The glowing spheres around him darted like water bugs. No matter how close he got, he couldn't touch them, couldn't catch them. As he fell, spinning endlessly without a feeling of actually falling, or even movement, he continued to reach out. The colours in them were repeated.

The fastest one, with a blue core that faded through all of the rainbow as he watched it.

The steady one, with a orange core that faded to yellow.

The sparkling one, with a purple core that darkened to a different purple.

The elegant-looking one, with a white core that darkened to an attractive violet.

The zig-zagging one, which was pink the whole way through.

The furthest away and the hardest to catch, with a yellow core and harsh, pink edge.

There were others as well, but they were smaller, stayed the same distance away, never seeming to move, falling at his speed, spinning the same ways he did.

A pale yellow to dark red, with highlights of pink.

A dark blue with darker, midnight edges.

A pure white with edges of blue, pink and pale green.

A dark black with electric edges.

So many to choose. Coronus spun in another roll, trying to stay upright as the glowing orbs flickered around. He could hear a voice, echoes at first before becoming stronger. It was the darkest orb with the blue edge, flying closer and closer. He reached out with one paw, managing to brush the surface. As the momentum from the swipe tumbled him forward, he reached out with his mouth, his muzzle entering the orb.

His eyes flashed open, the bright sunlight penetrating his sleep. His muzzle was locked in Ravens'. Her eyes were wide with shock. Coronus pulled back, his lips wet with her spit. She stumbled backwards, tumbling awkwardly into a tree, back pressed upright.

"Sorry." Coronus muttered, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I was dreaming..."

"ABOUT WHAT?!" Raven screeched, pupils still small. "How old are you?!"

"Not about that!" Coronus countered, severing any of her wind ideas. "I couldn't actually tell it was you." She drew back further, and Coronus pushed his head into his paws. "That didn't come out right."

"N-never mind." Raven replied, managing to keep her volume under control. "We still have a lot of flying to do."

They both took off, staying aflight in awkward silence.

Pinkie still hadn't returned to her usual self. She was reading all the books on dragons and their magic that Twilight had. She hadn't slept or eaten in two days. As Spike returned with more books, Pinkie looked up. Her face was taut, expression drawn. "Any news?"

Spike was taken aback by her tone. It seemed more like a stallions', and one that had been through war upon war. "No. Rarity was the last one to have seem him, but he left the shop after..." Spike paused, setting the books down in anticipation of an angry tackle. "...using his first magic to lift something small."

He braced himself for impact, but none came. Pinkie Pie was still on the ground, three legs tucked neatly under her while the other held her place in a book. "He's flown away, hasn't he."

"I... I don't know. Rarity said something about a forgien mare coming in after and knowing his name, but she left. Nopony's seen her either. Not like Rarity was lying or anything, but..." For once in his life, he wasn't smiling as he said Rarity's name. His face was as emotionless as Pinkie's.

"We need a Pegasus to find him. Do you understand?" Pinkie asked, standing up and kicking the book across the room. It slammed into a bookcase as she walked over to Spike. "Rainbow Dash is too fast. She'll end up competeing with him when she finds him. Celestia isn't giving an Alicorn's rear about all this. Princess Luna... I still don't trust her. None of the other Pegasus I know care enough to find him."

"Pinkie, what are you getting at?"

Her eyes were like shards of ice. "I'm going to go give Fluttershy a good kick in the head."

The yellow Pegasus shreiked as her door was kicked in. Pinkie walked over the fallen wood, a scowl on her muzzle. "What in the Realm of Dragons is WRONG with you?!?"

"I-I don't u-u-understand..." Fluttershy stuttered, pushin up against the wall.

"I don't give a buck if you understand." All remorse for using strong language with the fragile Pegasus was gone. There was no pity, no sympathy. "You stabbed your own son in the back. His own mother, deciding he's the bane of her existence." Pinkie kept walking forward, and kicked the door back in place. "Now, not only does he not have a father, who was a bucking dragon, he doesn't have a mother either. Have you heard the insults he endures? The threats he brushes off? Did you ever actually wonder what he was doing when he went straight to his room after coming home?"

"I-I-I..."

Pinkie pivoted, kicking the timid Pegasus in the face. "He's left the nest, Fluttershy! You forced your own son to fly away! He. Is. Gone. Just like his father. But this time, he wasn't abandoning you. You were abandoning him."

Fluttershy stood up, on side of her face already bruising. Her legs trembled as she waited in defiance. "He has nothing to do with me!"

"He has EVERYTHING to do with you! He's your son!"

"I don't care! I don't love him!"

Pinkie Pie dropped her voice to little more than a whisper. "I never asked you if you loved him."

The two stared off in silence. Pinkie's face had softened from ice to stone. Fluttershy's cheek had swelled, and her eyes were watering with the pain, despite the glare she was giving Pinkie.

Two ponies faced off. Neither had ever been considered an enemy. Neither had ever been so angry. Pinkie, the joyful party-goer. Fluttershy, the timid animal-keeper. Dueling it out in a battle of endurance.

Fluttershy was the first to open her mouth. "I never thought of any of you as enemies."

"I'm no enemy." The Earth Pony responded. "Your only enemy is yourself."

They stood in silence again. The tension was weakening both wills. Pinkie's anger was ebbing. Fluttershy's heart was aching.

"Pinkie?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Fluttershy?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not the one who needs an apology."