Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student...
The letter began as any other, but the lavender unicorn couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement every time she received a letter from Princess Celestia. What made this one feel so special, however, is that it had come unprovoked. It wasn't a response to any of her own lessons about friendship or what she had learned that week, that much was for sure. Alongside the wall held every letter Celestia had sent to her student, albeit unorganized. She had always meant to get through them, but she just never found the time.
Looking about her library in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle made doubly sure nopony would come to distract her from her reading. Hooves thundering over the wooden floor, the unicorn peaked around corners and stuck her head out windows to make sure she was alone. Not even Spike was around, the purple dragon having taken the day off to help Rarity with something. Tapping a hoof to her chin, Twilight failed to recall what. Letting it slide, Twilight continued her lockdown. Horn sparkling to life, Twilight made to close the window, but a passing breeze across her mane gave her pause. Enjoying the gesture, she left the window open and returned to her room, shutting the door silently behind her. Giving one last sideways glance, a giddy smile spread over her face as the intellectual poured over the paper.
No doubt you've taken every precaution to lock yourself alone to read my letter... The unicorn grunted in displeasure, finding embarrassment in her mentor's pinpoint accurate prediction. Which is probably the most adorable aspect of any student of mine in the past, but I regret to inform you that for a short time, you'll find yourself stretched thin on that alone time. Pausing briefly, Twilight's eyes grew wide. She was always with her friends, and when she wasn't at a Pinkie Party, she was studying magic with Spike to assist her. Drawing closer to the letter, her breathing played with the edges of the note, vibrating the paper against the desk. I'm sending a pony, a unicorn specifically, to Ponyville from Stalliongrad. I have received much praise from his teachers for not only his skill in magic, but with reports to his creativity being much higher than many unicorns in their schools. I've decreed the two of you could benefit each other, you to teach him a stronger ethic, and hopefully he'll rub a little creativity on you. Twilight scoffed. She was plenty creative. Why just last week she... her thoughts paused. "Last week I tried to explain one of Pinkie's newest quirks with logic and science. Again." Smacking a hoof to her face, the continually abashed pony opened a free eye which continued to read the note.
"I know this is unexpected," the unicorn read aloud, "But I've grown more than confident in your ability in starting and maintaining friendships, and I expect weekly reports. Oh dear Celestia, I'm going to be a teacher," Twilight breathed hard, shooting the note across her table. Catching the slippery note with her magic, the unicorn brought it floating in front of her, her emotions awash in confusion, excitement, and terror. Reading over the last line again, Twilight realized there was still more to the letter. Not wishing to continue, the unicorn pushed on regardless. "His name is Flint Crux, and he'll be staying at the library. As you've probably already noticed, the library has a second bed - which I'm certain you've already had the pleasure in using. I always wondered about that." Twilight mused, turning her head slightly as she found her pacing had brought her to the second bed in question. Applejack and Rarity had shared it during the sleepover some time ago. A soft smile playing on her face, the memory filled her with enough zeal to continue the letter with brevity, "l do hope that you'll help him fit in in his limited time in Ponyville before he returns to Stalliongrad. And one more thing, oh Celestia what now..." Twilight's initial fervor seemed all but misplaced at this point. "By the time you get in the middle of your next vocal response to my letter, he should have let himself in by now. What does that even mea-" There was a loud click outside her door, and a small ringing bell detailed the entrance of a pony into the library. While this was in no way surprising under normal circumstances, the mare rushed to her door and barreled through the offending blockade, her eyes wildly scanning the lower floor for anypony.
Sure enough, a dirty red unicorn with a brown mane stood below, perusing the books that lined the walls of Twilight's home. Despite her noise, the stallion seemed distracted with the books. The trance, Twilight found, she was grateful for as she sized him up from her perch above. Saddlebags aside, he seemed tidy enough, although he did have an away-from-home look about him. His mane was a slight mess, longer than most stallions, although it was obviously cut recently. She couldn't tell if the mess was a natural occurrence, or if it was a byproduct of a long trip. Twilight scanned his flank, finding a picture of a mountain displayed strong and proud as his cutie mark. The mare debated on the idea of what a mountain could signify, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling for inspiration. As she stood idly, she didn't notice that the other pony in the room had caught sight of the lavender filly above.
"Excuse me?" He called out, his head turned slightly as the mare literally jumped in surprise. Grinning sheepishly, the colt cleared his throat a moment while he gave the other unicorn a chance to recover her lost composure. "I'm sorry, but you must be Twilight Sparkle, yes? Princess Celestia's prized student?"
Eyes widening, Twilight nodded dumbly. Her own embarrassed grin was plastered unconvincingly on her muzzle, the mare was finding it difficult to find her voice. As she looked down at the pony, an awkward silence fell over the room. Her mind crawled over the note that hung suspended in air unconsciously, reading the name of the pony a second time. "Uh... Flint! Flint Crux? Yes! Um. Welcome to Ponyville! This is, uh... the Library. Where I read things." Any more smooth of a delivery and Twilight's words might of resembled sandpaper.
The colt nodded slowly. "Yes... that's what libraries are for, unless things are done differently in Ponyville..." His head swayed from side to side, horn sparking multiple times. This interested Twilight, but she had already made enough of a fool of herself at this point, and she had no intention of making it worse with her second sentence. The stallion approached the stairs, prompting Twilight to trot herself down the ground floor to more properly greet her new, unexpected guest.
"Sorry about that. I received letter of your arrival this morning and, well, I only just was reading it." Flint looked over to the floating document hovering just inches to the side of the mare. He couldn't make out the lettering, but the penmanship was fine and seemed to be written with true mastery of magical dexterity. Twilight reassumed his attention as she continued. "Anyway, yes, I am Twilight Sparkle. I live here, and... well, I guess according to the letter so do you. There's a little dragon who lives here with me named Spike, but he's out and about today." Putting a hoof to her mouth, Twilight's gaze became quizzical as she glanced about her home, none too gifted in the art of the hostess. "Um. So, tell me a little about yourself, Flint!"
The red pony brought his gaze to match the unicorn before him, small beads of sweat apparent on his brow. "Well, there is not much to say. I've spent much time working on my magic back in Stalliongrad, and have come to Ponyville for tutelage under Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful pony of Equestria outside the Princess."
Blushing at the compliment, Twilight coughed sideways. "Princesses," She corrected quickly, not wishing for anypony to forget the Princess of the Night.
"Yes, sorry. I forget Celestia sometimes," Flint ventured, pausing to take a look at the golden rays of sunlight which reflected off the agitated dust in the room. It was Twilight's turn to turn her head in interest, reassessing the stallion before her.
"Forget about Celestia?" She echoed, amazed at such an idea. The Princess raised the sun every morning, and had shared the task of raising the moon up as well for the past thousand years. It was never a doubt for Celestia's existence, but up until recently it was always assumed Luna was just an old mare's tale. "How in Equestria do you manage that?"
Flint gazed at Twilight, shaking his mane slowly. "Do not misunderstand, it is my belief that the night is more brilliant than the day. It is only with the return of Princess Luna that the night sky has become a palette of life. The day stays the same, stagnant with years, as was with the night. It is the night Princess' work that continues to stir a pony's heart." Poignant words, Twilight was dumbfounded by how cleanly and plainly it was stated for her. Catching sight of her stunned reaction, Flint Crux shook his head. "Apologies, it isn't often I get to speak of the night."
Twilight reacted quickly, shaking her mane vigorously. "No! No, that's fine. Perfect, even. I love the night myself, but usually I have to go to Sweet Apple Acres to get the best view, so it's not something I really pay as much attention to because I have to bring my telescope with me."
"Ah, shoot shugah, y'all don't need ah telescope to look at tha' stars out at mah home." A voice called from the door. Standing in an open doorway stood an orange Earth pony, strong as an ox and more honest than a critic. Adorned on dirty blonde hair, dressed in a ponytail to keep it all under control, stood a leather-skinned hat, likely gathered from the passing of an old family friend. Freckles sparsely littered her face in lighter shades of yellow, bringing out her natural green eyes which sparkled in the sunlight. Walking into the Library, Applejack nodded curtly toward the red stallion who stood alongside her friend, and turned briefly to Twilight. "Nahw, Applebloom came and told me you wanted tah see me?" She asked.
Flint's eyes danced between the two mares a moment, but found his eyes scanning over the Earth Pony's features more than the unicorns. Her tail was done up much the same way of her mane, and her adorning cutie mark sported three red apples, a simple reminder of what he assumed was her home. Still, he couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation right in front of him.
"What? Oh! Yes! Actually it was about Luna's night! I was going to ask if there was some time in your schedule to meet up and stargaze again. It isn't a meteor shower, but..." She trailed, turning slowly towards Crux as she spoke, "Actually, this is kind of your thing too," Twilight admitted, mulling over the facts he had given her so far. Spinning about, Twilight's horn hummed to life as it sparkled and directed a couple of books off the shelves, bringing them down and unto some nearby tables. The stallion and the Earth mare exchanged awkward glances.
"Twilight, not fer nothin', but ain't you gonna introduce me to yer friend here?" Applejack mentioned, deadpan in her delivery. Twilight's head jolted upright as she quickly returned to the two ponies with an apologetic smile on her features.
"Oh, right! I'm sorry. Um. Flint Crux, this is Applejack, one of my best friends and the most honest and trustworthy pony you'll ever find. Applejack, this is Flint Crux, he's from Stalliongrad and-"
Twilight found herself interrupted by the red colt, who bowed his head towards Applejack. "Pleasure is mine, Miss Applejack." Applejack smirked at the stallion, finding his etiquette cute, but fairly unneeded.
"Well ain't you ah tall drink a water. Heh heh." Giving him a once-over, the farm pony returned discussion back to the other unicorn's desired dialogue. "Yer welcome by the farm anytime, Twi, you know that. Ah never miss a chance ta' stargaze with friends. Yer colt friend's welcome ta come too." She said, nodding over to the red pony. She missed it, but the stallion's already red cheeks pinkened slightly at the invitation, his throat clearing but no words to accompany it.
"Oh, thank you, Applejack. Right, well, we might come by soon, probably in a couple days. To be honest, I've just met Flint myself. He's here to learn about magic and friendship, like I was when I first came here!" Twilight mentioned, prompting Crux's ears to shoot up and confusedly look toward the purple mare. Ignoring the gesture, Twilight trotted past her friend and opened a book on the table. Giving it a parsing glance, the book was opened to a page that showed the night sky that was visible in Ponyville at this time of year. "But Celestia's counting on me, apparently." She added the last point in dejection, causing the red colt to cast a sideways glance away from the blonde mare beside him.
"Ah, Twilight, it ain't so bad, really. He doesn't look like the bad type aht'all." Applejack cooed, defending the red pony's honor. Leaning toward Flint, the orange pony lowered her voice so Twilight couldn't hear. "Don't feel too bad, partner, Twi's a bit blunt when she's stressed. Ah'm sure she will cover you in apologies when she realizes what she said." Meeting her gaze, Flint Crux matched her honest smile with his own, a warm feeling washing over the stallion as she gave a small wink and moved over to her friend. "Nahw, was that all ya need'd me fer? 'Cause ah got apples that need buckin' and sellin', and Big Mac can't do all tha' work alone." Chuckling to herself, Twilight shared the smile, but her eyes nervously dashed left to right as she did. Applejack caught it and shook her hoof. "Nahw don't get yer horn stuck in a tree, Ah learned mah lesson already. Don't need ta be reminded ah can be a silly pony."
Twilight finally nodded, a soft smile replacing her strained one. "Alright Applejack. Besides, Applebloom's gonna be old enough to help this year," She mused, getting a hard nod from the elder Apple sister.
"Thas' right. Big MacIntosh is gonna bring her 'round the outskirts of the farm, although thas' jus' tradition at this point. Every Apple filly grown up in Sweet Apple Acres has used tha' clubhouse on the edge of the property." Applejack chuckling at some distant memory in her mind of the now christened 'Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse'. "Well, Ah'll be goin' now. Don't be a stranger now." The blonde Earth pony sent a wink toward the stallion nearby. "You too, shugahcube." Walking at a leisurely pace, Twilight tore her gaze from the book long enough to bid her friend goodbye, and returned her attention to her new guest.
However, before she could even say another word, the stallion smiled hugely toward the unicorn. "So, is she seeing anypony?" The grin plastered on the red colt's face would've made Pinkie Pie jealous.
-----
Over the next couple of days, Flint Crux found himself settling into Ponyville life as uneventfully as anypony else, which seemed to put Twilight on edge sometimes because her own relocation to Ponyville was punctuated with an End of the World scenario. However, one thing that seemed to overtake her misplaced fears was the nigh incessant chatter Flint made whenever the subject of Applejack came up.
What was supposed to be, in Twilight's mind, an exercise in not only her teaching skill as a magic centered pony, but also a learning experience for both of them, had often become an almost unwanted discussion about the Earth pony on Sweet Apple Acres. Flint was absolutely smitten with the farmfilly, and it bled into almost every conversation. However, as the chats went on, Twilight found that the heightened madness it brought her also brought a new feeling - one of harmless gossip, a trait never truly explored between her friends outside of certain issues with Rarity, and never, ever, with a stallion. She had assumed that colts were simply uninterested with such things, and as her talks with Flint continued, she found there was a lot of things she had simply just assumed about colts in general. It was odd, but she was building quite a comradery with the stallion that existed outside of the bounds of the student/teacher dynamic she had set for herself. "Such is the plans of pug and pony."
"Excuse me?" Flint asked, his head tilted to one side as he looked up from an astronomy book. Twilight giggled slightly, realizing what she had done.
"Oh, nothing. Thinking out loud," She affirmed, before, not the ringing of a bell, but a slamming of the windows upstairs heralded the arrival of another pony. A pegasus, to be exact, one with a rainbow mane and a cutiemark the shape of a thunderbolt with rainbow colors to go with the tail. Her cyan coat reminded Flint of the bright blue sky, which he decided fit well within the decided parameters of pegasi. This he decided shortly after hopping up to his hooves and nearly falling down again with a heart attack at the surprise and brashness of the action. Twilight, however, was completely unfazed. Looking up toward the cyan pegasus, the unicorn greeted her guest. "Hello Rainbow Dash."
Saluting off-hoofedly, the pegasus descended to the ground as she looked over the newcomer. "Hey Twilight." The mare greeted, and obvious friend of Flint's teacher. The cyan coated mare gave the red stallion a once over before addressing him. "So this is here is Flint Crux. Cool name, bro." She smirked as the shaking pony unceremoniously found his way back unto his hooves. Twilight looked surprised.
Flint checked his screaming nerves and nodded a quick and polite thank you toward the pegasus, unsure of what to say himself. "Eh... thanks?" He delivered, but Twilight was a bit more quick on the mark.
"How do you know his name?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Rainbow looked toward the colt and back to Twilight, her confident smile melting into one of sheepish admission. Twilight greeted the change in expression with half moon eyes and pursed lips.
Rainbow grunted slightly, refusing to meet the purple mare's eyes. "See, I was flying by the other day, and I was thinking of visiting you and seeing if you wanted to hang out. I dunno, watch me do some new tricks. So I flew on over and stuck my head in through an open window, and you were talking out loud and stuff, some letter from the Princess." Twilight's face turned a serious shade of red as Rainbow continued with her story, her eyes trailing up to the window in question. She had enjoyed such a nice breeze from that traitorous piece of glass. Bringing her focus back to Rainbow Dash, the mare in question was finishing up her little confession. "Anyway, I was gonna say somethin' but then he walked in. Heard you talk a little while, but I saw Applejack coming down the road so I dashed off."
Twilight sighed, even though Flint seemed to take some merriment over the news. "You were spying on me, Rainbow?" Her accusation wasn't entirely unfounded, but her voice wasn't filled with malice or was in anyway pained. It even seemed slightly playful. Still, the pegasus flapped her wings quickly, bringing herself up on her hind legs, waving her forelimbs about in a defensive manner.
"No no, I was coming to talk to you and you were busy with this guy! That's all! Really!" However, it didn't take long for Dash to catch the expression on Twilight's face, and fell down on all four legs again. The unicorn wasn't at all angry with her friend, and simply shared a small, sly smile with the pegasus. "Y'know Twilight, it's not fair to make a pony feel bad like that."
"And it's not fair to eavesdrop. Fair's fair." Twilight teased, rounding about on Flint Crux. "Anyway, Rainbow Dash, properly meet Flint Crux. Flint, this is Rainbow Dash, Ponyville's premiere weather pony and Equestria's Best Young Flier." Dash swelled with pride at the list of titles Twilight presented with her, before the unicorn continued. "And one of my closest friends. She'll be sure to treat you with respect and kindness while you're staying with me."
Dash's cheeks blazed a moment, muttering an, "Aww... Twilight. Come on..." Before regaining her composure.
"Pleasure is mine, Rainbow Dash." Flint started, before a cyan hoof rose up to silence him.
"Just 'Dash' is fine. Quicker and cooler." The pegasus smirked, checking the brown maned colt. "So, 'Flint', what brings ya to Ponyville outside of lodging with this egghead?" Gesturing over to Twilight, the opposing mare huffed and rolled her eyes, far more interested in heading over to a small room in the Library to prepare something to eat.
Flint smiled good-naturedly, resting his laurels on the ground, "I come from Stalliongrad, I am a major in magic and astronomy. I was sent to Ponyville to intern under Twilight Sparkle." He related, rubbing a hoof on his chest in a fashion of friendly, if mock, pride. "They spoke highly of her where I come from, but it was Celestia herself who wished me to study abroad and come here for months. Specifically, to better understand the magics of friendship."
Twilight audibly scoffed from the other room, obviously finding the last part of his transcript to be the most ridiculous, if only because this time there was no apparent gambit for anypony's release from the moon that could only be stopped by the Elements. Dash shook her mane slowly, a smile playing on her face. "Well, we'll let you in on all you need to know about friendship. Ponyville's a real tourist destination for that mushy stuff, I tell you." Snickering to herself, the pegasus' wings retracted, cementing her plan to stay for at least a little while longer. "So tell me, Red, how you enjoying things out here so far?"
Surprised by a nickname, the stallion recovered from the unexpected gesture in record time. "Things are quiet here. Not bad quiet. Peaceful. Contented. The views are not bad either." He mentioned, hinting toward the mare in his mind.
Rainbow didn't catch on. "Huh? Well I guess there are some cool views on the ground, but the best stuff is in the sky, and I haven't seen Twilight's balloon take flight in over a month, way longer than you've been here."
"There are more things to see than just buildings and hills," Flint chuckled, shaking his head back and forth with a bowed head. Rainbow pondered this, but shook her mane, finding the stallions use of subtlety to be lost on her. Flint sighed, putting a hoof to his face. "I mean to say the girls here are quite nice."
Rainbow paused, before a long "Oooooohhh," escaped her. Looking left and right quickly, the pegasus leaned in close and whispered so as to not let Twilight hear her next few words. "You got a thing for the egghead?"
Flint snorted, shaking his head violently. "No no no, too close in vicinity. Not my kind of girl... too much in common? Not much to discuss with her besides objects of study. Good for what I'm officially here for, not exactly a bonus for personal time." He informed, putting the rumor to rest before it could feasibly begin. "I mean your farm worker. Tough, strong. Beautiful eyes."
Rainbow caught on at the word 'farm'. "You mean AJ? Oh man, good luck with her. She's married to her work more than she's thinking about marrying any stallion." Prodding the colt's side with a rough hoof, the cyan mare guffawed loudly as Twilight entered the room, levitating three daisy sandwiches for herself and her guests. She had heard most of the conversation, and had done a fair job of dissecting even the whispered dialogue, having little else in her library to deafen the sound. Flint wore an unreadable expression.
Still, it didn't hurt to ask. "So what're you ponies talking about? Nothing bad, I'd hope." She greeted, placing the plates on whatever elevated surfaces were nearest the ponies. Rainbow's dish landed on the stairs, and Flint's found itself next to an opened book. Her own landed on top of Spike's stepladder, where she fell on her flank, hind limbs splayed lazily.
Rainbow's chuckle dried up as she thanked Twilight for the snack. "Don't mind if I do." She murmured, taking a giant bite out of the sandwich while she thought about the subject at hoof. Swallowing, she pointed a hoof over to the red colt in their midst. "Red here was just telling me his little crush on AJ." Twilight raised an eyebrow toward the stallion, as if saying 'really? You told her too?', but Flint only gave her an embarrassed smile. "It's cute really, but hey, she isn't exactly seeing anypony. Go for it, dude."
Twilight sighed, but she didn't have anything to add to the conversation. Flint, on the other hoof, had a smirk that expressed his own feelings clear enough. "I believe I will, Dash. Twilight, when are we going to go to Sweet Apple Acres to see the stars?"
Twilight's ears perked suddenly, as if only reminded of the plans just now. "Oh, um. Right. I forgot you were interested in going, and I was putting it off because I'd been recovering from Pinkie's last party and my sleeping schedule is already fairly off." She began, but Flint put a hoof to his chin in thought.
"It is easy to forget my interest in astronomy, Twilight Sparkle. Everypony knows all the mares are found in botany." He chuckled, shaking his mane about. "I seem to recall you waking a little past the crack of dawn this morning. Sounds to me like a well-adjusted sleep schedule." His point made, the stallion's knowing smile seemed to fill Twilight with a sense of dread, casting slow glances toward her telescope on the second floor loft.
"Fine, we'll go. Probably tomorrow night, or whenever I meet with Applejack next. Just no... funny business, okay?" Twilight honestly had no intentions for what she meant by it, Twilight only knew that she meant it. Dash chuckled as she finished her sandwich, Flint noticing he hadn't even taken a bite of his own. Peering toward the book on his left, his horn twitched and sparkled as he turned the page, the paper littered with poetry and other prose that reminded him of romance, and on that angle, the rough 'n tumble farm pony whom had already fluttered his heart. Raising the sandwich with his magic, the male unicorn munched with an absent mind, pondering what lied ahead.
-----
"I really didn't see you as much of a stargazer, Rainbow Dash." Flint Crux trotted the dusty powder path toward Sweet Apple Acres, flanked by two mares of varying species. The cyan pegasus blew a loose strand of hair from her face, only for the offending rainbow mane to collapse over her vision again. Swinging her head wildly about, Dash's mane returned to its windswept state as she deigned to answer the newest pony in Ponyville.
"Well why not? They're the only things in all of Equestria that can fly higher than I can," Rainbow scoffed, pumping her wings as she took off from the ground, but continued her leisurely pace. "That alone deserves my respect." Putting a hoof to her face, the pegasus had a parting moment of thought before she returned to the ponies at hoof. "So what're you so crazy about space for? Or did you hear a certain orange pony likes to spend her nights with her head in the stars?"
The red colt blushed heavily, but it was hidden under the night sky and brown mane. Coughing uneasily, Flint decided to selectively ignore the blue pegasus and instead brought his attention over to his teacher. "Twilight Sparkle, do you need... uh, help with that?" The unicorn in question had her horn glowing brightly, one eye closed in rapt concentration, and was being orbited by a number of things outside of her telescope. As they trotted along, the male unicorn noticed the sleeping form of a baby dragon in orbit as well, but the purple girl seemed unaware to this occurrence.
"Nope! Completely fine! Just a little further to go!" Twilight managed. Flint had been asking the entire trip, but the title of 'most magical unicorn in Equestria', as decreed by Celestia and delivered by Flint, might of gone to her head. Bleating softly, Flint brought his attention back over to Rainbow Dash, who seemed much more in the mood for talking than her friend.
"I've been in love with the sky since I was a small colt, living in Stalliongrad. There were large mountains and cliffs near there that we would scale at night, me and my friends, just to see the stars that much closer." Focusing a trot at three hooves, Flint brought up a hoof and held it just inches from the side of his head, insinuating that even the tiniest bit of distance made the world to the stallion. Returning to the four-hooved trot, Flint continued with his background. "It's much the reason why I have my mark as anything. It was there I learned how much fun it was, climbing cliffsides and scaling the mountains near my home. There was one large one, one nopony in Stalliongrad had ever scaled without wings." Gesturing to his cutie mark, the unicorn grinned broadly. "You can imagine how that went for me."
Dash smirked, nodding her head. "Pretty cool, Crux. Pretty cool, you're not half bad for being an egghead part two."
"I will take that as a compliment," Flint mentioned coolly. The path widened and narrowed with varying signs of use as the colt watched the curvatures of the road. It was likely that some of the hills and bumps caused the road to narrow, while flatter stretches allowed more freedom in the way a cart could be pulled. Rays of sunlight brushed the treetops, sliding along their touch to the last light of sundown. The sky shone a brilliant orange, laying claim to the end of the day with a soft blue light giving way to the stars above. Flint's trot slowed a bit, much to Twilight's relief and Dash's distress. Turning towards Twilight, his horn glowed slightly as he took a basket from under her magical control and put it under his jurisdiction. "I'll carry the food," He offered, placing the basket on his back, using his magic to stabilize it. Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but Flint merely smiled. "Please, consider it doing me a favor, if anything."
Twilight chuckled dryly. "No, I was just thinking to myself." Shaking her mane, her eyes sparkled like her namesake. "Thanks Flint." As she trotted off, Rainbow paused and landed on her hooves.
"I was wondering when she was going to realize what she was doing." Rainbow picked up a slow gallop, which Flint returned in kind. Looking over, the stallion had a quizzical look plastered on his face, which gave the pegasus a small laugh. "Don't worry too much about it, Flint. What you saw there was like a light version of something Applejack went through a year back."
Flint nodded slowly, his horn glowing a little stronger as a slip of square orange paper filtered out of his saddlebags. Rainbow gave it a curious glance, but Flint had no intention to explain it. "Is that why Applejack said she was a... 'Silly Pony'?" He seemed legitimately interested, the two catching up to Twilight who had pulled a small lead on the two with her expedited trot.
"Catch on fast, too!" Dash snorted, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah, she tried to do everything at once and alone. When a problem comes around, she likes to take care of it - without help if she has any personal stake in it."
Flint nodded his head. "Dependable aspect." Rainbow nodded her head to the side in mild agreement, as almost everypony knew that dependable basically meant Applejack around Ponyville. "What else can you tell me?"
Dash rolled her eyes. "Really, Flint, we're almost there ourselves, can you give your little crushing a rest?" It wasn't really an annoyed response, but it had caught the colt by surprise. The red pony figured it had to do with the pegasus fast attitude and left it at that, the floating piece of paper starting to fold itself as he attempted to distract himself. Dash gave him a look, but the stallion made no sign that he caught it, finding himself deep in thought, or at least concentrating on his paper. Kicking off the ground, Dash caught up to Twilight in no time flat, giving the second mare a small prod on her shoulder, catching her attention. "What's Egghead Two doing back there?"
Raising an eyebrow, Twilight cast a backwards glance toward the male unicorn, seeing that the paper he was folding starting to take a three dimensional shape. "Oh, that's origami," Twilight smirked. However, that didn't exactly sit well with the Dash.
"Or-Ah-Ga-Me?" Rainbow breathed, shaking her head violently. "What the hay does that even mean?"
"It's an ancient folding technique developed by unicorn ponies in the Far East, way further than Stalliongrad, near the borders of Equestria." Twilight slowed her trot a moment while her horn glowed a smidgen lighter, and the sleeping form of Spike the Dragon rested on her back. The dragon's weight on her mind reduced, she gambled with the fact he'd probably wake with the constant jostling of her movements. Still, she flipped open a saddlebag and out came a tome, much to Rainbow's displeasure, even though she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Flicking the book open, the book magically floated in front of Rainbow's vision, causing the mare to take flight slightly so she could still see where she was going. "Flint's been making them the last few days when he gets bored or tries to concentrate - or when he needs to get his mind off of something."
Rainbow sifted through the pictures on the book, taking no time to read the words, instead preferring to reach a hoof out and turn the page for a new picture than read what they were about. "This stuff is kinda complicated. There are a lot of little folds and stuff. I can't see anypony doing this as a hobby."
Twilight only returned a soft smile, but Flint had caught up by this point, and had been throwing mild interest toward the two's conversation. Twilight gave him a small nod before returning to Rainbow. "It's much easier when you're a unicorn, Dash. You can make these intricate folds much faster and easier."
Flint smirked, pushing his little paper creation to the forefront by floating a small paper crane forward, ahead of the fillies. "And come up with something like this in about ten seconds flat." He cheered. Dash looked back, a small look of merriment crossing her face as Flint strode up even with Twilight. "Crane's are easiest for me, and they represent luck. There are many legends surrounding the paper crane, even if they aren't popular around most parts of Equestria."
Dash gave it a passing glance, more entertained by the object than the history. "So can you make anything else? Like a lion, or a manticore?"
Flint's face fell slightly, his horn sputtering to a halt, letting the orange crane drop and get caught up in a passing wind. The paper bird got caught in the updraft of Rainbow's wings and blew off, finding its own wings to fly with as it coasted over a hill and off the road. "No, not off hoof anyway." Keeping pace with the fillies, he brought his attention to the book Twilight was holding out in front of Dash. "I would need that book and a few minutes to attempt something that complicated."
Twilight closed the book on cue and slid it safely in her saddlebag, the snapping noise of her clasp bringing the slumbering purple form to the land of the conscious. "Nyeahmeh... Hyum... huh?" The dragon murmured, pressing up against Twilight's back as he opened his eyes. "Are we there yet?" Spike asked instinctively, drawing a gaze from the stallion and the pegasus. "I'll take that as a no."
"Actually, y'all are makin' it jus' in time." A voice called form ahead. Looking about, it was Rainbow Dash who caught sight of two silhouettes on a nearby hill, just off the beaten path. Flint caught sight of them too, one full grown mare and a smaller filly, the glorious orange and red backdrop behind them. Even from below Flint decided that if they weren't blocking the sunlight they'd be invisible against such majesty. "Is that Rainbow Dash wit' you all?"
Dash groaned aloud almost as soon as she had been brought up, her eyes quickly skirting across the sky. There were a number of clouds to be found up there, all of them reflecting the sunlight just so, but their beauty for now would soon give way to shields against the stars, and somepony would likely want her to take care of that.
Spike rubbed his eyes, looking about as he began to take in his surroundings. Hopping off his mentor's back, the dragon stretched a moment before striding up the hillside toward Applejack and what looked to be AppleBloom. Twilight was soon to follow, with Flint close behind and finally a grumpy looking Rainbow Dash, who had taken it upon herself to dwell on the short work ahead. Applejack greeted them all with a winning smile, which visibly worked on Flint the most as they reached the crest of the hill. Twilight, however, let everything else she was holding drop fairly unceremoniously to the ground with a long and hard sigh, finding the extended use of her magic to be horridly draining as she slipped her hooves to the ground, her chin coming to rest on the soft grass. This, of course, earned her a critical eye from the Earth mare. "Now Twilight, please tell me why you look so plum tired from a simple walk." She teased, receiving a very sheepish smile in return from the grounded unicorn.
"She is a silly pony," Flint chuckled, earning the ire from his teacher as she picked herself up. Uncaring, the red stallion trotted the rest of the way up the hill and found that the ground plateaued into a nice flat expanse. Tufts of disheveled grass told tale of many ponies coming up here for some reason or another, possibly for the stargazing the five ponies were about to take part in. Almost as in response to his own thoughts, Spike coughed as if clearing his throat, reminding the stallion that there were six bodies which cruised the hillside.
"Now who's this pony?" A voice suddenly called out, registering with Flint as young, female, and boasting an accent much like her sister. Spinning about, the red colt found himself looking down at more bow than 'Bloom as the filly inspected the stallion.
Applejack chuckled off to his side, trotting slowly up to the two. "That there is Flint Crux, the new student of Twilight's Ah've been tellin' you about." Flint looked between the two girls, noting the similarities in younger and elder. "So say hello, AppleBloom."
"So you are AppleBloom. It is a pleasure to meet you." Flint smiled, holding out a hoof for the little filly to shake. This was met with a strange look, and an awkward silence filled the air between them.
AppleBloom, predictably, broke it with a question. "You talk kinda funny, Flint." Dropping his hoof, the red pony stared blankly at the filly while the elder sister scolded her younger sibling for being so rude. "Well, he does." She retorted, a poor excuse from the butteryellow pony. Flint took a moment to reflect on his speech, his stressed syllables were not always on par with the others, but he found the Apple's had their own accent peculiar for this region of Equestria.
"This is the pot calling the kettle black." The colt snorted unhappily, which gained him another weird look from AppleBloom.
"Now what does cookin' have to do with speakin' all weird? Are all foreign ponies this weird?" At this point the red pony was starting to become visibly flustered, added moreso that he was being verbally defeated by an inquisitive foal. Ears folded flat against his head, the colt muttered something about helping Twilight with the telescope that was clearly needing no help in preparation and broke from the farmgirls. As he walked, he could hear Applejack explaining what an idiom was and how she was being rude to the 'poor foreign boy'.
As he approached Twilight, the unicorn met his with a knowing look. "So that didn't go over as well as you pleased." Flint looked taken aback, but the lavender pony's ears spun slightly on her head and pointed toward AppleBloom and Applejack, coupled with a gaze that looked almost disappointed with the pony.
"Oh. Right." He mumbled, his own ears perking slightly as if to flag her for the fact that he understood that while ponies didn't use their ears to hear for predators anymore, they still had the ability to focus their hearing. "Not my best impression."
"I'd say." Spike chuckled, Flint turning to look at the purple dragon he had shared a room with for the last week. "I've never seen a pony so quickly brought down by questions. Maybe you consider a career in politics!" The dragon sneered, and a second voice joined him in the form of Rainbow Dash.
"Oh man, Flint. You're gonna have to take questions better'n that to even have a chance with AJ!" There was a light chuckle emanating from the pegasus, but a third voice cut it off quickly enough.
"What the hay you mean, 'have a chance'?" The orange Earth pony stood nearby, a deliberate look on her face. Peering between Dash and Flint, Spike figured now was as good a time as any to get out of the situation, and the dragon quickly found himself talking to AppleBloom about any old thing while the adults talked.
Flint didn't have such escape, and felt his hooves freeze and his heart leap into his throat. "Ah, nothing, really. Rainbow Dash and I were talking about you and the farm. I wanted to see a little more of it, and-"
"Flint was concerned that if he didn't make a good impression on AppleBloom there, that you may not let him back on the farm here. Poor guy's a real softy at heart, you know?" Dash zipped over to Flint's side and gave him a solid hoof to his side, prompting the red stallion to just stare down the filly with a confused and indignant expression. Dash, suitably, ignored it entirely. "Good 'n strong though. Hey AJ, you know he likes to climb mountains?" The orange Earth pony's eyes never tore from Flint, who after tearing his own gaze from Dash, found himself wearing a forced smile.
However, Twilight came in to save the day. "That's what his cutie mark represents. A love for climbing insurmountable odds." The colt staggered back slightly at the compliment, lost from his voice. "Reminds me of when we scaled Dragon Mountain, AJ. I'd actually like to go there again, really." The studious unicorn's change of topic was abrupt, but interesting. Flint studied the expression on the hardworking farmfilly's face before seeing it start to relent from his person.
Soon after, Applejack found herself drawn into Twilight's new intention. "Nahw why the hay would you be doin' somethin' silly like that? That mountain is dangerous!" Striding up to Twilight, Applejack's mouth was turned askew, trying to guess what the unicorn filly was getting at.
"Well, in a week's time there's going to be a new moon, where Luna takes the night off to recreate the moon anew, to keep its illustrious shine from fading. Legend tells that before she was freed, Celestia would use a new moon to visit with her sister." Shaking her head, her head turned to the sky. "They say that Nightmare Moon was always there to meet her, but when Celestia left, Luna would cry, and her tears would fall to Equestria, reaching only the tallest mountain tops."
AppleBloom and Flint had gathered around Twilight as she told her story, the dragon and the pegasus finding more fun in finding a berry bush on the Apple property than to listen to some sappy story. Flint went to open his mouth, but found the littlest filly had already had a question lined up. "So what happens to them? The tears, do they well up into some salty lake or somethin'?"
Twilight chuckled. "No, nothing like that. But they did fall upon the flowers that bloom there, turning them into the most beautiful flowers you've ever seen." Sighing, the pony shifted unto her belly, letting her hooves finally come to rest after such a walk. There was all night to stare at the stars, so it wouldn't be horrid to rest for a short while. "They glow in the night, illuminating the stars and the skies above Equestria when there is no moon to do so."
Flint smiled slightly. Botany always did seem to get the mares. "Have you seen the flowers yourself, Twilight Sparkle?" As he spoke, he found he did catch a slight accent in his voice that was more unlike the Ponyville ponies than even the Apple family's trademark drawl. Catching sight of AppleBloom, the pony seemed interested in him again, filling the colt with a slight dread that he may be subject to another array of questions with no possible answer.
However, Twilight deigned to answer his question before the tiny filly had time to take his attention elsewhere. "I have, once, when I was living in Canterlot. One night the Princess woke me up, and she seemed... sad. I know why now, of course, but back then it was disheartening to see. But she brought me up the mountain above Canterlot, and showed me a small basin at the top. It was filled with them - The Moon's Tear. It was beautiful." Closing her eyes, the pony draped one of her hooves over another, her mind in a lazy thought. "I suppose it's also a scientific journey, as well. With Luna returned, I've heard nothing about the condition of the flower."
"We talkin' about flowers? I thought we were here to stargaze!" Rainbow muttered. The group looked over towards the offending pegasus, her mouth stained purple in the moonlight from the berries. Her partner in crime strode up alongside her, Spike licking his claws absentmindedly. There was a pause as he slowly noticed the group staring in his direction.
"Wh-what!?" Spike stammered, the dragon's face flashing from one pony to the next. "I thought the berries were wild! Were they Apple family product!? Oh no! I'm sorry!" And out came a cavalcade of excuses from the baby dragon, giving all ponies there a soft smile as Twilight picked herself up to soothe the dragon's nerves.
The ponies spoke into the night, taking turns stargazing from the telescope Twilight brought and snacking on some treats. Spike had made himself useful after the berry fiasco and helped set things out, a smaller picnic spread than the night of the meteor shower, but a fine mix regardless. Flint and Applejack shared some time over the night, pointing out various constellations to the Earth pony. Twilight herself seemed somewhat impressed with the male unicorn's knowledge of the sky, only having to remind the unicorn that the beast, the Ursa Major, was named in honor of the night sky. It was a more proper name than its original designation, the 'Bear of the Night Sky', which was far more of a mouthful than was worth saying, especially when most ponies tended just to scream 'monster' and be done with it.
AppleBloom filled the purple pony's mind with questions about the Moon's Tear, and why it would grow up on Dragon's Mountain. However, it wasn't long at all before her questions slowed and her speech drawled to a close, her head falling over and coming to rest on Spike's rhythmically rising and lowering belly, the baby Dragon having already fallen asleep a half an hour earlier. After the young ones had fallen asleep, the quartet of ponies decided to call it a night, Twilight lifting the prone form of Spike unto her back while Flint helped AppleBloom up and unto Applejack's strong back. Taking the saddlebags before Twilight could, Flint found himself bearing the weight of bags, letting Twilight focus on carrying the telescope. Striding down the hill, Twilight and Rainbow discussed the night in hushed tones, leaving Flint alone on the hill with Applejack.
"Thank you for inviting me out here with the others." Smiling, the unicorn shifted the saddlebags slightly in an awkward shuffle.
"Twern't nothin', Flint. Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of the Apple family, of that you c'n be sure." Flint nodded, grateful of her hospitality. Knowing he had to go, the unicorn could feel his feet stayed, reluctant to leave the blonde-maned pony. "You're welcome to come by any time. You're alright in mah book, shugahcube." With that, the filly took off for the large, imposing barn in the distance. A single light could be seen from where he stood in a smaller home, showing off the simple farm life the hard-working pony must lead.
"Thank you, Applejack," Flint's voice cracked, prompting the stallion to shake his mane violently in embarrassment. However, he was rewarded with a light laughter that floated through the air toward him, filling the foreign pony with a sense of glee. Spinning about on his hooves, the red colt took off after Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
High above, an orange paper crane filtered about the sky, floating lazily on thin wings over Sweet Apple Acres.