Jet, Rampant and I ran in and took our seats quickly. The sooner we finish our food; the sooner we can get back to wolf training. Shadow, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom casually take the other side of the dining table, finishing whatever conversation they were having.

"What are you three up to?" Shadow asks me.

"Nothing," I answer quickly. Short, quick answers. Yeah, that'll get her off my case.

"Right, so what are you up to?" she presses, leaning over the table a bit.

"Nothing," I say again. Why is she pressing this? Why does she always press it?

"C'mon, little brother, what are you up to?" she asks again, smirking slightly.

"Nothing, I swear! We're just wolf trai-" Rampant shoves his hoof into my mouth to stop me from saying anything else.

"Don't worry about it, filly. Important stallion business, leave it at that-"

"You're just trying to get Tempestive his cutie mark, aren't you?" Scootaloo asks bluntly.

"... maybe. Don't worry about." The three of us share an uneasy glance before Mom saves the day by enter the room with the food. She sets the large pot in the center and begins to levitate out portions for each of us.

"Alright, I have to get going soon. While I'm gone, Shadow is in charge. Please don't burn the house down," she says the last part looking to my side of the table, to which we all shrug. I swear, one time. It's not like we can even do that. The house is made of stone; you can't burn stone. "Okay?"

"Kay," we all agree before digging in, avoiding eye contact with anypony.

"Alright, I'm off then. Be careful with whatever it is you guys are doing okay," mom tells me before sneaking in a kiss on the side of my head. I scrunch up from the contact-

THUD

Then wince when Rampant and Jet punch me in the shoulder. It stings, but it's the only known cure for femininity. Mom says her other goodbyes before trotting out of the room, leaving us in an awkward silence. Shadow has that knowing smirk on her face. The one that tells me that we're probably not going to do our wolf training today.

Knock knock knock

We all pause for a second while Shadow goes to answer the door-

SLAM

Without warning she slams the door shut and runs up the stairs. We all stare back there for a moment before the girls go and check on her, Scootaloo checking on the door. The three of us look to each other before downing the rest of our food and running back outside. We line up and face the Everfree again, ready to charge in.

"Where's Lupus?" Jet asks.

"I think he's eating Shadows food," I note, looking back.

"Eh, ya snooze ya lose, or get your meal eaten at least. Now, to the task at hoof. Which way should we go?" We all pause for a moment to think it over before Rampant and I point in different directions. "My mom is an animal expert; we should go that way!"

"I live with wolves; we should go that way!" I yell back at Rampant. We both look over to Jet and wait for him to voice his opinion.

"Um... well... I'd have to throw my vote with Rampant on this one. You may live with Lupus, but he doesn't really count as a wolf." I sigh in defeat as Rampant steps forward, a triumphant grin plastered on his face.

"Alright, follow me!" he yells before running into the woods, Jet and I running after him.

I slam the door to my room shut and dive underneath my bed sheets. Why is this happening to me?! I just want to get through school without anything major happening so I can move to Moosden and be secluded for the rest of my life, I that really too much to ask for? After who what feels like an eternity I hear hoof steps and mumbling outside my door, making me cower some more.

"Shadow? You okay in there?" Sweetie Bell asks from the door, knocking softly a few times.

"No."

"We're going to come in, Applebloom and I, okay?" They open and close the door quietly and take tentative steps towards me. I pull the sheets closer to myself and try to imagine myself somewhere else. "So, on a scale from the birds and bees talk to Hayvana, how bad is this one?"

"Um... I'd say... remember when we accidentally walked into the stallion’s locker room after swimming lessons?"

"That was you who screamed that day?" Rumble chuckles, making me freeze. I peer over the edge of my blanket and look over to see him as well as all of my friends, Pipsqueak, and Button Mash, standing in my room. "That actually makes sense now that I think about it-"

"Why are you all in my room!?" I demand before hiding underneath my bed sheet again.

"Why are hiding under your blanket?" Rumble asks nonchalantly.

"It's safe here! Why are you- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" I practically have a heart attack when somepony begins to pull the sheet away from me. I try to yank them back as somepony else tries to pry them away from me.

"Give... it... up!" Applebloom growls as the blankets pull away from me.

"NEVER!" I yell back as I bite onto the blanket and pull back.

"Help me!" With a final pull, the blanket is yanked from my grasp. I fall out of bed and fall onto something from all of their combined effort. After a hazy moment I look down and find myself laying on top of Rumble. We stare at each other for a moment, face to face, before he smiles up at me.

"So, wanna go out some time?" He asks casually.

"..."

"You know, like a date."

"..."

"Between you... and me."

"..."

"Is she broken or something-"

"Hold on," Scootaloo tells him before moving over to my side. She lifts me off of him and stands me up right, sizing me over a bit-

SMACK

"IknowwhatyoudotomaresandI'mnotreadyforthatkindofstuffandIthinkmymomanddadwouldprobablykillyoubutI'mnotsure!" I blurt out at once, getting odd looks from everypony.

"Um... so... yes, no, maybe?" Rumble asks to clarify, tilting his head slightly.

"Uh..."

"It's a yes." Sweetie Bell answers.

"WHAT!?" I yell, blushing madly as I stare at her.

"Sweet. So I'll pick you up here then. How's Friday at six sound?" he asks, smiling even more.

"She'll be ready!" Applebloom tells him, putting a hoof around my neck.

"I will!?" I ask, looking to Applebloom in complete shock. Why are they doing this to me? What did I do to deserve this?

"Alright, I'll be here then. Catch you later." He tells me before walking out of my room. I stay quiet until I hear him walking down the stairs. Once he's gone, I begin to pace around my room quickly, hyperventilating.

"What... why... how... when... whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!?" I ask between breaths, practically running around my crowded room. Scootaloo stops me with a hoof to the chest and offers me a brown bag. I take the bag and hold it to my mouth, breathing into slowly.

"So, which one of you two brought him here?" she asks Button and Pip, making them both sweat a bit.

"Well... he kind of... approached the two of us at the same time." Button begins, rubbing the back of his neck slightly.

"Two weeks ago that is," Pip continues, glancing at Button before continuing. "He's been asking about you for a while now. And... well-"

"He sort of followed us here and asked if we could introduce the two of you." Button finishes. They both try to smile and look innocent, but once I get my breathing back I'm going to strangle the two of them to death.

"Well, now that that part is over with, onta more important matters. Are you actually going to go out with him?" Applebloom asks me, getting everypony to look at me. I pause in my breathing to look back at all of them before doubling my breaths, almost ripping the bag apart.

"Didn't you promise us earlier that you'd try to be more sociable?" Scootaloo asks, to which I shake my head no.

"C'mon, Shadow. Just go on one date. One, teeny, tiny, little date. You don't even have to put that much effort into it! Just go along with whatever he has planned, maybe answer a question or two, and that's it," Sweetie Bell offers, moving up to my side and wrapping a hoof around my neck in a light hug. I look between her and the others before setting the bag down.

"One date... one date and you guys drop the whole sociable thing?" I ask.

"Weeeeeell.... sure. You go on this date, and we'll all drop this sociable thing. Pinkie promise," she tells me before they all go through the motions for a Pinkie Promise. I think about it for a moment before relaxing a bit. One date. I can handle that. I mean, what's the-

"Hey guys-"

"IT'S NOT FRIDAY YET!" I yell before diving behind Sweetie Bell.

"Uh... I know. I was just on my way out when I noticed that your brothers were missing," Rumble tells us.

...

...

...

...

...

"*sigh* Everfree?" Scootaloo asks aloud.

"Eeyup," Applebloom answers.

"Here we go again," Sweetie Bell drones.

"Um... shouldn't we... I dunno... call the guard or something?" Rumble asks nervously. "Not to sound like a wuss or anything, but... it's the Everfree."

"*sigh* I'll get the emergency forest kit," I say as I stand up and head to my closet. Here we go again.

"*Inhale* Haaaaaaaaaaa. Dont'chya just love the Everfree this time of year? The birds are singing, the leaves are hitting their darkest colors, that fresh breeze through your mane... that's it. When I'm old and useless, I'm going to build a house out here," Rampant tells us as we march through the forest, heading north west.

"What about your farm?" I ask him, jumping on top of a fallen tree.

"Like I said, when I'm old and useless.” he repeats, jumping up behind me.

"I want to live in a cloud house made from the steam of a volcano," Jet tells us, gliding above us in circles.

"Wouldn't that make it really hot?" I ask.

"I'd pull them away obviously. But they'd stay at a higher temperature than normal clouds. And I like being warm; so, that's my plan. What about you?" I pause to think about it. What kind of house do I want to live in when I'm old and useless?

"Hmm... I never really thought about it. I guess I would just use my current house. I mean, I live in it now. And I'm pretty comfy, so, why not?"

"Lame," Rampant says bluntly. "After we get you your cutie mark, we're getting you some ambition. I swear, who'd want to stay home when they're old and useless?"

"... all of us?" I kind of ask, looking to Jet. He shrugs and flies forward, scouting the area ahead. "Anyway, where should we start looking for wolves?"

"Wolves?" Rampant asks, stopping in his tracks.

"We were just talking about it!" Jet yells at him as I face hoof.

"Jet, just... *sigh* just try to not embarrass yourself right now," he tells him before continuing on. Jet and I share a look before both face hoofing. Only Rampant. "So, we're looking for wolves. Wolves are basically like dogs. And my dog likes to hide under the house, so we need to head downwards. Like, a cave or something."

"That... makes a lot of sense," Jet says slowly in disbelief.

"Ye of little faith!" Rampant yells at him, making him roll his eyes. "When have I ever let you down? Trust me, we'll find those wolves and train the fur off of them. Just you wait." We leave it at that and continue trotting through the forest. Arguing with Rampant is like trying to divide by zero, you just don't do it.

The forest is silent with the exception of our hoof steps. We avoid stepping through any tall plants and spend what feels like hours following what looks to be an old trail left from something passing through earlier. There are several of these trails throughout the forest. Some go in huge circles, while others bring you to cliffs or rivers. Regardless of where they are, though, they all share the similar wear, which tells me one thing: Spartan training.

Dad says he's elsewhere in the world right now, doing diplomatic stuff. But I have a feeling he's here too. Maybe not all of the time, but... I don't know. I just have this gut feeling that he's here, in this forest. I also know that most of the Spartans are here as well. I can't explain how they could be operating here, the Griffin Colonies, and everywhere else; probably has something to do with Easy, but I am without a doubt certain that they are here on occasion. They'd have to be, who else would be doing the training?

"Is that a cave over there!?" Jet asks excitedly. I push through some brush and stop before the mouth of a large cave. A small mound covered in new plant growth sits before us with a path going into it. The path looks as if it leads back through the forest and back to town.

"What do you think? Wolves?" Jet asks.

"It looks ponymade," I mention, eyeing the path.

"Well, if it's ponymade, I doubt we'll find any wolves in there. But... I mean, we're here. Why not have a look in?" Rampant asks, stepping closer to the mouth. We walk up beside him just outside the mouth and stand there for a moment. An eerie coolness creeps out from the darkness and washes over me, sending shivers down my spine.

"Maybe we shouldn't go in. I mean, we're here for wolves, not caves," I nervously tell the others.

"Well... I mean, if you don't want to we don't have to," Jet tells me, trying his best to sound brave.

"What!? C'mon you fillies! Don't be such a scaredy pony! It's just a deep, dark cave in the middle of the Everfree-"

"If you're so brave then why don't you go in then?" Jet cuts him off.

"Why would I go in alone. You never separate from the group, ever. That's Everfree one o one, kid," Rampant tells him, facing off with him. I was about to interject when a pair of yellow eyes from within the cave catch my attention.

"Uh... guys?"

"You just don't want to admit to being scared!" Jet yells at Rampant.

"I think we should leave," I say as more yellow eyes appear in the cave.

"And you just won't admit you wet the bed last time you slept over!" Rampant yells back at him.

"I DIDN'T WET THE BED! I JUST SPILLED MY GLASS OF WATER!"

"A likely story-"

"LOOK OUT!" I yell at the top of my lungs, getting them both to look into the cave. They join me in screaming when the eyes begin to move towards us, grabbing me tightly as the terror in the dark approaches.

"May I have-"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" I scream at the top of my lungs, letting go of the others before I try to take off through the forest. The three of us are lifted off the ground by a light black aura, keeping us from running away.

"TEMPESTIVE!" Shadow yells before she and her friends jump out of some bushes, led by Lupus. They seem a little roughed up and are short on breath, but, more importantly, they seem angry.

"Shadow! Yell later, run now!" I yell back at her as I continue to try and run, even though I'm still in the air.

"What have we told you about-" she starts to yell as she marches towards me, but stops when something steps in her way.

"May I have your autograph?" A metal... thing, stands before Shadow. It's tall and stand on two legs, with two arms on its side. It appears to be some form of machine, I can tell due to the lack of... well, it might be a metal elemental actually. Though, I've never seen a form like that. It's almost like a chimp, only... it's too... upright. Not to mention the sword arm and... other... appendage, aren't the same. It looks like it's holding a mass of tools on its left arm.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Jet, Rampant, that light grey stallion behind Shadow, and I all yell at the same time. Shadows' ears fall her the side as she steps back, gulping audibly.

"Well... uh... it's a... um... I am in so much trouble," she says in defeat, lowering her head. I was about to question her more when more metal things ran out of the cave and surrounded us. The new ones are all black and carry large diamond shaped shields with them.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

We all jump slightly when we hear the sounds of explosions in the distance. The metal beings stay rigged though, not even slightly flinching from the sudden noise.

"Easy, guide us home," Shadow says shortly.

"Very well," The metal being, Easy, replies. Who is this... thing? He sounds like the Easy I know, but he looks nothinglike my Easy. Well... the head is sorta similar. Maybe they're related?

Without saying a word to the others, they begin to walk in formation down the path. The way they're walking looks... uncomfortable, but I don't question it. Shadow seems really mad right now, and I don't want to dig myself any deeper right now. Though, eventually, I will have to ask her what that cave was and where the explosions were coming from.

"You okay Shadow?" the light grey stallion asks, trotting up next to her.

"I'll tell you about it later. Let’s just get out of here first," she replies, giving him a funny look. I've seen that look before. It's the look Dad gives Mom when something's wrong... when did Shadow get a coltfriend? She hasn't written it in her diary, so he must be new.

...

...

...

Wait a minute. Shadow has a coltfriend that Dad doesn't know about... yes! Blackmail! I'm not getting in trouble! Score!

We all spend the rest of the trip in silence for many reasons. The metal beings seemed to have scared Rampant and Jet from talking, though I don't know why. They listen to Shadow as if she was their lord and master. Given, they have weapons for arms, but... still. If they were going to attack they would have by now. I wonder where they're from. Is that cave their home? I want to ask them, but I keep quiet due to Shadows mood.

She's in one of those states where any noise you make will get that look from her. The one where she gets madder and glares at you with that really intense stare. Not quite the Mrs. Shy stare, but pretty close. So, for now, I'll keep quiet, at least until we make it home.

When we finally do make it home we all separate, everyone going off in their own groups. Rampant, Jet and I all share a look before leaving. I'm pretty sure we all got the same message though. We're going back to check out that cave. The grey stallion stays behind though, for... obvious reasons.

"Tempestive-"

"Is he your coltfriend?" I ask quickly to get the upper hoof on the situation.

"What!? No! We haven't even gone on our date yet-"

"You're dating?" Oh Shadow... you make this too easy.

"Tempestive, I swear-"

"Easy there," the stallion says, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Let me handle this." Okay, wasn't expecting this. That's okay, I can handle this guy... I think. "What's your name?"

"She just said it." I deadpan.

"Right, Tempestive. I'm Rumble, I go to school with Shadow," he says in a calm voice as he sits before me. I don't get his play, what's he trying to do exactly? "What exactly are you going to do when your parents get home?"

"Um... I dunno. Depends on what happens now," I reply, trying to mimic his cool composure. I need to keep my answers short and as vague as possible.

"Well, I see two options. Either you don't say anything and go about your day normally, or tell them everything that happened. Now, if you tell them what happened, including everything about Shadow and myself, the only one to lose out will be you. But, if you help us out, then you're off the hook. Plus, I may or may not have something else to entice you. Your call," he says with a smug look.

"... what is it?" I ask curiously. I don't want to cave, but... if it's something cool then... maybe this once.

"Can't say until you give me your answer. What's it going to be? Being grounded, or not?" he asks, a smug, confident smile taking his face. In all honesty, I probably would get in more trouble than anypony else right now. Plus, this lets me use them later for blackmail, so...

"Okay. I'll keep quiet. Now what is the thing you have?" I ask, still keeping my cool complexion about.

"I'll give it to your sister later tonight, right after our date-"

"Our what now?" Shadow asks, but is ignored.

"Do you like Airball by chance?" he asks, sitting up to inspect his hoof a bit.

"... maybe, why?" I ask, trying to hide the fact that I love Airball.

"Well, I play a little. And I could get you tickets to my next game... in Cloudsdale." I feel my eyebrow shoot up in interest almost instantly. Not only am I going to go see an Airball game, but all the way in Cloudsdale! That's awesome! I've never been there before; this is going to be so cool! "I'll take that as a yes. Why don't you hold the fort while Shadow and I... get those tickets? Think you can handle that?"

"Yes! I mean... yeah, I guess." I cough a bit and try to relax in an attempt to be impassive. I might not be working, but I don't really care right now. Airball in Cloudsdale, WHOOOOOOO!

"Um.... I don't think-"

"You good to go?" Rumble asks Shadow, making her blush. "It's only one date."

"But... he... what happened to Friday?" she asks weakly.

"Well, we can wait till then. But the game is Thursday so-"

"Shadow, for the sake of Airball, go get those tickets," I tell her in a serious tone.

"But-"

"C'mon, at least walk with me to school to get the tickets," he asks, stepping closer to her and making her blush even more. "It'll be really quick. I promise."

"Well... Tempestive-"

"I'm fine! I won't touch anything! Tickets!" I bark at her as I start to push her out the door. I don't get far, but she begins to move when Rumble wraps his wing around her shoulders and ushers her out. Once they make it past the door I slam it shut and do a small victory dance. Yes! Airball! Cloudsdale Contrails versus the Ponyville Predators! All on Thursday! Ye... wait a minute.

He goes to school with Shadow... and is playing...

Darn it! It's a high school game! He tricked... he tricked me? Huh... clever pony, he actually tricked me.

I've... never had another pony trick me... besides Dad at least... hm.

I've got my eyes on you, Rumble.

Shout out to Pliny for jumping on board as editor! Thanks for the help man. I, and I'm sure all the readers, appreciate it.

Brony on!