"...and that was when Michael burst through the door, ripped the guy off of me, and beat him basically to a pulp, before we grabbed the stuff and ran before the vigs could come investigate." Kaylee paused. "I really wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him..."

"I'm really glad he was there, then," Flight said, before stepping ahead. "I'm gonna ask Cotton something, though I'll be right back."

Kaylee and Scootaloo shared a confused look as they kept ambling in the back.

"So, uh... what happened to him?" Scootaloo asked.

"Funny you mention that—I actually offered for him to come with me, to stow away on that ship, but he didn't want to. Seemed to think it was too dangerous, and that we'd get caught. Not that he wasn't wrong..."

"Well, he didn't know you'd have me there to get you out!" Scootaloo replied, grinning. "Heck, I'm not sure what I'd've done if I hadn't found you—this whole planet has been one Bureau mess to the next and it would be a lot harder without these friends of yours."

"Heh, yeah. Some friends which I didn't even know I had," Kaylee replied. She looked up at Flight who was walking a couple metres in front of them, asking Cotton Fluff about some kind of hovercraft. "And yet, it's been really good to see the friends I knew before again."

"Oh, well, that one I know you're excited to see," Scootaloo said, a roguish grin on her face. "Did you know before you left, or is this new?"

Kaylee could feel a warmth creeping up on her cheeks, but she tried to ignore it. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. Flight's been a really good friend of mine ever since we were fillies."

Scootaloo blinked, but quickly shook her head. "Kid, you're not that dumb and you know I'm not either."

"Aren't I older than you?" Kaylee replied, raising an eyebrow.

Scootaloo sighed. "Meh, it's not worth the trouble. You know what I'm talking about, so when you're ready to be out with it, just be out with it. It's not like she's going to mind."

Kaylee rolled her eyes, but inside she shivered. As she watched Scootaloo continued to trot alongside her in her peripheral vision, she thought of something else, something about which the pegasus could not know, and yet something for which her words still rang very true. And, unlike the trivial matter Scootaloo was so focused on, Kaylee didn't know how Flight—let alone Scootaloo or any of the others—would feel. Her feelings for Flight could wait, and probably go away; this, however, could not.

As Scootaloo didn't say anything more and Kaylee couldn't think of anything else to say, she turned her head to her left and looked out among the trees and the quickly-darkening sky. A cool breeze rippled through the air, gently shaking the branches of trees and pushing at the furs on Kaylee's coat. It felt nice.