“Hello? Is anypony even listening to me?” Applejack was really starting to get annoyed by all the blank stares on her friend’s faces.

But nothing. Applejack wanted to get her friends to listen to her as they sat outside of Sugarcube Corner, having just a few minutes been thrown out by Pinkie Pie.

“Helloooooo?” Her words seemed to just go through one ear and out the other. But it was their blank expressions on their faces that really got to her. It was as if they had seen an Ursa Major or something.

She tried again. “Hello? Is anypony home?” looking right into the eyes of Fluttershy.

Fluttershy finally breaks from here trance. “What……..Oh I’m sorry Applejack, I guess I didn’t hear you, I hope that you’re not mad.”

“Shoot sugar cube, now why would I be mad?” asked Applejack. “I was just wondering why y’all were actin so strange in there.”

Rainbow finally snaps out of her trance. “Whoa, what was that all about?”

“My thought exactly” replied the stern working cowpony.

Rainbow begins to start flying into the air. “That was just weird. I mean, I know that she likes him but she did have to throw us out like that!”

Twilight slowly began to wake up. “Yeah…. Wait? What?!” the shocked Twilight blurted out.

Rainbow remembers that they weren’t there to see the silent and drooling Pinkie Pie. “Oh… right, you guys weren’t there, well to make a long story short…. Pinkie likes that cleaning guy.

Rarity was gasped in horror. “Pinkie likes Clean Sweeps? But he’s so much older than her!”

Rainbow just facehoofed. “Not the old steed Rarity. That’s just gross….. I’m talking about the younger one, Ink Spot he was called, I think.”

Applejack stares at her friend with a stern and serious look. “Are you saying that Pinkie, PINKIE PIE, are crazy, hyperactive, out of control pony… Has taken the liken to a cleanin pony she just met t’day.”

“Yes” Rainbow replied. “Yes I am.”

The cowpony breaks out laughing. “That a darn hoot Rainbow, but y’all have to do better than that to fool me.”

Fluttershy hesitantly steps forward. “Actually, umm, I think Pinkie does like Ink Spot.”

“Well” said Rarity. “I think that it was just Pinkie being Pinkie, she does tend to take things a bit far sometimes. And she does through a party for everypony.”

“Oh no…. I think this is different” the quiet pony whispered. “She has never been that quiet before. Not even when she sleeps….. She could actually like this pony” all ponies stare at her. “I mean…. I don’t know….maybe” she said retreating from the conversation.

“Exactly Fluttershy” agreed Rainbow Dash. “Didn’t you guys see the way she got all worked up when Rarity was flirting with Ink Spot?”

Rarity began to blush. “Wha-what are you talking about dear, I was doing nothing of the sort” her face was full on red as everypony gave her a look. “I was just being formal, and I would never oppose on another mare’s catch, that would be unlady like.”

“So you don’t like him?” asked Spike hopefully.

“Of course dear” she saids reassuring the little dragon. “Well I must admit he does have some…. Notable features; he simply is not my type.”

Twilight smiles. “Well that’s a relief. If Pinkie does like Ink Spot, then at least there won’t to be any sort of drama between you two.”

Spike looked to Rarity. “Yeah, a relief.”

The ponies just stood there for what seemed like an hour, before Rainbow spoke.

“Well, now what do we do?” asked Rainbow. “My next nap isn’t due for another hour.”

All the ponies began to ponder what to do. After much thinking, Twilight breaks the silence.

“We could all go to the park” she suggests.

Without anything better to do, the five ponies and the purple dragon all decided to head to the park nearby to blow of some time. The weather outside was beautiful. The winter wrap up was wrapped up not too long ago, and spring was in full bloom by now. Flowers were beginning to bud and unfold in a sea of multi-colour beauty. The friends found a nice resting spot on top a hill with a large oak tree on top casting a cooling shadow on the ponies.

“This seems as good a spot as any” said Applejack as they settle in on the hill top.

“So what do you think of this Pinkie Pie thing” asked Twilight.

“It’s certainly is strange” admitted Rainbow. “Who would have thought Pinkie could like someone that way. She likes everybody, but not that much.”

“Well I think it’s sweet” chimes Rarity. “Everypony should have a special somepony for Hearts and Hooves day.”

“Oh right, it’s almost hearts and hooves day” chuckled Applejack. “I guess the love hit somepony a little early.”

Rarity gives a long sigh. “Oh can you imagine the perfect somepony for me? He would be handsome of course, but he’d also be modest, charming, funny, and of above all, he’d treat me like the lady that I am.”

Rainbow laughs. “Sounds a lot like that Prince Blueblood you were crazy about.”

Rarity shuddered at the memory. “Ugh, that prince was nothing but a pile of royal horse manure, and that’s me being modest.”

All the ponies laugh at their memory of the Grand Galloping Gala, and how it was nothing that they had expected.

“Good times we had there” Rainbow giggled. “My favorite part of the whole night was when Fluttershy went all psychos on those animals.”

“Heh, heh…..yeah that was bad” said Applejack.

Fluttershy just looked at her hooves and blushed with embarrassment.

“Any hooves” said Rarity, steering the topic back to Hearts and hooves days. “What are your dream ponies?”

“Oh please” Rainbow snickered. “You guys don’t believe in all that mushy gushy hearts and hooves day magic? That’s just some stupid excuse to sell chocolates and flowers for twice the bits.”

“That wasn’t the question” frowned Rarity.

“Well if I had to have a stupid pony on stupid Hearts and Hooves day” Rainbow began. “He’d have to be fast” she soars into the air. “He’d have to strong” as she flexes her muscles. “But most important” she grinned, “He has to worship every ounce of my awesomeness!”

“How very…… Humble?” the white mare thought out loud. “What about you Twilight? Who’s your dream stallion?”

“I don’t know” she thought. “I guess a smart, well-knowledge pony with a love of magic, and books”. She became excited. “Oh we could spend hours buy the fire, just studying new spells and works of history….” Twilight slowly slunk down on the grass, relaxed and lost in her fantasy.

“Twilight?” Rarity called. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t reply as big smile slowly formed across her face.

Rarity rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well she’s lost, but what about you Fluttershy?”

“What? Oh I-I-I don’t know” she said nervously. “I guess…….. A pony that I could talk to……A pony that I can be around without being a-afraid to express myself…” she began to get quiet. “But anypony would be nice….. I don’t care what he looks like……. Just that he’s nice to me.”

All of her friends looked at her with awe. They were kinda impressed with her interests in a colt.

“AWWWW, that’s just precious Fluttershy” gleamed Rarity. She turned to Applejack. “Alright Applejack, your turn.”

“Aw, horse apples” she muttered. ”Umm, let’s see here” she thought. “He’d have to be strong, and like apples I guess….”

“You guess?” asked Rarity. “This is the colt of your dreams! The stallion to sweep you off your hooves in a magical
embrace as you ride off in the sunset, forever each other’s in love!"

In her rant, she had managed to climb up the tree.

“Hey I’m just a little indifferent, and I’ve got no time to find a coltfriend” said Applejack, getting annoyed with the pressure she was reciting. “And speaking of no time, I’ve got work to do. See you later everypony” she called as she walked away waving to her friends.

“WORK!” screamed Twilight. She had completely forgotten about all the work she had left to do at home. “I’m sorry everypony, but Spike and I need to get back to the library, we have a schedule to keep.”

Twilight quickly got up from the ground and ran towards Spike, who was sleeping under the tree. Abruptly woken from his nap, he is thrown on Twilight’s back as she sprinted to the library.”

“Come on Spike” she called looking back at the groggy dragon on her back. “We have to still make the list for our to-do list before we can even think of doing anything else.” She began to break out in an all-out sprint. “first we need to get on that to do list….”

Twilight began to run out of the park, dodging everypony that could get in her way. Hurdling over carts and ducking under pegesi, she finally reaches the library and backs into the door, pushing it open with her flank.

“Then, when we finish polishing the telescope, we have to actually start to-“she began.
She didn’t see the pony in the room.

“Hey their Twilight” a strange but familiar voice said.

“What?” she thought. She hadn’t heard that voice in so long. Could it actually be him? “Is that…” she turned around and was shocked to see who it was. “Soulstice?” she said. “Is that really you?”

“In the flesh” smiled Soulstice. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it Twi?”

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Soulstice Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes