Hey people! Welcome back to the show! And happy 2016! Did this year just fly by for everyone else? Ch.14 was a huge hit, and I'm so glad you all enjoyed it so much. I went through about three different drafts for that chapter, and I'm glad you all liked what I went with. A little off topic, I started working on a five-part a cappella arrangement of Friendship Through the Ages. I had a spark of inspiration, and I just went for it, you know? Kind of what I do with this story. If I have an idea, I open up my google doc full of ideas, and write it down so I don't forget. It really pays off. Also, someone noticed that Sweet & Delicate is now on FiMFiction. I put it there, so no worries about people stealing my content. This story will eventually end up there too. Just wanted to clarify that it's me putting them there, and not someone else. Anyways, enough rambling, let's get this show on the road. Thanks to my reviewers of the last chapter: lily lupin potter, Starshine89, D.N.S Akina, bluecatcinema, MMM, Webbowriter (PM), Elizabeth Fire Ice Heart, Omegafrost, Fluttershy 2059123, and Mr H.R. I don't own any of the MLP FiM characters, but I DO own Coppermane and the plot. Enjoy!

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Loveliest of Trees

Ch.15: Elucidation

Time: 9:00 PM, Friday, Carousel Boutique

Coppermane sat in his car outside the boutique with Flash Sentry behind him in his car. They had to take two cars to transport everything they needed for the showcase. After the group rendezvoused outside the amphitheater, Pinkie Pie invited everyone back to her house for a slumber party to celebrate everyone's successes tonight. It was completely on the fly, but everyone happily accepted. The boys had their cars with them, so they could drive the girls to Pinkie Pie's house. The girls requested that they make a stop at the boutique first to change into their casual clothes. The boys couldn't blame them. They were wearing rather elaborate outfits. Coppermane made space in his car for three people, taking Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, and of course, Fluttershy. Flash Sentry had a bigger car, so he could take everyone else: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and of course, Twilight. The whole way there, in both vehicles, the girls went on and on about the showcase, reflecting on particular performances. But, of course, the segment they talked about the most was Flash Drive's portion…especially in Coppermane's car. The girls, particularly Sunset, were asking Coppermane how he did what he did. Sunset was the only one in the car from Equestria, and she wanted to know how the hell Coppermane was able to invoke the magic of friendship. She was trying to understand how magic works in this world verses Equestria.

Coppermane had no clue, though. The concept of magic was most foreign to him relative to everyone else in the group. If the rest of them couldn't figure it out, how the heck did they expect him to know? Rarity said Twilight might know, so they decided they'd ask her at Pinkie Pie's house. Coppermane didn't know why Twilight would know more about this weird anomaly than them, but he knew one thing for sure: it felt so good to hold Fluttershy's hand again as he drove.

As Coppermane waited in his car for the girls, he took a moment to reflect on this week. Probably the craziest week of his life. He started off feeling completely depressed and miserable, more than he ever has in his entire life. Fluttershy broke up with him for allegedly cheating on her, even though he didn't. He never thought he could miss someone so much. When he jumped down from the stage to confess his feelings to Fluttershy, and Hoops and Score showed up, all his efforts seemed to be in vain. But he wasn't going to let them humiliate him again. And with some big revelations, he felt the magic of friendship manifest within him, and exposed Hoops and Score for the sadistic bullies they really are. And then…he confessed his feelings to Fluttershy. Confessed how much she truly meant to him. How much he cared about her. How much he loved her. And after a moment of silence…she confessed her feelings for him. He couldn't believe it. She really loved him, like something out of a dream.

It'd been one hell of a week, but by the end of it, Coppermane had triumphed. He won the girls back, and most of all, he won Fluttershy back. Hearing her say those three magical words, and getting to kiss her again made this entire week worth it.

He looked to the passenger seat, and saw the flowers Coppermane had given her. He still didn't know how it morphed into such a beautiful bouquet, but he was in no way, shape, or form complaining. Maybe he could ask Twilight about that too. He knew one thing though: it had to be the prettiest bouquet in the world. Perfect for the prettiest girl in the world, right?

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy walking towards his car. They were all in their casual clothes, and their hair was down, while keeping the colored streaks. He saw the others walk out of the boutique behind them, and they were dressed similarly. Coppermane's vision drifted back to Fluttershy, looking adorable in her everyday outfit. He would never stop asking this question: How could one girl be so gorgeous?

The three girls got back in the car, giggling amongst themselves.

"Ah…feels so good to get out of those outfits," Sunset said, making the others giggle.

"Thank you for stopping, Coppermane," Rarity said.

"No problem," Coppermane said as he put the car in drive. And with that, they were bound for Pinkie Pie's house.

He rested his arm on the center console, and felt Fluttershy's arm next to his. He felt her take his hand, seamlessly interlacing her fingers with his. A warm feeling washed over him as she did this. He loved holding her hand. As much as he wanted to look at her, he couldn't take his focus away from driving. But he could do this: he brought her delicate hand up to kiss it. He rested their hands back on the center console, and could hear Fluttershy giggling, making his heart dance. She squeezed his hand as Coppermane drove the three girls to Pinkie Pie's house.

---

Time: 9:45 PM, Friday, Pinkie Pie's House

The group sat together in the living room, talking amongst each other, reminiscing about the showcase. Coppermane sat on the couch holding Fluttershy in his arms. Flash Sentry and Twilight sat together on the couch in a similar manner, and the others sat scattered around the room. Coppermane wasn't expecting to hang out with everyone after the showcase, but he didn't mind one bit. It felt so good to spend time with everyone after a week of being alone. Even more so, it felt great to cuddle with Fluttershy again.

"Coppermane, Flash, I think I speak for everyone when I say that your performance was spectacular!" Rarity said. The girls nodded in agreement, making the boys smile.

"You completely stole the show," Sunset Shimmer said.

"You two were amazing," Fluttershy said, nuzzling Coppermane.

"Ah totally agree," Applejack said.

"But is anyone else wondering how Copper and Flash ponied up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah," Sunset chimed in, "And how did Coppermane absorb our magic?"

The girls looked at the boys, and Flash and Coppermane looked at each other, both with unsure looks on their faces.

Flash shrugged. "Um…I don't know, but I wasn't really questioning it. I thought it was awesome."

"Yeah, same," Coppermane shrugged. "Hoops was about to punch me, and all of a sudden, there was this barrier around me. Then I felt something…stir within me…"

"The magic of friendship," Twilight said knowingly, smiling.

"…Yeah…the magic of friendship. I don't know how I started absorbing it, but I felt so…powerful. I saw images of…well…all of you," Coppermane said, making everyone else in the room smile. "I saw you all, and I heard these…words being whispered to me. Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Magic, Acceptance, Compassion, Empathy…"

Twilight rose her eyebrow at those last three words. She's never heard of those elements before, but she remembered reading something in her books that might answer that question. But Coppermane wasn't done…

"…I just don't know how it happened," Coppermane said. "I figured it was some lucky anomalous event."

"No…there has to be more to it than that," Sunset said. She turned to Twilight. "We were actually hoping that you could shed some light."

"Me?" Twilight said.

"Yeah, I mean, you are the princess of friendship, right?" Sunset said.

Coppermane rose an eyebrow. "Wait…princess of friendship?"

"Yeah! Twilight comes from Equestria, where she's a princess!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

This just made Coppermane more confused. "Equestria? Is there something I don't know about?"

Twilight suddenly realized something. As far as she knew, Coppermane knew nothing about where she came from. He knew nothing about Equestria, nor about how Twilight is a princess. Much less about how Equestria and this world are parallel universes, with everyone in this world having a pony counterpart back in Equestria.

Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Has no one told you about this?"

Coppermane was incredibly confused. "I have no idea what you all are talking about. Flash told me Twilight was from Trottingham."

"Trottingham?" Twilight asked, looking up at Flash Sentry, who was blushing.

"Um…he asked me one day, and I kind of choked," Flash said, chuckling nervously. "I can't accurately explain what you told me."

Twilight just laughed. She couldn't really blame him. It was pretty complicated information.

She looked back at Coppermane, giggling at his perplexed expression. "Well, Coppermane…"

And with that, Twilight proceeded to explain everything to him. Everything about Equestria, the portal that links the two worlds together, how everyone in this world has a pony counterpart in Equestria, how she's a princess, etcetera. It took a while, and a few pauses to let the information sink in, but eventually Coppermane understood. Mostly, anyways…

"So hold on, you're…a princess?" Coppermane asked in disbelief. Twilight nodded, making Copper's eyes go wide. "Wow. And…we all have counterparts in Equestria? Pony counterparts?"

Twilight nodded again. "Girls, do you remember when I told you about the Summer Sun Celebration?" The girls nodded. "Do you remember the singer I told you about who performed there?"

"The unicorn who can copy himself to make his own barbershop quartet, right?" Sunset asked.

"Mmmhmm!" Twilight said. "Well, that singer…was Coppermane's counterpart."

"What?!" the girls all said with big smiles on their faces.

"Yep!" Twilight said, giggling at Coppermane's face. "And in the two weeks before the Celebration, you became friends with all of us."

As everyone clamored, Coppermane was still trying to wrap his head around this information. Fluttershy noticed that his grip on her had become rather stiff.

"I think my head's about to explode," Coppermane said, making everyone in the room laugh.

"Well, you wanna know what else happened in those two weeks?" Twilight asked teasingly.

"Twilight, I don't think my brain has the capacity for more information," Coppermane said.

Twilight giggled. "Trust me, you'll like this."

Coppermane sighed. "Alright…what happened?"

Twilight smiled and pointed at Fluttershy. "You met her," she said, making the couple's eyes go wide. The girls broke into big smiles.

Rarity gasped. "Are they a cute pony couple in Equestria?" she asked with excitement.

"They sure are!" Twilight said, making the girls in the room go "Aww". Coppermane and Fluttershy blushed profusely.

Coppermane spoke up. "So, what you're saying is…you knew me before you met me?"

Twilight nodded. "Mmmhmm!"

Fluttershy spoke up too. "And, you knew about…us?" she asked, looking up at him, noticing he was blushing as much as she was.

Twilight giggled at their exchange. "I sure did! And you two are just as cute together in this world as you are in Equestria. Oh, and you know those flowers you gave her?"

"Yeah, of course," Coppermane said.

"What about them?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, back in Equestria, that's the same bouquet you gave to Fluttershy when you asked her to the Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight asked, making the girls go "Aww" again.

"That's so sweet!" Sunset said.

"And so cute!" Rarity said, giddy beyond belief.

Fluttershy and Coppermane were shocked. They looked into each other's eyes, and could see mutual amazement at what they were hearing.

"Wow…" Fluttershy said, smiling.

"Yeah…" Coppermane said, smiling back.

Coppermane gave Fluttershy a light squeeze and tender peck on the lips, feeling her relax in his arms as he did so. He pulled away, and saw a blissful smile on her face, making him smile too.

Fluttershy nuzzled up closer to Coppermane, squeezing his hands. "I love you," she said sweetly.

Coppermane's heart washed over with joy at those three words. He lightly squeezed her in his arms, kissing her cheek. "I love you too," he said tenderly.

Coppermane and Fluttershy heard the other girls going "Aww" and giggling at their exchange, causing their faces to go bright red.

Rarity suddenly let out a squeal. "Oh, I just can't get over how adorable you two are!" she said, making the other girls giggle. Coppermane and Fluttershy blushed profusely, but were flattered that they were all so supportive of their relationship. Fluttershy lifted her head to give Coppermane a kiss on the cheek, making his heart melt.

"So…all of that brings us to why Flash and Copper ponied up," Twilight said. "Coppermane, you know those words that were whispered to you?"

Coppermane nodded, "Yeah, what about them?"

"Well, back in Equestria, those words represent the Elements of Harmony," Twilight said.

"Elements of what?" Coppermane asked.

"Elements of harmony," Twilight said. She then proceeded to explain the Elements of Harmony, and how they're the most powerful magic known in the world. She explained how each one of her friends represent one of the six elements: Applejack represents honesty, Rarity represents generosity, and so on.

"But here's the thing," Twilight said, "There's six elements…but you spoke nine words."

Sunset Shimmer rose an eyebrow at this. "Does that mean…there's nine elements?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight said, "But I remember, in the book describing the elements, there was something about…Theoretical Elements."

Everybody in the room rose an eyebrow at this, slightly confused, and rightfully so.

"Theoretical Elements?" Sunset said with confusion. She was from Equestria too, and was familiar with the idea of the Elements from being Princess Celestia's student…but could there be more?

Twilight nodded, expecting perplexed expressions from everyone. "Hidden elements, if you will. The book described them as Elements that exist, but don't have wielders. Although, I think tonight, three new elements have emerged thanks to Coppermane's bravery."

Coppermane's eyes went wide. "Really?" he asked in disbelief.

"Are you talking about Sunset, Copper, and I?" Flash asked, curious about this too.

Twilight nodded, squeezing Flash's hands. "Coppermane, do you remember the last three words you said?"

Coppermane pondered for a moment, recalling the nine words he spoke. "They were…Acceptance, Compassion, and Empathy."

Sunset was having a hard time comprehending all of this. "So, wait…you're saying that me, Flash, and Copper represent those elements?"

Twilight shrugged. "It's only a theory, but I think it's a pretty solid one, wouldn't you agree?" she asked. Sunset had no argument against that. She couldn't come up with any other explanation for this anomaly. It was only speculation, but Sunset couldn't deny that she rather liked the idea of representing an Element of Harmony.

Twilight spoke again. "But, I think we can all agree that Flash Sentry and Coppermane were absolutely amazing tonight," she said. The girls all clamored in agreement, making Flash smile, and Copper blush.

Flash chuckled. "Well, thanks girls, but let's be real here, Coppermane completely stole the show," he said.

Coppermane blushed even more. "Oh, c'mon Flash…" he said humbly.

"Don't be so modest, dude," Flash said, "You stole the entire show, and you know it."

"Everybody loved you, Copper!" Pinkie Pie said.

"You were real brave, sugar," Applejack said.

Coppermane was flattered to hear all this praise, for something that was completely unexpected. "You…You all really think so?"

"We know so!" Twilight said.

"You were awesome, Copper!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Coppermane, I can't even begin to tell you how amazed we all were," Sunset said.

Rarity giggled. "You've grown so much since we first met you, darling."

Fluttershy brought her hand up to cup Coppermane's face. "And we're so proud of you," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Coppermane looked around the room, and saw everyone smiling back at him. It was so heart-warming. He really has grown, hasn't he? He thought back to the first time he sat in on their band rehearsal. He was so shy and demure, and he still is, but back then, he wasn't just shy…he was scared. Whenever he saw a new face, he thought it just meant there was someone new to hate him. Little did he know, these people would grow to become his best friends…his first friends…and change his life. His eyes began to tear up as he looked at their prideful expressions.

"And Coppermane," Sunset started to say, "I know we were all mad at you this week, but…we really missed you."

Coppermane blushed. "R-Really?" The girls all nodded.

"It's good to have you back, Copper," Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.

Coppermane smiled at the group, and allowed tears to fall down his face. Fluttershy smiled and wiped his tears dry, making him chuckle to himself.

"I…I really missed you guys too," Coppermane said, sniffling a little. "You all have done so much for me, it's insane. I'm so lucky to have met you all. You're the friends I've wanted my entire life," he said, tugging at the girls' heartstrings.

"It's an honor to call you our friend, sweetness," Rarity said. The rest of the girls nodded in agreement. Copper felt Fluttershy squeeze his hands, and looked to see her smiling back at him. He shed another tear, which Fluttershy caught with a kiss on the cheek, making him chuckle.

"Listen, if there's anything I can do to even begin to thank you…"

"Well, maybe there's…one thing…" Applejack said.

Coppermane was all ears. "Oh? What's that?"

"Well, we were all talkin' in the car 'bout that stuff y'all said…about your past an' all," Applejack said.

Coppermane rose an eyebrow. "Yeah? What about it?"

Rainbow Dash spoke up. "What was your life like at your old school?"

"Yeah," Sunset said, "I've been curious about that too."

"Me three," Rarity said.

Coppermane's eyes went wide. He looked around to see everyone with intrigued expressions. They were interested in that?

"If it's hard to talk about, that's fine, you don't have to," Twilight said, seeing his wide-eyed expression.

"No no, it's not that. It's just…you guys really want to know?" Coppermane asked. Everyone in the room nodded.

"We just want to know what happened to you," Sunset said.

"What happened to cause that emotional outburst we saw tonight?" Rarity said.

Coppermane pondered for a moment. They already knew about a good portion of his past from all that venting…and they were his friends. They knew that this was sensitive information. He could trust them. If they were really that concerned, they deserved to know. In a way, he probably should've expected them to ask something like this. He was in tears from his emotions, and they were bound to be curious.

"Well…what do you want to know?" Coppermane asked.

"How about we start with where you used to go to school," Rainbow Dash said.

Coppermane was silent for a second, but eventually took a deep breath and spoke. "Um…well…I used to go to Crystal Prep."

Everyone in the room, except Twilight and Sunset, gasped in shock.

"Crystal Prep?" Rainbow Dash said.

"No wonder you were miserable," Rarity said.

"What's Crystal Prep?" Twilight asked. Sunset was curious as well.

"Canterlot High's rival school," Applejack explained. "Full of jerks who beat CHS at everything. Grades, test scores, athletics, you name it."

"They're full of party poopers!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"And meanies," Fluttershy said.

The girls all looked at Coppermane to see he had a surprised expression on his face, probably at their reaction to him revealing he attended Crystal Prep. They all shrugged.

"Sorry…" Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her neck.

Fluttershy sat up in Coppermane's lap and put her hand on his heart. "Go on, Coppermane," she said.

Coppermane chuckled at their little outburst, and refocused on recollecting his time at Crystal Prep. As he did so, his expression grew noticeably more somber. He had only dark memories of Crystal Prep. Eventually, after a couple minutes of pondering, he looked up at his friends' concerned faces…

---

Copper was frantically trying to get the hell out of the Crystal Prep building. The bullies hadn't shown up yet, and maybe if he hurried, he could escape without a scratch. His stress was causing him to sweat profusely, trying to get his things out of the locker…

All of a sudden, his locker door was suddenly pushed in, swinging into Coppermane's head, and causing him to drop his books and papers on the floor. He held his head in pain as he heard laughing coming from behind him.

"Ha! Gotta be more careful, bro," one of them said condescendingly.

Coppermane turned around, and turned scared and spiteful when he saw Neon Lights and Royal Pin.

"Look who's bringing his entire locker home to study over the weekend!" Royal Pin shouted to all the students passing by. Some looked over at Coppermane and laughed at him, making him frown in embarrassment.

"Didn't get invited to Trenderhoof's party?" Neon Lights asked disdainfully.

Coppermane looked down in shame, holding himself. "Um…n-no, I di—"

"Dude, what a stupid question, of course he didn't!" Royal Pin said, "You know Trenderhoof's biggest rule: no losers allowed."

Royal Pin and Neon Lights began to laugh at him as Coppermane began to recoil.

"Have fun with your books, loser," Royal Pin said before roughly pushing Coppermane into the lockers. His head slammed into the metal, causing his headache to worsen.

"And watch out for those lockers. They'll get you," Neon Lights said before slamming the locker door into Coppermane's face, making him hold his nose in pain. Neon Lights and Royal Pin walked away, laughing at him. Coppermane brought his hands away from his nose for a moment to discover that his nose was bleeding. He covered his nose again and looked around the floor to see his papers scattered everywhere, covered in footprints from the hallway traffic. He looked up to see two girls, Fleur Dis Lee and Indigo Zap looking at him and laughing. Coppermane held his bleeding nose with one hand while picking up papers with the other. The girls walked away, and could overhear them saying things like "What a loser" and "Such a wimp", making Coppermane scavenge papers in shame.

---

Coppermane couldn't find anywhere to sit for lunch. He had his tray of food, he just needed a place to sit. Everywhere he looked, tables were already claimed, and it wasn't like he had any friends to sit with. Suddenly, as he walked around and panned the room, hit foot hit something, causing him to trip and fall, landing right on his pizza, fruit cup, and chocolate milk, ruining his entire lunch, and his clothes. He heard the entire cafeteria laughing at him, and heard two familiar voices next to him.

"Enjoy your lunch?" Neon Lights said, laughing at Coppermane.

Coppermane got up, and looked down to see that his shirt was covered in pizza sauce, milk, and fruit juice. He also saw that Neon Lights had stuck his foot out.

Coppermane started to panic, hearing the entire cafeteria laughing at him as he stood still in utter humiliation. Not knowing what else to do, he just ran away, crying from embarrassment.

"Go on and cry about it, you big baby!" Indigo Zap yelled as Coppermane ran away in tears.

Coppermane ran into the men's restroom, entering a stall and locking the door, trying to calm himself down. Why did he have to be such a crybaby? Why did he have to be such a loser? A loser like him probably didn't deserve lunch anyways.

---

"COPPERMANE!" a voice shouted from down the hall.

Coppermane turned around to see a very angry looking Neon Lights racing after him. His eyes were filled with fire. Before Coppermane could run, Neon Lights picked him up by his shirt collar and pinned him against the lockers.

"You had to blab to the Dean, didn't you?!" Neon Lights said.

"Wh-What?" Coppermane said, panicking.

"You told her that I copied off your answers?" Neon Lights said with fire in his eyes.

"Y-Yes…?" Coppermane said, to which Neon Lights roughly rammed him into the lockers.

"I GOT A WEEK OF DETENTION BECAUSE OF YOU!" Neon Lights shouted before punching him roughly in the stomach repeatedly. Then, he threw him onto the ground, and kicked his face. Coppermane laid limp on the ground, coughing up some blood from being punched in the stomach so many times. Neon Lights leaned down to get in Coppermane's face. "If this happens again, you're gonna need an ambulance. Do you understand?" Neon Lights said in a silently angry voice.

Coppermane could only nod, in too much pain to speak. He continued to cough and hold his stomach in pain as Neon Lights walked away. Coppermane laid there on the ground in the empty hallway, crying his eyes out.

---

The group grew increasingly shocked and heartbroken as Coppermane told these stories. Each one of them consisted of him getting beaten up, humiliated, or both. He had to go through that every day?

Fluttershy, with tears in her eyes, put her hand over Coppermane's heart. "You poor thing…"

"Why would they do all that to you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Coppermane shrugged. "I…I guess I was an easy target or something…"

"But you're such a great guy, Copper," Applejack said.

"Those Crystal Prep kids are such meanies!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Are they really that sadistic?" Twilight asked incredulously.

Coppermane sighed. "I don't know. I just know they loved beating me up and humiliating me."

"And that was a regular thing?" Rarity asked. Coppermane sighed and nodded, making her frown. "How awful…"

"I ought to go over to Crystal Prep and kick their asses," Flash Sentry said.

"Did you ever do something about it? You shouldn't have had to put up with that," Sunset said.

Coppermane bit his lip. He tried to do something once…and ended up getting expelled from Crystal Prep. He looked at Fluttershy, who had concern in her eyes. He could tell that they were on the same page. She's the only one in the group who knew about that day. Coppermane sighed. The rest of his friends were already in pretty deep, and they were genuinely interested in what he had to go through. They deserved to know.

"Well…" Coppermane said, returning his attention to the others, "There was this…one time…"

Coppermane proceeded to enlighten them on the day he lashed out. The day he beat the bully to a pulp. The day he made the biggest mistake of his life. As he told the story, some of their expressions were shocked, and some were sad.

"Is that why you didn't beat Hoops and Score up?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It looked like you were about to."

Coppermane sighed and nodded. "Yeah…if I did…it would've been that day all over again…and I probably wouldn't be sitting with you all."

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, letting all of this information sink in. The group couldn't believe how much Coppermane's had to go through. Now, his shy and insecure tendencies made sense. They could see how emotionally scarred he really was. But with all these revelations, the group's respect for Coppermane grew. He survived all of that bullying, and didn't become bitter or hateful. He was one of the nicest guys they've ever met, in spite of his past.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Coppermane, I'll speak for everyone. If we ever see anyone bullying you again, they'll have to go through us first." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"And sugarcube," Applejack said, "Don't even think about killin' yourself. Y'all have a new life now."

"We would miss you so much!" Pinkie Pie said.

Rarity got up to sit on the couch next to Coppermane and Fluttershy. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You have friends now, Coppermane, and we're always here for you."

Fluttershy took Coppermane's hand. "No matter what," she said, interlacing her fingers with his.

"It's an honor to have the element of empathy as our best friend," Sunset said with a wink.

Coppermane looked around the room to see everyone smiling back at him. It made him shed a tear. A new life. A fresh start. The bullying, the humiliation, and the torment was all over now. He stood up for himself, and put an end to it once and for all. In a weird way, he almost had to thank the bullies. If they hadn't shown up, none of this would've happened. The revelations, the magic, the retribution; none of it. In trying to separate him from his friends, they stabbed themselves in the back, and received rightful retribution. Coppermane won his friends back, he won the girl of his dreams back, and they learned more about him than they ever expected. Coppermane felt much closer to his friends…and he had Hoops and Score to thank.

Sunset was suddenly curious about something. "Coppermane, have you told anyone else about these things?"

Coppermane shrugged and shook his head. "The only one who knew before you all was Fluttershy," he said, giving her a squeeze. "You're the only ones who know now." A heart-warming look appeared on everyone's face. These were some shocking and saddening revelations, but the group felt so much closer to Coppermane because of it.

Rarity smiled. "Well, thank you so much for sharing your past with us, darling."

"Like Rarity said, we're all here for ya, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Coppermane smiled. "And I'm always here for you all. It's an honor to call you my best friends," he said, making them all smile.

Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Hey, Coppermane, there's a keyboard over in the corner. Maybe we could hear a song or two?" she said, making some of the girls gasp in excitement.

Coppermane rose an eyebrow. He felt Fluttershy's hand on his heart, and looked over at her to see her sweet smile. He looked around to see hopeful expressions on their faces. How could he say no?

"I think I can make that happen," Coppermane said, making them all clamor in excitement. They all stood up and walked to the keyboard. Coppermane sat down, making room for Fluttershy to sit next to him. Everyone else stood behind him and around the keyboard as he scrolled through his chord-sheet library to find a song. He found one that gives him a warm feeling whenever he plays it. It reminds him of that first day in the band room. The first song he ever played for the group.

…

-(Song: House of Gold- Go to my profile for a link to the song playlist for this story!)-

The girls all gasped upon hearing the first few chords. They remembered the song from the first time Copper attended a band rehearsal of theirs. It brought warm memories back.

Coppermane had to sing the song an octave lower since the original notes are too high, but nevertheless, he was having fun playing for them all again. Around the chorus, he felt something stir within him, and a warm feeling filled his body. The feeling was foreign…yet familiar at the same time. He saw his arms begin to glow with a white aura as he continued to play.

The girls all gasped upon seeing Coppermane glowing. Suddenly, his head sprouted pony ears, and his hair grew longer and more luxurious with a ponytail at the end. His hair color intensified, shimmering like real copper. The group gazed in wonder as they watched the magic flow through him, making him pony up, just like they do.

At the second chorus, some of the girls began harmonizing with Coppermane, creating a beautiful resultant sound, and energizing him even more.

…

As Coppermane played the last chord, his pony features faded, and he heard applause around him, making him smile.

Fluttershy pulled him into a hug, giddy that he can pony up too. Also because she loves his singing voice.

Flash pat him on the back. "Proud to have you in the band, dude," he said.

The girls clamored around him as he hugged Fluttershy. They appreciated him for him. These were truly the greatest friends Coppermane could've asked for.

Fluttershy released him, and Flash Sentry whispered, "Rock Band," in Copper's ear, making him gasp in excitement. The boys sprung up and ran back to the TV to boot up Rock Band. The girls rolled their eyes, feigning irritation at the boys. They walked over to join them, and played Rock Band much like they did during Coppermane's birthday. Coppermane didn't expect to spend the night after the showcase with his friends, but even so, words could not describe how much fun he was having.

---

Time: 11:00 PM, Friday, Pinkie Pie's House

As much as everyone wanted to stay up later, the showcase had pretty much sapped everyone's energy, and one by one, the group started to check out and go to sleep. Same rules as last time: girls in Pinkie Pie's room, and boys in the guest room down the hall. Pretty soon, the entire group had adjourned upstairs…except for two.

Fluttershy and Coppermane sat on the couch together, cuddling in silence, enjoying each other's long-missed company and warmth. Fluttershy sat in front of Coppermane with his arms wrapped around her from behind. Fluttershy loved cuddling with Coppermane again. She felt so safe in his arms, and even more so after a week of withdrawal. Even though this week was difficult, she came out of this rough patch feeling closer to than ever to Coppermane.

Everything that happened tonight was completely unexpected and spectacular. Coppermane sang to Fluttershy in front of the entire school to show her how much he cared about her. How much he loved her. She didn't realize just how much he cared about her until tonight. And after the most amazing kiss they've ever had, when she thought she couldn't get any happier, Coppermane made her joy skyrocket by asking her to the Fall Formal with the most beautiful bouquet she's ever seen. She still had no idea why the bouquet did what it did, but it didn't matter, because she was beside herself with joy. She loved him so much…and Coppermane loved her too. Her happiness was unfathomable.

"Coppermane?" Fluttershy said.

"Hmm?" Coppermane said.

"Thank you for asking me to the Formal," Fluttershy said, squeezing his hands.

Coppermane gave her a light squeeze. "Thank you for saying yes. Sorry it was so late…"

Fluttershy smiled, and got up to sit in Coppermane's lap. "It's okay, Coppermane. I'm grateful you asked me at all."

Coppermane smiled and took her hand in his, interlacing fingers. "Thanks for taking me back, Fluttershy. I…I really missed you."

Fluttershy blushed, a heartwarming feeling washing over her. She squeezed his hand. "I missed you too. I…I'm sorry for not listening to you."

Coppermane squeezed her hand. "You're fine. Like I said, you had every right to be mad at me."

Fluttershy felt shameful. "Well…what happened, exactly?"

Coppermane's expression grew irritated as he remembered what happened. Trixie had revealed that the entire thing was staged, but that didn't make it any less weird. Coppermane proceeded to tell Fluttershy about what went down, saying that he had no idea someone was taking pictures. He made absolutely sure to mention that he tried to tell Trixie that he had a girlfriend, but she wouldn't listen. Now that he knew everything was staged, Trixie's persistent attitude made sense. But again, it didn't make it any less weird.

"I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to rub the taste of Trixie's lips away," Coppermane said, making Fluttershy laugh.

Fluttershy was shocked at hearing this. That's all that happened? This made her regret not listening to him even more. "I…I should've given you a chance…" she said, looking down in remorse.

"Hey, don't think like that," Coppermane said tenderly, using his hand to cup her face. "We're together now. That's all that matters, right?"

Fluttershy looked up at him, and smiled at his words. He was just the sweetest guy in the world. She lifted her hand to touch his. "I love you," she said.

Coppermane's heart melted at those three words. He brought her face closer to give her a tender kiss, feeling her relax in his arms as he did so. Her candy lips were as sweet as always. He pulled away, and gazed into her deep, teal eyes.

"I love you too," he said tenderly.

Fluttershy would never get tired of hearing those words. She couldn't help herself from kissing Coppermane again. His lips were so tender and warm. She pulled away, and blushed when she saw his blissful smile.

Coppermane bit his lip. "Um…as far as tomorrow goes…I've never been to a dance before, so…"

Fluttershy giggled. "It's okay. You'll be fine. You'll have all of us to help you, and…you'll have me," she said, blushing and placing her hand on his heart.

Coppermane smiled and put his hand over hers. He loved it when she put her hand on his heart. It made him feel so safe. Fluttershy suddenly let out a mighty yawn, making Coppermane yawn too. Their eyes grew heavier, with groggy expressions.

"Guess we should probably go upstairs, huh?" Coppermane said.

"Well…I mean…" Fluttershy started to say as she snuggled up closer to Coppermane. "W-We don't have to…" she said, gripping his heart, giving him somewhat of a puppy-dog look, hoping he would get the hint about what she wanted.

Coppermane was confused for a moment, but quickly caught on. She looked so cute right now, gazing up at him with those gorgeous teal eyes. She looked groggy, like she could pass out at any second. He knew exactly what she wanted, and was flattered. He certainly wasn't going to object to cuddling with her some more. He lifted his hand to brush her hair out of her face, and leaned down to kiss her. He pulled back and smiled when he saw her smile. Fluttershy adjusted herself to get more comfortable, positioning her legs next to his, and laying her head on his chest. She felt Coppermane start brushing her hair, sending waves of bliss through her.

"Sweet dreams, Fluttershy," Coppermane said soothingly, continuing to brush her hair, and kissing her on the forehead. "I love you," he said.

Fluttershy smiled, and relaxed on his rising and falling chest. "I love you too," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. As he brushed her hair, Fluttershy drifted off to sleep, feeling warm and safe with him.

Coppermane smiled as Fluttershy drifted off in his arms. She looked adorable lying on his chest, and he loved holding her. After a couple minutes of watching Fluttershy sleep, Coppermane drifted off as well, holding his beautiful girlfriend in his arms.

---

Time: 11:50 PM, Friday, Pinkie Pie's House

Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, and Applejack were still awake in Pinkie Pie's room, talking amongst each other, but quietly. The other girls were sound asleep in the room, and they didn't want to wake them. It had been one heck of a day, and they were all tired.

"Is Fluttershy ever going to come up?" Sunset asked, peering out into the hallway.

"Ah don't know," Applejack said. "She sure is takin' a while."

"I'll go check on her," Rarity said, getting up. She walked out of the room to go downstairs. It took about one minute for Rarity to race back up the stairs, giggling a little loudly to herself.

"Rarity, quiet down!" Sunset said, trying to shush her.

Rarity covered her mouth, continuing to giggle, "Sorry, just…come down and look at this!" she said giddily.

"Huh?" Applejack and Sunset said quizzically.

"Just…come look!" Rarity said, gesturing for Applejack and Sunset to follow her.

Applejack and Sunset looked at each other and shrugged. Why not? Rarity seemed excited about something. They followed her downstairs, and were guided to the couch, where they saw something very cute and heartwarming.

There on the couch, Fluttershy and Coppermane laid together, sleeping peacefully. They were holding hands, with Fluttershy lying on Coppermane's chest.

"Aww…" Sunset said quietly, not wanting to wake the couple up.

"Now ain't that the cutest thing?" Applejack said with her hand over her heart.

"I know, right?" Rarity said, trying to contain her giddiness.

"They really love each other…" Sunset said, smiling at the couple.

"Ah don't think either of them are comin' up any time soon," Applejack said.

Rarity took her phone out and snapped a picture of the slumbering couple, earning a glare from Applejack and Sunset.

"What?" Rarity said, acting innocent. Sunset and Applejack rolled their eyes, and the three returned to smiling at the sleeping couple. This past week was rough on everyone in the group, but now, all was well. Coppermane was back, Fluttershy was happy, and he discovered his element. Plus, the three girls couldn't get over how adorable Coppermane and Fluttershy looked right now.

After a few minutes, the three girls adjourned upstairs to Pinkie Pie's room to turn in for the night. What a week…

---

And that's chapter 15! I hope you all liked it, and I hope the segment with the Elements of Harmony wasn't too stupid. I don't know, I'm a little skeptical about that. Before you ask, Theoretical Elements are not canon. I reiterate, they are not canon. I completely made it up. I figured it would be a nice way to link the group together, but I'll let you all be the judge of that. The next chapter might not be up for a while, because this Monday is when second semester starts. Whoop dee do, right? Winter break just flew by, didn't it? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to work. Gotta make money somehow, right? All reviews are greatly appreciated, so don't forget to leave one letting me know what you think and…until next time…peace!

To see a picture of my OC, there's a link in my profile.