It's been a few months since the Eternal Calm began. Peace was a big change for all of Spira, but everything has been great...or so everyone thought. About a month after the Eternal Calm started, the Al Bhed brought machina into Spira, many no longer fearing betraying the teachings since most of the populace discovered they were nothing but a hoax. At least they were helpful for defending travelers along the dangerous roads, provided they don't malfunction, and even transporting them from point A to point B. Though the weapons were supposedly looked down upon since Bevelle had been using them, deemed "acceptable" under the spiritual deity known as Faust, they were better at taking care of fiends that would easily kill somepony in the blink of an eye.

Since many secrets were kept from Spira, no thanks to Bevelle hiding the machina held inside their palace, there was a pony who created a group who he called Seekers. Their goal was finding spheres made in the past, calling the ponies in this organization as sphere hunters. Along with these sphere hunters, two more groups were made in that time, and they were constantly fighting against each other. One was New Faust, where the ponies who still believed in the teachings tried to uphold those rules and brainwash others to follow the religion that led to everyone suffering from Sin. The other was the Youth League, countering New Faust's ridiculous ideals by giving everyone the chance to be freed from the clutches of the past, while also trying to dig up secrets over Bevelle's hidden history kept away from the public.

For being in a time of peace, it only turned into more chaos as it stressed a majority of Spira, especially when the remaining mares and dragon who saved Spira were off on their own to relax after the long journey that had. Spike had to leave the group behind and head back to Mt. Gagazet, appointed as the dragons' elder, leading what remaining dragons there were after Blueblood's massacre back then. Pinkie helped the other Al Bhed teach other curious ponies about using the machina to help them with daily life or travel, a difficult mission since not many ponies had the knowledge to utilize them for good and only seeing them as evil. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight headed back to Besaid to finally relax, welcomed back by the villagers when they returned and spent a few days celebrating the pegasus's successful pilgrimage.

Down at the shores of the small island home, where the boats dock for travel across the seas to Kilika, Fluttershy sat at the bottom of the sea, her breath held tightly as she mentally counted how long she had been underwater, no longer wearing her summoner outfit. She wasn't too far out from the shore, only a few feet beneath the surface. Her cheeks began turning red as her lungs burned with need for oxygen, quickly swimming up and taking a big gulp of air once she breached the water. She spat out some saltwater that got in her mouth, breathing heavily as she swam back to the shore.

"Two minutes and three seconds," she said, moving some of her wet mane out of her face as she stepped on the warm sands. "I beat my best by about seven seconds this time...I wonder if Rainbow Dash would enjoy that much time if we..."

Fluttershy stopped that thought before it escalated into a perverted fantasy, her cheeks blushing heavily.  Even though months had passed and no sign of Rainbow Dash was heard from anyone in Spira, she didn't want to give up on that hope to be reunited with her marefriend someday. Since she had returned to Besaid, Fluttershy had spent every day coming down to the ocean, swam a few laps, and practiced holding her breath to increase her lung capacity underwater. Most of the time, she had the peace and quiet tropical climate of Besaid, allowing her the freedom to do whatever she wished, which was getting stronger for Rainbow, and being something to do. The other times were either from fans who wanted to visit Spira's heroine summoner, or they were stallions who wanted to court her.

She declined many of those offers, but most of them came from messengers for the praeter of New Faust, who was the leader of the group and a leader of sorts for all of Bevelle. Fluttershy grew annoyed whenever they came around, always pestering her about these proposals when she had a bad enough experience with Blueblood's. At least the Guado, now thankfully dead after he kept coming back several times from the dead, had the decency to actually make the proposal to her, not send his lackeys to give her a message about the proposal. Besides that, she already has a special somepony, who actually loves her and doesn't want to be with her because she's a popular celebrity. Thankfully, they stopped coming around after hearing there was a new praeter that stepped up, and whoever it was, she would gladly hug that pony for not "asking" for her hoof in marriage.

After she dried herself off with a towel she brought with her, Fluttershy sat on the beach, looking out at the ocean waves gently lapping at the shore. She let the sun warm her damp fur as she began thinking about what she could do with Rainbow Dash when she comes back. They could play a round of blitzball, swim around the ocean, make out under the water like they did in Macalania. Fluttershy quickly shook her head before more intimate thoughts of the two could plague her mind again. As much as remembering the good times they had was to keep Rainbow's memory preserved for Spira to know, they always escalated to something involving the two in some...specific ways.

Maybe it was Rainbow's personality that may have rubbed off on her, but Fluttershy was positive her marefriend would have thought the same thing. It was embarrassing at times to stare off into space while thinking about what they could do in the privacy of a bedroom, but the longer she waited for her lover to return, the more she longed to share a moment like that with her. Luckily, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone calling out to her.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" The pegasus turned her head toward the path leading toward the village, finding Applejack walking down to the beach. "Ya'll been out here swimmin' again?"

"Yes. There's nothing I can really do anymore now that the fayth are gone." As Applejack got closer, Fluttershy could see the earth pony was a little worn out. Her mane was a little disheveled, her hat was missing, and her neck seemed to be littered with bite marks. "Umm, are you ok, Applejack? You look like you just woke up and...you got bitten by something."

"Huh?" Applejack touched her neck with a hoof, feeling the small bites. She tried to hide them with her mane, though it was a bit too late to do so. "Heheheh...Uhh...Well, funny story about that."

"Applejack...are you dating somepony?" Fluttershy asked, feeling a little curious as to who Applejack was with.

"...Ya'll could say that. Ah didn't think she'd be a biter, though," Applejack said.

"'She', huh?" the pegasus questioned. "Just tell me who it is, Applejack. You're not that good of a liar. All of the villagers in Besaid know that."

"...Oh, alright." The ex-blitzball captain hesitated a bit, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "...Ah'm datin'...Twilight."

Fluttershy's jaw nearly dropped to the ground, completely surprised. "...You and Twilight!? J-Just recently!?"

"Eyup...For the last three months," Applejack admitted, chuckling nervously.

"How come I didn't hear about this!?" Fluttershy asked, though she realized she had been busy with her own daily schedule. "...Never mind. But, why? What made you two...click?"

"Well, it ain't cause Ah'm related to Big Mac that she likes me that way," Applejack said. "After we got back to Besaid from beatin' Sin, Twilight and I began hangin' out more, and she was more open with everythin' than she had before Rainbow showed up. She ain't the moody mare we knew back then anymore. But a couple months back, we were havin' a little friendly chat, sippin' on some of mah home brewed apple cider, and Twilight began actin' a little out of it. Couldn't really hold her alcohol down after a couple rounds.

"So, she was gettin' drunk while Ah was a little tipsy, and then..." Applejack blushed, fiddling around with the bands keeping her mane tied up. "...She uhh...leaned a bit close...and......kissed me."

"...Really?" Fluttershy asked, already interested in what happened next.

"Mhmm...It's a little embarrassin' to say this, but Twilight was mah first." Applejack wished she had her hat on her to hide her face, seeing the excited grin on the pegasus's face. "Ah didn't want to take advantage of her, but she's a lot stronger than Ah thought she was...So Ah began enjoyin' it a little...kissed her back...but before it got too crazy, she passed out, layin' her head down on mah chest and leavin' me confused, but excited.

"By the time mornin' came around, Ah told her what we did, and she was just as flustered as Ah was. We both sat in silence for a few awkward moments, until Ah asked her how she felt about me." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "She said Ah was kind of like mah brother, only as a mare. Ah did care for her, and after we found out about her brother, Ah understood her pain when losin' an older sibling...though she kept her loss a secret for a decade because they both weren't supposed to go in them dangerous caves.

"She no longer felt like a burden if she ever felt happy around somepony, and all that pent up longin' for affection came out from some liquid courage. Ah admitted to her Ah actually liked the kiss, even though it was an accident, and Ah wanted to see where our relationship would go from there. A couple weeks later, goin' on a few private dates, we became a couple." Applejack rubbed the hickeys on her neck as last night flooded back to her mind. "Kinda went a bit wild last night. Boy can unicorn magic have so many strange spells."

"And you hat?" Fluttershy asked.

"Twilight was wearin' it. Ah think it looked cuter on her than on me," Applejack chuckled as she blushed.

"I can't believe I didn't even notice..." Fluttershy looked down, feeling a little sad. She was happy to know Applejack and Twilight were together, but it only made her long to have some romantic moments with Rainbow Dash. She sighed and kicked the sand weakly. "I wish Rainbow Dash came back..."

"Ah know, sugarcube." The orange mare hugged Fluttershy, knowing how badly she missed the cyan pegasus. "Ah'll bet she wanted to be back here too."

"HEY!" Fluttershy and Applejack looked out toward the docks, spotting Pinkie Pie bouncing toward them with one of the Al Bhed ships resting nearby. "Fluttershy! Applejack!" She leapt on them and wrapped her hooves around them. "Don't leave me out of a group hug! I can smell it a mile away!"

"Good to see ya too, Pinkie," Applejack said as she patted the Al Bhed's back.

"I know! It's almost been forever since I've talked with you guys!" Pinkie bounced away, taking a closer look at Applejack. "Somepony gave you some good hickeys, AJ." The orange earth pony stammered, hiding her love bites with her mane. "Anyways, I am so glad I finally got a break. I good news, more good news, and strange news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"...Umm...Let's hear the good news," Fluttershy said.

"Ok. Good news, I think I'm finally done teaching as many ponies as I can about using the machina mechs, repairing them, upgrading them, and making sure they don't malfunction and do anything stupid." Pinkie sighed, her mane deflating a little in exhaustion. "You have no idea how stupid some of the eager teens wanted to learn to use them as battle bots! They're meant for defenses for ponies out in dangerous areas, like in Bikanel! We're not using them as tools to hurt or kill anything! I swear, some of them thought it was a good idea to stare down the barrel of a rifle, while it was fully loaded, functional, and the triggers could easily go off if they shake it like a soda can!"

"Pinkie, can you get on with the news?" Applejack asked, both her and Fluttershy more interested with the other two bits of news.

"...Oh. Okie dokie. The more good news is that Cheesie and Maud went off on an expedition to the north of Spira, and they found another airship!" Pinkie exclaimed, surprising both mares. "It took them about a month to fish it up, and it looks way better than the one we have now! All it needs is some cleaning, draining out the water in the engines, see if the controls work, and it'll be up and flying in no time!"

"Another airship?" Applejack questioned, unsure of the quantity of the sunken airships under the vast oceans of Spira being few or several.

"I'm sure Spira will have lots of airships flying around in the future, and many of them might be created instead of pulled out of the ocean," Fluttershy said, feeling a little excited about a future like that, wondering if it was like that a thousand years ago.

"Maybe, but that might take another thousand years. I mean, if Zanarkand was an advanced city, then we all reverted back to the medieval ages...Except for Bevelle," Pinkie grumbled as she pondered what other machina they had been hiding from them. "...But...here comes the strange news. You guys know about the sphere hunters nowadays, right?" Fluttershy and Applejack nodded their heads, hearing about them for a while. "Well...when I went to visit Spike on Mt. Gagazet, he said he found this sphere on the mountain...and...I think it's better for you two to see this."

Pinkie pulled out the sphere she was talking about from one of her pockets, showing it to her two friends. It was hard to tell how old the sphere was if it was under the ocean for centuries. Feeling curious, Fluttershy took it and played back what was recorded. It was pretty fuzzy, but they could still see what was going on. The pony holding the sphere aimed it at a cage, where Applejack and Fluttershy gasped when they saw who was inside it; a cyan stallion pegasus with a shaggy rainbow mane and tail. He was wearing an entirely different outfit that Rainbow Dash wore, but it looked almost similar in design, and what was strange was that he actually resembled Rainbow if she was a stallion.

"Let me out of here! I haven't done anything wrong!" he shouted, banging into the cage he was in to try and break out.

"Quit your complaining, prisoner," one of the guards said, shocking the stallion with an electrical wand. Though it hurt him, he didn't stay down. "You know you're in a lot of trouble."

"Look who's talking," the pegasus grumbled. "I get in trouble for using a dangerous weapon YOU idiots made, just to save her! I was going to use it to save the summoner from her death, and you morons are just going to let her die!"

"Sheesh. This kid just won't shut up," the sphere holder whispered to the guard.

"I won't be silenced! Let me out of this stupid cage and fight me like a real stallion, if you have balls to mess with me!" The stallion was shocked again, crumbling to the cage floor with the added voltage to try to knock him out. "...I-I need to see her...Let me out..."

"We're not going to get anything out of him at this rate." The recording ended as the guards gave up trying to interrogate the pegasus.

After viewing what was on the sphere, Fluttershy and Applejack looked up at Pinkie in shock. "...W-Was that...? Was that really Rainbow Dash!?"

"I don't know. I mean, that's a stallion, obviously...but, he looks so much like Dashie." The three mares stared at the sphere, unable to believe what they saw was real, but it really was. So many questions ran through their heads. Where this place was? Was that stallion really Rainbow Dash? What weapon were they talking about? Just how old was this recording? "...I'm just as surprised as you guys...If only I made some kind of machina device that can tell me how old a recorded sphere was."

"What if it was a thousand years in the past?" Fluttershy suggested, feeling her hope increasing. "What if Rainbow Dash really did exist, but reincarnated as a mare?"

"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash said she was a dream made by the fayth. How in Spira is that even possible?" Applejack asked, getting worried as the pegasus looked desperate.

"...I don't know...but I want to find out if she...or he is really out there. If we find anymore of these spheres, maybe we'll find out more about Zanarkand, and anything else Bevelle hid from us." Pinkie was bouncing with joy while Applejack was terrified.

"Fluttershy, ya'll are gettin' your hopes up too high! Ah know ya miss Rainbow, but Ah don't think there's any way she could come back!" Applejack exclaimed, trying to get the pegasus to change her mind.

"Oh come on, Applejack!" Pinkie shouted. "Fluttershy's been doing nothing for the past half year! There just might be a chance to see Dashie again, even if she was really a he and there's no possible clue to know if this was a recent sphere! Everypony's been living out their dreams after Fluttershy's speech in Luca, yet hers are stuck in yucky, sticky molasses that tastes like vinegar, unable to move forward or backward!"

Applejack wanted to argue further, but she didn't want to upset Fluttershy, and Pinkie was going to keep countering any objections with what the pegasus's heart desires. She sighed in defeat, rubbing her forehead.

"Ah'm just gonna be gettin' more confused and backed into a corner by you two," the earth pony mumbled. "Ah just don't want ya more hurt than when Rainbow left us, Fluttershy...Ya sure ya want to try and find her? Er, him?"

"I'm sure," Fluttershy said, nodding her head. "To be honest, I'm sick of relaxing...I want to go on another adventure, and learn more about Spira's true past, not the lies we were given. And who knows if there might be some way to bring her back again? I'm willing to chance it like we all had against Sin without the Final Aeon."

"That's the spirit, Fluttershy! But, if we're gonna be going out in Spira, you're gonna need a little makeover." Pinkie pulled out two different spheres, though their designs were a lot different than the ones used to record moments and the ones used in the temples. "That, and we're gonna need to give you a new hairdo so nopony can recognize you with your long mane. Luckily, I'm an expert stylist!"

The Al Bhed pulled out a pair of scissors from her mane, surprisingly not cutting off any of her own hair. She dragged Fluttershy behind a screen, appearing out of nowhere, the pegasus yelping in surprise and the sound of snipping could be heard. Applejack didn't question how Pinkie was able to do all of this and just let it be, though she was curious to know what she was doing to the ex-summoner. As soon as Pinkie finished, she moved the screen away and revealed her work, the orange earth pony's jaw dropping in awe.

"H-How do I look?" Fluttershy asked.

"...Uhh...very different. In a good way," Applejack said, giving her honest opinion.

"Told ya! Now, let's scoot your boot on the boat and find Cheesie and Maud at their private hanger!" Pinkie pushed Fluttershy across the beach toward the docks. "You can help us fix the new airship! Tell Twilight I said hi, Applejack!"

"Wait, Pinkie! Ya'll are takin' Fluttershy now!?" Applejack quickly ran up to the docks, but was too slow to reach the ramp before it was pulled up. With her relaxing too much and being with Twilight, she hadn't gotten much exercise after they beat Sin. "Pinkie Pie!?"

"Don't worry! Auntie Pinkie Pie will take care of Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted as the ship left.

"Ah'm pretty sure Fluttershy's older than ya!...And ya'll are cousins!" Pinkie didn't seem to hear her as they entered the metallic vessel, Applejack sighing in defeat as she watched the boat disappear. "Just be careful out there..."

The ex-blitzball captain began heading back to the village, hoping Fluttershy would be ok on her own. The pegasus was an adult, and she could take care of herself. What really bothered her was how Twilight would react to finding out Fluttershy left to try to find Rainbow Dash, knowing the unicorn would overreact to many things. As she reached Besaid Village, she made sure to hide her hickeys from the other villagers under her mane as she made her way to her hut. She spotted Mog waving her down, alerting the mare that Twilight was finally up.

Applejack walked inside, finding Twilight sitting in front of a mirror and combing down her bedhead, still wearing her stetson. The unicorn saw her marefriend in the reflection, facing her with a grin.

"Howdy, sugarcube." Twilight giggled as she mimicked Applejack's accent. "I was wondering where you were."

"Ah was lookin' for Fluttershy." Applejack approached the smirking mare, snatching her hat back and putting it back where it rightfully belonged. "Ah believe this is mine?"

"You didn't complain about it last night." Twilight pulled Applejack closer with her telekinesis, bringing her into a deep and tender kiss. "Was I a bit too rough last night?"

"Ah think this might answer your question." The earth pony moved her mane back, showing the many bites the unicorn gave her.

"Heh...oops." Applejack nuzzled Twilight, already forgiving her for the hard nips. "So, was she still training out in the ocean like she does every morning?"

"She was...but then...somethin' came up..." Applejack began explaining to Twilight what happened on the beach, but thankfully for her, the unicorn was in shock and she didn't freak out.

"...So...she's going to try to find Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "...And she's actually a stallion?"

"Well, if Rainbow was a dream, Ah think the fayth might have been able to alter her...appearance." The two sat in silence for a moment, Applejack waiting for Twilight's thoughts on the possibility. "...That could happen, right?"

"I really don't know, Applejack. The fayth were the ones keeping the Zanarkand they knew alive in their dreams, and Rainbow was a part of that dream." Twilight sighed, unable to find any logical solutions to the new spheres the sphere hunters are finding about Spira's true past. "I'm glad Fluttershy's finally doing something besides going through the same routine day in and day out. I know she can be safe on her own. You remember how easily she bested that Chocobo Eater back in Mi'ihen, right?"

"Ah wish Ah didn't," Applejack said as she shivered. "Kind and gentle on the outside, but a tickin' Bomb on the inside if the right buttons are pushed. And if it involves animals that aren't fiends, there's no chance anypony could survive her rage."

"And you all thought I was bad tempered," Twilight joked as she giggled. The two mares embraced each other, spending the rest of the morning together. Knowing that Fluttershy finally had something to do eased their minds, and she would be ok as long as Pinkie was with her. "She'll be fine. She's not a filly anymore."

"Ah know." While the couple cuddled, Mog climbed up on Twilight's back and watched them. "So, what do ya wanna do today, Twi?"

"...Well...I've been looking around for some different spells to try out, and there was one specific spell I want to test." Twilight levitated the spellbook she looked through, a growing blush on her face as she flipped to a specific page. "I know it's weird, but...I'm kinda curious how well it would do with what it can do."

"What are ya talkin' about?" Twilight stopped on the page and held it up for Applejack to read. After reading what the spell was, the earth pony slowly lowered the book, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as heavily as her unicorn marefriend's. "...R-Really?" Twilight nodded her head as Applejack saw Mog giving her gestures on what the unicorn was thinking of. "...Uhh...S-So soon? We've only been together for a couple months...And shouldn't we be married first before...that?"

"How about we just elope? You do love me, right?" Applejack nodded her head, unable to speak as Twilight pounced her, locking their lips together in a heated kiss. The unicorn broke the kiss, keeping their muzzles close as she nuzzled the speechless earth pony. "I don't think I could handle a wedding, anyway. So, will you marry me, Applejack?" Again, Applejack nodded, receiving another deep kiss that left her in a daze. Twilight pulled away again, holding the book with the spell in front of her so she doesn't mess it up. "You want to try it on or should I?"

"...U-Uhh...me?" Applejack finally spoke, feeling unsure but excited at the same time.

"Goodie!" Twilight cheered as she clapped her hooves together. "Now hold still. It's supposed to tingle a little bit. And don't worry, it's not permanent. Just temporary."

As the unicorn's horn glowed, Applejack gulped nervously as she waited for the spell to hit her. If it really worked, then Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike will be greatly surprised at the results in almost a year's time.