AN; Sorry this took so long. It's a bit short. Things are going to get very, very interesting in the next two chapters. Just saying. *wink*

Twilight was fitting well into Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was glad to see. She was well liked and everyone adored Spike. She seemed to find the attention a bit overwhelming, just as her friend had but had grown used to it.

Mostly.

Pinkie Pie's surprise sniffs would take a bit longer to get used to, let her tell you. But they got on more than well enough, now that she was quickly coming out of her shell. She and Applejack seemed to have formed an easy friendship, as well with Rarity and Fluttershy liked her as much Fluttershy could like someone that wasn't an animal or, and this made her swell with pride, Bright.

It was a good time for her. She had her friends, she had her job and she had her own life. The independence was making her positively giddy.

Even if the festival of the sun was growing closer...

NO! Bad Bright, don't think like that! Calm down, you're going to be-

"-alright?" Fluttershy asked from beside her. "Bright? Is everything okay?"

She nodded dumbly. "What? Oh, yeah, everything's great. Nice day."

"Oh, yes. Everything's so fresh. Those strawberries look good today."

The brightly colored mare smiled. "You wanna go look at 'em?"

"Oh, well, they're not on the list, but, I-"

Rainbow Dash knew "not on the list" was Fluttershy code for "not in the budget". She rolled her eyes and gently floated over to the stall, forking over the two bits needed and picked the package up with her wings.

"Here," she said, dropping them gently on her back. "Enjoy."

"I couldn't!" she said, aghast. "Oh, Bright!"

"What? You've been letting me mooch off you for weeks! I think you deserve some strawberries for hay's sake."

"Thank you," she said, sounding awed. "Thank you very, very much."

She bumped Fluttershy's neck gently and smirked. "Yeah, yeah, don't tell anypony. I don't need them thinking I've gone soft."

"You? Soft? Never!" she murmured, tucking the fruit away in her bag.

"Oh, shut up," Rainbow Dash muttered. Fluttershy stopped to buy something green and leafy while she waited impatiently by her side.

"Hello, darlings!" Rarity crooned, seemingly appearing from nowhere with bags and bags of material floating around her. "I just found the most marvelous ribbon a few stalls back!" She unraveled it for them, the shiny white material bobbing around them. It caught the light and stung Rainbow Dash's eyes.

"Cool," she said offhandedly.

Fluttershy nodded. "Very nice."

"I was hoping they'd have it in green but alas!" she sighed. She squinted and held the ribbon against Fluttershy's side. "Oh, no, no, white just washes out that lovely mane. No, it needs to be green. Goodbye!"

"What the buck was that?" Rainbow Dash asked. A nearby mare gasped scandalously.

"Rarity seems to think I'd be a good model," Fluttershy said shyly. "She is always trying to get me into her clothes."

"Hmph. Modeling...do you want to?"

"Oh, no, I don't think I could handle all the attention." They started on the path home.

"I think you'd be good at it. But if you don't want to, that's cool."

"Even if I wasn't so-"

"Shy."

"-shy, I don't think I would like it. Too fussy."

"I hear that."