As consciousness slowly reclaimed me, I became aware of several things at once. The first of those things was the feel of Pinkie’s arms wrapped around me, and her body pressed against mine. Her warmth was an amazing feeling, and I smiled at the feelings of happiness running through my body. The second sensation I was aware of was one of a far less pleasant nature. The rain from last night was still coming down, and the sun failed to illuminate the young morning. The third thing that came to my awareness was probably the one that first forced me to wake. A gentle knocking was coming from my door, and I was just a bit less than eager to get up and answer it.

Still, despite my unwillingness, I slowly started to sit up, my shifting weight causing Pinkie to cling more tightly to me. I ran a hand through her hair, and she cracked open an eye, a pout on her face. “Stay.”

I chuckled softly before I continued my efforts at extricating myself from her grasp. “Pinkie, come on, someone’s at the door. I need to--”

“Oy, Icarus! Open up, we’ve gotta talk!” Dash’s voice made me pause for a moment, and then she continued in a much softer voice. “Please.” My gaze rapidly flicked between Pinkie and the door, a feeling of dread swelling up in my chest.

This is not how it’s supposed to happen...

“Um, Dash, I’m still in bed...” I brought my hand to my face. “Not really presentable, is what I mean.” Pinkie raised an eyebrow as I spoke, and I shot her a glare. “Maybe come back in a minute?”

“You’ve got ten seconds to open this door or I’m going to open it.” Pinkie shoved me off the bed as I started moving to grab something to wear. “One.” I scanned about my room, desperate to find at least my jeans. “Two.” I spotted the article of clothing sitting in a heap near the foot of my bed. Thankfully, right next to it were my boxers. “Three.” With all the coordination I could muster I pulled my boxers up. “Four.”

I glanced at the door for a moment as I grabbed my pants off the floor. “Dash, come on! Be reasonable!”

“Five.” I groaned as I started pulling my pants up, hopping about just a bit as I fought with the pant legs. “Six.” I started for the door, figuring that my pants were on ‘enough.’ “Seven.” I finally managed to get them up all the way as I reached the door. “Eight.” I threw open the door as she finished speaking, and she had a smile on her face. “Dude, that was way more than ten seconds. I was counting slow.”

“Slow or not, I made it. Now, what do you need?” I sounded far more irate than I intended, and Dash noticed. “Sorry. Just woke up, and was forced out of bed. Not the best combo for a happy Icarus.”

She looked down the hall for a moment, her eyes flicking about. “Can I come in? I’d rather not talk in the hallway, if it’s all the same to you.” I didn’t look over my shoulder, thankfully. Instead, I took a step back, giving Dash just enough room to come in while still blocking her view of my bed. “I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday. About what happened at Tam Tam’s.”

“Tam Tam’s? Hey, that’s where I got these panties!” My neck audibly popped as I turned to look at Pinkie. My look seemed to sufficiently state my emotions to Pinkie, since she blushed furiously, a hand coming to her mouth. “Oops.”

“P... Pinkie?” Dash looked from me to the girl on my bed, her eyes widening just a bit before they narrowed. “Pinkie.”

“Yes, Dash. It’s Pinkie. Now, let’s all be cool, calm, and collected adults about this, okay? None of the others freaked out about what you did, right?” She nodded, a strange, almost distant look coming to her face. “So, are you going to freak out?” She shook her head. I didn’t really know where to go from there, since her silence was leaving me without any real feedback to work with.

Just as I was about to try a new line of conversation, Dash spoke up. “Pinkie, did he say it?”

Pinkie looked between Dash and I as she brought her hands together, their idle machinations distracting her from what was going on. “Yeah.”

“Oh. Well, that’s...” She stopped for a moment as she looked at me, the tiniest teardrops forming in the corners of her eyes. “That’s cool. Good for you, Pinkie.” A small tremor ran through her as she turned in place, quickly moving to leave. “We’ll talk later.” The door closed behind her as she swiftly departed, the sound of a slamming door sounding out just a moment later. I heaved a sigh of massive proportions as I allowed myself to slide down the door.

Pinkie got out of bed with a small smile on her face as she came over to me. “You gonna be okay, Icarus?” She sat next to me as I just stared at the floor between my feet. One of her arms wrapped around my shoulders as I let out another sigh. “Icarus?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I’ll be okay. But I’m not so sure about Dash. That look on her face...”

“She’s not some delicate flower, ya’ know. She’ll be fine. When she bragged about what you did with her, we all felt like she feels now. But we looked past how we felt right then to see that we still care for you.”

“Yeah, but --”

Pinkie’s hand landed softly on my mouth, silencing me. “Icarus, there is no but. I love you, and I know that Dash loves you. She just wanted to be the first one to get you to say it.” She lowered her hand. “Dash hates losing, and for her this was the biggest race of her life.”

I looked up from the floor to meet Pinkie’s gaze. “Am I that important to her?” She just nodded. “Why? I mean, I’m not so full of myself to think I’m so important, but I... Creator take all of this, Pinkie, why does love have to be so damn hard?”

“Because.” She darted in for a quick kiss before she started walking back to the bed. “It makes the rewards all the sweeter.” She looked over her shoulder before she started collecting her clothes. “Dashie’s probably not going to want to be around you for now, since she’s going to need to sort out her feelings. But that doesn’t mean that you can ignore her if she is around.” Once she gathered all her clothes, she tossed them onto the bed before she started putting the articles back on. “Although given the weather, giving Dash the space she wants will probably be easier said than done.” She hugged me quickly before she put a hand on the door, her smile growing just a bit. “Take a shower, Icarus, and then come on down. I’m sure that the seven of us will be able to think of someway to enjoy the day.”

I watched as the door closed behind Pinkie, a small sigh escaping me as I pulled my jeans off. Without a care, I tossed them to the floor once again, a towel soon finding itself in my hand as I trudged over to the bathroom. My shower seemed to pass by in a daze, and soon I was looking at my reflection in the mirror, my blue grey eyes staring back at me. I flashed a smile at my reflection, but there was no happiness behind it, and it soon faded. I couldn’t get over the look of sadness that I saw on Dash’s face.

After some quick work with my razor, I stepped out of the bathroom, ready to dress and face the day. Opting to go for something a bit different today, I slipped into a button up shirt, rather than just a regular T-shirt. Suitably attired, I made for kitchen my mind set on a solid breakfast. I casually strode down the hall towards the stairs, my mind hardly registering the closed doors on either side of me. Despite my lack of situational awareness, I did pause outside of Dash’s door. I wanted to knock, or say something, but Pinkie’s words were still prominent in my mind.

Saying something now... It’ll seem forced.

As I turned to continue down the hall, I heard the faint sound of a door closing, but I didn’t look back to see who it was. At that moment, I didn’t really care who saw. Shortly after that I was sitting down on a stool in the kitchen, the refrigerator open before me as I sized up everything we had available. Even though we just went shopping yesterday we were running low on some of the more basic staples of consumption. Namely bacon.

With a small sigh, I decided that pancakes would have to suffice. Again.

This time, though, I’d settle for smaller pancakes, but more of them. As I started mixing the batter I heard the sounds of feet behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Rarity and Fluttershy in the living room. The two of them smiled when they saw me, and then they made themselves comfortable. “What culinary delight will you be tempting us with this morning, Icarus?”

“More pancakes. We don’t really have much else in the breakfast department.”

“Um... We do have what you’d need to make some French Toast...” Despite the distance I could still make out Fluttershy’s words. “It might be a nice change of pace, rather than having the same thing.”

I checked the fridge again, adding some more ingredients to my sizable stockpile. “I’ll make both, since I, at least, would rather have pancakes. And it wouldn’t surprise me if any of you shared that sentiment with me.” With my efforts now divided, I had to focus just a bit more on my cooking. It wasn’t really that hard to do, but I didn’t feel like making any mistakes. Just as I finish whipping up the two different batters, a knock comes from the front door. I’m the closest to it, so I tossed my stirring spoon into the sink before I walked over.

As I opened the door I couldn’t tell exactly who I expected to see there. I mean, it was raining quite hard, and we’re not exactly in town, so any visitor came as a surprise. This surprise was just a bit harder to take than some others I’d had. Standing there, on the doorstep, in full flight uniform, were Spitfire and Soarin, an umbrella clutched in Spitfire’s hand. However, their attention was not focused on me, but each other.

“... I still think that this is stupid. If you get a cold, don’t expect me to play nurse.”

“Fire, you and I both know that Fleetfoot is far better at that than you.”

“Well excuse me for taking a request from Princess Celestia herself!” I cleared my throat to get their attention, and it was only then that they noticed that I opened the door. Spitfire looked at me, giving me a quick smile. “One second, handsome, I’m a bit busy.” Her gaze snapped back to Soarin, her previous look of irritation coming back. “As I was saying, Celestia asked us to do this, and we’re going to do it. Just...” She looks out into the rain. “Not today.”

“Um, excuse me, but why, exactly, are two famous Wonderbolts on the doorstep of my... Er, Celestia’s vacation house?” I stepped back, inviting them in. “Not that I’m going to turn you away, or anything. Just a bit of curiosity.”

The two pegasi quickly entered the house, shaking off just a bit of water that had managed to get on them despite the umbrella. Soarin looked at me while Spitfire seemed stymied by the umbrella which refused to close. “Well, Princess Celestia asked us to give the seven of you a show and a bunch of free stuff. It was supposed to be today, but with the weather...” He shrugged, looking over at Spitfire. “Love, you have to press the button near the top.”

“I know that, the damn thing won’t --” With an abrupt snap the umbrella closed, a spray of water accompanying it. “Close...”

Soarin chuckled as he turned back to look at me. “Anyway, we just wanted to come by and let you know that we weren’t going to just not show up, or something.”

“Everyone, look!” Twilight appeared at the top of the steps, a huge grin on her face. “I got a letter from Princess Celestia!” She quickly unraveled it, not waiting for a response from any of us. Her eyes darted to and fro as she read the letter. “She’s got a surprise for us in town, at the --”

Spitfire cut in. “Bee and Barb bar, right?”

Twilight looked up, shock written plainly on her face. “Yeah... We’re going to... Meet some... Celebrities. Oh.” She looked down at the letter for a moment longer before she looked back up. “I take it that’s you?”

“Yeah, Spitfire and I didn’t really know that it was supposed to be a surprise or anything. We were just told to meet all of you at the Bee and Barb, and then spend the day hanging out with you. Given the rain, though, we figured that we’d spare you all the trip, since there won’t be a show.”

“Ah, well, no accounting for the weather team of Firefly Island, I suppose. Care to stick around for some breakfast? I’ve got it all ready, I just need to cook it.” The two pegasi shared a look before they both nodded. “Great, I’ll have some pancakes, and some French Toast. Should be no more than fifteen minutes to get it all ready.” As I spoke I turned and headed back to the kitchen, Soarin followed me while Spitfire joined the girls in the living room. “I appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to help.”

“Creator forbid, I can’t cook to save my life. I burn water that I try to boil.” We shared a quick laugh as I started up the stove, a piece of margarine landing in the pan set for the pancakes. “Still, Spitfire loves to watch me try.”

I glanced at him, smiling as he stood staring across the kitchen and into the living room. “How long?”

“About a year. Next month it’ll be a year.” He walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out several cartons of orange juice. “Pulp or no?” I shook my head, and he grabbed a glass before filling it with some orange juice. He handed it to me, and I took a quick drink. “What about you? How long you been with these fine women?”

I laughed for a moment, nearly screwing up the flip on one of the pancakes. “Honestly, I just admitted to myself that I have a chance with any of them.” Without breaking stride, I started up a couple pieces of French Toast, the satisfying sizzling of the food adding to the atmosphere of the room. “Mind setting up the table?”

“Sure.” Soarin quickly started gathering the necessary supplies, and putting them on the table. “Really, though? The way the one with the purple hair --”

“Rarity.”

“The way Rarity was looking at you, it looks quite a bit like she’s already got her heart set. I mean, it’s not like I’ve got all that much experience myself. It was luck that got me with Spitfire. Even more luck that got me Fleetfoot and Misty. Watch the pancakes.”

I quickly flipped the pancake out of the pan, and onto the stack I had started, frowning just a bit at the burnt edges. “Well, I guess I’ll be having this one. Not that I mind, a bit of crisp never hurt anyone.” I took the French Toast out of the pan, making a separate pile for that. “I find it a bit surprising that you, of all people, had difficulty with women. You’re a Wonderbolt after all.”

“Yeah, but it’s not always so glamorous. Doing shows is only a tiny part of what we really do. Rainbow Dash could probably tell you more about what we do than I could. Speak of the devil.” I turned to watch as Dash appeared in the living room, her eyes going wide as she spotted Spitfire in the living room. A loud squeal sounded from the living room and both Soarin and I chuckled. “She probably didn’t tell you, but when she was at the Academy, I asked her out. She said no.”

“Really? Well, I mean, the whole barrier between instructor and pupil...”

“That wasn’t even it. She said that she already had her eye on someone. Someone she described in quite a bit of detail. Someone that I can now see is you.” He trailed off for a moment. “Though she said you were a pegasus.” He looked at me a bit closer for a moment. “What did you say your name was?”

“Ah, yeah, I didn’t.” I held out a hand. “Icarus. Icarus Phaetheon. But please, just Icarus will do.”

The Wonderbolt clasped my hand in a solid grip, a frown coming to his face. “So, you’re that pegasus who lost his wings. I heard about that. Real sorry. About that, and your dad. I met him a couple of times. Real nice guy.”

“Yeah, only if you got him in the right mood. Otherwise he’s silent and brooding, constantly with a pen behind the ear, and an idea on the mind.”

“Better to say too little than too much.” Soarin grabbed a dozen glasses and started filling them with orange juice. “Anyway, not really here to talk about the pains of the past.” Once he finished filling the glasses he brought them to the table, quickly putting a glass at each spot. He nodded towards the living room. “I remember them from the Gala. And the Flying Competition. Man, Icarus, you’ve got great taste in vacationing company.” I turned to see that all the girls had come downstairs, and they were all talking between each other, laughing and shooting furtive glances into the kitchen. “So, you with any of them yet?”

I shrugged, flipping the last of the pancakes and putting the last piece of French Toast in the pan. “Kind of? I mean, I slept with Pinkie last night.”

“Nice.”

“And a couple days ago Dash and I had sex in the forest. Real nice natural pool with a waterfall.”

“Again, nice.” He tossed the now empty carton into the garbage can, smiling at his success. “So, we ready for some food? Because, quite frankly, I’m starving. I mean, I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“That long? Man, I don’t know how you stand it.” I quickly moved the plate of pancakes over to the table, and after that followed the French Toast. I gestured towards the table, and Soarin just nodded. I, on the other hand, walked over to the entrance to the living room. “Ladies, I’d just like to let you all know that I’ve finished making breakfast. Whenever you’re --” They all surged at me, rushing to the table. “... Ready, we can eat. Alright, fine, that’s okay.”

I was the last to sit, and soon enough we were all enjoying the fruits of my labor. As I glanced up from my meal, I noticed a look pass between Soarin and Spitfire. A look that failed to inspire confidence. I was about to comment when suddenly Spitfire spoke up. “So, girls, any of you got your eyes on someone special?” She cast a quick look my way before she leaned back in her seat. “I know that it took quite a bit of doing for Soarin here to grow a pair, so, naturally, I had to take the first step.”

Dash’s response to this was immediate, but probably not the most noticeable thing. Her hand tightened on her fork enough for her knuckles to turn white. I quickly scanned over the others, trying to get a measure of the reaction to Spitfire’s question. None of them showed any real sign of the question bothering them, or if they did I couldn’t see it. Rarity cleared her throat, quickly drawing the focus to her. “Miss Spitfire, as benign as that question may seem to you, it has ramifications well beyond what you might think. So, on behalf of all of us, we’ll not answer.”

Spitfire nodded, and was about to say something, but Dash spoke up. “Well, I kinda have my eye on this one guy. Thing is, though, I just can’t tell if he’s really interested in me, or whether he’s just in it to just get laid a couple of times.”

It took all my self control for me to keep myself from saying something before Rarity managed to take charge of the situation once again. “Rainbow, kindly drop the topic for now. I’d rather not have to settle this here and now. Especially not with guests present.” She looked back towards the two Wonderbolts, a smile coming to her face. “I’m terribly sorry about all this. Perhaps at some later date we could enjoy a meal without the air being so thick with tension?”

Soarin nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Come on, Spitfire, let’s head back to the hotel. Fleet and Misty are probably getting worried that we’re taking so long.” Spitfire stood up at Soarin’s words, and within just a few minutes they were heading out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind the Wonderbolts, I stood, quickly making my way to the stairs. “And where do you think you’re going Icarus?” I stopped with one foot on the bottom step, Rarity’s voice seeming to have a far firmer grasp on me than my own wishes. “I don’t think I excused you from the table.” I turned to look at her. “Now, come back over here so we can settle this like adults.”

“Why? So Dash can question my morality some more while she practically forces herself on me in the jungle?”

“Icarus, sugarcube, you need to calm down some.” Applejack looked between Dash and I, her gaze narrowed. “I’m sure that if you just take some time to think this through you’ll see that the two of you are acting like children.”

I let out a short laugh. “I’m not the one who needs to calm down, AJ. Talk to our resident hot head if you’re looking to calm someone down. Now, I’ll be up in my room if any of you decide that you want to talk to an immoral monster.” Without waiting for a response, I started up the stairs. I took them two at a time, desperate to put what distance I could between them and myself.

My door closed behind me with a satisfying click, and for just a moment I thought about locking the door as well. I decided against it, and shortly after that I was sitting at the desk in the room, my favorite notepad sitting opened to a blank page. I held my pencil tightly, the emptiness of the page seeming to stare back at me. With an angry grunt I threw my pencil onto my desk, the faint sound of its clattering barely audible over the sound of the rain.

An incredibly soft knocking came at my door, earning a sharp glare from me. “Who is it?” My voice had a biting quality to it, and right then I didn’t really care. Hell, even the Princesses would’ve gotten an earful from me right then.

“Fluttershy. I just wanted to talk to you some... But, I mean, if you don’t want to talk that’s fine too.”

“Door’s open. Come or go, it makes no difference to me.” From the corner of my eye I watched as the handle rotated, and then opened, revealing Fluttershy’s eye looking at me through the crack. I stared back at her for several long moments before she finally came through, a small frown on her face as she closed the door. She stood there for a moment before I turned my gaze back to the still blank piece of paper. “So, what’s the lecture for today? A rousing speech on morality? A gripping chat on the values of discretion? Ooh, how about you tell me all about being confident?”

“N... No. None of those things. Like Rarity, I want to talk to you, about you.”

“Oh, so you’re interested in that kind of thing.” I spun about in the chair, my abrupt change in position startling her. “Alright, fine. Talk.”

Instead of talking right away, she moved over to my bed, shooting me a questioning glance. I nodded, and she took a seat, her hands settling in her lap as they began fidgeting. “I know you don’t want to talk right now, but you need to.”

“Yeah, because I’m the best topic in the world.” I glared at her for a moment, allowing her a chance to recover from my sharp retort. “Why can’t we, for instance, talk about you? Or Twilight? Or anything that isn’t me? I’m not Dash, I don’t have to constantly harp on about how great and wonderful I am. I know I suck at a lot of things, and one of those things is intimate interpersonal relationships.” I paused for a moment. “Another problem is underwater basket weaving. I just can’t do it. But that’s not really the issue, is it? The issue is that knowing the problem doesn’t mean I know how to fix it.” I narrowed my eyes, after a small revelation came to mind. “Do I really come across as being so broken that I need constant attention?”

She couldn’t manage to meet my gaze. “No. But we’re still worried about you.” Her eyes rose, but darted back down when she saw I was still staring at her. “I mean, if you really want to talk about something else I guess we can.”

“Yes. Lets.”

She looked up at me, a small smile on her face. “We could talk about girls having their periods. I mean, I had mine a cou --”

“Creator, no! Please, let’s talk about me instead! No, man, no. I don’t... No. Yeah, let’s uh... Let’s talk about me.”

Her smile widened a bit, and then she adjusted her position on the bed, making herself a bit more comfortable. “I wanted to talk about what just happened between you and Rainbow Dash.”

I grunted, averting my gaze. “Too soon. Something else. It can still be about me, but not that.”

“How about the upcoming anniversary?” I met her gaze once again, my own eyes narrowed. “I mean, it’s real soon, right? Just a few days, right?”

“Something like that. How... Who told you? I sure as Tartarus made sure never to mention it to any of you.”

“It was really more of an accident than anything. When you were in the hospital one time, after one of your inventions blew up in your face, I came by to see how you were doing. I overheard a pair of doctors talking about your... Anyway, they said that it’d just passed two years. I remember when I heard it, but I never knew the exact day.” She frowned at me. “None of the others know, though. I couldn’t tell them. Not without talking to you first.”

“The anniversary. What a charming and innocuous way to refer to that day. Almost makes it seem innocent.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t really think it was something that you thought about in any real way. It’s not really the kind of thing many people would want to think about.”

“Oh, I think about it. Probably more than I should. It’s probably one of the few times in the year when I allow myself to look at the first letter I got from my father after the accident.” Before she can ask a question, I turn and look at my notepad, flipping it to the cover, and pulling a piece of paper out from behind the cover. I show it to her, but don’t give it to her. “His apology, along with a promise.”

She looks for a moment, and then she smiles. “What did he promise?”

“That I’d fly again.” I toss the letter onto the desk, hardly sparing it a second glance. “I find it hard to believe, though.”

“Why wouldn’t you believe your father?”

“Fluttershy, the best doctors in Manehattan made it eminently clear that I won’t fly again. Not under my own power, at least, and every attempt at giving flight to a non-pegasus has ended with failure.”

“What about when Rarity --”

“What about it? She nearly died because of those wings. They didn’t last, and they wouldn’t be able to stand up to the rigors of regular flight.” I bury the letter in my notepad, putting it back in its usual spot. “Not that I let things like that stand in the way of my own aspirations. I’ve tried my hand at designing mechanical wings.”

Before I can pull out my drawings Fluttershy’s hand comes down on my notepad, preventing me from doing anything with it. “No, Icarus. We’re not going to talk about that.” I turned to look at her, and her brow was furrowed. “What you said hurt Dash. What you did hurt Dash. I know you didn’t do anything wrong, and so do the others. But you’re Dash’s first... Well, her first real relationship. Even Twilight’s gone farther than Dash has.”

“Yeah, that may be, but she knows full well that all of you are in this... We’re in this whole bet to see who could get me to realize my feelings first. Pinkie won, fair and square.” I pushed away from Fluttershy, walking towards the balcony. “It’s not my fault that Dash can’t handle losing.”

“She can handle losing just fine. But this is more than just losing to her. She wanted you to see that she cared for you, and she did it the only way she thought would work.” She stayed over by my desk as I looked out the window. “She gave you her virginity, thinking that would show you what you meant to her.”

I looked over at her once again, my harsh gaze making her flinch. “So, this is just something else that’s my fault?” Her eyes widened in confusion. “I fail to attach the same level of emotional value to an act as Dash does, and so it’s my fault? It’s because of me that she can’t control her temper? It’s because of me that she nearly broke down when she saw me with Pinkie this morning?”

“Icarus, please, calm --”

“No! No, I won’t calm down! You, all six of you, are playing games with me, and you’re blaming me when you lose! Twilight told me about it, and I thought I was okay with it. Turns out I was wrong. It just needed some time to sink in.” I turned away from her. “I... I need time. And I can’t get that here.” With just a few quick steps I was looking into the closet, my eyes settling on the rain jacket I had. It was a real heavy duty kind of thing. Made by Rarity, and given some special magical enchantments by Twilight, it was impervious to all forms of precipitation. Except for chocolate milk.

“Where are you going to go? It’s pouring out.”

“Somewhere that’s not here.” I pulled the jacket around my shoulders, quickly sliding my arms into the sleeves. Throughout it all, Fluttershy just kept watching me. “I’ll come back, but I don’t know when.” I walked over to the door, my hand resting on the knob for a moment. I opened my mouth to say something, but I decided against it as I walked out of my room, and down the hall. The girls were all in the living room as I walked through, not a word passing between them. With neither a pause, nor a word, I opened the door, and walked out into the rain.

The rain gave me the motivation to keep a brisk pace, and it wasn’t long before I was at the edge of the town. I kept walking until I found the Bee and Barb. It seemed to offer a hospitable atmosphere, so I shrugged and approached, eager to get out of the rain. A nice hostess greeted me when I entered, and within moments I was seated at a table for two. When the waitress came by to take my order all I asked for was a mug of hot chocolate.

“Trouble in paradise?” I looked up to see some guy I’d never seen before standing there with a small, sad, smile on his face. I nodded, and he motioned to the chair opposite me. I just shrugged as he sat. “Shit happens. Deal with it.”

“Look, I don’t really know who you are, but I do know that I don’t need a lecture. I just don’t care if you sit there.” My waitress came back, my mug in her hand. The stranger ordered a coffee before his gaze returned to me. I stared back, unwilling to look away.

When he finally got his coffee he decided to speak up again. “Oh, I know you don’t need a lecture. I don’t feel like giving one either. Convenient, isn’t it?” The man looked at his coffee, and he shrugged. “Still, I don’t often go out without a reason. At least, Celestia doesn’t like when I go out without a reason.”

I looked up at him, my eyes widening at such a casual name drop. “I know you, don’t I?”

“Most of you know me only through stories. Or the news. You, on the other hand, know me personally. Well, as personally as you could know me. So not very personally at all. You do know six females who are intimately familiar with me, and the fun I had.”

“I know this one...” My mind raced to put together the pieces. “Discord?”

“Very astute. No wonder they claim you’re one of the smart ones. And level-headed, too. I know quite a few people who’ve had reactions far and away from yours.” He took a sip of his coffee, smiling as he put the mug down once again. “Then again, I’m not often so polite. Still, Fluttershy is quite good at what she does, teaching me manners and whatnot. I still think she cheated, though.”

“Are you here for a reason, or just to cause trouble?”

“Maybe a bit of both. Or maybe something else entirely. Who’s to know? Other than me, of course. I know. How couldn’t I know?” He grabbed a small jar of sugar, spooning a single cube into his half full mug. “Always nice to make that second half a bit sweet. For your sake, Icarus, lighten up.”

“This coming from the god of chaos?”

“Depression isn’t very chaotic. Tends to make those afflicted quite lethargic. Lethargy isn’t good for business.” He offered a polite wave to a passing waitress. “Ah, yes, excuse me, but could I trouble you for a pair of menus, and today’s paper?” The waitress nodded, flashing a quick smile. “Thank you.” His gaze met mine once again. “Now, it’s quite rare that I do this kind of thing, so I suggest that you listen up, and listen good. Your dear old great-great... Suffice to say he’s related to you, and quite a bit older. Anyway, he probably would’ve done quite better if he’d heeded my advice. See, I wasn’t always so powerful. I’d always had the gift of foresight, but I wasn’t always so certain about it.”

“Out with it, Discord. I’m not here for a history lesson.”

“Fucking youngins. Got no appreciation for history. Anyway, you need to give the girls a bit more time. They all expect quite a bit out of you, and you’re only just starting to give them that.” The waitress arrived at that point, a pair of menus in one hand, and a newspaper in the other. “Thank you. Now, as I was saying, it’s not that they expect miracles, but they do want you to be more open to them.”

“I can’t just... Open up like that.” I took the menu Discord offered, not opening it. “I’ve been on my own for so long --”

“Bullshit. Now, I, only recently, rejoined the land of the conventional living, and it was with great gusto that I took to monitoring the affairs of individuals.” Discord opened his menu and began looking at it with a high level of interest. “Celestia tends to look at the big picture, while Luna often focuses her efforts on creating the laws of the land. The various edicts that Celestia will oversee and enforce. Things like no wearing purple plaid pants. Luna just can’t stand alliteration in her lower garmentry...” He glanced up at me, frowning. “Don’t you want some lunch?”

“It’s only...” I glanced at my watch, a frown coming to my face. “Right, there’s no way it’s been that long.”

“Time is just a big mass of wibbly... Ya know, it’s actually not. He got it wrong. Anyway, one important aspect of time is that it’s really easy to mess with for me. At least, your perception of it. Your walk into town took the better part of the morning.” He smiled as he lowered his menu. “Anyway, as I was saying, you’re one of those individuals. Out of all those millions of beings I could’ve chosen, you’re one out of just ninety four people I’m interested in. Not even for anything you’ve done, but because of your dear old dad. He had great taste in women, I’ve got to say. Now, pick something to eat, and then we can talk. No sense chatting on an empty stomach.”

“I’m not hungry, really. I had at least some breakfast.”

“Oh, sorry. That’s another little thing. I’m making you not feel hungry.” As soon as he spoke those words, I suddenly realized that I was famished. Far more so than I thought I would be given the passage of time. “Now that you realize that you’re hungry, how about something to eat?” I just nodded, quickly scanning the menu for something to eat. It didn’t take long, and soon enough we had both placed orders for some lunch. “Now, you got my initial interest due to your parentage. But, now, you’ve got it for entirely different, and limitlessly more entertaining, reasons. You see, I like the Elements. Despite how they’ve treated me, I think that they’re okay people. A bit too energetic for banishing gods, but not a terrible bunch.”

“You were plunging Equestria into a fourth age of disorder. You, kinda, had it coming.”

“You look here! I only caused the second one! And that wasn’t all my fault. But, I digress. You’ve got the attention of the girls, and that means that I’m now paying more attention to you. And you’re fucking it up. Sure, you’ve got Pinkie, but she’s just the first step. It’d be so easy if you just let them into that cold lump of emotions you call a heart.” The waitress came by again, and the two of us quickly placed our orders. “I’m not saying you need to be an open book. That’d be no fun at all. But you do need to realize that they’re trying to help you, not make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Look, at least you’re talking to your peers. Try explaining this kind of thing to a Goddess who could readily wipe you from existence.” He shuddered as he spoke. “Good thing Celestia’s good at understanding things. Especially when I’m talking. She’s got patience like... Well, I can’t quite compare her to Celestia for obvious reasons. Suffice to say she’s really patient... Wait, I got it. She’s got more patience than the Creator.”

I chuckled. “Man, Discord, you’ve got a way with words.”

“It’s a gift. But, as I was saying, you need to change your approach with the girls. The way you’re going, you’ll just wind up pushing them all away. Even Pinkie would, eventually, find that she just can’t reach you. And Rainbow Dash. She’d be the last to give up.”

“I... It’s hard, though. To just lay out my failures, my hopes, my dreams, all of it?”

“Boy, you love them. Not all of them, but enough. Hell, there’s a fifth that’s not even here on the island, and yet she’s got a part of your heart. Each of those five women has a part of your heart that you’re never getting back. And you’ve got a part of theirs.” He met my gaze, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I’m older than I look, and I know all too well what it means to lose a part of my heart. All because I was too proud to admit it.” He broke away, a smile on his face. “Still, you won’t make the same mistake. I may be a god, but you’re a genius. Figure it out.”

I watched him for several long minutes before our food came. We ate in silence, our eyes never meeting throughout the meal. My mind raced with ideas, but none of them seemed like they could come to fruition in the setting I was in. Or, if it was something I could do, it was too cheesy, or predictable. As I finally finished my meal, I looked up to see Discord looking back at me. “So, the usual slew of ideas failed you. Too cheesy, predictable, or simply undoable?” I nodded. His smile grew as he saw my facial expression. “Yes, I can read your mind. Interesting process you’ve got. But, yes. You’ll have to tread carefully, since you’re dealing with quite the collection of women.”

“Is there any real advice you can give? Or will it all be cryptic rephrases of stuff I already know?”

“Fine. But just one piece of advice.” He leaned forward a bit, his voice dropping. “In a race between a rock and a pig, don’t varnish your clams.” He winked before he leaned back. “Also, lighten up about what happened to you. They want to be with you, but they can’t unless you let them. You are your own worst enemy.” His last words were added as an afterthought, almost like he just remembered them.

“That’s nothing new at all.”

“Maybe now it seems like an old thing. But, trust me, it might change you some. The smallest interactions can have long reaching implications. Now, kindly make yourself scarce. I’ve got another appointment arriving soon.” I slowly stood, unsure of what was actually happening. “Come on, Icarus, up you go. It’s just after one, and it’s still raining. Find something to do for a few more hours before you head back to the house. Oh, and once you reach the second intersection, count to three before walking across.” He shrugged at my expression. “Hey, take it for what it’s worth. I won’t tell you how long till that event comes to pass, but maybe you’d be served by simply being a bit more careful.”

I put my coat on, still staring at the god across from me. “You want any money for the food? Or, I mean...”

“It’s on me, Icarus. Everyone gets one on me. Some get more than one, but everyone gets at least one.” I nodded before I turned to head for the door. Each step away from the god of chaos seemed to put me more at ease, and, at the same time, I felt the tensions of my life returning.

“Have a nice day Mr. Phaetheon. Try not to get too wet.” I looked at the hostess for a moment, uncertain how she knew my name, considering that I never said who I was. “Mr. Discord calls quite a few people here. You’ve actually had a reservation for a few weeks now, courtesy of Mr. Discord. That’s how we knew. Anyway, have a pleasant stay on the island.”

The door closed behind me as I stepped into the rain, the faintest trace of a smile lingering on my face. I cast a quick glance up and down the street, wondering whether Discord’s most immediate advice would still be relevant if I went a way different than he had thought I’d go.

Unless he knew I’d question his advice... Fuck it, I’ll just go right.

With my decision made, I turned down the road, the gentle symphony of the rain on the ground drowning out all the possible sounds of the town. I didn’t really know what I could do for those last few hours that Discord had suggested, but I figured that I could think of something to do, even in the rain. As I approached the first intersection of roads I paused for a moment, looking both ways, before I started across.

A good number of the shops I passed were closed, or, if not closed, had only a few customers. Just as I was about to reach the end of the block, I spotted a small bookstore on the corner. I looked between the intersection and the store just once before I made my decision.

The gentle tinkling sound of the bell heralded my arrival, and an elderly looking unicorn popped up from behind the counter, a wide smile on his face. “By Celestia’s horn, a customer!” He walked around the counter, his eyes never leaving me. “And here I was thinking that I’d close early today. Alas, here you are, and here I am.” When he finally stood before me, I realized that I was almost a full head taller than he was. “Let me get a good look at you. I’ve yet to be wrong when telling a customer just what they’re after.”

He was soon circling me, his eyes darting about, from me to the bookshelves, and back again. “Look, uh... Sir. I’m just here to browse, I don’t really have anything in mind.”

“Stratos.”

“What?”

“My name. Stratos. Stratos Lulamoon, to be complete.” He stopped circling me for just a moment to bow. “Now, if I’d have to guess, I’d say that you’ve got a penchant for math. However, books of a more fictional nature, with a helping of realism, to offset any absurdities, are your first choice in literature.” He continued circling, walking just two more laps before he stopped. “And you cook.” He looked up at me as he finished, clearly looking for a response from me.

I returned his smile. “Yeah, that’s pretty good. Although the realism isn’t to deal with the absurdities, but because I look for inspiration.”

The unicorn threw up his hands, a smile coming to his face. “I’d say I did pretty well. For a rough guess, not too shabby.” He motioned for me to follow, and I did so, admiring the bookshelves packed to the rafters with books. Were I to guess, I’d say that it rivaled what Twilight had. If it didn’t outright beat her quantity. “I’ve been collecting books for years. In fact, I inherited most of these from my father, and the other ones were donations. Not a single book in this entire collection was ever purchased from a supplier.” He led me up a flight of stairs into yet another packed room. “It also helps that my daughter sends me books on a regular basis. Uses the money she earns to pay for postage. Although they slowed down recently. Still, no real reason to worry just yet. Trixie’s a bit hot headed, and she does forget from time to time.”

“I’ve met her, actually.” Stratos looked over his shoulder at me as we walked, a twinkling in his eye. “Wasn’t really the best situation, though. She was actually acting a bit... mean. Not really the right word for it.”

“Ah. Yes. She told me about that episode. Town called Ponyville, right?” I nodded. “Yes, that was probably one of her longer letters.” He didn’t offer any further elaboration, so I let the topic drop. “And, here we are. Cookbooks. Unless you want to look at the science fiction first?” I shook my head, offering a small smile. “Well, if you need any help feel free to give a shout. I’ll probably be hovering about.” I raised an eyebrow as he engulfed himself in a faint glow, his form slowly lifting off the floor. He looked down at me. “Easiest way to clean and organize, you know.”

I just nodded before I started looking through the cookbooks, marveling at the quantity, diversity, and condition of the books. Some of them really showed their age, while some looked as if they had just come straight from the publisher. Some of them caught my eye more readily than others, and I soon had a stack of five cookbooks balanced in one hand while I continued to browse with the other. The weight in my hand was abruptly lifted and I was nearly thrown off balance by the act. I turned to see Stratos levitating the books into a basket that he had. “Figured you might do some picking, so I grabbed a basket for you. It’s good for a couple hundred pounds, so I think that you’ll be what limits your shopping, not the container.”

I quickly thanked him before I continued browsing. After passing the length of the shelves once, I looked into the basket, surprising myself at the impressive stack I’d formed. When I tried to lift the basket I embarrassed myself thoroughly, my grunts of exertion seeming to echo endlessly in the shop. From some distance away I heard the faint sounds of chuckling. “Lift with your knees, boy. Not the back, the knees!” I grunted out my thanks before trying, and failing, once again. With a resigned sigh, I looked through the stack, quickly pulling out any volumes that didn’t catch my eye right away. By the time I was done paring down my stack I had just three books left. Traditional Pegasi Cuisine, and You!, Multitasking in the Kitchen, Complex Recipes for Complex Minds, and, lastly, the abridged version of Thirty Three Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy Seven Recipes for the Aspiring Chef.

I picked them as much for titles as for potential payout. With my reduced selection, I found that I was actually able to lift the basket, which was a nice change from before. I stuffed a hand into my pocket, quickly pulling out my wallet. A small sigh of relief escaped me when I saw that I had enough bits to pay for the books, and then enough to go and pick something up from the market, or something similar. I made my way back to the entrance, and the counter, admiring the vast selection available. When I finally reached the counter I noticed that Stratos wasn’t there.

“Um, Stratos.” I raised my voice a bit, and I heard the sound of footsteps growing closer. He emerged from amongst the shelves with a bit of show, his hands running along his front to brush off the accumulated dust. “I found a few books I’d like to buy.”

Stratos quickly looked over my selections, the corners of his mouth turned up. “Hmm, three cookbooks. I didn’t really take you for being that much of a cook.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not really something that I publicize a lot.” The old man nodded before he started plugging numbers into the cash register. Once he finished, he started wrapping the books in plastic sheets, and placing them into a bag. “So, how much for all three?”

“Well, I’ve got a rainy day special going, that I just made up, so all three are yours for just fifteen bits.” I gladly handed over the money, taking the bag from him. “Now, be sure to tell all your friends about Lulamoon’s Tomes.” I offered the old man a wave as I stepped out of his shop, an hour having gone by since the last time I heard the gentle chime of the bell.

The rain seemed to have lightened up a bit since I went into the store, and I soon started making my way along the road. Just before I could start crossing the road, though, I stopped. I looked around for a moment, seeing if there was anyone around. “One. Two. Three.” I waited a moment. “Huh. Nothing happened. What a surprise.” However, just after I finished speaking a man came racing down the road, his features blurred by the rain.

“Stop, thief!” Just behind the blurred running form was yet another running form, this one just a bit slower. “Stop! Hey, man, stop that guy!” With no one else on the road, I knew that he had to have been talking to me. After a heartbeat of indecision, I dropped the bag I had, and made for the figure. As I closed the distance, I realized a few things. First, I was a pacifist. Fighting and I don’t get along well at all. The second thing I realized was that this guy, whoever he was, was taller than I was by a foot, and was far heavier.

Being the sensible man I am, I didn’t let that stop me from throwing my full weight into him as we collided. The whole world seemed to tilt and sway for a moment, and then a flash of darkness passed before me. When the veil was lifted, I was sprawled out on the ground, soaking wet, and a few feet away from the much larger prone form of the man whom I tackled. As I blinked the water from my eyes I noticed that there was a second man above me, a huge smile on his face. His mouth was moving, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. His words slowly faded in, and it took all my concentration, as limited as it was, to make out anything he said. “... so much! He took nearly everything I made so far today! As a token of my appreciation I’d like to treat you to whatever you like from my shop! Whaddya say?”

I moved into a sitting position, hardly aware of the fact that I was soaked all over, and that my coat had, at some point, come open. “What happened? Am I okay?”

“You should’ve seen it! When you hit that guy he staggered a bit, and fell. Didn’t really phase him much, but it gave me enough time to get to him and tackle him again.” He looked down at his hand, nursing his bloodied knuckles. “I may not look it, but I can pull a killer right hook when I want to. After that, he stayed down, and I tried to wake you up. Nice to see that you came around.”

“Glad I came around.” I couldn’t see any injuries, but I felt a bit sore all over. “How do I look?”

“You look fine to me. Oh, and the town guard is on the way. I sent a friend of mine to go and get them.” I just continued sitting there for a few more minutes until the guard arrived. After that it was a simple enough process to get everything taken care of. Through it all I got several pats on the back, a hearty handshake, and a small card from the guard. ‘For emergencies’ he had said when I took the card. One of the guards had taken a chance to look me over after what had happened, and he said that I should just take it easy, and come to the clinic if anything started acting up.

The man whose money I had saved insisted that I come to his shop, to pick up some of his wares. Luckily for me, it happened to be a grocers shop. After several dozen more appreciative thanks, I finally managed to emerge from the shop burdened now by my bag of books and a large bag of freshly cut meats, free of charge. I glanced at my watch as I emerged from the shop, noting with pleasure that it was almost three in the afternoon, and I could at last head back to the house.

As soon as I thought about that, though, I hesitated. While I’d have to go back there eventually, there was no need to rush back to the women who had made things so awkward.

Dash, with her reaction to Pinkie and I. Fluttershy with her... Being Fluttershy.

Alright, fine. Kind of my fault on that one. But if she’d just left well enough alone...

Despite my train of thought, I found myself slowly making my way down the road towards the house. Each step took me closer to the confrontation I knew would be coming, and each step took me closer to a warm place to rest. Life’s just not fair sometimes.

When the house finally came into view I noticed that the door was ajar, and one of the girls was standing there. It was just a bit too far for me to make out who it was, but as soon as they noticed me the door closed. I trudged onwards, the distance between me and the house closing with every step. I raised a hand to the knob, grateful to find it unlocked. As I stepped into the house I noticed that Twilight was the only one in the living room. She gave me a smile when I looked at her, and I quickly removed my coat, eager to lose my soaked clothing.

“Nice to have you back, Icarus. You were gone for quite a while.” I only grunted out an affirmative sounding noise as I started for the kitchen. “Nice to see that your eloquence has only gone up during your walk.” I grunted again, unwilling to speak to her just yet. “Dash asked me to let you know that she wanted to talk to you as soon as you got here.”

“I’m not really interested in talking to her yet.” Twilight made her way to the kitchen, where I was, and she just watched me as I put away my purchased food. My bag of books sat in the sink, the accumulated water running off of it. “She can wait a bit longer. Maybe it’ll do her some good.”

“She was crying, Icarus.” I raised an eyebrow. “What you said hurt her. And what you said to Fluttershy didn’t help things either.”

“Yeah, because that bet made things so much better.” I turned back to face her, the momentary distraction offered by my books forgotten. “Look, Twi, I’m going to see if I can fix things, but it’s not all me. It’s never been all me. The six of you need to give a little, and meet me halfway. I’m going to try to ease up my defenses, but you all need to give me some time and space.” I pulled the books out of the bag, amazed at the wrapping job Stratos had done. None of them were even a bit wet. “I need to get changed, and then I’m going to start making some dinner. Maybe I’ll talk to Dash after that.”

I started to walk out of the kitchen, towards the stairs, but Twi grabbed my hand before I could make it past her. Her touch froze me in place, and I looked at her. Her cheeks flushed at my gaze, and then she pulled herself into me, her arms wrapping around my chest. “I’m sorry.” She pulled back a bit, her gaze meeting mine. “I...”

I gently put a finger on her lips, stopping her before she could say any more. “It’s not your fault, Twi. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And you’ve said that you get defensive in situations like this.” After a moment, Twi broke the hug, her cheeks still just as flushed as they were before. “Now, go and change into something dry, and then I’ll see about helping you to make some dinner. And this time let’s avoid playing with the sharp end of the knife.”

“Wow, Twi, funny. And so appropriate.” She just turned away from me, her cheeks growing an even darker shade of red. Shortly after, I was in my room once again, my clothing coming off and forming a neat pile on the floor. Within moments I had on new clothes, and I was no longer feeling like Opal whenever Rarity gave her a bath.

Just before I left my room to start with dinner preparations, I noticed my notepad had something written on it. As I walked over, I saw that it was a note. Written in the typically sloppy handwriting that Dash used. I only quickly glanced at it before I flipped over the notepad. It’d keep till after dinner...

As I made my way back down the hall I heard sounds coming from behind the doors of Applejack’s room, and I figured that the rest of the girls were all there. When I got to the kitchen I noticed with a smile that Twilight was already leafing through the cookbooks. “Can’t leave any book unread, eh, Twi?”

She quickly snapped the book shut, acting almost like she was guilty of something. “No, I was just...” She looked down at the book again, her eyes darting about over the cover. “I just wanted to see what you bought.”

I strode over, taking the book from her and chuckling at the look of annoyance that flashed over her features. “If you wanted to look at something, why not the marvelous selection of meats that I got free of charge?”

“Free?” She walked over to look at the wrapped meats that I was pulling from the refrigerator. After removing enough to feed the seven of us, I gestured at the large amount still there. “All of that?”

“Yeah, I helped out a store owner in town. He gave me all of this as a reward.”

She just laughed as she took a closer look at just how much I had. “What did you do, save his store from some burglar or something?” I kept silent, looking pointedly at the knife I was sharpening. “Icarus?” Her tone demanded an answer, but I refused to respond. “Icarus Phaetheon, what did you do?” I looked over at her, flashing a smile, but still keeping my silence. “I do know your middle name, Icarus, and I will use it, and tell the others, if you don’t answer me.”

That got my attention, and I put the knife down. “Alright, yeah, there was some burglar running down the street, and I managed to, somehow, take him down. Although, in retrospect, it was a bit like stopping a train with a brick wall. Abrupt, fast, and incredibly painful. I don’t know if I was the wall or the train, though.”

Her eyes widened, and she rushed over to me, her magic forcing me into a wider stance. Her tone shifted from what it was before to a far more caring one. “Why didn’t you say anything? You could be ser --”

“Twi.” I held up a hand, breaking her concentration, and her magical hold. She stopped scant inches from my hand, looking past it with concern in her eyes. “I’m fine, really. You don’t need to worry so much. I can take care of myself. Most of the time.”

She grabbed my hand with hers, looking at it for a minute before she looked at me once again. “I know. But... I don’t want to...”

“Trust me, I don’t either. Now, how about you cheer up, and we see about some dinner, okay? And if I feel any pain, I’ll let you know. Fair?” She nodded, and then she gave me a quick hug before she went over to the fridge, opening it up. “Alright, Twi, here’s what we’ll need...” We quickly entered a smooth rhythm, my instructions coming at a pace that Twilight could keep up with, but not so slow as to keep us from getting it done in a timely fashion. As we cooked words flowed freely between us, and not a moment passed where one of us wasn’t talking, and sharing the highs and lows of the past. So much of it was stuff that we already knew, but I did tell her some things that she didn’t know before.

“So, back in Manehattan, before I lost my wings, a couple of my buddies and I thought we’d be real clever. We broke into the zoo late at night; easy work when you can just fly over the gates, and we made for the manticore cages.” Twilight stopped stirring the pot for a moment as she looked at me. “Keep stirring that, Twi. Clearly you can see that I came out alive.” She chuckles weakly before resuming her stirring. “Anyway, Gale, buddy of mine, decides that our original idea, painting the walls of the habitat wasn’t quite enough. He wanted to paint the manticore itself.”

“Do you have any idea just how stupid that idea sounds?”

“Trust me, I know all too well. Frankly, I’m amazed we all made it out. Some of us a bit less scathed than others. Anyway, I said that it was stupid, but someone needed to be the voice of reason. So, we went for it. Needless to say, we ended up waking it. I mean, come on. Massive predatory beast inside a habitat that also acts as a perfect acoustic amplifier.” I shook my head, smiling over at Twilight. “We all got away before it could do anything, but, well, I owe one of my scars to that beast.”

“Allow me to repeat myself: Do you have any idea just how stupid that idea sounds?”

“Well, yeah. Anyway, that was probably one of the riskier things we did. Now, enough distractions, we’re at the hard part. Now, what you’ll have to do is...” After a bit of finicky business we had that massive vat of sauce and meat stewing pleasantly, further attention required only to stir it occasionally. I rested on one of the stools at the island, watching the flames lick at the bottom of the pot. Twilight took a seat beside me, scooting just a bit closer, and laying a hand on my arm. I looked over at her, but her gaze was solidly focused on the pot. The blush on her cheeks told me that her mind wasn’t on the pot.

Just a few minutes later, and Twilight shifted her position, leaning into me a bit. I wrapped my arm around her, and she let out a wistful sigh. “Sometimes you don’t have to say a word to do something right, Icarus.” I held my tongue, content to simply enjoy her company.

Silence will only get me so far. Eventually I’ll have to talk. To Twi, to Pinkie, to all of them.

I cast a glance at the clock, and with a groan I broke from Twilight’s arms. “Time to finish this up. The noodles will be easy enough, so we can get that done in fifteen minutes or less.” I got things going while Twilight got the table set up and ready to go. It only took her a few minutes, and then she came over to watch me work. “You could go and get the others, Twi. I don’t need a babysitter for everything.”

“You went out earlier, unsupervised, and got yourself hurt.”

“It was a fluke.”

Twilight just snorted, matching my gaze. “Do you want me to provide proof that you shouldn’t be left unsupervised?” I just looked away, a snort sounding out. “That’s what I thought. Now, I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t set the house on fire, okay?”

I flashed her a mischievous look. “Oh, now I have to.” She just swatted at my arm, a peal of laughter escaping her. She walked from the kitchen, allowing me to settle into the dull monotony that is cooking noodles.

Within moments she was back at my side, an arm around my waist. “They’ll be down in a minute.” She squeezed me for a moment, prompting me to look at her. “Are you going to --”

“I don’t know yet. It’d be a good idea, but I want to talk to Dash before I do anything. Her and Pinkie together, for that matter.”

“Just remember that it’s not your job to please everyone.”

“No, it’s not. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.” As I finished I heard the sound of a door open upstairs, followed by the sounds of people coming down the stairs moments later. I kept my gaze focused on the boiling water, counting down the seconds until I had to turn to face the group of women sitting at the table. When that moment finally came, I did so with grace and dignity. And a bowl of steaming hot noodles. “Well, ladies, for dinner today I, with help from Twilight, have prepared for you a special sauce with some freshly cooked noodles. The sauce has a bit of spice to it, so don’t just heap it on.” As I finished speaking I placed a bowl of sauce on the table, looking at it with a critical eye. “Pretty sure I got it right, but I’ll let all of you make that call.”

After I finished speaking, I took my seat, patiently waiting for the girls to finish helping themselves. Most of the meal passed in silence, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence. When I was the last one eating, I let out a small sigh. “Right. Um. What did you all think?” Silence answered me, and I felt the tension in the room growing. I stood up, my sudden motion drawing all of their eyes to me. “Fine. I fucked up. Happy? Creator above, I cook dinner and it’s still not even enough to bridge the gap. Well then, I suppose I should just get started. Fluttershy, I’m sorry that I snapped at you, and nearly bit your head off. It’s not really you that I’m angry at. Pinkie, Dash, I want to talk to the two of you in private. My room, after I finish cleaning up.”

Fluttershy didn’t meet my gaze, and both Pinkie and Dash just looked at me with blank expressions. “Icarus, how about you go on ahead up to your room, and leave the cleaning to us.” I looked at Applejack as she rose and started gathering the dishes. “Maybe another chance to arrange your thoughts will do you some good.” I nodded before I started for my room.

I sat on my bed, my hands resting in my lap. A knock came from my door, and my eyes immediately found the knob. I put my hands on my knees for a moment, my mind racing.

Just two options, but an infinite number of possibilities.

I stood, and walked to the door, my hands clenched to keep from shaking. I couldn’t believe the situation that I found myself in. My hand clutched the knob as I drew in a deep breath. The gentle sound of the latch clicking was audible clearly against the white noise of the still falling rain. Both Dash and Pinkie stood there, framed elegantly in the space afforded by the portal.

“Girls.” I stepped back, allowing them both to enter. I didn’t look at either of them as they walked past me, and after I closed the door I turned to see them both seated at the head of my bed, their eyes focused on me. I walked over to the bed, taking a seat at the end I was at, my gaze flitting between the two of them. “I think that it’s only fitting that I start, since I’m the cause of all of this.” I sighed softly. “First off, Dash, I want to apologize for what I said. You didn’t force yourself on me, I wanted it as much as you did.” My gaze switched to Pinkie. “And I want to apologize to you, Pinkie. I put a strain on your relationship with Rainbow Dash because of my actions.”

No matter what we do, it all comes down to a single path of life.

“Dashie and I already made up, Icarus. You’re important to both of us, and we understand that you are having trouble with what is, normally, the second stage of building a relationship.”

“And because of that fact, both Pinkie and I were expecting too much of you. Normally you would spend weeks, or even months with one of us before even offering to have another girl join you.”

“And, after talking for quite some time, Dashie has come to a realization.”

I looked at Pinkie for a moment before I looked back at Dash. “And what would that be?”

“I love you, but I don’t know how to show it to you. What I... What we did in the jungle was just an expression of how I feel. I hoped that it would spark something in you.”

Probabilities collapse until the path lies before me.

“It did, Dash. But...” I sighed, my thoughts running together and making things worse. “I don’t know how to explain it. I know that I want to love you, but there’s just... Something missing.”

Dash smiled at me, tiny tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I know. And I’ll find what it is, I promise. Who knows, maybe the problem is as much me as it is you.”

Pinkie moved over to me for a moment, taking my hand and pulling me over to the two of them. “Someone smart once said something even smarter to a friend of mine.” She looked at me, and then back at Dash. “He said: ‘knowing the problem doesn’t mean you know how to fix it.’ You don’t have to fix it alone, Dashie. You’ve got me, Icarus, and the others to help.”

And thus, my feet lie planted, my fate sealed for the moment.

Dash moved a hand to wipe away her tears, but I beat her to it, my hand resting on her cheek for a moment. “I’m going to do what I can to help Dash. I won’t change a thing about me. I’m just going to let you see more of me. The parts that I’ve kept hidden from all of you for years.” She smiled for a moment. “But, for now, I really need to get some sleep.”

Dash pushed my hand from her cheek, a flush coming to her cheeks. “So that’s it, huh? An apology and then you kick us out?”

I only let my smile grow. “I didn’t say you had to go. Just that I needed some sleep.” Dash’s cheeks flushed an even darker shade of crimson, and then she got off the bed. I grabbed her hand before she could go a step, though. “Dash, really, I’m here. If you want to talk to me, talk to me. But, know that you aren’t the only one who wants a part of my heart.” I squeezed her hand a bit before letting it go. “Lucky for you that I’m a patient man with a big heart.”

Dash let a smile come to her face as she walked out of my room, her gaze lingering on me for just a moment as she closed the door. Pinkie wrapped her arms around me when the door closed, and soon I was lying down with her clinging to my arm. “Thank you.” Pinkie planted a quick kiss on my cheek after she spoke.

I let a smile come to my face. “For what?”

“For starting to fix yourself.”

I couldn’t think of a response to that, so I simply enjoyed the company for a time before I stood, and I made my way over to the balcony. “Like I said to Dash. I’m not changing anything. I’m just letting you see more of who I am. I’ll show you that I’m the same as I’ve always been. The only change will be how much of it you see.” I pulled aside the curtains that blocked the balcony from sight, a smile coming to my face. “The rain stopped.” My gaze went to the swathe of jungle that I could see, and a single spark of light flashed. “And the fireflies are out again.” My smile widened as I turned back to the bed. “Tomorrow is a new day, Pinkie.” I reclined next to Pinkie, her arms wrapping around me once again. “It’s a magical world. Let’s go exploring.”

Author's Notes:

Seems funny to me that Chapter 9 is the first to break 9000 words. Also, for the record, this is the longest single chapter I've ever written. Congrats to me.

Hope you enjoyed that. Let me know if you like these longer chapters. If you do, I might try to make them all a bit longer.