As we continued to walk along the snowy path, Rainbow and I started to talk a bit more about Ponyville, which soon led to her talking about the Wonderbolts. From what I could gather from her talking, they seemed to be a group of stunt Pegasai that would do all sorts of these amazing tricks and races that would wow the fans. From the way Rainbow talked about them, I could easily tell that she just adored them. She kept on talking about them for a good while, and when she did stop talking to get a response from me, I almost missed it.

“So, what do you think about the Wonderbolts now, huh?” she asked, turning on the spot and surprising me a little with her sudden stop in front of me.

I blinked a few times before I remembered what she was talking about. “Oh, well…they sound…pretty cool. I wouldn't mind seeing them at some point,” I replied.

Rainbow let out a small sigh before giving me a deadpan look, still hovering in the air. “You didn't hear anything I said, did you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

“What? No, I listened to everything that you said, Rainbow,” I said, a bit worried that I might have offended her.

“Yea, well then which Wonderbolt is my favorite?” she practically demanded.

I opened my mouth to speak before hesitating for a few seconds. Afterwards, I gave a small sheepish smile as I scratched the back of my head. “Um… the co leader… what was his name… Soarin?”

Rainbow made a small shake of her head before turning around, slowly hovering forward again. “No, it’s Spitfire.”

Worried that I might have hurt her feelings, I quickly caught up to her, walking alongside her. “Hey, maybe I didn’t hear everything that you said, but I did get the gist of it. I didn’t mean to make you mad or anything.”

Rainbow turned her head to face me, a single eyebrow raised. “Mad? I’m not mad. A little disappointed, maybe, but not mad.”

I blinked as I heard her say that. “Um…oh.”

“Yeah, not many other ponies in Ponyville are as interested in the Wonderbolts as me. Honestly, I’m surprised that you even remembered that much from what I told you.”

This time I raised an eyebrow at her comment. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, most other ponies would have told me to stop talking about them already. I mean, they’re nice about it and all, but sometimes I wish I could talk to somepony who understood them like me, you know?” she said, smiling a little.

I gave a small nod of understanding. “Yeah, I can see what you mean.” We were then quiet for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything. During this time I saw that we had reached the outskirts of town, getting a bit closer to the forest that I awoken from on my first day here…or, at least as far as I can remember.

After a while, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “We should be at Fluttershy’s soon.”

I gave a nod of acknowledgment. “So, what should I expect from this Fluttershy?” I asked, wanting to make sure that I make a better first impression then with what I did at Rarity’s place.

Rainbow paused for a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin in thought. “Well, like her name says, she’s very shy and doesn’t do good meeting new ponies…though I’m not sure how she will react to you. When Twilight first came to Ponyville, Fluttershy only opened up to her after seeing Spike.”

I gave a nod of understanding. “Yea, Twilight told me about that at the hospital. Anything else I should know?”

“Well, she loves animals of all kinds. She takes care of all sorts of animals that she meets, regardless of what they are. In fact, I don’t think she has ever hated or even been afraid of an animal before…well, besides dragons.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “But what about Spike? I thought she opened up right away upon seeing him.”

The cyan mare gave a nod. “Yea she did, but she’s more afraid of the grown up dragons, and like I said, I’m not sure how she will react to seeing somepony that is supposed to be a myth.”

“Well, it should be interesting, that’s for sure.” I said, giving a small chuckle.

To my surprise, Rainbow gave a small chuckle as well. “Yea that it will be.” Suddenly she gave me a more serious look. “Just whatever you do, be nice to her. She has been my closest friend since Flight School, and I have had her back since we were both just fillies, so whatever you do, don’t scare her in any way. You got it?”

I gave a smile and a nod. “Of course. It never even crossed my mind to be mean to her…or to anyone, in fact.” I said.

Rainbow was quiet for a few minutes, simply staring at me as if checking to see if I was telling the truth. Just when it was starting to get a bit unnerving, she gave a small nod of agreement before turning around and continuing to lead us to her filly friend’s house.

After about another few minutes, we finally reached what seemed to be a simple house. It was a small yellow house with a red door; the roof was covered in snow. Outside on what I assume was the front lawn; there were all sorts of birdhouses, from big ones and small ones as well.

Once we reached the door, Dash knocked on the door and waited. As we waited, I decided to lean against the fence that was a little off to the side, wanting to rest my legs a bit as I tugged some more on my hood, trying to keep myself warm. There was the sound of shuffling hooves from behind before the door slowly opened. On the other side appeared a yellow Pegasus mare, her mane and tail were very long and a light pink color. However, what got my attention the most were her eyes. They were an extremely bright baby blue and as soon as I looked into them, I suddenly felt a sense of calming and relaxation that I hadn’t felt since I first awoken up here. It took me a lot of willpower to just tear myself away from those beautiful eyes.

The Pegasus was quiet at first as she looked at Rainbow, but soon it turned into a small smile. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, I’m so glad that you could make it. I already started on a few of the things that I had to do, but there is still some stuff that I could use some help with…uh, if that’s ok with you, that is?” She said, her voice like silky softness…if that even makes any sense.

Rainbow gave a small nod and a nervous smile, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “Yea, about that Fluttershy…I was kind of in the middle of practicing some moves when I kind of…sort of…well…crashed into somepony…again.”

The pony whom I assume is Fluttershy was surprised by this information; her eyes going wide with shock and worry. “Oh dear, are they ok? Did you help them afterwards?”

The cyan mare gave a nod. “Yea, they’re fine, but he was actually on his way to the library with Twilight, since he doesn’t have a place to stay, and…well…he kind of just came out of the hospital.” Fluttershy just gave a small gasp as Rainbow continued. “Don’t worry, like I said he’s fine, but Twilight did get upset with me and she told me to bring him to you so you could check him over, since he didn’t want to go to the hospital right after he got out.”

Fluttershy nodded without hesitation. “Of course I would love to make sure he is doing ok, but…well, why me? You know I’m not that good with ponies.”

“Yea…about that…he’s not…exactly a pony…well, he’s not a pony at all.”

Now the yellow mare seemed to be a bit confused upon hearing this, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Oh, he’s not a pony? Is he a Minotaur then, or maybe a griffin? Oh, I hope he’s nicer then Gilda.”

Rainbow quickly shook her head, placing a comforting hoof on her Pegasus friend. “Don’t worry, he’s a lot nicer then that buc…I mean, feather brain meanie. And no, he’s not a griffin or a Minotaur.”

“Well, what is he then?”

I decided that I might as well introduce myself at this point, seeing that there was no need to continue the guessing games. I carefully got up from my position of leaning against the fence and taking a step forward, getting the shy mare’s attention right away. As soon as she looked at me, her eyes went wide with fright and she froze right were she stood. The look in her eyes was one of complete shock and fright, so much so that I almost shook from the gaze alone.

We were all quiet for a second, neither of us saying anything, simply waiting for one or the other to do or say something first. After a few moments more of silence, Fluttershy slowly turned her head to face Rainbow Dash, a questioning look on her face. “Um…is this him?”

Rainbow gives a single nod. “Yea, that’s him alright.”

“What is he, exactly? I’ve never seen anything like him before.” As she spoke, she took a few steps to me, her eyes roaming over my body for a moment like she was examining a new species…which I technically am, I guess. I decided to remain still as she examined me, taking Dash’s advice to heart and not wanting to scare the shy mare, I waited patiently for her to finish. After a few minutes of looking all around me, as well as circling me a few times, she finally stopped in front of me and looked up.

As soon as our eyes locked, I felt that calming sensation again, only this time it was a lot more powerful. It was like I was sitting on a couch wrapped in soft blankets while near a blazing fire, sipping on some hot coco as I just melted into the soothing sounds of the fire crackling. I almost fell asleep even as we held eye contact, neither of us saying anything. As Fluttershy continued to stare at me, her eyes suddenly got wide and a rosy tint appeared on her cheeks. Before I could say anything, she let out a soft squeak before she took a few steps back, seeming to be partially hiding in her mane in the process.

I was quiet for a second before Rainbow gave her friend a tap on her shoulder. “So, can we come in, Flutters?”

This appeared to get the yellow mare to snap out of her spell, shaking her head and looking back at the rainbow mare. “Oh, um, of course. Sorry about that.” With that, she quickly turned around and walked us into the house, Rainbow and I following right behind her.

As soon as we entered and closed the door behind me, I noticed that the inside was just as much of a natural scene as the outsides. There were branches poking out of a few of the walls, some of them had birdhouses hanging from them, while others had small bird feeders instead. There were lots of small holes around the place that looked like the homes of some of the smaller creatures that she must take care of. Fluttershy motioned for the both of us to sit down while she went into her kitchen to get us some soup that she had cooking. I sat down on the couch while Rainbow, for some reason, sat on the floor nearby. I was about to ask her why she was sitting on the floor instead of the couch, but before I could, the yellow pony walked back into the room with three bowls of what looked to be steaming hot vegetable soup. Giving the mare a nod of thanks, I took the bowl carefully as to avoid burning my fingers while the other two somehow used their hooves to pick up the spoons, scooping up a bit before blowing on it to cool down and then eating it.

We all remained silent as we ate our meal, only the sound of soft munching could be heard from any of us as we are. I was rather enjoying the meal myself; it was much tastier then what they had in the hospital. Not that I’m saying that food was bad, I just…ok, it was kind of bad. After we had finished, I placed the bowl on the nearby table and leaned back while Rainbow and Fluttershy continued to talk about some stuff. I was able to hear some of what they were talking about, but it was still a bit confusing to me.

“Really Flutters? I know you really want to go see another butterfly migration, but do I really have to join? I mean, you didn’t exactly go to the dragon migration when we asked you to, so you still kind of owe me.” Said Rainbow, stirring her spoon in the bowl nonchalantly as she spoke. Even though it sounded a bit blunt, there was no venom in Rainbow’s voice, rather like she was just stating the facts.

“Oh…uh, I understand if you don’t want to come with me, I guess I just shouldn’t have asked you to join me then. I’m sorry for being such a bother.” Fluttershy apologized, lowering her head in slight embarrassment.

Dash was quick to respond, however, not wanting to hurt her filly friend’s feelings. “Wait, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean it like that. I would love to join you for another butterfly migration, I was just wondering if there were any other ones that might a bit more…well, exciting.”

“Oh, well there is a place we could go to see a lightening bug migration instead. They look so pretty when they all light up during the night.” Fluttershy stated, getting a slightly dreamy look in her eyes while Rainbow just gave a soft sigh of defeat, lowering her head in the process.

“Yea…sure. Anyways, can you give a quick check to Drakalian over here please?“ the cyan mare asked, glancing over at me and noticing that I was finished with my meal.

Fluttershy turned to look at me as well, giving Dash a nod as she got up from her spot and carefully walked over to me, still seeming to be a bit cautious, but determined at the same time. “Ok, uh…D-Drakalian. If you could, please take your clothing off and lay on the couch…um, if you don’t mind that is?” She asked, giving a soft blush.

I gave a comforting smile and a nod as I started to carefully take my hoodie off, not wanting to make any of my wounds worse. I was thinking that she was blushing because she asked me to take my clothes off, but then I remembered that the only pony who knows about the reason why I wear clothing was Twilight, so I just chalked it up to her being nervous about simply talking to someone new. Once I had my hoodie removed, I turned around and carefully lowered myself onto the couch, squirming a bit to get myself comfortable. Once I was done, I turned my head to Fluttershy and waited for her to continue.

The yellow Pegasus was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke up again, although silently, I was still able to hear her speak. “Um, if you can, remove all of your clothing please? I mean, if you don’t mind, that is?”

I kind of knew this was going to happen, so I just shook my head. “Sorry, but I would prefer to keep my shorts on for now please.”

Fluttershy gave a quick nod in response before replying softly. “Oh, that’s alright, I guess it won’t be that much of a-”

Before she could continue, Rainbow was suddenly next to her, staring at me rather seriously. “Hold on, she asked you to take off all of your clothing, so she can make sure you are ok, so…take it off.”

I gave a small sigh as once again I shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I really would rather not. Besides, I don’t have any wounds on my lower body that need any treatment.”

“Oh, well I guess that’s ok then. You don’t need to-” Fluttershy started before being interrupted again.

“Damn it, Fluttershy, you need to be more assertive. Remember, you’re trying to make him feel better, and what happens if he does have a wound on his leg or something?” Rainbow proclaimed, turning to face the shy mare who responds with a slight squeak.

Fluttershy was quiet for a few seconds before nodding. “Ok Rainbow, I’ll try.” She said before turning back to face me, a determined look in her eyes as she spoke again. “Drakalian, can you pretty please take the rest of your clothing off so I can make sure that you are ok? If you don’t you…you might get sick from something.”

I let out another small sigh as I shook my head for the third time. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I just can’t do it. I promise I don’t have any wounds under these clothing.”

Fluttershy was quiet for a few seconds, still staring at me for a while, and I could have sworn that I saw her eyes getting a bit more…scary? However, before I could say anything else, her entire expression suddenly changed back to her nervous self as she lowered her head in shyness.

“Oh, that’s ok then, I guess if you really don’t feel like doing-”

Rainbow rolled her eyes before pushing into the conversation again, placing her hooves over me as she stared right into my eyes. “Now listen here, mister. Fluttershy needs you to take your clothing off right now to make sure you are 100% ok, so do what she asks of you…or else…” I could sense the anger that was flowing from Rainbow’s eyes as she waited for my response, but I simply rolled my eyes back at her for my answer before responding.

“I already told you, I don’t want to do it, ok?”

“Why the buck don’t you?” She exclaimed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Let’s just say that I feel uncomfortable doing so in front of others and leave it at that.” I said, my own eyes starting to narrow.

We were all silent for a few seconds, neither of us saying or doing anything. Both Rainbow and I were just staring at each other while Fluttershy sat at the sidelines, a very nervous look upon her face.

Suddenly, I feel a swish of air as the cyan Pegasus moves down, gripping my waistband with her hooves as she tried to pull my shorts and boxers down. However, I did anticipate for something like that to happen, and not wanting another incident like the one with Twilight at the hospital, I quickly grabbed my shorts and held them to me, preventing the mare from taking my clothing off.

“Grr…let…go!” She said, pulling harder as she braced her rear hooves on the floor.

“I…said…no!” I stated, grabbing more of my shorts closer to me as I did my best to prevent her from taking them off of me. We stayed locked in this duel for who knows how long, neither of us gaining an upper hand…or hoof…in this battle. After a while, however, Fluttershy suddenly pulled Rainbow off of me, causing the rainbow mare to release her grip on my shorts, tumbling a little into Fluttershy’s hold.

“The buck, Fluttershy?” Rainbow exclaimed, staring at the other Pegasus with confusion and slight betrayal.

“I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but I just didn’t want you to hurt him.” She stated, with a surprising amount of force in her voice as well.

“But what if he-”

“I don’t care, Rainbow. He says that he doesn’t have any injuries there, so we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, when somepony says no, then you should respect their decision.” She stated, not batting an eye from the cyan Pegasus.

Rainbow was quiet for a while as she stared at her friend, seeming to be thinking over what she just said. After a while, she let out a small sigh of defeat as she sat back down. “Ok, fine.” She then turned around to face me, an apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry about that, Drakalian. I hope I didn’t hurt you during the…scuffle.”

I gave a shook of my head. “Nah, I’m ok, though I really do mean it when I do feel uncomfortable being without my clothing…well, at least my lower clothing.”

“Why is that, though? I mean, us ponies don’t wear clothing 24/7, so what’s the difference for you?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then decided against it, not really wanting to go through explaining it to her all over again. “I just…I would rather not say it right now. I just don’t feel like explaining it again after telling Twilight about it.”

Rainbow was silent for a while, eyeing me with curiosity as I waited for her response. “Ok…but I will find out, you hear me?” She stated, giving what I assume was an ‘I’m watching you’ look, causing me to give a small chuckle.

With that all out of the way, Fluttershy started inspecting me for any injuries or reopened wounds, taking off the dirty bandages in the process and replacing them with clean ones. During this time, she would ask a few questions as to how I got so many injuries and how I was even able to survive them all. I told her what happened with me waking up to the forest and then walking around before finding Trixie, going over the Basilisk attack quickly, not wanting to go through with those memories again. Not only that, but I noticed Fluttershy start to tear up when I got to the part of me killing it, so I decided to just skip the rest of that. During my story telling, Rainbow was listening closely, leaning against a wall as her ears flicked from time to time, a small smile on her face as she heard about the fight I had with the snake. After a few more minutes, I was able to finish my tale, though Fluttershy was still busy on the last parts of the bandaging.

I remained quiet as she finished the last parts of it up, giving a slight grunt as she put some pressure on the right side of my stomach by accident. The butter colored mare noticed this and began to put some gentle pressure on that area, trying to find the spot again. After the fourth try, she found it, making me wince and causing her to flinch slightly. “Oh, well it looks like…um, your rib is broken I think. Was it like that before?”

I stayed quiet as I thought over the question, trying to remember if it was broken before or not before shaking my head. “No, I think it was fine after I left the hospital.”

Fluttershy gave a small nod before inspecting the area a bit more. “Well, by the looks of things, it doesn’t seem to be that bad, most likely cracked. Unfortunately, I can’t really do anything about it. All I can suggest is to not put too much pressure on that area for the next week or two. I think Twilight might have a spell to speed the healing up a bit, and if not then the doctors at the hospital certainly do.” She said, the nervousness leaving her voice with each passing second.

I gave a small nod as I carefully sat up, grabbing my hoodie and putting it back on, standing up in the process. “Well, thanks for the check up anyways, Fluttershy. I really didn’t want to go back to the hospital so soon after leaving it, you know?”

It seemed that my compliment made her anxious again, for she blushed and looked at the ground a bit, kicking the ground lightly with her hoof. “Oh, um…i-it was n-n-nothing…honest.”

I gave a small smile. “Well to me it wasn’t, so once again, thank you.”

During this time Rainbow was sitting on a nearby chair, drinking some water as she waited for us, though she got up as soon as I did. “Ok Drakalian, let’s get going before you give Fluttershy here a heart attack.” Said the cyan mare, walking up to us. Fluttershy blushed even harder at the comment, and even I scratched the back of my head nervously from it as well. We started to head out of the door before Dash turned to face Fluttershy. “Oh Fluttershy, don’t forget about 6 PM.”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t miss it, I just hope that-” the yellow Pegasus was about to say before Rainbow made a zipping motion across her mouth, making her quiet down rather quickly. “Oh…right. Anyways, uh, I hope you feel better soon Drakalian, and it was nice meeting you.”

I smiled and waved at her. “Same here Fluttershy, and I hope we meet again soon.”

“Seya Flutters, and I promise that I will come to the lightening bug migration when it happens.” Stated Rainbow, waving a hoof at her filly friend before turning around and zooming into the air, only to stop a few feet in front of me as she waited for me to follow. With our goodbyes said, we all started our trip back to the main area of the town, the shy but kind mare watching us leave for a few seconds before turning around and entering her home, shutting her door behind her.

Next Chapter: Chapter 8: The Eyes Tell All Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 38 Minutes