickly mollified him, and his curiosity, and then I went through the store doing some shopping for dinner.  Twilight still followed me, silent as before, often trailing several steps behind me and only catching up when I mentioned it.  By the time we finished the shopping, I had accumulated a fairly large load of groceries, and our checkout was expedited thanks both to the great cashier, and the assistance of the manager with bagging our goods.

Twilight took a few of the lighter bags, leaving me with the greater load.  I said nothing, though, as we started on the final stretch back towards the house.  When the house came into sight, at last, I felt a small smile come to my face.  Not only did it spell relief from the load I was carrying, and a chance to wash the filth from my body, but it would also allow me to have a moment away from Twilight so that she could think without my distractions.  Not only that, though, I was growing a bit concerned with her extended silence.

She went up to her room, and I went to my own room in order to shower and change.  When I walked into my room Pinkie was sprawled out, gently napping, and I made sure to stay quiet so as to keep from waking her.  After I finished in the shower, though, I noticed that Pinkie was no longer on my bed.  I only shrugged as I quickly put on some comfortable clothes that would last me the rest of the evening.  While I had been in the shower the girls had started putting away the items that needed to be kept cold, and I quickly marshaled the assistance of Applejack and Fluttershy with the preparation for the meal to come.

Once everything was prepared, and the cooking process started, I rummaged through the fridge looking for a drink that would go well with the meal.  It didn’t take long for me to find a suitable beer, and as I put it on the counter Dash entered the kitchen, her nose twitching as she sniffed at the air.

“What’s for dinner, Icarus?  Something fancy, like you made for Rarity?”

“Not really.  Takes a bit longer than I have to make that.  I went, instead, with a fairly simple meal.  Or, at least, all the parts are simple.  The whole meal is a bunch of smaller parts, so it takes some time to make.”  Dash, as I spoke, peered into the pots atop the stove.  “Checking to see if I’m doing it right?”

“Yeah, have to make sure you aren’t trying to poison us, or anything.”  Both Dash and I laughed at her poor joke, and as we both calmed down I hopped up onto the counter so I could keep an eye on the clock and the many pots.  “So, what’d you say to Twilight?  I haven’t seen her like this in months.”

My small smile vanished in an instant, and my gaze dropped to the floor.  “She was telling me about the herd she was in.”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped.  “Twi was in a herd?  I never knew anything about that.”

“Yeah, I don’t think she really wants it publicized.  Seems it didn’t turn out well, or something to that effect.”  I gave a feeble shrug.  “She didn’t really gush about it to me.  I told her to take her time, though.  I don’t want her to say something that isn’t true just so that she can feel like she’s getting closer to me.”  Dash didn’t respond to that, instead averting her gaze to the floor.

She looked at me for a moment, her mouth opening, but whatever she was going to say died before she could give it life.  “Just give me a call when dinner’s ready, okay?”  I nodded, and she went right to the stairs to head on up.

Pinkie came down after her Dash went up, and she immediately bounded over to me, hopping up next to me and wrapping me in a big hug.  I only gave a halfhearted hug in return, and Pinkie only held me tighter.  “What’s wrong, Icarus?”

“I think I upset both Dash and Twilight today, and it’s bothering me.  It pains me to see them like this, but I know that I’m a part of the problem.  And, because of that, I can’t really do anything to help them.”

“Just be around.  When they’re ready, they’ll come to you.  Dashie will probably take some convincing, though, and she’ll definitely try to pin it on you.  Not because she really thinks it’s your fault, though.  Twi is different, though.  Probably try to talk to her tonight.  Don’t let this one sit too long.”

“Pinkie sense?”

“No, just the basics of being a good friend.”

“But I should let it sit with Dash?”

“Yeah.  I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but trust me.  It’s kinda a girly thing.  Heck, even I don’t understand it some of the time.”

“That’s just you being you, though.”  She only giggled before giving me a peck on the cheek and bounding off to the living room to sit with Applejack and Fluttershy.  After waiting for the silly grin to fade from my face, I checked on my cooking food, making sure that everything was still going well, and that I didn’t have to worry about ruining anything in the last few minutes of cook time.

When the food was finally done, and I had it all set out on the table, I called for the girls, and we quickly got down to eating what I had prepared.  They were all sufficiently pleased with it, and they undertook all the cleaning on their own, ignoring my less than enthusiastic, and unneeded, complaints.  I still had plenty of beer left after the meal, so I repeated what I had done a few days ago, and I took my glass out onto the small patio to watch as the final rays of sunlight faded beyond the horizon.  Unlike last time, though, I had no company with which to share the view.

As the sky finally faded from crimson to the deep blue of the night, I let out a small sigh just as the door opened.  Rarity stepped out onto the patio, a glass of wine in her hand, and she gave me a warm smile before motioning towards the chair beside me.  I pulled it out for her, motioning in a sweeping gesture, and she gladly took the proffered seat.  She, quite conspicuously, scootched the seat over beside me, and I quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  She let out a soft almost-purr of contentment at my touch.  We stayed like that until, half an hour later, we had both finished our drinks.

Rarity stood first, taking my empty glass from me, and looking at me as she did so.  “Go talk to her, Icarus.  Despite the difficulty of the words, Twilight has managed to articulate her thoughts.  Or, at least, she claims to have done so.”  A look of concern flashed across her face for only a moment before it vanished.  “Be gentle, and don’t rush her.  She’s having trouble with her emotions.  Give it a few minutes, and then head up to her room.”  She leaned down at my gesture, and I gave her a kiss.  Despite her probing tongue, I ended the kiss before it could go any further.  Her pout nearly crumbled my resolve.  “Spoilsport.”

“We have all night, Rarity.  Now, though, isn’t really appropriate.”

“I’m glad to see that you’re learning something about romance through all of this.”  She turned away to move to the door, her hips swaying more so than normal.  “Oh, and I’m holding you to what you said.  We do have all night.  And I’m certain that tonight Pinkie will be joining in.”

Considering how I think this little talk with Twilight’s going to go, I don’t know if I’ll even be up for sex.  It just feels... wrong, somehow.

With a small groan I stood up from the chair, a few joints popping in muted protest.  I paid them no heed as I walked through the door back into the house, quickly noting that the living room was vacant, and that the whole house seemed oddly subdued.  I made my way over to the stairs without any real delay, and as I looked up the stairs I swallowed nervously, squaring my shoulders and starting the short climb.  Moments later and I stood before the door to Twilight’s room, one hand poised to knock while the other hung limply at my side.  I knocked three times in quick succession before my hand fell to my side, mirroring it’s twin on my left.

A muffled sniffle came from the other side, and then Twilight’s voice followed.  “Who’s there?”

When I opened my mouth to respond I found my throat suddenly dry, and I had coughed lightly before I could rasp out my response.  “It’s me.  Icarus.  I was hoping that we could just talk some.”

A brief glow surrounded the doorknob for a moment.  “It’s open.”  I grasped the handle for a moment before I gave it a turn, pushing the door open and walking into Twilight’s room.  She was lying, facedown, on her bed deliberately facing her head in the direction I wasn’t.  Awkwardly, I closed the door behind myself.  Without waiting for a word from the unicorn, I approached her bed, and sat down at the foot of it.  “Icarus...”

“Okay, Twilight, I know that words are hard, but you’ve got to talk to me if you want this relationship to go anywhere.”  When no response was forthcoming, I rotated in place so that I was looking towards her.  “Twi, come on.  You don’t need to use fancy words to explain it.  Pretend that you’re back in kindergarten, and just talk to me.  Sometimes simple words will do the job as well, if not better, than complex ones.”

“I’m worried.  A lot.”  She rolled over to look at me, and her eyes were just a bit bloodshot.  “I don’t want to get in the middle of what you’ve already got, and I’m afraid that I won’t be able to contribute anything.”  She paused for a moment.  “The last herd I was a part of ended for several reasons, but most of them came back to me.  They wanted me to be a part of the group so that I would help them study for tests, and because I could do their work for them.  I mean, I was, and still am, Celestia’s personal protege, so there’s some merit to working alongside me.”

“We’re not going to use you, Twilight.”  I opened my mouth to continue, but I quickly closed it, a frown taking its place.  “Honestly, I’m almost offended that you would think something about me, or any of the girls.”

Her eyes welled with tears.  “Not even an official member of your herd and I’m insulting you.”

I moved up the bed some, so that I was more directly beside her.  “Twi, come on.  You’re not like this.  Where’s the rational part of you?  Think it through.  I’ve already made it clear that I like you, and you’ve said that you like me.  I know what I said is true, so you need to look in yourself to see if you really meant what you said.”

“It’s true.”

“Good, so we’ve got the solid foundation for us to actually go somewhere with the relationship.  Now, I’m no expert at this -- We all know that -- but it probably helps that we have a lot of common interests.  Books, mathematics, quantum fluid thermodynamics.  The list is nearly endless, Twi.”

“But that’s not enough!”  She sat up and looked at me, her eyes filled with tears.  “That’s what they said in the last herd, too!  I really did care for them, and they for me!  But then they just wound up using me for what I had, and the rumors started that I was...  That I just used my body to get good grades at school, and everything went downhill from there.”  Her words took all the wind out of my metaphorical sails, and I just stared at her dumbly.  “Eventually Princess Celestia stepped in, since she saw the effect it had on me, and that just made the rumors worse.  After that she pulled me out of the school, and started me on my private lessons.  And that’s where I was for almost five years before I wound up in Ponyville, still bitter and hurt from what happened.”

“I didn’t...  None of the girls ever said anything.”

“None of them know.  What was I going to tell them, Icarus?”  She looked at me helplessly.  “What could I have said?  It was bad enough for the people at school to know, I wasn’t going to bring it with me to Ponyville.”

“You could’ve said something, Twi.  We’re your friends.  We...  I would understand.”

“I know.  And I know that I know, but at the same time I didn’t.  Ask me about magical theory, and I’ll ramble for hours.  Ask me about something I can read up in a book, and I’ll lecture till I can’t stay awake.  But you ask me about emotions, and I curl up and hide like a little girl who’s done something shameful.”

“Twi, look at me.”  She continued to look down at her hands, her frame shaking with small sobs.  “Twi.”  I took her chin in my hand, gently guiding her face to look at mine.  “Twilight Sparkle, dealing with things like that are more important than you know.  I hid from you, and the others, for two long years what happened to me.  And, for two years, I felt like shit.  I’m not saying it has to be so sudden, like it was for me, but you need to tell the others.”  She gave a gentle nod, her hands coming up to hold mine.  “Promise me that you’ll at least start talking to them.”  She nodded hesitantly.  “Say the words, Twi.  For me.”

“I promise, Icarus.”  A small smile came to her face, and I returned it with one of my own.  Her smile faltered for a moment, and she looked down again, sliding her chin out of my hand.  “Does this...  Does what I said change what you think about me?”

I chuckled softly before I darted in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.  “You could become the next Princess of Equestria and I’d still love you, Twi.  It’ll take more than a bunch of old rumors to get me to stop chasing you.  And while I can’t say for sure, I think that the others all think much the same as I do.  Now, go wash up some, and then go to bed.  Tomorrow’s another big day, and in the morning, I’m making waffles.  Again.  With ice cream, though, since Pinkie missed out this evening.”

She raised an eyebrow, her smile widening.  “Pinkie being Pinkie,” we said at the same time.

“Thank you for coming to talk to me.  I’m going to try to talk to the others tomorrow.”

“No need to rush, Twi.  Now, I’m heading to bed.  It’s been a long day, and I feel more than ready to catch some sleep.  Night, Twi.”  I stood from her bed, heading over to the door.  Just as I closed it, Twi called out to me, and I poked my head back in.

“Good night, Icarus.  I...”

“Don’t rush it, Twi.  You’ve already admitted it.  The words will come when they’re ready.”  I closed her door with a gentle pull, and then I ambled down the hall to my own room.

When I entered my room I wasn’t surprised to see both Rarity and Pinkie lying on my bed.  What did surprise me, though, was the attire they were in.  Both of them wearing some fairly risque attire, and there were candles spread about the room, giving it a very alluring light and scent.  Rarity smiled broadly at my appearance, and her horn flared for a moment as she pulled me over.  “Come, now, Icarus, you made a promise and I intend to hold you to it.”

“Rarity, while nearly any man would kill to have women as beautiful as the two of you so eager for sex, I just can’t right now.  Not after what Twilight and I talked about.”  Rarity only frowned as she deposited me at the end of the bed, her lusty expression shifting to concern.  “She’s just...  I don’t want to talk about it.  Suffice to say that she’s dealing with some emotional baggage.”

“The rumors from her classmates?”  My eyes widened in shock, and Pinkie just looked between Rarity and I with confusion apparent on her face.  “Given how much time I spend dealing with the people of Canterlot, can you really say you’re shocked that I know, Icarus?  Those kinds of rumors spread like wildfire.  The personal student of Princess Celestia isn’t exactly a low-key position, Icarus.  Once the rumor mill started on her, she’s lucky that her reputation is still as good as it is.  Were it not for Princess Celestia’s direct intervention I think that our little librarian would be off much worse than she is.”

I moved between Pinkie and Rarity, quickly removing my clothes until I was just in my boxers.  “Just wait for her to talk to you, Rarity.  I don’t want her to think that I told you, since that would go over quite poorly, I think.”

“Is she still going to join the herd?”

Pinkie’s voice was unusually subdued, and I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.  “Yeah, she is.  She just needs time to think about what’s happened, and what will happen.  Her insecurities are holding her back, and until she deals with them she’ll be too unsure to do anything.”  I laid down, enjoying the shared warmth as both girls pulled themselves tight against me.  “In a couple of days Twilight and I are going on a date.  I think she’s going to finally join then.”

“I’m looking forward to it, love.”  Rarity gave me a quick kiss after she spoke, and then she snuggled herself as close to my side as she could manage.  Pinkie mirrored Rarity’s actions, and within minutes the two of them were comfortably asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts until, after far too long, I too fell into the blissful embrace of sleep.

> Chapter XIV:  The Bottle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As I came into full awareness, pulled somewhat abruptly from the half sleep I had been in moments ago, I noticed with moderate curiosity that something was draped across my torso, and another something across my face.  Both were warm and fleshy, giving me enough evidence to figure out what the objects were, but not enough to figure out who was who.  I inhaled deeply, a prelude to a yawn, and the scent that filled my nose told me quite clearly that it was Pinkie across my face.  With a level of mental athleticism that surprised me, given my level of wakefulness, I pressed my mouth firmly across what I was certain was Pinkie’s belly, and blew my yawn into it, creating the most satisfying of juvenile sounds.  The sound seemed to linger in the air for several moments, and woefully I was  unable to contain my idiotic giggling at the sound.  The simple act of trying to contain my laughter only made it worse, and before long I was only immobile due to the two beautiful women atop me.

Pinkie, roused from both my action and the consequence, looked down at me with a heavy blush on her face.  Given her position over me when she moved, I felt a blush come to my own face as I realized just where my head had been.  Rarity rolled over slightly, and she looked at me for only a moment before she closed her eyes again, a small yawn escaping her.  “Icarus, love, it’s too early for that.”  She let out another yawn.  “The sun is just barely rising, so just go back to sleep and we can start doing stuff later.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”  Rarity let out a gentle hum as she wrapped her arms around my torso, squeezing me softly before settling herself more comfortably across me.  Pinkie, though, moved over to my side, so that she was lying beside me rather than atop me.  She pulled herself as close to me as she could before she settled down, an adorable yawn escaping her before I lapsed back into the wondrous realm of sleep.

Just over an hour later and I was sliding out of the grasp of the two women in my bed, the urge to use the bathroom overwhelming my desire to remain in their comfortable embrace.  Once I finished my date with the porcelain throne I trudged over to my drawers, rummaging through what I had to find something suitable to wear for the morning.  It only took a few moments to find attire suitable, and shortly afterwards I was making my way down the hallway to the stairs.  As I walked down a familiar scent assaulted my nose, and when I made it to the kitchen I was surprised, slightly, to see Applejack already there and working.  She was quite involved in her motions, and I took a seat on one of the stools at the island so I could watch her as she worked.

A tune soon escaped from her, changing between humming, singing, and whistling as she moved smoothly from one task to the next.  I felt myself sinking into her tune, but not losing my ability to keep track of what was happening.  Each time she sang I could hear the words before she actually sang them, and I was sorely tempted to join in a few times, only resisting with all my willpower.  For the better part of twenty minutes I just watched and sang silently alone with her until, finally, she twirled in place, her eyes locking with mine as she spun.  As she looked at me her cheeks flushed immediately, her grace and elegance lost instantly to the nerves that suddenly overwhelmed her.

“Please, AJ, continue.  It’s quite nice to hear music that comes from the heart that I can remember.”  I gave a small shrug.  “That magical harmony stuff never sticks in my mind.  That, and it makes up for the fact that you ruined my chance at making waffles with ice cream this morning.”  She only looked at me for a moment before she turned back to her cooking, the blush in her cheeks only growing as she worked.

It only took a moment before she finally turned and looked at me.  “I can’t do it, Icarus.  Not knowing that you’re watching.  I’m no Sweetie Belle.  I can’t just sing whenever.”

I offered a small smile in return.  “Someday, Applejack, you’ll find that’s just not true.  Maybe it won’t be me that you sing for, but you’ll find someone.”  Before she could say anything in response, I stood, stretching for a moment.  “I’ll be back in a little while.  A nice morning walk will do wonders for my mind.  And, perhaps, you’ll appreciate the solitude of cooking.”  I walked from the kitchen quickly, well aware of Applejack’s eyes on me as I left the house, and stepped out into the already warming morning air.  I had no real goal in mind, so I just wandered aimlessly about the house for several minutes before I started off along the road towards town.  I had no intention of going down that far, but the walk was pleasant just for the simple sensation of motion and activity.

As I stopped to turn back towards the house I looked out over what I could see of the island, the small rise I had crested offering me a nice vista of the island.  I couldn’t see the whole thing, but I could see the large mountain that made up a large portion of the side of the island, and I knew, then, that I wanted to go to the top.  I recalled a section in some of the books I had read about the now dormant volcano, and it seemed like a trip that was worth taking.  Not only would the view be nice, it would also allow me a chance at some more exercise.  With a goal for the day in mind, I turned in place, ready to head back to the house, only to find myself face to face with Dash.  Or, at least, I could see her a short distance away, heading towards me.

She visibly flushed when I looked at her, and her pace towards me seemed to falter as she noted my gaze.  I ignored the stumble, knowing that pointing it out would accomplish nothing at all in a positive direction.  I waited patiently atop the rise as Dash approached, and when she was finally beside me I gave her a small smile.  “Good morning, Rainbow.”

“Morning, Icarus.”  Her tone was different from normal, but I didn’t comment on it, certain that it’d spark a reaction I didn’t want in the pegasus.  She opened her mouth to speak, but when no words seemed forthcoming she quickly closed her mouth, instead averting her gaze away from mine.  “Sorry about...  You know, what I said.”  She looked back up at me, her eyes misty.  “I didn’t mean what I said about your dad.  I just wanted to impress the Wonderbolts, and I didn’t even think about how it might’ve made you feel.”  A tear made its way down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, hoping that I’d missed it.

“Dash, I know that you didn’t mean it, and you’ve already apologized for it.  Besides, it’s not like you said anything offensive.  You just brought up a topic I’d rather keep a bit more discreet.”  I stepped forward, pulling Dash into a quick hug.  “Give it some time, Dash, and then we’ll have our real first time.  A chance to...  Creator above, this is so cliched.  You know where I’m going with this, right?”  She quickly nodded, her cheeks flushing.  “Good.  I don’t much want to get into this mushy crap, and I know you don’t either.  I’m much better, it seems, when the mood makes itself, not when I try to make the mood.  That said, shall we head back to the house?  I’m interested to see if AJ’s cooking measures up to Granny Smith’s.”

The rainbow haired pegasus just stared at me for a moment before she began walking, her cheeks flushed even more deeply than before.  After just a few steps, she looked back at me.  “Thanks, Icarus.”  She quickly looked away, and resumed walking.  I followed behind her moments later, ready for breakfast and whatever else the day might be waiting to throw at me.



	

“Admit it, Icarus.”

“No.  I won’t, and you can’t make me.”

“Say it.  You know it’s true, and so do I.”

“No, it’s...  I haven’t even tried yet!  You don’t know that’s true.”

Applejack planted both her hands on the table, her knowing smile already telling me the outcome of our little debate.  The looks from the other girls around the table was further proof that I was woefully outmatched.  Regardless of the inevitable, I was going to go down swinging.  “Granny Smith’s are better.  And even she compliments my cooking.”

A flicker of surprise crossed her face.  “When did...  When did you cook something for Granny?”

“Not too long before we left for here, actually.  It wasn’t apple pancakes, but it was still amazing.  Not a direct quote, mind you, but she was still surprised that a...  Oh, she phrased it so well.  ‘Well butter my butt, and call me a biscuit!  You sure can whip up a mean apple pie for a city slicker!  And you even got the lattice on without it breaking or crumbling!’”  I smiled at Applejack a moment longer before I returned my gaze to the apple pancakes on the plate before me.  My glare would’ve turned sand to glass, but the breakfast confections seemed immune to my loathing.

“Icarus, really, AJ made some great pancakes.  Just try them.”  I looked up at Pinkie, my glare bringing a blush to her face.  “Not that yours are bad, I mean.  Just, well, hers are good too.”

“Icarus, all joking aside, they’re not bad at all.  Granted, when it comes to working with apples, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone better than AJ.”  Twilight’s voice broke my funk, and I grabbed a fork, reluctantly jabbing it into the fluffy pancake.  “I swear, Icarus, you’re a child.”

I muttered under my breath as I ate my food, silently stewing in my growing dislike for the delicious food.  After the, thankfully, brief meal, I finally put down my fork.  I looked up from my empty plate to see Applejack with a grin on her face.  “Yeah, I guess.  I mean, you know, if you like good pancakes.”

“Glad you came around, Icarus.”  She settled into her seat, the grin on her face blossoming into a full smile.  “Now that we’ve cleared up that little matter, what are we going to do today?  I’d like to spend another day on the beach, but I don’t want to be the only one to make a suggestion.”

Silence was the immediate response, so I took it upon myself to propose what I, at least, was going to do today.  “I was actually thinking that I wanted to climb up the dormant volcano on the island.  Get a nice view of the island, and enjoy the exercise that comes with it.  But I don’t think we all need to go somewhere together.  If any of you want to come with me, that’s cool.”

“Personally, I was hoping to make another trip into the town.  Perhaps peruse some of the wares offered.”

“Well, I guess I know that I’m going to the beach, now.”  Applejack smiled at Rarity.  “I’m not going to be your pack mule again, Rarity.”

After a bit more dickering, we finally concluded that we’d be going out in three goups.  Dash, Twilight, and I were going to scale the volcano, while Rarity and Fluttershy headed to town, and Applejack and Pinkie took to the beach.  After the cleanup for breakfast, we each took to our rooms to prepare for the day.  I took a much abbreviated shower, and within just ten minutes of heading up to my room I was waiting in the living room for Dash and Twi.  Dash was the second down, after me, and she threw herself onto the couch beside me as we waited.  Another ten minutes saw the rest of the girls down, and shortly after that we all headed out for our respective destinations.

Having spent some time looking at the various maps for the island, I took the lead as we wound through the jungle, sticking mostly to the paths.  A decision which seemed to do wonders for Twi’s nerves.  Not that she admitted it.  Dash, on the other hand, seemed all too eager to get going at a rapid pace, and a few times she took to the skies in order to burn off her pent up energy and excitement.

It was during one of Dash’s flights that Twi took my hand in hers, squeezing it just enough for me to notice.  When I looked over at her, she just gave me a warm smile and a quick peck on the cheek.  “Why did you --”

“Even if you don’t say a word, Icarus, you sometimes make it incredibly clear when you’re upset.  She’s not doing it to bother you, she just can’t help being who she is.  Asking her not to fly would be like asking me not to use magic.”

“Yeah.”  Silence overtook the two of us once again, and a few minutes later Twilight released my hand, choosing to go and look at some of the flowers that dotted the bushes along the path.  Dash met up with us a few dozen yards later, her brow shining with just a bit of sweat.  She said nothing when we met up, and soon the three of us were walking along the path in silence.  After half an hour more of walking, we finally came to the base of the volcano, the gradual shift in landscape occurring as the ground got rockier.

We quickly found the right trail when it forked, and soon after reaching the base of the volcano we were scaling it as we wound along the many twists and turns.  “So, girls, what do you think of the volcano so far?  I mean, sure, it just looks like any other mountain, but if you know what to look for you can see all sorts of little details that make it clear that it was an active volcano not too long ago.  Geologically speaking, at least.”

Dash looked around for a moment before she shrugged.  “It’s cool, I guess.”

I looked at her for a moment before her dismissive comment clicked in my head, and a huge grin came to my face.  “It’s only cool because it’s dormant, Dash!”  I contained my laughter for only a moment before I had to stop I was laughing so hard.  Dash just tilted her head as she looked at me, and Twi face-palmed.

“Icarus that was horrible.”  Twi’s grin said otherwise, and I only laughed harder because of it.  “Really, Icarus, that was so bad, it hurt.  Please, never tell that joke again.”

“Was...  Was it too hot to handle, Twi?”  My second attempt only increased the volume and intensity of my laughter, and the girls both sat on conveniently located rocks as I weathered the storm of laughter.  Several more terrible puns escaped me as I tried to get over how funny I was, and less than ten minutes after I started my bout, I finally drew myself up, the jokes having abated.

“Done, Icarus?”  I nodded, and the two girls took the lead as we resumed our trek up the volcano.  “Anyway, while you were busy enjoying the fruits of your comedy, Dash and I were talking some.  We figure that now is as good a time as any for you to share some details about what you get up to while the rest of us are doing stuff.  Like, for instance, just a short while ago when we headed up to the Crystal Empire to stop King Sombra.”

I hopped over a crack in the ground before I looked at the two girls.  They were still walking up along the path, but they had slowed down enough to let me get between the two of them.  “Oh, well, nothing really.  Despite all the excitement you had up North, not much happened back in Ponyville.”

“That’s not quite what I heard.”  Dash had a smirk on her face.  “I heard that you were quite productive when we went North.”

Twi raised an eyebrow, and then her eyes widened.  “Yeah, I heard the same thing.  From multiple people, too.  Bon Bon, the Cakes...  There was someone else, too.”

“Oh.  Well, I suppose if you count that little bit I did around town, yeah.  I did help the Cakes, but I don’t recall doing anything for...  Oh, no.  No, I know what you’re talking about, now, and that didn’t happen.”

Dash’s smirk grew into a full smile, and she moved closer to me.  “It didn’t happen?  What do you think Lyra would say if she heard that?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you head back to Ponyville and ask her?”  I gave a sharp kick to one of the rocks on the ground, a grin coming to my face as it arced through the air.  “That wasn’t anything, Dash.”

“I’ve only heard some really silly rumors about it, Icarus.”  I looked at Twi, and she had a smile on her face.  “Could you just explain what happened?”

“Fine.  The first day you were gone nothing happened.  I swear.  The second day, though...



	

“Alright, Mr. Cake, just don’t mess with these two knobs, and you won’t have to worry about another gas leak.”  I stood up, wiping a bit of grease off my hands and onto my jeans.  “Also, for your sake, keep the twins out of the kitchen until that epoxy sets, and I have a chance to double check the seams.  You do not want them getting it on their hands, since that will require a trip to the hospital.  This stuff does nasty things to untreated skin.”

Mr. Cake gave me a weak smile before he looked at the mess I had made of his kitchen.  “I really appreciate this, Icarus.  I didn’t even think they could move the oven, let alone snap the pipes.  I guess Cup and I are going to have to restrict the kitchen again.  Not that it stopped them before.”

I observed the mess as well, and I gave Carrot a friendly pat on the shoulder.  “This mess won’t take too long, to clean.  In fact, I’ll help out, free of charge.”  Carrot’s smile grew quite a bit at that, and soon the two of us had gotten the kitchen back to how it looked before I got in there, and both Carrot and Cup were pleased to see all that I had done.  “So, the repair was forty bits, plus thirty for labor, less twenty percent for friends and family discount...  Call it fifty bits and we’re even.”

As Cup counted out the bits into a small pouch, I gathered up my tools, making sure that each one was still in proper order and condition.  Once I had the last of my tools, I went out front to see the Cakes with a small bag of bits, a wrapped up box, and a small card.  I took the box and bag, figuring that I already could guess the contents.  The card, though, flummoxed me.

“I don’t really need a business card, Cup.  I live in town, and there’s no way you’ll forget me.  Not after how often I have to come in to help with the disasters your children cause.”

“Oh, it’s not a business card, Icarus.  It’s a special discount card.  We bakers across Equestria stick together in order to keep ourselves afloat.  We trade all sorts of things, in order to keep business fair and thriving, and one thing we all agree upon is treating our customers right.  That little card will let any bakery know that you’re a valued customer.  In a nutshell, it’ll get you a discount nearly anywhere you go.  And, if it’s ever a necessity, a possible place to spend the night.”

I looked at the small card again, this time in a new light.  “All that because I fixed some pipes for you?”

Both bakers laughed for a moment, and then Carrot put the card in my hand before he started walking me towards the door.  “You’ve done quite a bit more than help out with some repairs, Icarus.  Although I can’t tell you quite what you’ve done, I’m sure it’ll be revealed to you before too long.”  Just as we reached the door to the bakery, the portal burst open, revealing a distressed looking woman.

She seemed totally out of it before her gaze settled on me, and a flash of recognition passed over her face.  “Icarus!  Thank the Creator!  I need your help, now!”

“Whoa, Bon Bon, what’s going on?  Is the refrigerator acting up again?  I told Lyra not to --”

“No!  Worse!”

“Tell me she didn’t do something to the toaster...  Not again.”  All I got in response was a shaky nod.  “Oh shit.  Alright, it’s at your place?”  Another nod.  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Just...  Just make sure that she doesn’t cast any more spells on it!  The poor machine can’t take the kind of magical exposure she’s liable to give it.”  Bon Bon didn’t respond, instead turning and running down the street, back to her house.  After just a moment, I let out a huge sigh and I looked at the Cakes.  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.  Bon Bon just tends to get overly dramatic really easily.  Probably just a jammed spring, or something.”  The two of them only smiled as I gave them a wave.  After a rather brief walk, I arrived at Bon Bon’s house.

The building, designed in much the same style as all the other buildings in Ponyville, carried a distinct charm to it.  I approached the door with a smile on my face, ready to face the coming challenge with the grace and patience of a saint.  I could only knock once before the door was pulled open, revealing a frowning unicorn.  Her visage brightened immediately when she looked at me, and I returned her smile with one of my own.  “What happened this time?”

“Nothing at all.  Just...  Just come and see.”  I followed Lyra through the house, and soon we stood in the kitchen where Bon Bon was staring at her toaster with an expression of fear most reserved for staring down a horde of angry minotaurs.  “Bonnie, I brought Icarus in.  Maybe now he can explain what the problem is.”

I approached the toaster casually, looking at it for a moment before I realized what the problem was.  “It’s unplugged, Bon Bon.”

“What?”

I pulled the appliance off the counter, gesturing at the dangling cord.  “It’s unplugged.  Not broken, or possessed, or even a parasprite in disguise.  It’s just unplugged.”  I returned the brave little machine to its home, whispering a few encouraging words before plugging it back in.  “Not the end of the world after all.  Just make sure your appliances are plugged in, first.”  I turned back to look at the flushed woman with a smile on my face.  “And, please, Bonnie, for all of our sakes, cut back on the dramatics.  Not everything is the end of the world.  It’s been at least a week since the last disaster struck.”

“But what about --”

“No.  Trust me.  Unless there is a real chance of bodily harm, you don’t need to worry.”

She blushed even more as she walked over to Lyra.  She spoke quickly to the unicorn before she left the room, muttering something about needing to rest some after all the excitement.  “Did...  Did I upset her with my comments?”

“No.  More of the usual, really.  I love her like a sister, Icarus, but sometimes I just can’t understand how she reacts like that to nearly everything.”  I gave a shrug as I started for the door, my work already done.  “You’re going already?”

I turned to look back at Lyra.  “Well, yeah.  Is there anything else that needs doing?”

“Well, no.  But I was thinking that maybe we could hang out some.”  Her cheeks flushed just a bit.  “I mean, if you’re not busy.  You’re coming by here often enough, and I see you all over town, but we’ve never really hung out.  This is, what, the tenth time you’ve come by?”

“Eleven times in the past three months.  Just two more times for a new three month record.”

“Exactly.  And you never charge, either.”

“Because I never have to do anything.”

“Yeah, I know.  I was thinking, though, that I could still pay you for what you do.  Maybe go out for lunch, or something?”  She looked down at the ground as she spoke, and I chuckled as I shifted my tool bag from one hand to the other.  “But, I mean, if you’re busy we --”

“No, that’s fine.  I don’t have any other jobs to do till this afternoon, so lunch, or something, sounds just fine.”



	

As I finished speaking we finally reached the rim of the volcano.  The rather impressive looking depression sloped down sharply to a beautiful lake with an island at the center.  The serenity of the moment was shattered by Dash’s voice.  “What the hell, Icarus?  You go out to lunch with her, but not with any of the rest of us?  What gives?”  I looked over at her with a frown, and she only seemed to grow more irritated.  “I was dropping hints for weeks before that, and I never even got the time of day from you!”

“I went out with her because she asked, and every time we ever hung out, Bon Bon related or not, it was a totally innocent occasion, and she didn’t pry, or ask any questions.  She just let me be who I was, without forcing me to try and change.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but she quickly shut it.  Dash took advantage of the silence.  “So she just let you keep on going down that long road to loneliness?  What kind of friend is that?”

“One who respects personal space.  I did share some with her, but I did it at my own pace, not one forced upon me.”

“Dash, she was able to put her concern aside to let Icarus reveal what he was comfortable with.  We... Or, at least, I, was always trying to figure out what was wrong.  Based upon what we’ve learned from Icarus, though, that wouldn’t work, since he wasn’t comfortable with what happened to him.”  Twi looked at me for a moment, and I nodded for her to continue, since she was right so far.  “He had enough interaction with us, though, that he was able to form a bond with each of us.  Now that we’re finally giving him some space, and forcing some sharing of information, buried feelings are now free to surface, on both sides of each relationship.”

I looked between the two girls for a moment before I shrugged.  “Yeah, I suppose that’s about it.  You were all pushing for it too hard, and I didn’t want to have to talk about things I wasn’t ready to discuss yet.  Now that the matters I was concerned about have been brought to bear, I’m more comfortable, since I don’t have to guard what I say.  Now, we didn’t really come out here to discuss my dealings with Lyra, so how about we just enjoy the expansive vistas some more?”

I walked a few steps closer to the lip of the depression before I let out a small sigh.

It’s like clockwork.  Dash asks a question, and we start to argue...  I just wish I could figure out the root of the whole thing, and deal with that.

We enjoyed the view for a while before we started down a narrow winding staircase that led to the lake at the bottom of the crater.  At least, Twilight and I did, while Dash took to the air and glided down to the small pier at the end of the staircase.  The water in the crater was crystal clear, revealing the different types of lava flows that had been in place at the last eruption.  Twilight quickly went to one of the information boards on the pier, and I quickly moved to the edge before leaping over, and onto the crunchy rock that formed the coast of the lake.  The stone was remarkably brittle, and the many small stones crunched beneath my weight.

Before I was even aware of it, I looked back to see that I had actually walked nearly a quarter of the way around the lake.  I shrugged it off, figuring that I’d continue my walk and finish a lap.  The chance at some peace and tranquility was much appreciated, and I sank into my thoughts as I clambered over the large rocks, and around the ones too steep to scale.  The challenges presented in a physical sense paled in comparison to the mental hurdles that I was facing myself with each step I took.  Rarity and Pinkie had both been, in a sense, conquered.  I would never think of them as prizes, but the subtle shift in our relationship had won me them in the most complete way.

Twilight was on the way, her demeanor around me showing every indication that she was interested in me in a far more than platonic way.  Her past, much like mine to me, was something that was holding her back in a way that I was all too familiar with.  I didn’t want to pressure her, though, so I was content to wait until she decided to reveal what she was hiding to me.

Then, though, there was Dash.  She seems so sure of herself most of the time, but then there are those fleeting moments when she changes quite a bit.  Moments when some other, different, Dash comes to the surface and has to fight to make herself heard over the normally boisterous front Dash uses.  All of the girls, had, at one point or another, spoken to me about the polychromatic pegasus, and I was sure that they all had at least a part of the truth given to them.  Potentially, the problem had to do with her constant desire to win, and be the best, but I’d have to do some more digging and probing to see if there was any truth to that matter.

I paused in my musings to take stock of where I was, and I was only slightly surprised to see that I was nearly two thirds of the way around the lake.  From where I was I could see Dash flying about the pier, and Twi was there as well, although I couldn’t make out what she was doing, if anything.  Just a moment later, and I leapt off the top of the boulder from whence I had made my observations.  As I landed, I heard an unusually loud crunch, and when I looked down at my feet I found myself looking at a large opening in the rock into which my foot had partially fallen.  After letting out a sigh of relief that I hadn’t broken anything, or some other terrible fate, I looked into the opening, curious as to what might be inside, if anything.

When I looked into the opening, there was a quick flash, and as the spots faded from my eyes I looked at a piece of parchment rolled up with an intricate looking seal on it.  The mark wasn’t one of Celestia’s seals, nor one of Luna’s, so I was curious as to who would have the capacity to get this piece of parchment to arrive in such a specific place at such a specific time.  I quickly pulled out the sheet, and with practised ease I opened the seal, and looked over the contents.  The shopkeeper from the jewelry store had sent a simple missive, telling me that the other amulets were all prepared, and that I could come to pick them up when I was ready.  The signature at the bottom was smudged heavily, and just below it was a rather wondrous string of expletives and explanation for the smudge.  I only chuckled as I folded the parchment up before stuffing it into one of my pockets.

As I stood up from my distraction, I looked to the sky for a moment, relishing the clear blue beauty, before I started walking once again.  It seemed to take far shorter to walk the last third than it had to walk the first two thirds, but I didn’t think much during that last bit, only enjoying the scenery, so I suppose that somehow it all balances out.  Rainbow Dash and Twilight were both sitting on a bench talking as I approached, and the pegasus embraced the unicorn for a moment just before I could get close enough to hear what was being said.  When I was finished climbing back up the pier, and walking over to them, they had both stood up.

“So, girls, are we ready to head to town and get something to eat?  Or would you rather we head back to the house and get something?”  Twilight glanced at Dash for a moment before the pegasus took to the skies, her prismatic trail acting as an indicator for just how fast she was going.  “Was my question that offensive, or am I missing something?”

“You’re missing something.  While you were walking, for nearly an hour, mind you, Dash and I spoke, and we decided to have a simple picnic here, rather than head back to town, or something similar.  It’s nearly two, now, anyway.  Dash won’t be long, so we’ll have ourselves a nice late lunch, and then head back home.  Sound good to you?”  I nodded, and true to what the unicorn said, Dash arrived not long after she left, a large basket in her hands.



	

After our meal, and a pleasant conversation to go with it, we were walking out of the crater, enjoying a companionable silence.  I trailed behind the other two on the ascent, my gaze roaming across the landscape as the shadows shifted and lengthened, throwing the crater into an early dusk.  As I crested the rim of the crater, I admired the view afforded.  While not quite the highest point on the island, that was the far side of the rim, it was the second highest point.  From up here the entire island, or, nearly all of it, could be seen.  I only lingered for a moment before I noticed that the girls were already heading for the path that led back down to the jungle, and I put just a bit of energy into my pace to catch up to them.  Our descent was no more notable than our ascent, and soon we were navigating the thick jungle, heading for the town, and then to home.

As with all things, it was easier said than done, and we were forced to cross a few unmarked streams before we encountered a main trail that could take us to where we were headed.  We walked in near silence until we reached the trail, and it was only then that one of them decided to linger a moment to let me catch up.  The warm smile on Twilight’s face as she looked back at me brought a smile of my own to my face, and soon the two of us were walking together just a few steps behind Dash.

“So, Icarus, what’s on the menu for tonight?  Something exotic, and special, or something tried and true?”

I cast a quick glance at Twilight before a smile came to my face.  “Well, since I was denied the chance to make breakfast, and I made a promise to Pinkie...  Dinner tonight is breakfast.  Waffles.  With ice cream.  Which reminds me, we really need to go by the market.  Again.  To get more stuff.  I swear, if I didn’t already get a discount I’d consider asking for a preferred customer discount.”

“I still find it hard to believe that you, of all people, got in the way of the thief.”  I looked away from Twilight to look at Dash who had dropped back to join in.  “From what you’ve told us, or at least me, you’re the biggest softie I know.  You don’t fight with anyone, like, ever.”

“This wasn’t really a fight, Dash.  More like a brief intersection.  And while I’ll admit that I’m a pacifist, it only goes so far.  Ask Rarity.  She saw me when we were at the beach after the volleyball game.”  Dash visibly winced at the mention, and a hand rose to the wing she had injured.  “Not my finest moment, really.  I handled it like an ass.”

“I’m glad you did it.  Assholes like that don’t deserve the way you deal with people.”  I laughed loudly at that, ignoring the looks from the girls.  “It’s not that funny, Icarus.”

“Dash, maybe some other time I’ll explain just why that’s as funny as it is.  Suffice to say, the various bureaucracies of Manehattan came to dread the name Phaethon.”

“What did you do?”

I waved a hand at the pegasus, my smile growing.  “Another time.  It’s a long story, and I’d rather not start it now, only to have to interrupt it.  Since, as you can see, we’re nearly at the edge of the town.”  True to my words, the town came into sight when we rounded the latest bend, and I let out a silent sigh of relief, glad that I was right.

Thank you pegasus instinct, and a damn good sense of direction and distance...

Our walk through town was blessedly brief, and the time at the supermarket was even more brief than our walk.  Quill gave me a smile as he saw me, and his smile faltered for just a moment as his gaze passed over the two women.  I only shrugged quickly as the girls and I made our way to the back, where the freezers were.  Dash and Twilight each picked out a flavor they liked, and I grabbed the two, as well as a carton for myself, and soon we were heading back up to the registers.  Checkout was quick, and within five minutes of entering the supermarket, we were back out and heading for home.

Just as we were getting to the road I heard my name called, and I paused to look over my shoulder.  There, walking at a brisk pace, was Rarity, laden with several bags of her purchases, and Fluttershy was just behind her, only one bag held in her hands.  They quickly caught up, and Rarity immediately began going through the list of each and every item she had purchased.  I humored her for the first couple minutes, but after that my responses were rote and automatic.

When our vacation home finally came into view, I stopped dead in my tracks, as did the others.  Sitting there, on our front lawn, with Pinkie sitting atop it, was the biggest sea shell I, or anyone, had ever seen.  Applejack was standing in front of the shell, looking up at Pinkie as she idly swung her legs over the edge.  When she spotted us, though, Pinkie leapt from atop her prize, skipping down the road towards us.

“Is that...”

“Yeah, Twilight.  I think it is.”

“Do you think there’s a...”

“I hope not.  I don’t think they get quite that big.”  I gave my head a quick shake, and then I started towards Pinkie and Applejack.  Once Pinkie was close enough, I began speaking.  “Hey, Pinkie...  Nice find.”

“Isn’t it?  AJ and I were messing around on the beach, making a sand castle, when we decided that we were done.  AJ wanted to go swimming, but I wasn’t really in the mood to go swimming so I went for a walk.  And I was just there, minding my own business, when all of a sudden this giant crab walks out of the ocean, and he starts talking to me!  He was going on and on about Celestia, and some other guy, when he looked at me.”  She paused for a moment to take in a breath.  “And he asked me what I was doing, so I explained that I was going for a walk, looking for seashells, so he asks me if I wanted to find the biggest seashell ever.  I was so amazed at his offer that I just said yes, and he told me where to look, and so I did and there it was!  And now it’s here!”

I walked past Pinkie as she spoke, making my way towards Applejack.  “Did you know anything about this, AJ?”

The farmer just turned to look at me before she looked back at the shell.  “I didn’t...  She wasn’t...”  Applejack looked back at me, confusion apparent on her face.  “Pinkie being Pinkie, Icarus.  Pinkie being Pinkie.”  I only nodded before I looked the shell once over, and then pushed it from my mind.  “Are you going to make some dinner, Icarus?”

“Soon, yeah.”  I looked over my shoulders at the other girls.  “Come on, ladies.  No need to stay out here in the hot, when we can go inside and be nice and cool.”  All the others were still trying to get over the shock of the massive shell, but I had already decided that thinking about it, and how it got where it was, was an endeavor best taken on by those with far more patience than I could ever hope to have.  I stuffed the ice cream into the freezer once I got to the kitchen, and right after that I went up to my room so that I could wash off the accumulated dirt and filth from our hike through the jungle and up the volcano.

When I emerged from my shower I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Pinkie sprawled out on my bed, a book in her hands.  “Pinkie, not that I have a problem with you being in here, but I’m wondering why you’re here.”

Pinkie just glanced at me before she gave me a shrug.  “I just figured that I’d read some, but I didn’t feel like doing it down in the living room, or in my room.  Rarity definitely wouldn’t let me go to her room, and I didn’t want to bother the others.  That left your room, and, well, here I am.  Besides, your skylight is perfect for letting in just the right amount of light.”

“Oh.  Well, that makes sense, I guess.  I’m going to get dressed, and then head down to make some waffles.  Care to join me?”  I walked to my dresser as I spoke, and then stopped to look back at Pinkie.  “Wait, what are you reading?”  Her cheeks colored a bit, and then she held up the book to let me see the cover.  “You’re sleeping with me, now, and you’re reading stuff like that?”

“Rarity gave it to me for my last birthday.  She said that I’d probably appreciate the humor, and the more... mature... elements.  She was, and still is, right.  In fact, I’ve actually gotten some ideas from reading this.  Ideas I’d like for us to try at some point.”  This time it was my cheeks that flushed, and I made it a point not to look at her as I dropped the towel around my waist to the ground as I quickly dressed myself.  Once I was fully clothed, and ready to make some victuals, I grabbed Pinkie off my bed, carrying her in my arms.  I quickly made my way to the kitchen, and soon the two of us were taking stock of our ingredients, and setting out what we needed.  In her typical fashion, the pink haired beauty was moving with a level of speed that amazed me.

When it came to cooking, few people could beat Pinkie, and even fewer could beat her when it came to showmanship in the kitchen.  There was no such thing as simply adding an ingredient to the bowl for her.  Everything was a show of dexterity and agility as the ingredients soared across the room, often seeming to pass through each other if the situation warranted.  Pinkie hummed softly as she worked, often shifting from one tune to another with no rhyme or reason.  I was only barely able to keep up with her, and just five minutes after we started preparing we had a sizable bowl of batter ready to be turned into waffles.

I glanced at the clock quickly, before letting out a quick sigh.  “Well, Pinkie, we’ve got a little bit before we have to get started with the actual cooking, so what say we go take a look down in the wine cellar, and see what kind of good stuff Celestia’s got stashed away here?”  Rather than say anything, Pinkie just nodded rapidly, dashing towards the door that led to the cellar.  I followed behind her, at a more reasonable pace, and by the time I made it to the basement Pinkie was already zipping along the shelves, gawking at the hundreds of different labels that marked the different vintages and makers.  I had a vague idea of what I was looking for, and as I looked at the shelves I came to realize that they were arranged alphabetically by year produced.  I stifled a chuckle, thinking that this would be just how Twilight would do it, if she was as into liquor as Celestia clearly is.

Unless, of course, these are Luna’s reserves.  Perhaps a joint royal effort?

I pulled out and inspected several bottles of wine before I found the year I was looking for.  Six hundred years after Nightmare Moon was banished, there had been a sudden surge in the number of vintners around Equestria, and of the sudden surge, only a few really successful chains emerged.  One chain that failed to make it only failed because they produced in such small quantities.  The wine was supposedly the best wine ever to emerge from that year, and even the decades following, and the few bottles that still remained were valued upwards of a thousand bits a bottle.

As I pulled the softly luminescent bottle off the shelf, I couldn’t help but let my jaw drop.  Not only did Celestia have a bottle of the wine, she had two.  “Sinderion’s Root Wine, 626 ANM.  One hundred bottles produced, of which only thirty seven remain.  Four of which are currently in the vast kitchens of Canterlot, one of which sits in my fathers safe back in Manehattan, and two of which are here.  The rest lay scattered about Equestria, and beyond, owned by various collectors.”

“You sure know a lot about wine, Icarus.”  Pinkie had come up next to me as I had spoken, and she looked at the bottle in my hand with a smile.

“More my father than me.  My mom happened to have been a huge fan of wine, and that bottle was a gift my father got her before I was born.”  I frowned for a moment, as I thought about that.  “Shame that they never got to enjoy it.”

Pinkie wrapped her arms around me from behind, and she planted a quick kiss on my cheek when I turned to look at her.  “She’s not dead, Icarus.  I don’t know how I know, but I know.  They’ll get to have their wine together.”  I didn’t respond, instead simply waiting for Pinkie to release me before I started for the stairs.

Before I could start up them, though, Rarity appeared at the top, her gaze roaming over me for a moment before settling on the bottle in my hands.  “Wine with waffles, Icarus?”

I let out a quick scoff.  “No.  Wine with waffles and whipped cream.  I enjoy some alliteration with my meals.”

“Then wouldn’t white wine be a better choice?”

I let out a weak chuckle as I walked into the kitchen, moving past Rarity and towards the fridge.  I put the bottle into the small rack within the fridge, and then I turned to look at the counter where I had my cooking supplies laid out.  “Yeah, probably white would be better.  But, then again, the wine is for after dinner.  Wine and waffles are less than ideal together.”

“True enough.  I take it you’ll be starting up, now?”

“Yeah.  It’s almost seven, now, and I figure if I start now we can eat right around seven.”  I turned to look at her.  “Unless you’d like to eat later?”  She shook her head, and I turned to my cooking with a smile on my face.  Both Pinkie and Rarity chipped in to aid me with the process, and the three of us managed to quickly get dinner prepared, and onto the table.  During the last few minutes Rarity went up to gather the other girls, and as I was putting the last of the food on the table the girls all took their seats, looking to me with smiles all around.  “I promised Pinkie that today, for breakfast, I was going to make waffles.  Someone kept me from doing that.  So, in response, I made waffles for dinner.  With,” I started towards the freezer, “ice cream, since everyone likes ice cream.  And, after all, life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first.”

I put the ice cream down on the table, along with three scoops, and soon the seven of us were enjoying our dessert-breakfast-dinner.  Rarity and Fluttershy spoke, at length, about all the shopping they did, and all the different things they bought.  Rarity gushed about a jewelry shop she and Fluttershy had visited, and when she described the owner I realized that I had yet to give either Pinkie or Rarity their necklaces.  I grumbled about it for a moment before I jumped back into the conversation, helping Dash and Twilight to explain all that we had seen and done on our hike.  Pinkie and Applejack took the shortest time to explain what they did, since the highlight of their day sat in the front yard.

By the time we finished nearly all the ice cream was gone, and not a single piece of waffle had survived the apocalypse that had descended upon their kind.  “Now, girls, since it’s still relatively early, I figured that maybe we could all do something nice together.  I picked out a rather fancy bottle of wine, and I was thinking that maybe we could all just sit in the living room and spend some time together just talking and enjoying the company.”  The response was favorable, and after a quick clean up I had the bottle of wine in one hand, and several wine glasses in the other.  It took me two trips to bring everything into the living room, but soon enough we each had a glass of wine.  “I propose a toast.”  The girls all raised their glasses.  “To the seven of us.  That we may all find what we wish most in life, and that we will all have someone that we can turn to.”  Our glasses rang with a delicate chime as we knocked them together, and we quickly descended into friendly conversation.

Jokes flew freely, and we spent quite a bit of time reminiscing about the days come and gone, and the countless adventures that we had all experienced.  The bottle of wine lasted quite some time, but it was not bottomless, and just an hour after starting the bottle it was empty.  After finishing off the last of her wine, Dash looked around the group once, before she took the bottle off the table, and she began slowly rotating it in her hands.  “I’ve got an idea, girls.  We’re all adults, here, and I suggest we do something suitably immature.”  We all looked at Dash as she held out the bottle like it was the answer to all our problems.  “Truth or Dare.  With a twist.  If you chicken out, or fail the dare, you take a shot of whiskey.  You get a point for each question you answer or each dare.  First one to twenty points wins.”

I leaned back in my seat for a moment, shaking my head.  “Only you, Dash, would take something like Truth or Dare and turn it into a competition.”  She flushed, but said nothing in response, instead she started trying to convince us to play.

After a few moments of coercion, Dash managed to convince us all, and soon we were gathered around the coffee table, the wine bottle laying on its side in the middle.  Dash reached out, and rested her hand on the bottle, gently giving it a few experimental twists.  She gave it one final twist, and it whirled about, passing over each of us in turn before it finally began to slow.  It passed over me, and Twilight beside me, before settling on the pink haired party girl.  “Ooh, me!  Um, dare.  Give it your best shot, Dashie!”

The weather team captain smirked before she let her gaze roam over each of us.  Her gaze lingered on me for several moments before settling on Twilight.  “Alright, Pinkie, I dare you to give Twilight a massage.”  Pinkie nodded quickly, but Dash raised a hand.  “A horn massage.  For one full minute.  And you have to use both hands, and be totally thorough.”

“I...  Dash, is this really necessary?  You really shouldn’t drag me into Pinkie’s dare.”

Pinkie looked between Dash and Twilight for a moment, her face gaining a pained expression.  “Twi, come on, it’s just a game.  And we’re all friends, right?  Would it bother you that much?”  

Twilight looked pained for a moment before she lowered her gaze, and shook her head.  “No, I guess not.  Just...  Nothing but your hands, okay?”  Pinkie nodded, before stepping closer to Twilight.  She leaned in close for a moment, before whispering into Twilight’s ear.  I had thought her cheeks could grow no redder, but I was mistaken as her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson at whatever Pinkie said.  After speaking, Pinkie knelt in front of Twilight, one of her hands rising up to the magical protrusion on Twilight’s head.

She ran a finger along the length several times, a shiver running along Twilight’s frame in response.  Pinkie’s other hand came up as well, circling the tip of Twilight’s horn in a pattern of fast and slow, with her other hand slowly wrapping around the base of the horn, massaging along the spiraled grooves.  Her hands flowed in an all too familiar fashion along the horn, and Twilight’s face turned a shade of red I’d only seen in Dash’s hair.  Twilight’s hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white, and her eyes were shut tightly.  I could hear her breathing growing more ragged at Pinkie’s increasingly provocative motions, and I heard a low groan begin to sound from the Element of Magic.  Twilight started to shake a bit at Pinkie’s ministrations, and I felt my own cheeks flush in response to what I was looking at.

“Time.”  I looked at Dash quickly before looking back at Pinkie and Twilight.  Pinkie’s hands were frozen in place, but the look on her face told me that she dearly wanted to finish what she had started.  “Alright, Pinkie, that’s a minute, and a point for you.  Your turn to spin.”  Pinkie looked at the bottle for a moment before she looked back at Twilight, whose composure had only gotten worse since Pinkie moved her hands after Dash started speaking again.

I looked at Dash for a moment longer before I moved a bit closer to Twilight, my hand finding hers.  At the contact, she shivered again, but her eyes opened so she could look at me.  I motioned up at her horn with my eyes, and she gave a nearly imperceptible nod.  I only hesitated for a moment before I brought my hand up to her horn, quickly wrapping my hand around it, and giving it a few gentle strokes, eliciting a shuddering groan from the unicorn as her horn shot off a few insubstantial sparks of energy.

“Geez, Icarus, I was going to tell her to go finish up in her bathroom, or something.”  I looked at everyone for a moment, only to realize that they were all looking at me, and all of them were competing to see who could have the most intense blush.

“Whatever.  Twi needed it, and I was happy to give it to her.”  I looked at Pinkie.  “Spin the bottle, Pinkie.  And let’s at least try and keep things decent.”  Pinkie nodded before grabbing the bottle, and giving it a sharp spin.

Pinkie smiled as the bottle span in place.  “Round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows!”  After several long seconds of spinning, the bottle finally began to show signs of slowing.  After a few final rotations the bottle finally stopped, pointing squarely at the farmer.  “Okay, AJ, truth or dare?”

“Truth.  This’ll be easy for me, since I don’t lie anyway.”

Pinkie had a big smile on her face.  “Have you and Big Mac ever done anything that brother and sister really shouldn’t do?”

I dropped my face into my hand, and the others all seemed to share my sentiment.  I was the first to speak, though.  “Pinkie, didn’t I ask you to try and keep things decent?”

“Yeah, but that’s not as much fun.  Besides, it’s not like we’re going to share anyth --”

“Once, but I stopped him before he could do anything more than kiss me!  I really wanted to know what it was like, but I didn’t know who else to turn to...”  Applejack moved her hat to cover her face, but it didn’t muffle her voice.  “I asked him if he could treat me like he does Cherilee, just for a couple minutes, and it took me almost an hour to convince him.  Took him a couple of weeks before he could look me in the eye again without blushing.”

Several spins later, and I had my first challenge presented to me.  It had been Applejack’s spin, and I looked at her with a confident smile.  “Tru...  No.  Dare.  Give me what you’ve got.”

Applejack smirked before she started speaking.  “Alright, Icarus.  I dare you to show us, each of us, one picture that you’ve drawn of us.”

“What the fuck is this?  Dash, I thought I asked you not to tell them...”

Dash only shrugged, looking away.  “It came out by accident, mostly.  And after I told them...”

“It’s fine, Dash.  I probably would’ve told them eventually.  Like, before they died due to old age, or something.”  I stood, quickly making my way up to my room.  It only took me a moment to find the notebook in question, and I stomped my way back down the stairs to find all six girls looking at me.  I threw the notebook onto the table, next to the bottle.  “Open it to page forty two.  They’re in alphabetical order.  They’re nudes, so you know.  For the record, I regret nothing.”  As they each looked at their artistic counterpart, I turned to look away from all of them.  I counted the page turns, and before they could turn the seventh page I whirled around and took back the notebook.  “That’s enough of that, girls.  You each got a look at yourself, in my eyes, and now you’re done.  Not everything in here is meant to be shared.”

I ran upstairs to put away my notebook, and when I came back I sat myself in my seat before taking the bottle in my hand.  “Now that we’re done with that, let’s continue, shall we?”



	

Before I continue recounting my tale, I’d just like to thank Twilight for her magical assistance with this.  Were it not for her spell, I’d not be able to recall half of this as clearly as I can now.

Fluttershy and Rarity were both out.  The alcohol did them in faster than we anticipated.  Being the gentleman I am, I took the time to bring the two of them to their rooms, inelegantly putting them each in their bed so that they’d be at least somewhat comfortable.  When I came back down I found that the bottle was already spinning, and they all looked at me expectantly.  I took my seat once again, and I looked at each of the girls in turn, trying to figure out who gave the bottle its spin.  I shrugged as I focused back on the bottle, my eyes following the tip as it made its journey.  Finally, after going round and round almost a dozen times it started to slow, and I found myself looking along the length of the bottle as it pointed at me.  “Well, fuck.  Alright, who spun it?”

Twilight raised her hand, and her cheeks flushed a magnificent shade of red.  “Alright, Icarus, truth or dare?”

I looked at her for a moment before I shook my head.  “Knowing you, Twi, I’ll go with dare.”

A victorious smile flashed across her face, and her gaze moved from me to Dash.  “Okay, Icarus.  You’ve got to give our resident weather team captain a wing massage.  And you’ve got to go until she’s done.”

I looked to Dash for a moment, and then back at Twi.  “I’m good for more than just getting off, you know.”

“Yeah, you’re also good at drawing pictures of us naked.”  I glared at Applejack for a moment, only to be rewarded with a wide smile.  “What?  It’s a compliment.  You did a darn good job.  Although I don’t shave down there in that pattern.  It’s a good idea, though.”

“Yeah, I bet Big Mac’ll like it a lot.”  The farmer quickly looked away, her hat coming down over her face once again.  “Now, if you’re done, I’ve got a massage to give.”  I turned my gaze from the farmer to the pegasus, and I was slightly surprised to see her already sprawled out on the couch, her wings outstretched and quivering slightly.  I took a few steps closer before I stopped and took in several deep breaths.  I pushed the presence of the others from my mind, knowing that thinking about them would only make things harder than they would already be.  When I finally closed the distance to the supine pegasus, I knelt down beside her, taking in the full expanse of her wings.

“Now, if you want to get this done as quick as you can, you’ll need to start --”

“Whoa, Dash, who said anything about quick?  You want to enjoy this, right?”  She looked over her shoulder, at me, for what felt like a long time before she nodded.  “Good.  Than why don’t you let me do what I’ll do, and we’ll see how it goes?”  She pressed her head into the couch cushion for a moment.  “I’ve done this before, Dash, I know what it takes.  And, in case you forgot, I know the sensitive spots.  I am a pegasus, after all.”  I prodded, gently, at a point just a few inches from where the wing joined her back, prompting a low moan from Dash, and forcing her wing to grow more rigid.  I leaned in close to her ear.  “Pretend, Dashie, that it’s just you and me.  No one else.”

I brought myself up again before I put one hand on the base of each of her wings, gently kneading my fingers into the sensitive skin.  I moved my hands in tandem, each one mirroring the other as I worked along the more receptive areas on her lower wings.  Once I was far along enough that I couldn’t stretch far enough to do both wings at the same time, I shifted to do each one individually.  My every move sent a shiver along the wing, and forced a moan from the pegasus.  While I didn’t go fast, I didn’t linger too long on any given part of her wing, and after a few minutes on one wing I shifted my attention to the other, repeating my previous ministrations.  Once I finished her second wing, I returned my attention to where her wings met her back, and I began working with the goal of giving her the orgasm the dare demanded.  With my efforts concentrated where the nerves were most densely clustered, I quickly brought her to the edge, and then over it.

The athlete convulsed only a few times before her wings fell limply at her side, and her breathing began returning to a more normal rhythm.  I stepped back from her after a moment, and then I just sat down beside her, waiting for her to fully recover.  As she opened her eyes, and looked at me, she only smiled for a moment before opening her mouth to speak.  She quickly closed it, though, and then looked away.  I wanted her to say something, but I wasn’t going to press her.  I stood, after a moment, and then moved back to my place in the circle, finally looking at the others.  “I suppose, then, that it’s my turn, now?”  I received no objections, so I reached out and gave the bottle a quick spin, watching as it danced its mindless dance on the table.  Before the bottle stopped spinning, Dash sat up and just looked at the bottle, clearly avoiding meeting my gaze.

As the bottle finally began to slow, I found myself wondering who it would land on, and what I could possibly ask as a question, or pose as a challenge.  I just let out a sigh as the bottle finally stopped, pointing at Dash.  “Okay, Dash, truth or dare?  I don’t know why I’m asking, though.  Every single round you’ve gone with dare.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but as she processed what I said she narrowed her eyes.  “Fine, then.  Truth.”

“Sometimes, Dash, it’s just too easy.”  She glared at me for a moment, but the look quickly softened, shifting into slight nervousness.  “Alright.  Dash, why was winning that wager you had with the other girls so important to you?  What was it that was driving you so hard to win that you’d hand me your virginity, just like that?”

The nervousness on her face shifted, for a heartbeat, to anger, and then to sadness.  “Can I answer this one in private, Icarus?  I promise I’ll answer, but...  Just, not now?”  She looked up from the floor at me, her eyes watering slightly.

I was going to push her, but the look in her eyes kept me from doing so.  “Okay.  I’ll give you some time, but I will get an answer, understand?”  She nodded quickly, a sigh of relief escaping her.  “But just like my problems, Dash, hiding from it won’t make it any less painful when the truth does come out.”  I nudged the bottle towards her.  “Your spin, Dash.”

She didn’t hesitate to grab the bottle, but she did hesitate to give it a spin.  She twisted it rapidly, and once again, it made its way through the probabilities, throwing each option an equal pull, waiting to see which would reciprocate and force the hands of fate to line up.  After several tense moments, the bottle finally began to slow until it finally pointed towards Pinkie Pie.  She looked at the bottle after it stopped spinning for a second before looking towards Dash, a smile on her face.  “Alright, Dashie.  Let’s do it again.”

And, so, we fell, once again, into the routine demanded by the simple game.  We went well past the terms needed to ‘win’ the game, I won, incidentally.  Each of us taking our turn, and enjoying the laughs and awkward silences that followed the questions posed.  Sadly, I was forced to admit to more than one small kink I might have in the bedroom, and I learned more than I was interested in learning about the girls’ collective hygienic habits regarding...  Well, it wasn’t all fun to hear and see.

As the grandfather clock struck three, I reached out and grabbed the bottle, nearly missing due to the alcohol clouding my vision.  “Girls, it’s three in the morning.  Let’s call it a night, okay?”

“Before we stop, Icarus, I have one final question for you.”  I looked over at Twilight as she spoke, raising an eyebrow to prompt her to continue.  “If you could do it all again, from just before the accident, knowing what would be waiting for you now, would you do it all the same?”

I looked at her for quite some time before I finally let my gaze drop to the floor.  “Yes.  Yes I would.  If it meant that I could be as happy as I am with all of you, I would do it again.  Maybe I’d change a few things, but for the most part I’d do it all the same way.”  A smile flashed across Twilight’s face, and I knew that I had said the right thing, and possibly, had just won her heart more solidly than before.  “There you go.  One last answer for the road.  Er...  Walk to your bed.  Beds.  You all know what I mean.”

I took the bottle from the table, along with several of the glasses, and I made my way to the kitchen where I quickly put the glasses in the sink, and the bottle on the counter.  I looked at the label on the bottle for several minutes before I spoke.  “Maybe not with mom, but with me.  Just three more years.”

“We’ll make it together, love.”

“You passed out, Rarity.  Shouldn’t you still be in bed?”  I heard her approach, and then a pair of arms wrapped around me.  “Not that I object to your presence.”

“I didn’t think you would object.  Also, I wasn’t nearly as drunk as you might’ve thought.  I refuse to drink any amount that could ever bring me to the point of being drunk, so I used a simple spell to knock myself out.  And I came down because Pinkie woke me when she came to bed, and you didn’t follow like she said you would.  ”

“Was it that long?”

“Twenty minutes, yes.”  She moved to my side, one of her arms letting go of me to touch the bottle.  She turned it away from me, so I couldn’t see the label, and then she gently began easing me out of the kitchen.  I let her walk me along, and just a couple minutes later we were in my bedroom.  I quickly stripped out of what I was wearing, and I fell into my bed with not a trace of elegance.

I was able to claw my way up to my pillows, though, and once I was in a comfortable position both Pinkie and Rarity found their own positions atop and beside me.  I wrapped an arm around each of them and then gave them a small squeeze, relishing the sighs that followed.  “Good night, girls.”  Sleep swiftly followed, but for the first night since getting to the island my sleep wasn’t dreamless.

> Chapter XV:  The Swarm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Links later in the chapter aren't needed, but they aided me in writing, so I decided to throw them in for you.)

I looked around in amazement at the world my mind had constructed for me.  I knew I was in a dream, a rarity for me, but I had no control over the events that seemed to take place.  Not that I had any desire to control them.  Events were proceeding pleasantly within the confines of the Ponyville town park, and I was content with things as they were.  When Discord appeared, though, I was suddenly aware of why I was unable to do anything about the state of my dream.

“Good Morning, Icarus!  How nice of you to make your normally inaccessible mind so pleasantly pliable by imbibing copious quantities of alcohol.”  He sat down in place, a chair appearing below him, and a table before him.  He quickly laid his arms on the table before fixing me with a glare.  “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get in here?  I mean, honestly, boy!  It’s like a bloody fortress.  How you managed to get so good at guarding your thoughts, I’ll...  Oh.  Wait.  I do know.”

“What?  Why do you want to come into my mind?”

Discord rolled his eyes before he motioned at me, the sudden disorientation of teleportation washing over me.  “The game grows boring when I’m the only player, Icarus.  Of course, you don’t really know the game yet.  To be fair, you can’t know.  In fact, the only other person who knows is Celestia, and she’s a terrible sport.  And, to make it better, she can’t even tell you about the game.”

“What game?  I don’t follow any of this.”

“Oh, poo.”  Discord crossed his arms, his demeanor shifting to that of a petulant child.  “I don’t understand what’s going on!  I won’t even try to understand!”

“Damnit, Discord, I don’t get it!  I don’t even know what the right questions would be!”  The god seemed to stop for a moment, and I jumped on the chance.  “How could I possibly understand what’s going on?  I’m on a vacation now, and I’m busy dealing with the girls.  What game am I a part of that Celestia can’t tell me about?”

“Oh.”  The god quickly looked around, but it was clear that he wasn’t really looking at the dream world.  “Oh my.  I um...  Oh.”  He looked around for several moments, his features fading a small amount.  “Let’s just pretend that this didn’t happen, okay?  Oh, wait.  In case I forget, and I never get a chance to tell you.  It’s the fourth door, not the fifth.  She’ll figure it out in less than six weeks.  She didn’t want it anymore than you did.”

I only looked at Discord as he ran about my dream, stuffing various objects into suitcases that looked identical to my own.  “I’m guessing that these will make sense when the time is right?”

“No, that’d be too logical.  They’ll make sense when the time is wrong, and it’ll be up to you to know when that time is.”  He paused in mid motion, the tree sticking out of the suitcase as he wrestled with the branches.  “Icarus, you can’t hope to make sense of it now.  It’d be best if you just went about the rest of your vacation as if this never happened.  Oh, and if the wench asks about why I was here, just tell her to teach her grandmother to suck eggs.”

“The wench?  Screw you, Discord, I’m not playing your stupid games.”

“Celestia.  Tell her that.  You really don’t have a choice, boy.  The gods are the players, and you’re all just pieces.  I can count, on one hand, the number of people who really matter in the world.  Of course, that one hand would have to have about thirty fingers.”  He finally got the tree fully into the suitcase, and then he looked around the landscape, seemingly satisfied.  “Yes, this will do nicely.  I’ve undone just a tiny fraction of what I’ve done, but it’s enough to work for now.  With that done, Icarus, all I need you to do is wake up.”

“Discord, this is the most cliched thing you’ve ever done, isn’t it?”

“Second place.  But seriously, wake up.”  His voice shifted into one I was more intimately familiar with.  “Icarus, wake up.”



	

“... up, Icarus.  It’s time for breakfast.”  I cracked open my eyes to look up at Rarity as she gently shook me.  “Come on, love, it’s nearly ten.  You can’t just sleep the day away.”

“Says who?”

“Says the girl who has something you want.”  I moved a bit, so I could sit up, and Rarity just adjusted herself so that she was on my lap.  She gave me a quick kiss before leaning back.  “That’s all you get until you get out of bed, and come have breakfast.”

“Cruel and unusual punishment, Rarity!  How could you do this to me?”  I tried to pull her in for another kiss, but she used her superior position to keep me at bay.  After a few futile tries, I finally managed to work up the strength to get up, and as I did Rarity moved to the door.  “Cheater.”

“Not really, Icarus.  I said that was all you got until you got out of bed.  Now you can come over here to get the next part.”  I made my way over to her, and she just let out a musical laugh before she threw some clothes at me.  “Get dressed, love, and then join us for some breakfast.”  I pulled the clothes off of my face just in time to see her flash me a quick smile as she shut the door.  I looked at the clothing that had been thrown at me, and I put it on without complaint or thought.  I ran a hand along the growing beard on my chin as I walked the hall towards the downstairs, and I idly mused to myself that a shave was likely in order after breakfast.

I was thoroughly unsurprised to find that Applejack had made breakfast once again, and I was forced, finally, to outright admit that she did make a better apple pancake than I.  As the last of the pancakes were eaten I leaned back in my chair, looking at the girls for a moment before finally speaking.  “Plans for the day?  I already know that Twi and I will be busy this evening, probably around eight or nine, but that leaves the rest of the day free for adventure and exploration.”  When no answer was forthcoming, I let out a small chuckle before I stood up.  “Well, given the overwhelming response, I think it’s quite clear that we need to find something to do before lethargy claims us all.”

Almost as if to answer my unasked question, Twilight’s horn glowed for a heartbeat before a scroll materialized before her, a simple wisp of vanishing smoke showing that it had appeared through magic.  As if by precognitive effort, Twilight’s hand snapped out to reclaim the scroll before gravity’s omnipresent effects could assert its hold.  She looked at the wax seal for a moment before she opened the letter, her eyes flying along the page, her expression shifting from happy to sad, and back again as she looked over the words written in the flowing script that I’d come to know as Celestia’s writing.  My own letter from her had been in that regal script she used so often, and so well.

“Well, girls, and Icarus, it seems that our lack of a plan has just been resolved, courtesy of our esteemed Princess Celestia.”  She held out the letter, gently tapping it with one hand.  “Seems that she’s arranged for us to go to a large celebration that lasts most of the day.  The once-a-decade celebration for the emergence of the fireflies is being celebrated, now, and today marks the first day.  But, normally, that wouldn’t really be all that special, nor would it require a letter.  The special part is that we’re the guests of honor, to host the commencement at noon today.”

I felt a tiny smirk come to my face as I turned to look at Rarity.  “Seems, then, that we’ll all need to get ready for the public to see us in all our glory, eh, girls?  I mean, I know I don’t take all that long to get ready, but some of us...  Well, I’m going to go and take a shower.  Just an hour till noon.”

“Yes, Icarus!  I get it!  I take a long time to get ready!”  Rarity shot me a glare that could’ve turned Discord back to stone.  It wavered as I smiled back at her, and then she stood, storming off upstairs.  “I’ll get out something for all of you to wear, so don’t get ready until I give you the go ahead!  And I really must talk with Princess Celestia about her timing.”

I waited until I heard Rarity’s door close before I took the letter, quickly scanning it over before placing it on the table.  “I agree with Rarity.  Timing is not Celestia’s strong suit.”

“She’s always had a quirky sense of humor.  She’ll find what gets you going, and use it to her amusement.  Prank wars between Luna and Celestia have, according to their letters, only grown worse since Luna’s regained her confidence and has started appearing in public.”

“Oh?”  I raised an eyebrow.  “This is something I’d like to hear about.  The personal side to Royalty.”  I started for the stairs.  “But, another time.  I really do need a shower and a shave.”  I received no reply as I went up the stairs, and just minutes later I was in the shower, idly singing to myself as I did what one does in the shower.  After I finished, I dried off, and stood before the mirror in the bathroom, my razor resting in my hand as I decided on what I’d shave, and what I’d keep.  After making my decision, I applied the cream and went about my task.

It was a quick job, and as I washed away the last of the leftover cream from my face I flashed a quick smile at my reflection before walking back into my bedroom.  Sitting on the bed, with a small note of paper, was a set of clothing that I could only assume was put there by Rarity.  I looked over what she had put out for a moment before I unfolded the note.




I’m only slightly upset that you didn’t bring along the suit that I made for you.  Although you couldn’t have known...  Still, this will have to do.  Come see me once you’re dressed.
Love,
       Rarity




I shook my head as I folded the note over again.  “It’s a tropical Island.  I wouldn’t wear a suit if you’d put one out, Rarity.”  I quickly donned the clothing that was put out, and as I was adjusting the way the shirt was sitting, a series of knocks came from my door.  At the same moment, a set of quick knocks came from the door to my small balcony, as well.  My gaze flicked from one portal to the next, and back again several times before I settled on answering the regular door first.  When I opened the door I found myself face to face with Twilight, who was already wearing her attire for the day.  The dress ended just above the knee, and was clearly one of Rarity’s designs.  It had a selection of jewels woven into the fabric, and the single shoulder design seemed to work fairly well with Twilight’s body.

“Oh, good, you’re dressed.”  Twilight’s normally calm demeanor was in abeyance as she swept past me into my room.  I slowly closed the door after her, and I turned in place to look at her as she paced back and forth, casting quick glances my way every few steps.  “I just got a second letter from Princess Celestia.”

“Oh?  And what’s this one --”  Several louder knocks came from the door to the balcony
, and I let out an explosive sigh.  “Yes, Dash, I know.  Two seconds.”  I began muttering to myself as Twilight stared at me from the middle of my room.  “She knocked at the same time as you.  I just hadn’t let her in -- Oh.”  I stared at the visitor for a moment before I found my voice.  “It’s not Dash.”  I opened up the door quickly, allowing in the Princess of the Night.  “Good morning, Princess Luna.  To what do we owe your visit?”

“Good morning, Icarus Phaethon.”  She turned to look at Twilight.  “And to you as well, Twilight Sparkle.”  Her focus returned to me.  “I happen to be one of the people requested to be present for this ceremony, and I’d be foolish to let such a chance pass me by.  Also, someone must keep an eye on Discord.  His attempts at reintegrating with society are...  Questionable.  Tia asked me to keep an eye on him.  Especially now, while the Elements are on vacation.”

“I suppose that makes sense.  Any particular reason, though, that you chose to come...  Right.  Vacation home.  Why not the front door, though?  Wouldn’t it have been more...”  I gave a quick shrug.  “I don’t know, appropriate?  Suitably royal?”

“I tried.  Several times.  No one answered.  I refrained from the RCV only because Tia made me promise not to use it.”  She gave a small smile.  “And we all know that breaking a promise is the quickest way to lose a friend.  Now, that silliness aside, I need somewhere to get changed.  Have you any room?  Also, before I forget, I need to speak to Rarity.  I have gossip that simply must be shared.  A certain noble has returned to the forefront of Canterlot life, and he’s already started a herd.  With a Canterlot celebrity, and a high ranking officer from my own personal guard, no less.”

I gently grabbed Twilight and started for the door.  “You can use my...  Your?  Whoever uses this room while you’re on vacation, it’s yours now.  And I’ll let Rarity know as soon as I can.”  I closed the door behind Twilight, and quickly let out a sharp breath.  “I think that went quite well, don’t you, Twi?”

“I didn’t know the two of you were so close.”

“We aren’t.  I just know who to suck up to when it’s Nightmare Night.  Also, she has some rather interesting taste in artful decoration.  And a narcissistic streak the likes of which you’d never imagine.”  I shook my head quickly, and motioned Twilight towards her room.  “Now, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?  Or did you just come by my room for better pacing space?”

“Right.”  Twilight’s cheeks flushed a bit as she started for her room.  I followed just behind her, and once we were both in her room she flared her horn and the door closed behind me.

“You and your magic.  I swear, it’s like the easy switch for life...”

“Not as much as you might think, Icarus.  Anyway, I came by because Rarity suggested two different ways that I could do my hair for the day, and I wanted to get your opinion on which would look better.”

“I’m not really qualified to answer that.”

“Rarity said that you are, and that you’d say exactly that to try and get out of answering.”  She gave me a smile.  “And the next thing you’d say, if I wasn’t saying this, would be to say that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  She knows you too well, Icarus.  I could have this whole conversation without you, so can we just get to the end of it, and you look at the two styles and pick one?”

“Fine.”  I glared for a moment before I faltered, and gave her a wan smile.  “Let’s see it.  When you and I dance tonight I want everyone’s jaws to hit the floor.  And not just because of my dashing good looks.”  The unicorn’s cheeks flushed for a moment before she looked towards the mirror, her horn glowing softly as her hair did the same, quickly shifting into an elegant bun.  Several locks of her hair escaped the bun, gently falling around her face, framing it with a lock of purple on one side, and pink on the other.  A necklace gently floated to her neck as her hair finished styling, and after just a moment her look was complete.

“This is the first option.”

I had no words to describe her beauty, but I knew that I had to say something.

Eloquence, thy name is Icarus!

“That one.  I don’t care what the other one is, that one is...  Yes.  That one.”

Her cheeks flushed hotly for a moment, and then she turned to look at herself in the mirror once more.  “Are you sure?  It’s not too serious looking?  Not too...  Severe?”

“No.  Never.”  I took a step closer to her, putting a hand on her exposed shoulder.  “Trust me, Twilight, you look gorgeous.  If I didn’t already have a plan for today, and tonight, and we didn’t have somewhere to be soon...  Let’s just say that I’d quite like to spend quite a bit of time with you, and that I’m peeved that I can’t today.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I know that you’re not done getting ready just yet, so I’ll go bother Rarity some.”  Twilight’s blush only grew before she darted in for a quick kiss.  Before I could react, though, a flash of light put me in the hallway, just beyond Twilight’s door.  I let out a breath before I turned in place, now facing Rarity’s door.

I knocked two times, and then took a half step back.  The door flew open, and Rarity glared at me for a heartbeat before her irritation seemed to vanish.  “Oh, good, come in.”  I stepped in, and closed the door behind myself.  “All the others are getting ready, and you’re done.  This is good.  Now, I have a few things I’d like to talk to you about.  The first of which is probably one of the more important ones.”

I walked to Rarity’s bed, and took a seat, watching as Rarity did her hair and makeup by hand.  “Okay.  I’m ready when you are.”

“Twilight.  I already know that you’re planning something for tonight.  What is it?”

“That’d be telling, Rarity.  And I don’t feel like spoiling the surprise.”  Rarity turned to look at me for a moment.  “Okay, I’ll explain, but I’ll also need some help.  And a rather hefty dose of magic, not that I think about it.”

Rarity’s mouth turned up in a smile.  “Please, do explain.  If this is anything you’ve thought up, it’s sure to be interesting...”



	

“... And I’ll just have to make it up from there.  Although by that point it’ll be a cooperative effort.”

Rarity’s smile had only grown though the explanation of my plan, and she pulled me into a massive hug.  “That’s probably one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard from you, Icarus.  If this goes off as smoothly as you’ve planned, it’ll have to get a name in the courting world.”  She hesitated for just  a moment.  “But, I don’t know if I can pull that kind of magic off on my own.  I’ll certainly give it my best shot, though.”

“Well, if you need some magical assistance, Princess Luna is here to help host the ceremony.  Maybe she can help you out.  Oh, and she wanted to talk to you about some gossip, or some such.  Something about a noble.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t listen much to the specifics.”

Rarity’s brow furrowed for a moment, before realization splashed across her face.  “A noble?  There’s not really much good gossip floating about the Canterlot nobility.  At least, not since the Orion debacle.”

“Well, that’s what she asked me to tell you, so I’ve done my part.”  I stood up from the bed, shaking my limbs a bit.  “And now, I’m going to head downstairs.  We should probably be going soon, anyway.  It’s nearly time to leave, since it does take some time for us to get to town.”

Rarity glanced at the elegant watch on her wrist before her eyes widened.  “Yes, please do.  I need to finish getting ready... And then chat with the Princess of the Moon.”

Her gaze moved between the pile of cosmetics and the door several times before I took the situation into my hands.  I stepped up to Rarity, and, without a word, placed a swift kiss on her lips.  “You look amazing, Rarity.  Anything more than you’ve got already would look overdone.  Go see Luna, and then we can go.  I promise, you look radiant.”  The fashion centric unicorn seemed to relax in my grip, and she only looked into my eyes for a moment before she returned my kiss with one of her own.

“My Prince Charming, here to rescue me from distress of my own design.”  I felt my cheeks flush a bit, and I took a small step back.  “Never change that part of you, Icarus.”  She stood from her seat after that, and then moved to the door, opening it and moving down the hall without a trace of doubt in her stride.  I followed her as far as her door, but then I turned down the hall, quickly going down the stairs and planting myself atop one of the couches in the living room.

It was only a few minutes before I heard someone else come down the stairs, and when I looked over I was greeted with the sight of both Applejack and Fluttershy, both of whom looked fantastic.  They each took a seat on a couch opposite me, and we just sat together in silence, waiting for all the others to finish getting ready.  After several moments I looked between the two, and adjusted my posture.  “Just figured I’d let you know, Princess Luna is here.  She’s helping to host the event.  Oh, and Fluttershy, Discord’s going to be there too.”

Fluttershy perked up a bit at that, and she let a smile come to her face.  “I hope that he’s been behaving himself.  I’d hate to have to have a talk with him.”

I was about to give her a small taste of what Discord had been up to when the rest of the girls came down the stairs, a Princess in tow.  “I promise you, Rarity, he’s already shattering the norm.  Nobility has been held to the monogamy law for centuries.  Tia herself told me about how strictly it was enforced during my forced vacation.”

“Forced vacation?”  Princess Luna turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing the tiniest bit.  “Did they at least have postcards?  What kind of vacation is it if you can’t even get some postcards?”  I gave a small shrug.  “I mean, it’s only natural, right?  Go someplace new, get a postcard.  It’s what I do.”

Twilight’s jaw nearly dropped as she looked between myself and the Princess.  “I don’t think that Princess Luna had much time--”

“They were all sold out.  I waited in line a thousand years, and just as I was about to be next in line they ran out.”  A smile came to her face.  “And then?  I find myself back in Ponyville.  All my aggression needed an outlet.  I mean, what other way is there to deal with being denied a postcard from the moon.”  She took a few steps closer to me, her eyes sparkling with mirth.  “Perhaps, Icarus, you could pick some up when you take your trip there.”

“No thanks.  I’m much too fond of things like air.  And breathing.  And water.  You know how it is.”

Without warning Luna turned to look at Twilight.  “I like this one, Twilight.  He’s got a sense of humor.  Unlike those others that Tia told me about.  Those who are now enduring the hardships of the northern climes.”  Twilight looked away from the royal representative, and a strong blush surged to her cheeks.  “Now, we’ve spent more than enough time dilly-dallying.  We go, now, to the festival!  Avante!”



	

I trailed at the tail of our little group as we walked, content to take all the time I liked as I covered the space between the house and the town.  My participation wasn’t really required, since I had no real fame, unlike the elements, so I had leave from Luna to wander about the town, and enjoy the festival while they went about their host duties.

The normally sleepy little town was abuzz with activity as I walked along the main street, and vendors of all sorts were hawking their wares, desperate to get whatever business they could.  I took the time to peruse many of the wares offered, and I even purchased a few odds and ends that struck my fancy.  I ambled about as the ebb and flow of pedestrians dictated, and before long I found myself in the town center where the girls were sitting atop a large stage.  Discord was there too, and Luna was giving a small speech.  I didn’t linger long to listen, and after just a few moments I was back in the markets.

I socialized with a good number of the locals for a while, offering my expertise to those who I could.  I even arranged for a few customers who could work with a long distance style repair and maintenance gig.  When I heard the clock tower strike two, I finally decided that I’d get myself something to eat.  With the myriad of choices at my disposal, it was easy to find something to eat, but finding something that I actually wanted wasn’t quite as easy.

A small bistro caught my eye as I walked, and I stepped inside, surprised to find the shop mostly empty, despite the hustle and bustle outside.  None of the patrons looked up at my entry, and I found that a bit disconcerting at first.  A heartbeat later, though, and the feeling vanished, leaving me wondering whether it actually happened.  A woman approached me with a menu in her hand, and she led me to a table.  I took a seat at the table, and she placed the menu in front of me without a word, simply looking at me for a moment before departing.

“Well, if it isn’t my latest customer!”  The voice shattered the silence, and every head snapped in the direction of the door, where stood the jeweler.  She quickly made her way towards me, ignoring the withering looks directed at her by the other patrons.  “I was certain that you’d be in town today, and here you are.  In my favorite little coffee shack, too.”  She took the seat opposite me without pause, adjusting herself until she was comfortable.  “You know what you want yet, boy?”  I nodded, explaining what I had chosen from their limited menu.  “Great.”  She turned to look towards the back of the shop.  “Carafe!  Carafe you lazy inbred sod, two hot chocolates and a banana nut muffin!  Now!”  She looked back at me.  “Sometimes he’s a bit hard of hearing.”

“You are something else.”

“Aren’t we all, though?  Dear, once you’ve been alive as long as I have, you’ll realize that you’ve never seen it all.  And that there’s always something new that will surprise you.”  She looked over her shoulder at the approaching man.  “Take Carafe, for example.  A finer cook you’ll never meet.  Shame that he’s not --”

“You promised that you wouldn’t talk about that, Atropos.”

“Nonsense, Carafe.  He doesn’t care.  No one here cares.”  She turned to look at me once again.  “He’s a changeling, Icarus.  Raised by human parents, he never knew just how different he was until the invasion.”

I extended a hand towards Carafe.  “Icarus Phaethon.  Is it true?”

He took my hand in his, giving it a quick shake.  “Aye.  You’re the fifth one to know.  And I’d much rather it stay at five.”  I nodded, and a smile came to the man’s face.  “Thank you.  Now, is there anything else you need, or did Ms. Windbag here cover the entirety of what you’d like?”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Carafe.”

I squirmed in my seat for a moment before I shook my head.  “Thanks, Carafe, but she covered it.”  He gave me a smile, and scowled at Atropos, before he took his leave, and returned to the kitchen.

“If I was a few dozen years younger I’d give his lovely bride a run for her money.”  She caught the look on my face, and cackled for a moment.  “Not really, Icarus.  That’d be horrible.  I’d have to be at least fifty years younger to give it a shot with Carafe.”

“That’s not...  You’re bizarre.  Amazing, great at what you do, but bizarre.”

“I certainly try, dearie.  I certainly try.”  She fetched a small ball of yarn out of her purse, along with some crochet needles, and she got to work.  “Now, how goes the work on giving out those amulets?  Any luck yet?”

“No.”  I began fidgeting in my seat under her scrutiny.  “I haven’t really been thinking about them all that much.”

“It’s quite alright.  When the moment comes, so, too, will the amulet.  Magic, you know.  I work it into everything I do.”  Silence fell upon the table for several minutes as I just watched her work.  Our reprieve was interrupted briefly when our drinks arrived, along with my muffin, and together we passed the time as we each consumed our chosen fare.  As I finished the last of my muffin, the woman across from me let out a small sigh as she put her needles down.  “You’re going to head out now, aren’t you?  It’s fine.  I’m about done here, myself.  I have to get back to my shop, and close up for the night.  And you’ve got to head to the town square.”

“Not yet, I don’t.  It’s still a few hours till sunset.”

She shrugged.  “No.  Just an hour.  Time flies, Icarus.”  I glanced at my watch, surprised to see that her words were true, and I only had an hour until the sunset ceremony, and I put my plan into action.  She patted my arm gently as I went to rise, and her touch stopped me from rising just yet.  “It’s a good plan.  It’ll work.  And Generosity is right, it does deserve a name.”  She released my arm, and pointed to the door.  “Now, go.  Get a dash of Magic in your life.  Creator knows that you need it.”

I stood up, and made my way for the door, pausing only briefly to look back at her.  “Don’t worry about the bill, dear.  I’ve got it covered.”  A smile flashed across my face as I pushed my way back into the bustle of the market, and towards the town square.  I could hear the band from quite a ways away, and all the commotion in the crowd seemed to be about the coming festivities, and what sort of special even there’d be this time around.  As I neared the square, the crowd grew thicker and thicker, and soon I was unable to get any closer to my destination.

I began worming my way around the people in the crowd, desperate to get closer to the stage.  As I squeezed past someone I heard my name, and I turned in place to find myself looking at the Wonderbolts.  None of them were in uniform, so it took me a moment to recognize them, but when I did they all gave me smiles.  “Hey, Icarus.  Nice of you to come by.”  Soarin pulled me towards their small cluster, and I was glad for the relief from the pressure of the crowd.  “Sucks that you bailed on our show, though.  It was a good one.”

“Next one I’ll actually stay for.”  I looked around for a moment, thankful for the island of relative calm that the Wonderbolts enjoyed.  “I take it you’re all here for the coming dance and party?”

Spitfire nodded and looked at Soarin before looking back at me.  “You say that like the whole thing hasn’t been a party.”

“I was distracted.  Didn’t spend much time really enjoying it. I was catching up, instead, with an old friend.”

Soarin raised an eyebrow.  “Someone from Manehattan?”

“No.  She’s just really old.”  I paused for a moment.  “That was funnier in my head than it was in execution.”

“Stick with inventing, Icarus.  You’re better at it.”

Spitfire looked between Soarin and I.  “I dunno, Soarin, that wasn’t bad.  Better than the jokes you usually try and force of Fleet and I.”

“We agreed not to talk about the jokes I used to tell, Fire.  I promised not to read those joke books anymore, and you promised not to bring up the horrors of my old style of humor.”

I looked at Fleetfoot as Soarin and Spitfire argued, and she gave me a weak smile.  “I nearly broke up with him over the jokes he told.  They were bad.  Really bad.”

“I’ve never heard a joke bad enough to threaten to break up with someone.”

“Pray you never do.  It hurt to hear.”

“Fleet, it wasn’t that bad!”  Soarin flushed a bit at his outburst.  “I mean, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”  His face flushed a bit more at the nods he got from both Fleetfoot and Spitfire.  “Screw you guys, then.  I don’t need that kind of negativity.”

I looked between all three for a moment before an idea began to take place in my head.  A small change to the plan that I’d laid out with Rarity.  “Actually, Soarin, girls, I’ve got a small favor to ask of you.”  They all looked at me, their argument seemingly forgotten, even if only for a moment.  I quickly laid out what I was planning, and the three of them all got big smiles on their faces as the pieces of my plan came together.  “And, so, I’d appreciate it if one of you could take a few things to the glade.  Just to make things a bit more... cozy, when we get there.  ‘We’ being Twilight and I.”

Soarin shook his head, the smile on his face only growing, while Spitfire and Fleetfoot both looked at me like I was a genius.  “That plan is amazing, Icarus.  If any guy ever pulled that off, I’d be hard pressed to say that I wasn’t amazed at the attention to detail.”  I offered a shrug to Spitfire.  “Seriously.  If neither of them are going to help, I’ll gladly do what you need.”  After a moment, the others agreed to help as well, and in a matter of minutes they had taken to the air, and were off to put into place the last pieces of my plan.

Now, all I have to do is get to the stage, so that I can actually get things started.

I looked towards the stage, and the seething crowd began moving to the beat of music that seemed to surge from all around us, yet had no source.  “Oh, come the fuck on.  Now?”  As the tune reached a thunderous crescendo I started a mantra in my head to keep myself from being swept up in the lyrics.  The voice that started the song was not one, but six, coming together in harmony.

“Once in a decade, just once every ten years,
The people of Firefly Island join together,
As one we stand side by side and let out our cheers,
It always happens, once in a decade, no matter the weather!”

I moved in time with the beat, against my better judgment, as I wove between the many people in the crowd.  I hazarded a glance towards the stage, and I was surprised to see Twilight, and the others each holding a microphone.  Twilight’s eyes were closed, but as I was about to continue she opened them, and began singing.

“A vacation, time away from a home away from home,
A chance, a fleeting moment in time,
I know all there is to know about this event, a glorious tome,
A chance to see this event, for which there is no rhyme!”

As Twilight’s first verse echoed into the night, nearly swallowed by the music, I pushed further still into the crowd.  The undulating masses of people pressed against me from all sides, aiding my progress as often as impeding it.

“The loves and dreams of a dreamer and a lover,
Taking hold during this magical night,
What great wonders will we, together, discover,
Revealed in the ardent glow of the firefly’s light?”

I looked to the stage again, now just a bit more than halfway there.  All that stood between me and the stage was the wide open area of the dance floor.  I let out a small sigh, knowing, without knowing why, that I couldn’t go onto the dance floor just yet.  Twilight took a half step back, putting herself next to the other Elements, and together they resumed singing as one.

“Life, a glorious adventure, from humble beginnings to triumphant ends,
Learning to live, to laugh, to love,
To spend it all beside you, my wondrous friends,
That is something I hold above,
All the rest!”

A tiny voice in the back of my head told me it was time, and I ran across the dance floor, each step measured and placed exactly where the tiny voice told me to put it.  Without a thought I leapt, the magic of the song carrying me up onto the stage.  I grabbed the microphone stand away from Twilight, turning in place to stare at the crowd.

“A chance to right the wrongs of years gone past,
A chance to be with the ones I love, is all I asked,
A celebration of the name of this land,
A party no less than ten times as grand,
As the great day of the Summer Sun,
It pales beside the majesty of this once-in-ten-years day,
None of this land would miss it, not even one,
For a chance like this, I’d gladly give my wings, and the chance to fly away!”
(A/N Song are bloody hard to write!)

The music ended mere moments after my verse, and the crowd went wild, applause seemingly surging from every part of the land.  I felt my chest heaving with the exertion of my efforts, and I looked over my shoulder at the girls, and they all had the biggest smiles on their faces I’d ever seen.  “I..”  I let out a laugh.  “I just told myself that I would remember this one.  And, Rarity, you were right.”

“I told you, love.”  She stepped over to me, and gave me a massive hug, into which the other girls quickly joined in.  Luna, just a few steps away, smiled broadly before approaching the microphone that I’d been using.

“And that, people of Firefly Island, commences the celebration!  Eat, drink, be merry!  We still have some time before the emergence begins, and it is my royal decree that you shall all enjoy this night!”  Her horn flashed for a moment, and a great bolt of light flew upwards before exploding in a display of fireworks, setting the crowd cheering louder than before.  The band, also up on the stage, started playing as the echo of the magic faded, and the populace surged onto the dance floor, already letting out cheers for the music.  Luna stepped back from the microphone after a moment, and then she turned to look at the girls and I.  “That goes for all of you, too.  Go, enjoy yourselves.  You’ve been up on this stage all day, looking important while Icarus had all the fun.  Now you can join him.”

The girls let out a cheer, and just a few minutes later we were seated at one of the many tables arranged in the town square, each of us with a drink sitting in front of us.  I was still full of energy from the song, and it came out in quick and easy laughter, enjoying the moment as much as I could.  For quite some time we all just enjoyed the music, taking some time to just relax after our impromptu performance.

“You finally got to remember a song, Icarus?”

I looked at Applejack, and gave her a nod.  “Yeah, AJ.  After all this time I finally remember one.  And, of all that I can remember happening, I’m glad that this is the first one I can remember.”  I felt my cheeks grow warmer as I let out a nervous laugh.  “Didn’t quite realize how much it’d force out of me, though.  Magic of Harmony would be damn powerful in a court of law.”

“That’s just the thing, Icarus, the magic will only make you say things that everyone already knows.  Things that you know are true, but might not want to admit.”  Twilight gave me a smile.  “Remember the Winter Wrap-Up?  I wasn’t comfortable revealing the fact that I was clueless, but I still did.”

“Aw, come on, Twi, you weren’t clueless.  Just not quite used to how we do things back home.”  Applejack patted Twi on the back.  “And now look at how we get things done.  Faster than ever, and with fewer problems.”

Twi blushed and looked away, prompting us all to laugh for just a moment.  “Just because it’s true, and we all know it, doesn’t really mean I want to shout it out for everyone to hear.”  I gave a shrug.  “Just saying.”

“It’s fine, Icarus.  You’re okay with having lost your wings, because it brought you to Ponyville, and to us.”  Pinkie latched onto me in a big hug, her voice soft.  “It brought you here, and to us.  And that’s something that your wings could never do for you.”  Pinkie gave me a quick peck on the cheek after that, and then she returned to her seat.  My cheeks felt like they were ablaze after the kiss, and I brought a hand up to where I’d been kissed.  Before I could turn to look at Pinkie, though, the music changed abruptly, shifting to some electronic song.  “Vinyl?  This is one of her songs!  I had no idea she was on the island!”  Without waiting, she grabbed my wrist, and Dash’s, and dragged us towards the dance floor.  I shot a look over my shoulder at Rarity, and she gave me a quick smile and a nod.

The beats presented by the famed DJ didn’t fail to measure up to her usual quality, and everyone on the dance floor made sure that Vinyl Scratch knew just how much they appreciated her talents.  I held back some, in my dancing, knowing that I’d still need to be fresh when the time came for my larger exposition of dancing talent.  About half an hour after Vinyl started playing I spotted Soarin and Spitfire merging with the crowd, making their way towards the girls and I.  Soarin said nothing once he got close enough, instead just giving me a conspiratorial wink.

As the echoing bass of the last song ended, the crowd let out a piercing cheer, its echo adding to the volume.  Vinyl stepped out from behind her stand as the cheering dropped from a tsunami of sound to the steady beat of the waves on the shore, a microphone in her hand.  “How are we all doing tonight?”  The crowd responded with a loud cheer, and the DJ just smiled.  “I’m sorry, what was that?  I couldn’t quite hear you!”  The crowd cheered once again, this time louder than before.  “That’s what I thought!  Now, we’ve been enjoying my famous tunes for the better part of an hour, now, but this isn’t just for celebrating the carefree and fun side of our lives.  It’s also a chance for, as Icarus so aptly stated, us to spend time with our loved ones, and to maybe kindle new loves.”  A low murmur ran through the crowd, and a good number of people fled the dance floor, and after just a few moments it was nearly empty.  Vinyl frowned at the vacant floor, and then she brought the microphone to her mouth again.  “Come on, you ninnies!  It’s not that serious.”

I looked beside me, and was pleased to see that Rarity was where she said she’d be.  I took her hand in mine, squeezing it gently and letting out a massive sigh.  “And to think, Rarity, I cursed my dad out for almost an hour when he signed me up for those lessons.”

“If there’s one thing you need to remember, Icarus, it’s that it is always important to know how to do some more intricate dances.”  She gave me a warm smile as her horn flared, and a small slip of paper flashed from her other hand, to the DJ up on the stage.  I watched as she grabbed it, opened it, and quickly read the contents.

Her frown vanished in a moment, and was replaced with a wide smile.  “Seems that we’ve got a special request.  And one that I’m all too happy to fill.”  She went to her booth as she spoke, and it took her a moment to retrieve the record she was looking for.  “Everyone, clear the floor.  Rarity, Icarus, the floor is yours.”

Rarity squeezed my hand back, and pulled me out towards the center of the floor.  “Don’t worry, Icarus, Pinkie knows the plan, and when she’ll need to act.  Unless you or I mess up during the dance, this will go off without a hitch.”

“Bloody dandy!  Let’s hope I remember everything I need to do.”  I looked over to Vinyl, along with the band atop the stage.  “Roll it, Vinyl!”

As the music started, the band jumping right into the music, I quickly approached Rarity, pulling her close to me as she pressed herself into me.  We quickly cut across the dance floor, our steps in perfect synchronization, our pace perfectly in time with the tempo of the music.  With each flare of the music we made ourselves the undeniable center of attention on the dance floor.

As the music flowed through Rarity and I we each became an instrument for the rhythm.  As our dance carried us nearer to the edge of the dance floor I felt a tiny nudge from Rarity, and I knew that my own addition to the interest of the night was only due to increase.  With a quick push and a twist I sent Rarity back from me, her own knowledge of the dance turning the unforeseen move into an elegant spin.  As she danced away from me, I span in place, snatching a rose from the hand of Pinkie who was exactly where she needed to be.  Without pausing, I followed after Rarity, quickly bringing both of us back into the dance we both knew.

As we traversed the floor once again, I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.  “Not one of you knows the whole plan, Rarity.  Keeps things magical.”

“Oh, I know that, Icarus.”  She pulled my own move on me, pushing me into a quick backwards pace as she followed me.  She performed a spin as she fell into my arms, but in a flash of light the voluptuous form of Rarity was replaced with the lithe figure of Rainbow Dash, her once knee length dress now replaced with an incredible dress that only went to mid thigh.  I managed to keep my surprise from my face, but the sudden shift in dance partner threw me off as the music, too, changed to something more like what I could imagine Dash dancing to.

She flashed me a smile as she started moving herself to the beat, and I had little choice but to join her, matching her moves with ones of my own.  We didn’t cut across the dance floor as the new song played, but our actions were no less enthusiastic.  Dash’s incredible form, and amazing athleticism allowed her the control of our dance, but I didn’t let her run the whole show, doing what I could to add my own flair to her moves.

As the beat of the song continued pumping out, some in the crowd began pulsing on the edges of the dance floor, eager to see what was next on what I could only assume would be a six part dance.  Dash and I did our dance for several moments before she suddenly repeated the same move as Rarity, quickly spinning herself as she leapt towards me.  I was expecting a sudden change in who I caught, but when it was still Dash I couldn’t keep the confusion from my face.  As I brought her out of the dip I’d lowered her into she leapt from my arms, a flash of light changing her into Twilight Sparkle.

I was at least a bit pleased to see that she was just as surprised by the sudden development as I was.  However, it didn’t last long as the music shifted, once again, to yet another new song.  The slightly slower beat allowed the two of us to do a tango-esque dance, and dance we did.  Despite her initial surprise, Twilight seemed to take into the dance incredibly quickly, and within moments of her arrival she and I were moving about the dance floor with enough grace and style to put the dance I shared with Rarity to shame.

As we moved across the dance floor, Twilight took the rose from my mouth, holding it in her own, a flash from her horn turning the once red rose into a shade of lavender that she’d always said was her favorite.  As the music built into a crescendo, I stepped closer to her quickly, turning her into an incredibly low dip as I gave her a kiss.

And with that kiss, our world flashed into oblivion for less than a heartbeat, and we were in the glade, the sounds of the music lost to the vast intervening distance.  I held the kiss for several moments, and when I broke it, I opened my eyes to look at the beautiful woman in my arms.  She looked up at me, as I looked down at her, and after just a moment she pulled me into another kiss, this one far more passionate than the last.  It lasted no longer than the first one, and with a small sigh I brought the two of us upright.

I motioned for her to follow, and she took my hand and did so, refusing to break the near silence of the clearing.  It only took me a moment to find the spot that I’d picked out during our last visit, and I was incredibly happy to see that the Wonderbolts had done as I’d asked.  The blanket had several candles placed about it, each one shimmering with a magical flame of a different color.

“For you and I, Twilight, a dinner for two.  Accompanied by a light show set to begin in just a few short minutes.”

Twilight released my hand as she approached the blanket, her gaze roaming around the entire area, taking it all in.  “You planned all this, Icarus, for me?”

My cheeks flushed as I gave a shrug.  “Well, yeah.  I wanted to make it special, Twi.  It’s not everyday I get to court the Element of Magic.  I had help though.  And, clearly, Rarity did too.”

She didn’t say a word as she leapt into my arms, pulling me into a great hug.  I felt a tiny trickle of water on my shoulder.  “It’s perfect.  Better than I could’ve ever hoped for.”  My cheeks threatened to burst into flames from her words, but I didn’t make any indication of my embarrassment.  She broke the hug, and gave me a kiss before looking at the laid out dinner.  “Now, how about we have something to eat?”

“Gladly.”  I allowed Twilight to take a seat first, and then I sat down beside her, leaning against the tree under which our meal was placed.  “Dinner, for us, straight from the kitchen of Gilded Ladle, a simple fare of salad, and small cuts of a perfectly prepared steak.”

“Gilded Ladle?  The executive chef from the kitchens of Canterlot Palace?  How could you have possibly gotten him to make us something?”

“I have Rarity, Twi, and she’s got Luna.  This whole plan worked a lot better than I thought it would because of their combined efforts.”  The two of us started on the meal that we had before us, and Twilight quickly moved so that she could lean against me as we ate.  I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, eliciting a small sigh of contentment from the unicorn.

“When you sang, Icarus...  I’m glad you’re with us.”  She paused as she ate a bit more of her food.  “I’m not so melodramatic to think that I’d have never found another love after what happened in Canterlot, but I’m still glad that it was you who I found, and who found me.”

“If I could do it again, Twi, knowing what happens, I’d probably still do it.  I’d still be resentful of the loss, but with all of this waiting for me, it’s a sacrifice I’m glad to make.”

Silence fell between us once again as we both returned to our meals.  Soon enough we were both finished, and looking out into the glade and waiting for the first of the fireflies to emerge.  I felt a sudden presence in my pocket, and I reached a hand into that pocket, surprised to encounter a felt covered box.

Atropos, you clever girl...

I pulled the box from my pocket slowly, making sure to keep Twilight unaware of what I was doing.  I cracked open the box with care, and the amulet within sparkled in the candlelight, sending shimmering sparks of light all over.  With a faint click, I shut the box, and then adjusted my position beside Twilight just a bit.  “So, Twi, what are the classical methods used to finalize a courting process.  The signs that a given person has been accepted into a herd?”

She looked at me for a moment, her cheeks flushed.  “Well, there’s quite a few methods, most of which are dependent on the attributes of the man.  A pegasus often gives to each girl a feather.  You, without your wings, I suppose, could use the fallback and give a personalized gift.”  She turned a bit more, now fully facing me.  “Why?  I mean, I could probably --”  I held the box towards her, my gaze failing to match hers.  She took the box from my hand, and I heard the clicking sound that meant that she opened it.  “Icarus...  Oh, Icarus, it’s beautiful!  It’s perfect, too.”  She pulled it out of the box, and I finally looked up at her, watching as she held it in one hand, the box forgotten on the blanket.

The long chain dangled from it, and with deceptively steady hands I reached out and took the two ends.  “May I, Twi?”  She nodded, and I reached around her neck with the ends of the necklace, draping it and quickly fastening the small silver latch.  After admiring it for a moment, I leaned back, and looked at her, admiring how it fit with not only who she is, but her entire outfit.  “It’s totally out of order, and far from traditional, but I’d like you to be the first I officially ask into herd Phaethon.”

“Yes!”  Twilight’s arms wrapped around my neck, and the two of us fell backwards onto the blanket, her arms coming down around my head to keep just enough distance between the two of us.  She leaned in for a kiss, and after she broke it, a single tear fell on my cheek.  “Yes, Icarus, I would love to be in your herd.”

As I was about to speak once again, a faint buzzing seemed to fill much of the glade, and I turned my head just in time to see a wall of flashing lights burst out of the cave that was the prime feature of the glade.  Twilight and I just looked on in amazement as the sky seemed to quickly fill with millions of fireflies.

“You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies lit up the world.”  Twilight rolled onto her side next to me, pulling herself close as we, together, watched the sky slowly fill with the blinking lights of countless fireflies.

The show went on for nearly an hour before either of us spoke again, and it was Twilight who broke the long lasting silence.  “I want to spend the next celebration here with you, Icarus.  And the others, too.  I want this to be something we do as a herd.  Something we do together, to bring us closer to each other.”

I held back a small chuckle as I turned to look at the unicorn clinging to my side.  “It’s a date, Twi.  I know you like to plan ahead, but isn’t that pushing it even for you?”

Her cheeks flushed for a moment before she rolled herself atop of me, her eyes flashing with playful vengeance.  “This coming from the man who asks Rainbow for the monthly weather report for next year?”

I rolled us both over, smiling down at Twilight.  “Yeah, because I need to know what long term projects I have to plan for.  Besides, I don’t make a minute to minute plan for my visits to the market, unlike some people.”  Twilight grinned up at me, and then she rolled us both once again.  I threw my momentum into it, and soon we were rolling about the grass, laughing and fighting to get atop the other to deliver our next witty comeback.

After several rolls, we finally stopped with Twilight sitting proudly atop me, her cheeks flushed with the exertion of our play and merriment.  She leaned in for a kiss, and I brought my arms up around her to pull her into the kiss.  As we finally broke apart, Twilight’s cheeks were flushed even more than before, and her horn had a faint glow around it.  “I think...  I think we need to head home, Icarus.”

I brought a hand up to her cheek, holding it there for a moment.  “Of course, Twi.”  I pulled a small piece of parchment from my pocket, and I broke the wax seal on it, and with that break a flash of brilliant white light consumed the two of us.

> Chapter XVI:  The Fourth (SEX)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	



Chapter XVI:  The Fourth



	

I felt a flash of dizziness as I felt each part of my body rapidly reassemble itself under the influence of the teleportation magic.  As the last vestiges of magic were whisked away by the invisible currents I felt the grasp of gravity pull at my body once again, dropping me a few inches onto a pleasantly cushioned surface.  I had less than a heartbeat to relish it before a weight was placed atop my body.  I cracked open my eyes, and was greeted with Twilight’s own looking into mine.  The flush on her cheeks only intensified at our proximity, and without a thought I wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her into a rather passionate kiss.  She practically melted against me as we kissed, and with a gentle caress of her tongue against my lips, I granted her entry.

For several moments we battled for supremacy of my mouth, and within moments it was clear that Twilight was far better than me at this kind of duel.  Rather than gloat, she was magnanimous in her victory, and she granted me access to her own mouth, and our battle resumed once again, less vicious, but no less heated.  When, ultimately, I was defeated once again, we finally broke the kiss.  Twilight shifted herself slightly, and then lifted herself off me just a bit, allowing me to finally draw in a full breath.

Her half lidded stare as she looked down at me made the blush in my cheeks grow, and I gave her a quick smile as I gave her cheek a gentle caress.  “So, Twi, it’s a bit late to ask how you’d like to get started, but it’s never too late to ask how you’d like to continue.”

“Well...”  She faltered for a moment, and then rolled the two of us over, putting us in the center of the bed, my body against hers.  “Remember what happened with my horn?  When you...  I’d like it if you did that.”

“I...  That’s what you want, Twi?”  She gave a hesitant nod, and I leaned down to kiss her quickly.  “Whatever you like, Twi, there’s no need to be nervous.  These are the kinds of things I want to know.  I don’t want this to be something you go into reluctantly.  If what I’m doing sucks, tell me.”  I raised a hand to her horn, gently trailing a finger from the base to the tip.  A shiver ran along her entire body and she closed her eyes.

I rapidly shifted my position, and soon I had both hands free to work upon the bony appendage.  I gently traced one hand along the grooved spiral, keeping an even pace while subtly changing the pressure that I applied with each passing moment.  Twilight’s eyes cracked open, and her cheeks flushed deeply as she squirmed gently under me.  I gave her a smile, and my other hand came into play, running in the opposite direction of the first, earning me a gasp from the unicorn prodigee.

With a quick wink, I lowered my head to her magical appendage, planting a feather soft kiss upon the side.  I planted several more in rapid succession before leaning back and admiring my handiwork.  Her eyes had closed again at some point, and they cracked open as I looked down at her.  “I trust that I’m doing a good job?”  She gave me a jerky nod, and then let out a piteous whine as I resumed my ministrations with one hand.

“Keep going...  Don’t just stop like that.”  I raised an eyebrow, and abruptly changed my pattern on her horn.  “By Celestia’s...  Oh, that...”  Her words quickly grew less coherent, and in a sudden act of daring I darted forwards, running kisses along her horn from base to tip in rapid sequence, before planting a firm kiss on the tip.  A jerky shudder ran through Twilight’s body, and several large sparks of impotent magical energy shot from her horn, gently drifting through the air on invisible currents.  Her body continued shaking for a moment before she let out a massive sigh, and went limp in my grasp.

I continued caressing her horn, softly, as she enjoyed the afterglow of her first orgasm of the night.  Several moments passed before she opened her eyes and looked up at me.  I gave her a silly smile, and joined her as she let out a laugh.  “I take it that I did good, Twi?”  She gave me a nod, and I leaned back for a moment, taking a good deal of my weight off Twilight.  “Now, in order for us to make sure this wasn’t a fluke, we need a larger sample size, right?  Once is a fluke.  Twice is luck.  But three times?  Three times means we’re going to start a trend.”

“Icarus, now isn’t the time for the scientific method.”  I looked down at her, and I raised an eyebrow when I noticed the wide smile on her face.  “We’ve already passed by quite a few steps, and I see no reason to backtrack.”  She reached up to take one of my hands in her own, but at the last second she grabbed my arm, and then rolled the two of us over, pinning me below her.

“What are you doing?  I wasn’t--”  Before I could finish speaking she rolled me over, pinning me on my stomach while she sat on my back.  “Oh.  This isn’t fair, Twi.  I don’t have...”  I trailed off as I felt a tingle run along my back.

“I did some research, Icarus.  We’re well past the experimental stage.  I’m just drawing some conclusions, now.”  I noticed a faint glow on the walls, and the tingling in my back seemed to intensify, and pulse in time with the glow cast on the walls.

“T...  Twi?”  She slipped my shirt off, and I did what I could to help her, hoping to see what Twilight was doing.  Several moments passed in silence, the tingling on my back pulsing, yet steadily growing.  A sharp stab of pain lanced through each of the scars on my back, and then was replaced with a sensation I hadn’t felt in years.  “No...  They told me it couldn’t...”  Without a thought my hands snapped up to see if it was really there, but my hands just passed through a faint sensation of resistance, sending a spike of feeling into my mind.

“Illusions, worked into your nervous system...  They’re yours in every way but the physical.”  I felt her hand run along my right wing, gently teasing at the feathers I knew weren’t there.

They’re not real...  But that feeling...

“Twilight, this spell...  I can’t...  I don’t...  I can’t even.”  I rotated a bit, and I ‘moved’ one of my wings so I could see it.  “They’re even the right color.”  Brown at the front, fading to white at the ends of the feathers.  Before I could say another word, Twilight’s hand brushed along my wing again, sending a shiver along each one.  I felt the real muscles in my back tighten, and less than a heartbeat later I felt the ghost sensations of the magical wings responding.  “Right now, Twi, I don’t care what you do.  Just...  All I ask is that you do unto me as I did to you.”

One of Twilight’s hands brushed along the space between my wings, and my muscles continued tightening, shots of pleasure running through each part of me as the sensations began blurring together seamlessly.  Twilight leaned down beside my right ear, and she nibbled gently at the edge of my ear before whispering.  “Right or left first?”  Her voice was not that of the normally studious mare, but one of a seductive goddess.

Before I responded she gently nipped at my ear again, and a quick shiver ran through my body.  “Left...  Left first.”

“And so it will be.  Let me make you feel as good as you made me feel.”  She was silent as she raised herself back up, and I waited in silent anticipation for the coming sensations.  It started with a touch so soft I almost didn’t feel it at the tip, but it quickly grew in pressure until it felt like a constant undulating pressure along the length of my wing.  I didn’t look back to see what she was doing, instead burying my head in the bed trying to stifle my moans of pleasure.

I failed miserably at stifling my moans, but at least it spurred Twilight on to greater lengths.  After she massaged every part of my left wing she started the same process on my right wing, giving it just as much attention as the left one.  By the time she finished my two phantom appendages were as stiff as they could possibly be, a fact that Twilight found amusing.  For a moment I reveled in the sensations afforded by Twilight’s magic, and then I felt her lips press against the spot between my wings, and her arms wrapped around my body, gently working their way around my chest.

I couldn’t return the hug, but I did bring one of my hands towards hers as she embraced me.  “Thank you, Twi.”

“Oh, Icarus, I’m not done yet.”  Her voice sent a shiver down my spine, and then the unicorn released me, her hands finding my wings yet again, this time working with more force than before.  It only took her a moment to bring me to a new level of pleasure, and her ministrations were soon pushing me to the brink.  Her efforts were masterfully done, and I shuddered as she brought me to the edge, and kept me there.  Suddenly, the glow from Twilight’s horn intensified, and I felt as though a dozen hands were working at my wings, in addition to Twilight’s, and within seconds I felt the muscles in my back twitch as they began spasming in response to her magical machinations.

A low groan escaped my lips as I enjoyed my first orgasm attained through only the stimulation of my wings.  Somehow, as I rode the waves of pleasure they increased in intensity, and my world was lost in a haze of bliss as Twilight pressed herself against my back.  I’m not quite sure just how long I enjoyed myself before I came back to full awareness, but I know that by the time I did Twilight was pulled up against my side, gently resting and enjoying our joint presence.

The sensation on my back was gone, but the memories were still fresh, and without a thought I pulled Twilight into a deep kiss, rolling onto my back, bringing Twilight with me.  She worked to press herself closer to my body, and for several minutes we kissed, only breaking apart long enough to take a breath.  When we finally stopped I looked up at the wondrous woman atop me.  “No words, Twilight.  I have no words to show how much what you just did means to me.”

She darted in for a quick peck before she leaned back.  “You might not have the words, but I know exactly what you mean.”  Her demeanor shifted once again, revealing the sultry goddess that had been present just moments ago.  “Now, we’re not done here just yet, Icarus.  I’m still dressed, and the night is still young.”

I felt a smile come to my face, and I sat up, bringing my arms around Twilight, knowing where the zipper I sought was located.  “Then, Twi, how about we remedy that pesky problem.”  The zipper offered no resistance as I dragged it downwards, and soon it was held in place only by Twilight’s breasts as the fabric was still tight against them.  I gently pulled the dress down, and after just a flash of strain, it suddenly slipped from her frame, pooling around her waist.  The act revealed her bra clad breasts, the sheer fabric hiding so little, but doing so much to add yet more sexual energy to the room.

Once again my hands came around to her back, and with deceptive ease I was able to undo the clasp, freeing Twilight’s breasts from their fabric confinement.  I looked up at Twilight as I cast aside her bra, and she had just a tiny hint of nervousness on her face.  “Each part of you is perfect, Twi.  There’s nothing to be nervous about.”  She flushed just a bit more at that, and her gaze drifted away from mine.  “Even now you can get embarassed, Twi?  With what we’ve done so far?”

She just mumbled something, so I took matters into my own hand, quickly moving Twilight off of me so that I could whisk away her dress, leaving her sprawled out in nothing more than a pair of lacy purple panties.  Taking care of the panties was another easy job, and as I let my gaze roam along her body she just flushed softly.  I was quick to remove my own clothing, and soon the two of us were on my bed, neither of us with a shred of clothing on.

“So, Twi, you want top or bottom?”  Her only response was to gently bite her bottom lip before suddenly rolling the two of us, her body suspended just inches above my turgid member.  “I see.  Well, I’m at your disposal, Twi.  Set the pace, and I’ll do what I can to make sure you enjoy this as much as I will.”  She smiled down at me for a moment before gently lowering herself until my tool was up against her womanly gates.  She and I let out gasps as she began lowering herself along my length, and she shuddered gently as she reached the end of my tool.  The muscles in her canal gently contracted and rippled, sending spikes of pleasure through my body, bringing me to new and amazing heights.

Unwilling to revel in the pleasure alone, I brought one of my hands up to Twilight’s horn, repeating my previous exercises upon it once again.  She gasped when I made contact, and soon she was enjoying my presence both in, and around, her body.  With nearly agonizing slowness she began lifting her body, dragging my hand down her horn, and pulling me out of her feminine passage.  When I was nearly entirely out of her body, I slid my hand along the last bit of her horn, gently squeezing the skin around the base, shooting lances of pleasure into the unicorn’s body.

“Icarus...”  Her words were lost to a moan of pleasure as she lowered herself once again, her hips rotating in order to maximize the sensations.  Her pace gradually increased, and I worked to keep myself from climax, but her endeavors were taking their toll, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from the edge for long enough.  I brought my free hand up to Twilight’s chest, and I began gently massaging the yielding flesh.  She put one hand on my chest, to balance herself, and her other came up to press against the hand I had on her chest.

I increased the pace of my hand on her horn, and I began playing at the sensitive bud atop her breast, hoping that we could both reach our climax at the same time.  I gave her nipple a gentle tug, and Twilight let out an adorable squeak, and she opened her eyes and looked down at me.  Her half-lidded gaze was amazing, and she began increased her pace, raising and lowering herself just a bit faster.  “At the same time, Icarus.”  I gave a tiny nod, and I worked a bit faster, still, at her horn and her breast, determined to make sure that she fully enjoyed this.

The contractions of her muscles suddenly started going much faster, and I felt myself being pulled, and pushed, closer and closer to the point of no return.  Her pace continued increasing steadily, and soon I was riding the edge of the abyss, ready to go over with just a simple push.  Twilight gave me a seductive smile before she increased her pace once more, effortlessly pushing me to the edge, and beyond.  A cry of bliss escaped Twilight as I managed to return the favor, and I felt the once rhythmic contractions go out of sync as she experienced an orgasm.  Her horn, too, began shooting off sparks as it enjoyed the effects of its own orgasm, along with the mind blowing effects of her other orgasm.

The sparks that flew from her horn lingered far longer than the ones from earlier, and they seemed to waft about the room for ages as Twilight and I both came down from our orgasmic bliss.  Her body collapsed against mine as her muscles finally began relaxing, and her rapid breathing slowly returned to something close to normal, and she only pulled herself closer once she regained muscular control.  As the motes of light began to drift downwards, and come into contact with various objects, they vanished with faint bursts of light, giving Twilight and I our own little fireworks show to enjoy as we held each other.

I gave her a quick kiss, and then I reached down and grabbed for the blankets that had been shifted down to the foot of the bed.  As I sat up, to grab them, a knocking came from the door, and I looked at it for a moment before looking down at Twilight.  She caught my eye, and gave me a tiny nod, a yawn escaping her.  “Let them come in, but I’m exhausted.  Just sleep.”

I gave her another quick kiss.  “I couldn’t go again if I wanted to, Twi.  Besides, tonight was your night.”  I looked away from her, towards the door.  “Come in.”  Only now, as I was able to actually focus on my room, did I notice the dozens of candles that lent the room the gentle, and romantic, lighting that had been present.  The door opened slowly, and both Rarity and Pinkie were present.  Both were wearing their typical nighttime garb, and I gave them a nod when they shot glances at Twilight.  “Come on, girls, there’s plenty of room.”

“‘Course there is Icarus!  Celestia really likes to--”

“Pinkie!”  Rarity flushed deeply as she shot a look at the bouncing girl.  “One does not speak of the Princess in such a fashion.”  Her serious look faltered, and then I noticed a slightly determined look come over her face.  “Although such a rumor must have some basis in fact...”

“Not tonight, Rarity.”  I patted the bed on either side of myself.  “Tonight, now, is a time for sleep.  So, join Twilight and I.”  Pinkie energetically leapt onto the bed, throwing her arms around me as she did so, pulling me into a tight embrace.  We collapsed backwards onto the bed, and soon I felt Twilight’s arms wrap around my body as well.  From my newly created nest of arms I looked up at Rarity.  “You coming, love?”  Her flush, which had diminished from earlier, came back in full force.  

With a knowing grin, she sauntered over to the bed, and with a quick flash of her horn the door closed once again.  “Of course, Icarus.  I wouldn’t miss a chance like this for anything.”  She climbed up onto the bed, and after a few moments all three girls were plastered against me in various fashions, each one letting out a sigh of contentment.  I felt a hand move up my leg, trailing softly along, and I grabbed it before it could reach its destination.  “Not tonight, Rarity.”

“How did you know?”

I lifted my head to look at her, and gave her a smile.  “You’ve just got a certain way about you, Rarity.  Now, all of you, it’s time to get some sleep.”

“I love you, Icarus.”  Twilight’s sleepy voice sounded just beside my ear, and she pulled herself closer to my side.

“Me too, Icarus.”  Pinkie’s voice sounded in my other ear just after Twilight’s, and she mirrored Twilight’s actions.

“And I, as well, my Prince.”  Rarity pressed herself against my chest more firmly.

“And I love all of you.  Now, let’s get some sleep, and tomorrow night we can express, to each other, how we feel.”  Sleep claimed each of the girls, their breathing slowing until I was the only one still clinging to consciousness.  “‘It’s the fourth door, not the fifth.  She’ll figure it out in less than six weeks.  She didn’t want it anymore than you did.’  Discord, you total ass.”  And, I, too, fell into that blissful realm wherein all responsibility and awareness vanishes.

> Chapter XVIII:  The Story
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	



Chapter XVIII:  The Story



	

I felt a gentle pressure around my chest as wakefulness did come battering at the slowly stirring parts of my mind that still held tightly to sleep.  I cracked an eye open and was greeted by the warm and welcome sight of a new day.  As my mind caught up with what I was looking at, I was able to put together the positions of the girls around me, and who was clinging to my chest.  With as much gentleness as I could manage, I pried myself from Rarity’s grasp, and soon I was free from the bed, and making my way towards the bathroom.  With only a paltry amount of elegance, I made myself ready for the day, and I slipped into some clothing shortly after finishing in the bathroom.  As I put my watch on around my wrist, I noted with a frown that it was far earlier than I had thought it was.  I walked over to my desk, quickly, and grabbed a few things before exiting the room.

As I made my way down the hall, I looked into each of the unoccupied rooms for a moment, marvelling at just how much has changed in so short a time.  When I finally reached the living room, I pulled a page from my notebook, and I wrote a quick note to the girls, whoever woke up first, explaining where I was going, and when I’d be back.  I looked it over twice, before folding it up, and placing it on the counter in the kitchen, knowing that it’d be found quickly, there.  With that taken care of, I turned, and headed out the front door, making sure to close and lock it behind myself.

My walk to the beach was short and thoroughly uneventful, and soon I was leaning up against a tree, watching as the waves lapped against the shore in an eternal dance.  For several minutes I enjoyed the view of the ocean, and then my gaze turned to the notebook in my hands, and I opened it up to the page that I had been looking at for much of last night.  With only a few moments to catch up to where I was mentally, I dove back into my designing with relative ease.  It didn’t take all that long to get through the theoretical mathematics, and soon it was all rote equations, allowing my mind to wander, and flit about from topic to topic.

A recurring topic were my actions the night before, and I found that I was divided on the subject.  I was doing what I wanted to do, and put distance between myself and the girls, but at the same time I knew that what I did was mean to the them, making them all worry unnecessarily.  I shook my head, quickly, and looked down at my work, noting with a frown that I had stopped working several minutes ago, while I had been lost in thought.  I let out an explosive sigh as I flipped the page over, and sought out a blank page where I could write and work without potentially ruining my work.

Soon my pencil was moving across the page, and I was free to allow my mind to wander once again.  This time, however, the topic was not the girls, but the royalty with whom I had spent much of the previous day with.

They were so... Normal.  Nothing like my father had said.  But, then again, I met them under totally different circumstances.

I looked up from my work towards the ocean, and I faintly made out a sound that was different from the lapping waves that had been all I could hear for the past half hour.  The sound grew louder, gradually, until it stopped beside me.  The figure soon sat beside me, and after a moment I felt a hand grab my own, and squeeze for just a moment.  “Good morning, Rarity.”

“How did you know?”

“The way you carry yourself.  I’ve known you romantically for only a very short time, but I’ve known you personally for a far greater amount of time.”  I looked at her for a moment, and I gave her a warm smile.  “You have a very distinct stride.  It’s not as easy to make out when you’re not wearing high heels, but I could still pick up on it.”

“Can you identify all of us without seeing us?”

I offered a small shrug as I looked back to the sea.  “Pretty much.  Pinkie is easy, but it’s sometimes a bit harder with Applejack and Rainbow if they’re both walking.  Fluttershy is also easy, I just have to pay attention to a place that is quieter than all the others.”

“And Twilight?”

“She’s the one who walks without anything special in her stride.  She is calm and confident with her walk, but not overly so.”  Silence followed, and I felt Rarity shift her position, and then her arms wrapped around my body as she leaned into me.  “And you, Rarity, walk as though you are eternally in the spotlight.  You carry yourself with grace and dignity.  At times, though, it could seem like arrogance, but I know you well enough to know that you’re not arrogant, just certain in who you are.”

Rarity said nothing following that, and I shortly returned to my artwork, knowing that Rarity would speak when she was ready.  We sat together for some time before I felt Rarity shift against me, and I lowered my pencil, knowing that she was ready to speak.

“Who am I, then, to you?”

I dropped my hand down to the sand beside me, and it landed on a box that I had known was there for the past few minutes.  I lifted it slightly, before placing it back in the sand.  “You’re an amazing woman, who I’m glad to have met.  You’re the kind of person who thinks nothing of doing whatever it takes to make other happy.  You are selfless, and it makes you even more beautiful.”  I looked at her for a moment.  “Anyone can be attractive, Rarity.  Just look at people like Fleur, or Ditzy.  They’re both incredibly attractive, but I can’t say that they’re beautiful.”

“Fleur is a model, though.  How...  And what makes Ditzy so attractive?”

“Sure, Fleur is a model.  But that’s all she’s got.  I met her, once, before she really got into the big time for her career.  She was so... Shallow.  When we started talking, she only wanted to talk about how she looked.  And Ditzy?  Well, she’s not attractive in the physical sense, to me, but the mental sense.  She and her daughters.  I’ve never seen a woman so determined to make sure that her children are happy.  Of the two, I’d say that Ditzy is closer to beautiful than Fleur.”

“So, it’s not about how I look?”

“Not entirely, Rarity.  It’s the entire Rarity.  Who you are and what you look like are both important, but I think that who you are is more important.”  I lifted the box beside me once again, this time pressing the small button with a finger, opening the container.  “You’ll have to forgive the cliche, but I thought it would work.”

Rarity started to ask a question, but when she saw the box, her words died on her lips.  She reached out a hand, slowly, as if she was afraid that it would run away if she moved too quickly.  After several moments she finally took the box, and her other hand came up to her mouth.  “It’s not what a pegasus normally does, but I --”  I was quickly silenced as Rarity threw herself into me, her arms wrapping tightly around my body as she planted a kiss on my lips.

“I love it.”  She pulled back for a moment, and looked at the amulet again, before pulling herself into another hug with me.  When she finally broke the hug, she pulled the amulet from the box, and held it out so she could see the thin silver chain hanging from it.  “It’s beautiful.”

I took the amulet from her hands, and put it around her neck, quickly fastening it.  “Not nearly so beautiful as the woman who wears it.”

“If we weren’t on the beach, and it wasn’t still this early, I’d take you here and now.”  I raised an eyebrow, and Rarity looked back at me with a sultry look.  “I do think that we’ll be having some good fun tonight.”

“Twilight’s rubbing off on you, isn’t she?  Making plans this far in advance.”

Silence was all that came from the unicorn, and then she quickly stood up, and started walking away.  “You are the king of mood killing, Icarus.”

“Hey, if you’re not doing anything with me, tonight, maybe you could get Twi to rub off on you in a different way!”

Rarity whirled in place for a moment, and I could see the crimson flush of her cheeks.  “That’s not funny, Icarus.  Not even a little bit.”

“Well, maybe it is a little bit.”  I stood up, and gathered my few things, and quickly caught up to Rarity, wrapping an arm around her waist.  “It’s okay, Rarity.  It was just a joke.”

“Yes, well, let’s avoid those kinds of jokes, for now.  We’re still so new into our relationship that there shouldn’t even be other girls, yet.”

“I know, Rarity.  Not exactly my idea of traditional dating.”  We started back towards the house, Rarity close to my side.  “I wouldn’t trade it away, though.  Not for anyone.”

“Not for anyone, or anything?”

I thought for a heartbeat, and then pecked Rarity on the cheek.  “Not for anyone, or anything.  I can’t think of a single thing that I’d rather have than you girls.”

“You’ve already killed the mood, Icarus, sweet talk, now, is a waste of your time.”

I let out a chuckle, and looked out towards the sea.  “It’s not about the result, it’s about trying.  And, really, I think that it is getting me somewhere.  In the long run, at least.”

There was no response as we reached the house, and I opened the door, allowing Rarity to enter before me.  I closed the door behind myself as I walked, in, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen, a smile on my face.  Rarity watched me for a moment, and then joined me in my breakfast preparation, quickly falling into a rhythm with me, allowing the two of us to work together perfectly.

While no words flew, and the magic of Harmony never manifested itself, I could feel the emotions swirling in the room as we worked, and it was only when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my body that I realized Pinkie had arrived.  She merged flawlessly into the routine that Rarity and I were in, and her addition only made things more fun for all of us.  It all came to a crashing halt, though, when a half dozen eggs found their way onto my head, a direct result of Pinkie’s over enthusiasm for baking.

There was silence for a moment, and then I reached onto the counter, and grabbed an egg of my own.  “You, Pinkie, have just started a food fight that you can’t hope to win.  I’ve got Rarity on my side.  Right, love?”

Rarity looked first at Pinkie, and then at me.  Her horn glowed for a moment, and an egg carton began floating beside her.  “You would ask me, Icarus, to take a side against either you, or Pinkie?”

I looked at her, and then to Pinkie, and back again.  “Aw, come on.  Don’t make it sound like that.  I mean...  She’s Pinkie!  No one can win against her in a food fight, I just wanted to stand a chance.”

“I’m not that good, Icarus.”  Pinkie looked at the egg in her hand, giving a small shrug.  “I just have amazing aim, as well as a nearly precognitive ability to detect incoming projectiles.”

I let out a small sigh.  “That’s all it takes in a food fight...”  Silence followed, and I adjusted my hold on the egg in my hand before I lunged sideways, throwing my egg at Pinkie.  She dodged it effortlessly, and threw one of her own at me in response, nearly hitting me.

The following three minutes were chaos, and a massive mess, filled with as much laughter as it was flying eggs and shattering shells.  By the time the last ovarian missile flew, not a single surface was clean.  I, alone, stood in the room, both Pinkie and Rarity were sitting on the floor, both still laughing.  I looked at the two of them for a moment, and then at the pan that I’d originally gotten out to cook.  Sitting there, in the pan, was an apparently perfect mixture.  Slowly, I walked to it, and I couldn’t hold back my laughter as I brought it to the girls.

“Well, you know what they say...  You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.”  Pinkie’s laughter only grew in volume, while Rarity glared at me for a moment before joining Pinkie.  I followed quickly, and just a few minutes later I had the lone omelette cooked, and I was helping Pinkie and Rarity with the cleaning while the rest of the girls looked on in amazement.  I took a momentary break to address the metaphorical elephant in the room.  “Well, ladies, I imagine that you’re all a bit curious about how the once pristine kitchen came to be as it is now.”

“Yeah, Icarus, we were all wondering.”  Applejack leaned to the side to look past me for a moment before refocusing her gaze on me.  “And I bet this will be one heck of an explanation.”

“Well, there is no explanation.  I came down here, and found it looking like this.”  Applejack merely shook her head, and I shrugged.  “Not buying it?  No?  Fine.  We had a bit of an extended, intentional accident involving more than a few eggs.  Don’t worry, though, no chickens were harmed in the making of this good time.”

“You are a strange man, Icarus.  I swear, sometimes I feel like you’re a genius, and other times I wonder how you made it out of kindergarten.”

I smiled.  “I never did, really.  I just went right from preschool to third grade.  Bothered a lot of the older students to no end.  So, yeah, I never made it out of kindergarten.”  I shot a glance at Twilight.  “And don’t even get me started on magic kindergarten.”

“Ha.  Wow.  Funny.”

“I try, Twi, I certainly try.”  I paused for a moment.  “Remind me never to use baby talk with you, Twi.  It wouldn’t work.”

“And I wouldn’t like it.”  She shook her head, and moved around the counter and into the kitchen, where she used her magic to quickly begin cleaning wide swathes of the kitchen with ease.  “Now, since you three have so effortlessly wasted our breakfast materials, what do you suggest we do for the aforementioned meal.”

“Well, I did manage to make one omelette.”  All I got in response was a glare from the girls who hadn’t been involved in the earlier fun.  Save for Fluttershy, who merely gave me a tiny shake of her head.  “Okay, yeah, not quite my best performance.  Not my worst morning, that’s for sure, but not my best.”

“How could a morning be worse?”  Dash gestured at the quickly shrinking mess in the kitchen.  “There’s nothing to eat for breakfast!”

“Well, for instance, you could wake up in a hospital without wi--”

“Icarus.”  I turned to look at Rarity, whose expression spoke volumes.  “Don’t.”

I pointed at Rainbow, whose face broadcast the emotions she clearly felt in response to what I was going to say.  “She started it!”

“And I think it’s quite clear that she regrets starting it.  Now, how about you leave it be, and we figure out something to do for breakfast?”

“I guess.”

“That’s the spirit, Icarus.”  Twilight wrapped up the last of the cleaning, and did a quick turn to make sure that the kitchen was as pristine as it started, if not more so.  “Now, clearly we don’t have quite enough here to make something, so, perhaps, we could take a trip into town for something to eat?”

“I did visit this nice place during the rain storm.”  I made sure not to mention who I saw there, knowing that only one person present would be even moderately pleased about the news.  “I’m not totally sure about their breakfast, but it seemed like a pleasant enough place.  And, I know this will only sell one of you, but there’s a really nice bookstore not far away.  Lulamoon’s Tomes, the place was called.”  All six pairs of eyes in the room that weren’t mine focused on me, and I gave a sheepish grin.  “It’s not Trixie, it’s her dad.”

“I’m not sold on the bookstore, but I wouldn’t have a problem going to this place you went to for breakfast.”  Applejack looked at each of us.  “Any objections?”  None were forthcoming, so she smiled.  “Good.  It’s settled, then.  I suggest we all get ready, and come back down here in fifteen minutes.”  Rarity let out a gasp, and opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack beat her to it.  “No excuses, Rares.  You got yourself in a mess, now you get to get yourself out of it.  I’m just glad that I don’t take two hours every morning to do my hair and makeup.”

“It’s only eighty three minutes, Applejack!  Seventy one if I skip a few steps!”

I had to stifle a laugh, and all I got for that was a sharp glare from Rarity as she rushed upstairs.  “Well, on that note, I’m going to get ready too.  I don’t think I look my best with egg splattered on me.”



	

I slipped into my clean clothing quickly, and gave myself a quick once over in the mirror before I decided that I looked presentable enough.  As I stepped out of my room, and into the hall, I noticed that the door to Rarity’s room was still closed.  I stepped up to it, and gave a gentle knock.  No answer was forthcoming, so I knocked again, a bit louder this time.  Still no answer, so I reached for the knob, and was surprised to find it unlocked.  I turned it slowly, and once it was open enough, I stuck my head in.  “Rarity?”  She wasn’t in the bedroom, so I looked at the bathroom, and I saw that there was some light coming out of it, so I entered her bedroom, and started for the bathroom.  Once I reached it, I saw Rarity wrapped in a bath towel, with her horn aglow as she worked at her hair with both hands, and a levitating comb.  “Rarity?”

She looked at me, and it seemed that for several moments she didn’t realize what she was looking at, since she failed to respond.  “Icarus?”  Her eyes widened, and the comb floating beside her dropped as her magic ceased.  “Haven’t you heard of knocking?”

“I did.  Twice.”

“Well, I’ve no time for interruptions!  I still have to finish the pre-styling so that I can get it styled right when I start --”  I interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder, turning her to look at me.  The comb, which she had picked up, dropped once again, this time, into my hand.

“You look beautiful no matter what.  You don’t have to do up your hair so perfectly to impress anyone.”

“But what if I meet a future client?  If I don’t look my best...”

“Rarity, I’ll be perfectly honest with you.  I think you look dead sexy no matter how your hair looks.  Really, when you just get out of the water, and your hair lies along your back...  Trust me, you could seduce anyone when you look like that.”  Rarity looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, and then back at me.  “Seriously, you look fine.  Now, how about you get some clothes on, and we head downstairs.  Much as it’d be great to see you without anything in the way, I don’t think the guards of the town would take kindly to it.”

Rarity flushed hotly, and she pulled me into a quick embrace before she pushed me from her room, as much with her hands as gentle magical nudges. Once I was out of her room she shut the door, and I let out a satisfied sigh.  I stood there for a moment longer, and then turned and made my way down the rest of the hallway, my smile as wide as my face allowed.

Not even noon and I’ve already done several things right.  A few wrong, sure, but mostly right.  Maybe today will be a nice day, unlike yesterday.

When I made it downstairs I discovered that I was the second to last to come down, with only Rarity not yet present.  I joined the rest of the girls on the couches in the living room, and when I took my seat beside Rainbow Dash she leaned into me a bit, her hand quickly taking mine in her own.  I glanced over at her, noting the blush on her cheeks as she made a point of looking away from me.  I looked at the other girls, and they all gave me small smiles, clearly aware of what Dash was doing, despite her best efforts.

Rarity came down just a few minutes later, and mere moments after her arrival we were out the door, and heading for the town.  Idle conversation passed between us as we walked, but eventually it died down, and I decided that I’d break it with a rather loaded question.  “So, after breakfast, do we have any plans?  Or are we just going to wing it?  No pun intended.”  No answer came, so I shrugged, and decided to simply enjoy the walk into town, admiring the view offered by the ocean, and the women around me.

It didn’t take us too long to make it to the breakfast place, and then it only took them a few minutes to prepare a table for us.  Once we were seated, and all with a menu, I quickly picked out what I wanted, and waited for the girls to make their choices as well.  They were all relatively quick to decide, and after we placed our order, I decided that our relative silence had gone on long enough.  “Well, if none of you are going to say anything, I will.  All of you have shared your great stories of how you got your cutie marks, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared with you how I got mine.  So, I think now is as good a time as any.  Objections?”

“No.  I was actually hoping that you’d volunteer to tell us something about yourself.”  Twilight gave me a smile.  “Until just recently, you’ve been buttoned up.  Now, though, you’re more vocal, and I, at least, have been curious about how you got your cutie mark.”  The other girls agreed with her, and I felt my cheeks grow a bit warmer at the sudden surge of attention.

“Okay.  Well, it’s a fairly boring story.  And I’m a lot younger in it than I am now, too.  I think I was fifteen.”

Applejack looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.  “Fifteen?  That’s a bit late, isn’t it?”

“I was second to last in my class.  But that’s not really the point.  I mean, the Crusaders didn’t get theirs until they were that age.  Anyway, my story starts with a rather simple request...



	


	

“Icarus, I’m heading out for a bit.  I need to take care of some errands.  Do you think that you could take care of some things around here, for me?”  I nodded at my father, stepping off of the stool that I’d been atop.  “I just need you to take a few things over to Doctor Pendulum, and then look over a few things.  I left the blueprints on the second table.”

“You want me to look over your work, dad?”

“I do, yes.  Sometimes all it takes is a pair of fresh eyes to see things in a whole new way.  Just remember, that sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.”  My father pulled on a light coat as he spoke, and he gave me a small wave as he stepped out of the lab, leaving me to fend for myself.  I walked over to the table he mentioned, and I looked at the plans he had laid out.  The device was something I’d never seen before, but I could make sense of a few parts.  The whole thing seemed to go together, in some way, but I couldn’t quite see how it would all wind up coming together.

I looked at each page, in order, but it still didn’t quite click in my head what I was trying to solve, so I tossed aside the sheets, groaning.  This wasn’t the first time he’d asked me to look over his work, and it wasn’t even close to the first time that I’d failed to understand, at all, what he wanted me to find.  His advice, if it could be called that, was as cryptic and useless as ever.  If anything, it made things worse.

With a sigh of disappointment, I trudged over to the table that bore the items I was to take to Pendulum.  The thought of going to see the often erratic scientist brought a smile to my face.  With a newfound spring in my step, I headed out the door, making sure to lock it behind myself.  It was only a few flights of steps to reach Pendulum’s floor, and I knocked several times upon his door, waiting patiently for him to come and answer it.

The unicorn threw the door open, and he shined a flashlight in my face, his magical eye glowing brightly alongside the flashlight.  “Pupil reaction is normal, and reactions seem in keeping with norms.”  The flashlight shut off, and the scientist leaned forward.  “Looks like Icarus.  Tell me, boy, what’s the Merlin constant, and what’s the first application thereof?”

“The Merlin constant is equal to seven point three three thaums per meter cubed.  It’s used to determine the magical saturation point below which life, as we know it, cannot exist.”

The man gave a slow nod, and then a smile came to his face, and he pulled me into a hug.  “Icarus, my boy, always a pleasure.  Come in, come in!  I’ve got so much to do, I can’t stand out here to talk to you.”  I followed him in, and his horn flared to shut the door.  “My latest batch of potions are reaching the critical point, and I can’t afford to miss it.”

“What’s brewing today?”

“Detoxification potions!  Imagine, Icarus, being able to rid yourself of a hangover instantly!  Without the need for a unicorn’s spell, or those Creator damned pill sets.  Just a single drink, and the whole body is purged of any toxins.”

“What if that person is taking some medication?  Wouldn’t the potion cleanse that as well?”

Dr. Pendulum scurried over to the large cauldron, and began stirring.  “That’s just it, Icarus.  This potion can be keyed to the drinker.  A simple incantation, spoken while holding the bottle, forms the effects to the drinker.  Someone taking medicine for root rot wouldn’t have to worry about the medicine being purged, as the potion identifies the medicine, and doesn’t purge that.”

“All this without needing a unicorn?”

The scientist ladled a small amount of the liquid into a beaker, and moved further into the lab, prompting me to follow.  “Yes.  You see, the drink itself carries much of the magic.  This gives it much more power when it comes to cleansing the body.  But, really, that’s not why you’re here, is it?”

“Um, no.  No, I came here to give you some things from my father.”  I held out the packages, and Pendulum took them, quickly looking them over before placing them on the table behind him.  Silence followed, and Icarus looked around the lab for a few minutes before he came back to the man working at the cauldron.  “Why did you shine a flashlight in my eyes at the door?”

The question, despite seeming to come from nowhere, didn’t phase the stirring unicorn.  “Checking for infiltrators.”  Upon asking for clarification, the unicorn let out a scoff.  “The invasion, Icarus!  Surely you see the signs, right?”

“Yeah, but can you tell me what you think of the signs?  I want an expert’s opinion.”

“I’m not daft, boy.  Don’t humor me.”  The unicorn added a few drops into the cauldron, and after stirring for a few more moments he stepped back, and placed a plate of metal atop the cauldron.  “That can stew, now, without my monitoring.  Follow me, and I’ll show you what I’ve learned.”  I followed slowly, peering at the various experiments the unicorn had working in the background of his laboratory.  After passing through a few rooms, we came to a room with a wall covered in dozens of pictures, along with newspaper clippings and strings connecting various items.  “My magnum opus!  More than a thousand hours have been poured into this wall, and the countless papers I’ve written.”

I stepped closer, and started looking at some headlines, and following the strings that connected seemingly random items.  “An invasion of what?  I don’t see anything...”

“The Changelings.  Creatures that take our form, and steal from us our emotions.  They use us like batteries, draining our positive emotions to fuel their magic.”  Pendulum stepped closer, and pointed along several lines.  “They’re remarkably adept at hiding amongst our kind, but they make mistakes.  I don’t know when they’ll attack, but it will be within twenty years.  Sooner, if certain other events come to pass.”

“Wait...  If we’re like batteries...  Batteries die, Pendulum.  If they were to openly attack us --”

“That’s exactly it.  They can’t openly attack us.  Even if they did, and won, they’d only be able to last for so long before they’d exhaust all living beings.  Our kind would die out, and so would theirs, not long after.”

“Then why would they invade?”

“Blind ambition.”

“Who --”

“Queen Chrysalis.  That name, alone, is all I know.  Beyond that, she is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  I could tell you nothing beyond that that I do not know for certain.”  The doctor looked at the wall for several more moments, and then he ushered me out of the room, closing the door behind himself.  “But I’m not ready, yet, to reveal it to the Princess.  A certain missing person must first return, and then I can tell them both.”



	


	

“Wait, Icarus, are you telling me that someone else knew that Nightmare Moon would be returning?  And that he knew well before I did?  And that he knew about the changeling invasion?”  There was a look on Twilight’s face that I couldn’t quite place.  There was a certain amount of admiration present, but there was also a measure of jealousy.

“Yeah, Twi.  He was a lunatic, most of the time, but he had occasional moments of lucidity that could make a person reevaluate their life.”

“And what about that prediction for the invasion?”  I looked at Applejack.  “If he knew about that ahead of time, why did the attack still come as such a surprise?”

“If you know someone is going to throw a water balloon at you, but you don’t know when, can you really prepare for it?”

The farmer sank into thought for a moment.  “I guess not.”

“That’s exactly the problem that Celestia and Luna faced.  Pendulum did tell them.  But there was nothing that they could do about it, other than worry needlessly.  The day was saved in the end, after all of it.”

“Yeah, thanks to my awesomeness.”  Dash received a few stares, and she landed in her seat her cheeks flushing.  “And, I guess, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence helped.”

“Anyway, shall I continue?  Great.”



	


	

Pendulum led me through many of the other rooms in his lab until we reached my favorite room within his living space.  Countless abandoned ideas, partially built in most cases, littered the room, each one a testament to some once great idea had by the unicorn.  Most of them were smaller objects, easily held in a hand or two, but some of them were much larger, and one took up nearly an entire corner.  “I’ve added some new ones since you were last here, Icarus.  Over on that wall.”  He gestured, and I rushed over, eager to see what new toys and doodads he had for me to look at.  Invariably, when I visited, I’d walk out with a few of his failures clutched in my arms, treasures that I could look at, tinker with, and eventually turn into finished products.

I found myself entranced by the intricacies of one of the objects, and before long I was alone in the room, wrapped up in the world contained within the small device.  I was thoroughly stumped by the device, its purpose lost to me, but it was a collection of gears, magnets, and tiny golden chains that fascinated me.  Spurred on, I found myself seated in the center of the room, all the pieces of the device laid out around me, organized by size, material, and complexity.  As I rebuilt the device, its purpose grew clearer, and after nearly an hour I found myself holding Equestria’s first polar magnetic clock.

Eager to share my revelation, I rushed into the main lab, and I found both Pendulum and my father looking over some pages, their voices too soft for me to make out all the way across the room.  I approached with no small measure of pride, and once I reached them I held out the device, my smile as wide as it could get.  “It’s a clock!”

“Daedalus, you really need to do something more with Icarus.  I spent almost a month working on that thing before I gave up, and in just an hour your son has turned a collection of useless gears and magnets into a working clock.”  Pendulum reached out and took the device from me, turning it over in his hands as he admired the intricate clockwork.

My father looked at the clock for a few moments as well, before he turned to look at me.  “Did you get anything done with my blueprints?”

“No.  I can see some of what it’s supposed to be, but without the parts in my hands...”  I trailed off, suddenly feeling like a child much younger.  “I need to be able to see the parts in my hands.  To be able to turn them and see how they fit together.”

“Nothing wrong with that.  Sometimes you have to take something apart to figure out how to fix it, or how to make it work.  I’ve done it many times, myself.”

“I’ve got things in hand, here, Daedalus.  Take Icarus back to your lab, and see if you can’t work out that engine of yours.”

“It’s not mine, Pendulum, just partially mine.  I’m one of four people making it.”

“Modest to a fault.  What is it called, again?”

“The internal combustion engine.  Entirely free of magical operation, it’s powered solely by a distilled natural gas, and electricity.”

The two inventors exchanged a few more pleasantries before we headed back home, and my father and I took to building some of the parts of the engine.  As we worked, we both grew covered in dust, grease, and small bruises and cuts, but we were having an amazing time.  After several hours, we stopped for some dinner, and then kept right on going until the great clock in our home struck midnight.  We were both shocked at the time, and after cleaning the lab we both headed for bed, promising to finish tomorrow.

With the morning sun came wakefulness, and breakfast shortly after.  And, with that done, we dove right back into our work, laughing, talking, and discussing the ways to make the final stages of the engine work.  At last, just after our lunch break, we finished making the parts that my father was responsible for, and he laid them out for me, explaining what each one was for.  And it was then that I spotted the changes that had to be made.  My explanation was short and to the point, but as I spoke my piece my father’s eyes went wide, and he began scribbling down everything I was saying, and then some.

As I finished speaking, I felt a tingle on my arm, and then there appeared a sheet of blue paper, with a set of interlocking gears laid atop it.



	


	

“To say that I was excited was to put it mildly.”  The girls all looked at me, and I gave a small shrug.  “I told you it was boring.  Not nearly on the same level as yours.”

“It fits who you are.  And it seems quite familiar.”  Applejack gave me a smile.  “I knew you were trying to help Applebloom, but only now do I see how similar the situation was.”

“Everyone knows what they’re good at.  It’s just a matter of seeing what they like to do, and what they’re good at.  I just happen to have similar interests.”

“She looks up to you.”  I slowly lowered my glass back to the table as I looked at Applejack.  “You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t.”  I looked at the girls, and found all of them with disbelief written plainly on their faces.  “Really, I didn’t know that she looked up to me.  I mean, she never comes by, or does anything differently when I’m around.”  I paused for a moment.  “Does she act differently?”

“Totally.”  Pinkie bounced in her seat a bit.  “Normally she’s not all that interested in talking about machines, or stuff like that.  But when you’re around she’ll try to get the topic on that kind of thing.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think she has a crush on you, the way she tries to talk with you.”

“I never...  Really?”  I got an affirmation from each of them, and then I sank back in my seat.  “AJ, does she want to do something with it?  Like, a job?”

“You making an offer?”

I shrugged, and gave the farmer a small smile.  “Pay will be lousy, hours sporadic at best, and there’s a rather high chance for injury.”  I paused for a moment.  “Then again, it’s the best kind of experience, and I do still carry some of my older blueprints if she’d like to really learn the trade.”

“I’ll let AB know when we get back to Ponyville.  You want her in for an interview?”

I chuckled as I lifted my glass.  “Of course.  Unlike some bakers who will remain anonymous, I like to know the capabilities of the people I’ll be working with, no matter how good a friend they are.”

“Hey!  At least I don’t let certain people try to organize an entire library without --”

Twilight shuddered and brought her hands up to her face.  “Don’t even bring that up!  I still have nightmares.  They were mixing genres, and...  They were going alphabetically by first name.”

I made to speak, but paused for a moment.  After thinking for a few seconds I finally voiced my query.  “Was that the day that the weather was all wonky?”

Dash snorted, and then looked at the librarian.  “Oh, yeah.  The day Twi’s magic decided that my well laid out weather plans weren’t good enough.”

“I’ve already apologized for that.”

“Still, that was a bit excessive.  I mean, you started a tornado over it.”

Twilight crossed her arms, and let out an adorable huff.  “If my library is going to look that way, so is the town.”

I put my head in my hands.  “It took us three days to sort things out.”  When I looked up at her she was just blushing.  “Three days, Twi.  Gave me lots of business, but that’s not quite the way I want to get business.”

Twilight muttered something about how long it took her to fix the damage done by the ex-crusaders, but none of us took her seriously.  After that we, who hadn’t already, finished the last of our meals, and then we arranged for the check.  The meal wasn’t too expensive, and we had enough money between all of us to cover it, and a rather hefty tip for the waitress.  Then, with our bill settled, we headed out, and stood on the street, wondering what was next.

“So, who wants to do what?  I’m probably going to the bookstore, again, but I only think one of you will be interested.”

“I’m going to go do some shopping.”  Unsurprisingly Rarity said that.  “One can never have too much clothing.”

“I’ll go make sure that Rarity doesn’t go overboard again.”

“What do you mean, again?  I’ve never gone too far, Applejack.”  The farmer shot Rarity a glare, and she flushed hotly.  “Not this trip, at least.”

“Well, I’ll tag along with them, I guess.”  Dash offered a small shrug.  “I may like some Daring Doo, but the rest of it...  Nah.  Though if you see something I might like?”

“If I see something like that, I’ll buy it for you.  Don’t worry.”  I looked at Pinkie and Fluttershy.  “And what about the two of you?  Anything you’d like to do?”

Fluttershy shook her head, and Pinkie did the same.  “The two of us are just going to wander the town, and see what there is to see.  Maybe find something we could do tomorrow, or something like that.”

I nodded, and then let out a quick puff of air.  “Well, that’s settled.  Shall we go, then?  I can already see that Rarity is going through shopping withdrawal.”  The purple haired fashionista shot me a glare as she turned in place, quickly making her way down the street.  Applejack and Rainbow just gave me waves, and then they made to catch up with Rarity.  A few moments later, Pinkie and Fluttershy began walking away as well, their goal less concrete.  I counted on my fingers for just a few seconds before Pinkie let out a gasp, and started running away, her interest piqued by something out of sight.  “Seven seconds.  I’m impressed.”

“Better than usual.  I was expecting five.”  We both looked on in amusement as Fluttershy took to the skies, more so to look after Pinkie than to actually keep up.

“I was thinking three.  I guess you’ve got more confidence in her ability to remain calm than I.”  I waited another minute, when Fluttershy disappeared from sight, to turn to Twilight.  “So, shall we go to the bookstore?”  The unicorn beside me nodded, and I took her hand in my own, leading her down the road.

“What’s he like?”

I raised an eyebrow, and after a moment I got her meaning.  “Nothing like Trixie.  Although he did mention her, and when she came to Ponyville.  To hear him say it, I think that whole fiasco hit her harder than we thought.”

“I didn’t want to show her up...”

“And I didn’t want you to either.  She’d have messed up eventually, and that would’ve been the end of her show.”

“You know what they say about hindsight...”  She trailed off, and silence fell down upon us.  The bookstore came into sight, and when I pointed it out to the unicorn, she was suddenly taking the lead, pulling me along as we approached.

The door opened on well oiled hinges, and I could hear Twilight gasp as she took in the expanse of the store.  Before I could say a word she dashed off, her energy and excitement nearly infectious.  I made my way to the counter, and spotted Stratos seated in a chair, clearly asleep.  I looked at the book in his lap, and noted that it was a cookbook.  One that I had opted not to take.  “Hey, Mr. Lulamoon.  How are you?”

I spoke loudly enough to rouse him, and he quickly took stock of the situation, and he gave me a smile as he recognized who I was.  “Getting old, boy.  Don’t recall your name, by the way.”

“Oh, sorry.  I don’t think I introduced myself.  Icarus Phaethon.  Son of Daedalus Phaethon.”

“Huh.”  He looked at me a bit longer, and then nodded.  “Tell your father to keep up the good work.  I like what he does.  And you, too.  I may not be the most up to date when it comes to technology, but I know a thing or two.”  He pulled himself from his seat, and he approached the counter.  “So, what brings you by?  More shopping?”

“No, actually.  Or, well, not for me.  I’m here with one of my ladies.  She’s a real bibliophile.”  I heard a cry of excitement from deep within the store, and I motioned my head towards where the sound came from.  “She’s quite the fan of written works.”

“Nothing wrong with that.  Not a damn thing.  It’s a real shame that not as many people read as used to.  I remember back when my friends and I would wait outside of bookstores for them to release the latest book we were all dying for.”

I offered a small smile.  “But, now, they’re nothing like that?”

“Not as much.  They just...  They’re not as passionate.”

“Differently passionate.  No more or less, just different.”

Stratos was about to reply when a feminine voice cut across the store.  “Icarus, he has the entire collection of Greenhoof’s prophecies!  And not the abridged version!”  The mare emerged from the stacks, her eyes wide with excitement.  “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for that set?”

I waved a hand in the air for a moment, before I settled on a length of time that seemed long enough.  “Nine months?”

Before the unicorn could respond to my clearly incorrect answer, Stratos spoke up.  “Hello, young lady.  Welcome to my store.”  Stratos emerged from behind the counter, and he walked up to Twilight, who was suddenly blushing violently.  “My daughter didn’t quite do you justice in her description.  You’re not nearly as underendowed as she made you out to be.”  I saw Twilight’s face grow a bit of a crimson tint, and I felt my own cheeks warm up at that comment, but I didn’t say anything.  “She got the rest right, though.”  The man stopped just before Twilight, and he gave a small bow.  “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Twilight Sparkle.  I never expected to play host to an Element of Harmony.  Especially not after what happened with Trixie.”

“Oh.  Well, I wouldn’t hold your daughter’s actions against you, Mr. Lulamoon.  You had nothing to do with how she acted.”

“Yes, but Trixie told me, in a letter, that she never apologized.  Not in any real way, at least.  And I want to set things right, even if she doesn’t.”  The owner offered a small smile, and then started moving back to the counter.  “I suspect that she’ll come around eventually.  She’s hot headed, and impulsive, but she’s far from a bad person.”  The owner let out a small sigh as he lowered himself back into his seat.  “Now, on to the matter at hand.  You, Miss Sparkle, are interested in my copies of Greenhoof?  They’re not exactly common, you know?”

“Oh, yes.  Only a hundred copies were printed, and almost half of them were destroyed in a large accident involving a fire.  The others are almost all held by collectors, or are simply missing.”

“Print number seven is the one in this shop.  I know that the Princesses have copies one and two in their own collections, and number three is in the royal archives.”  He offered a smile.  “I’m surprised, honestly, that you’ve never seen a copy.”

Twilight approached the counter, and returned the smile.  “I have, actually.  Several times.  But I’ve never had a chance to read all the books, or own a copy of my own.”

I leaned on the counter a bit, and my gaze flicked to Twilight for a moment before I looked back at Stratos.  “So, how much does the set cost?  Quite a small fortune, I’d wager.”

“Not quite so much, actually.  Well, it’s a bit of a conditional thing.”  Stratos stood, and he started through the store, both Twilight and myself following him.  “I hate to see knowledge sequestered away, kept from the public so that only those with power or wealth can see it.  It’s one of the reasons that my store also acts as a library.  And why I have free selections.  Information is made to be shared.”  He paused as we reached the set of tomes, their green covers standing out from the other books on the shelving.  “Were you just a collector, hoping to seem learned and influential, I’d likely charge you no less than a thousand bits for these.  However...”  He trailed off, and reached for the books, pulling one out.  “Were you to put them up for viewing by the public, as a part of your library...”

“I would read them myself, and then do that.  I have some books that I keep for myself, but these are too rare.  Too well known for that.”

Stratos looked at Twilight for several long moments before he held the book out to the unicorn.  “Let the public share in Greenhoof’s words, Twilight Sparkle, and the set is yours.”

“Just like that?”  Twilight hesitantly reached for the book, her hand stopping just short of the tome.  “Why?”

“Firefly Island isn’t the place for it.  While there are plenty of tourists, this shop rarely sees visitors.  Everyone who wanted to see the prophecies has, already, and so those books sit on my shelf, unread for months at a time.”  He pulled another of the books from the shelf.  “But at your library, so close to Canterlot, you surely have far more visitors than I.”

“Actually, I don’t recall ever seeing any visitors to the library.”  Twilight shot a glare at me, and I offered a sheepish smile and a shrug.  “Hey, maybe it’s just me.”

“There are plenty of people who come to the library.  You just happen to never be there at the same time.”

“Like I said, probably just me.”  I let out a small snort of air.  “I bet I’m not the only one, though.”  Twilight failed to hear my soft spoken words, and I ambled off into the bookstore while Twilight and Stratos started talking about the books, and the fact that Twilight would keep them out for display to the public.  I wasn’t looking for any specific books, and I soon found myself looking at older history books, some of which looked old enough to make my dead great grandfather look young.

None of the titles grabbed my attention, though, and I wandered aimlessly, occasionally stopping to leaf through some of the pages of tomes that caught my eye.  After walking down a few aisles, and stopping countless times, I found myself at a dead end, and I turned around, making my way back to the front of the store, and, hopefully, Twilight and Stratos.

Luckily, the two were present, and seemed to be finishing up their transaction.  As I approached, Twilight looked at me and blushed wildly before she stuffed a few books into one of the bags she already had in her hand.  I stopped as she fumbled for a moment, and I gave her a smile.  One that she returned after a moment.

“So, Twi, we’re done here?”  She gave me a quick nod after looking at the store owner for a moment.  “Great.  Shall we get going, then?”  She started for the door, and I let her get a head start.  As I passed Stratos he gave me a smile, and held out a hand.  I took it, giving him a firm handshake, and just before I let go he brought up his other hand, a small object resting in his palm.

“Don’t open it just yet, Icarus.  It won’t do you any good yet.”  I took the object, and was surprised at just how heavy it was, despite its size.  “You’ll know when.  Probably not for some time, but you’ll know.”

I let out a laugh as I slipped it into my pocket.  “First I get useless advice from a god, and now I’m getting useless trinkets from a store owner.  Could this trip be any more cryptic?”

“Don’t tempt fate, boy.  Those prophecies carry no small measure of weight.  Answers abound, but the key is knowing the right question to ask.”

“Yes.  Yes, clearly, this trip could be more cryptic.”  Stratos smiled, and ushered me out the door.  “Thanks, I guess.”  As I stepped out onto the street I saw that Twilight was waiting for me just down the road, and she gave me a wave when I looked her way.  I glanced at the watch on my wrist and I was surprised at just how much time had passed since we started our shopping trip.  I walked over to the unicorn, and she looked at her bags nervously before letting out a quick breath.  “If you don’t want me to know what you got, Twi, just say so.  I’m not going to take them from you just to see what you bought.”

“That’s reassuring, but I wasn’t worried you’d try to take them.  Although if you’d help me to carry them, I would be grateful.”  I did as she asked, taking the heavier bags, and soon we were walking down the street, loaded down with knowledge.  “So, how much do you think Rarity spent?  More or less than a thousand bits?”

I chuckled as we turned onto the main road, which was also home to quite a few shops.  “Depends.  How much did she take with her?”

“Oh, yes, you’re just so funny, Icarus.”  Twilight and I turned to see Rarity approaching, her arms unburdened.  “I’ll have you know that I only spent half of what I brought.  And of that, only three quarters was spent on myself.”

“Yeah, but you’re not carrying even a little bit of it.”  Applejack and Rainbow Dash finally arrived, and they were both carrying impressively large stacks of boxes and bags.  The farmer adjusted her load before she looked at me.  “Her total, so far, is just a few bits under thirteen hundred.  Although if she had any sense she’d call it done, now, since the two people who are helping her are growing a bit tired.”

Rarity just looked over the two stacks before she let out a small sigh.  “I suppose you’re right.  And we do still have time left before we head back to Ponyville.”

“Oh, right, and then you can do more shopping there, and take another trip to Canterlot and Manehattan.”  Dash offered a cheeky smile, and Rarity seemed thoroughly unamused.  Her horn glowed for a moment, and then a significant portion of Applejack’s pile floated atop Dash’s.  She let out a grunt, and staggered under the weight.  “Not cool, Rares.”

“Surely it shouldn’t be a problem for our ultimate athlete.  You spend all that time training, and working out, and practicing.  Surely you don’t need to do it more, in order to keep on top of the game, right?”  I put a hand on Rarity’s shoulder, and she nodded, quickly moving the excess from Dash’s pile into my surprised arms.  “Fashion, my dear, is just as much a challenge as your own chosen form of expression.  Except my rules are never stated plainly, but need to be interpreted.”

“Why do I need to carry even more stuff?”  All the ladies looked at me for a moment, before they resumed their conversation.

“I suppose.  Still, don’t you think this is just a bit much?”  Dash used her wings to lift up a box.  “I mean, you spent how much on this?  And it only covers such a small amount.”

“That’s the point.  Besides, it’s more something that’s meant to be taken off.  Slowly.  In the right setting.”

“Well, you’ve got my attention, Rarity.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Icarus.  It’s not for you, it’s for Twilight and I.  Seeing as how we’re going to be rubbing --”

“Really?  It’s been half a day since I said that!”

“What about us?”

“It’s just a joke.”  She batted her eyes a few times, and I grumbled out an apology.  “One more time, darling.  I didn’t quite catch that.”

“No, really, what about you and I, Rarity?”

“I said I’m sorry.  And that I get it.”  I shifted my arms a bit, trying to get things more comfortably settled.  “No more relationship jokes.”  Rarity smiled, and darted in for a quick peck on the cheek before she started heading back to the house, Dash, Applejack, and myself following.

Twilight just stood in place, her cheeks flushed.  “What are we going to be rubbing?  Rarity?”  Twilight ran to catch up to the fashionista.  “What needs rubbing?”



	

Pinkie and Fluttershy beat us back to the house, and they were already preparing dinner when we walked into the house, our trip long due to our burdens.  The sun was just barely above the horizon when dinner was served, and the meal was simple, but delicious.  I expected no less from the duo.  Pinkie’s natural talent for cooking, combined with Fluttershy’s surprisingly good sense for food created a nearly perfect meal.  

I handled the cleaning process, and as I put away the last of the dishes I sat down on one of the stools, pulling the small object from my pocket.  I turned it over several times, looking at it from different angles, but I didn’t remove it from the cloth it was wrapped in, certain that now wasn’t the moment.  After a few moments I slipped it back into my pocket, and I got up from the stool.  The walk up to my room was short, and I soon found myself seated at my desk, looking down at the blank pages of my notebook.  Unwilling to sit and look at it, I moved to the balcony and watched as the last few rays of sunlight made it over the horizon.

As the sky shifted from red, to purple, and then to dark blue I lowered myself into one of the chairs on the balcony.  A faint sound came from within my room, and I felt a smile come to my face.  “Come on, Dash.  No need to linger in my room.”  I looked over my shoulder just as Dash stepped out onto the balcony, her attire radically changed from earlier.  She had on a cropped tank top, and a pair of yoga pants.

She looked at the open chair for a moment before she sat down in my lap, her arms wrapping around my neck.  “Tell anyone I’m acting this mushy and I’ll make sure you don’t have a dry day for as long as you live.”  I gave her a quick kiss, but no answer, and she only hugged me tighter in response.  We sat in silence for quite some time, when a streak of light flew across the sky.  Dash let out a gasp as another lanced across the sky a heartbeat later.  Seconds later, and several more flew across the sky.  “Girls!  Meteor shower!”

Moments later and I had all six girls crowded onto my balcony, looking up at the sky as countless hundreds of meteors blazed across the sky.  As the show progressed Twilight wormed her way onto my lap as well, sharing the limited space with Dash.  The two of them managed to cuddle up next to me as we watched the meteors, and I just held them close.  After a couple minutes the meteors finally began to slow, before finally stopping.  Although there were no further shooting stars we all continued looking up at the night sky, simply enjoying the wondrous display made available by Princess Luna.

I finally broke the silence.  “Twi, can you send a letter to Canterlot?”  She looked at me for a moment, and then nodded.  I smiled, and the seven of us headed into my room, and I pulled a sheaf of parchment from my bag of supplies.  With care I wrote a simple letter of thanks to Princess Luna, and then I signed it.  The girls all did as well, and I sealed it with a few drops of wax before I handed it to Twilight.  With a simple act of magic she sent the scroll on its way, and we all watched as the cloud of magical smoke flew through the door.

Through some unspoken understanding Fluttershy and Applejack both left the room, and the other four all made their way onto my bed.  After a few moments I joined them, and soon they were all latched onto various parts of my body, their sighs of contentment music to my ears.

“Sleep tight, ladies.  Tomorrow’s another day.”

“You’re right, Icarus.”  I looked down at Pinkie, but she didn’t look up at me, her eyes closed as she began drifting off to sleep.  “It is a magical world.”