The sun barely broke over the horizon when the Apple family started to stir. Applebloom burst into the guest room and jumped on the bed. “Martin! Rise and shine!” She yelled, using the mattress as a trampoline.

Martin gasped and fell out of bed in a jumble of blankets. He looked at her confused and slowly got back on his hooves. “Bloody hell…” He yawned and scratched his head. “Is that how you wake everyone up?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Course it is! It’s another day fer crusadin’!”

He sighed. “Jesus… umm… maybe we should begin the day a little less… action packed? And before we do anything, I gotta go to the bathroom.” He walked past her, watching his hooves so he wouldn’t mess up. He heard the shower and knocked. “AJ?”

“Ah’ll be out in a minute!” The orange mare responded.

He nodded. “Aye, don’t rush yourself.” He waited for a few minutes before the door opened, a towel wrapped around her head and waist. He smiled. “Morning AJ.”

She smiled back. “Good mornin’ ta ya too.” She leaned forward and nuzzled him, her fur damp.

He blushed and kissed her cheek. “Sleep well?”

She nodded. “You?”

He nodded as well. “Aye but any place is wonderful if I know you’re around.”

She whacked his back with a hoof. “Aww yer just saying that.”

He shook his head. “If you’re around any place is special but not as special as you.”

She blushed and kissed him. “Thank ya… really warms mah heart.”

“So does your smile to mine...”

She pulled him into a hug. “Aww…”

He hugged back and they stood in the hallway till Big Mac cleared his throat. “‘Cuse me.” He said, walking by the two and down the stairs.

Martin scratched his neck and smiled. “See ya down stairs.” He kissed her and went into the bathroom.

Suddenly somepony rapidly knocked on the door. “Are you almost done in there!?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie?”

“Well duh! Are you done!? I have to go to the bathroom!” She said.

“Pinkie, what the hay are you doin’ here?” AJ asked.

“I have to go to the bathroom silly!”

“Don’t the Cakes have a bathroom too?”

“Oh yeah…” Pinkie giggled and she hopped downstairs.

Martin shook his head before walking over to the toilet. “Alright toilet… just you and me…” He muttered. Five minutes later, he finally came down and sighed in relief. “That took longer than it should have…” He mumbled, heading into the kitchen.

Applebloom was already half way through her dandelion sandwich. He sat opposite of her and smiled at the filly. “Sleep well Applebloom?”

She nodded, dandelion bits flying. “Ah sure did! Couldn’t wait till Ah go crusadin’ with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!”

He chuckled. “Aye, well guten appetit!”

She looked at him like he was crazy. “What?”

Martin shook his head and laughed. “Guten appetit.” She stared at him before going back to eating. AJ placed a plate of hay fries in front of him and he looked at them confused. He sniffed them. “Can I eat that now?”

“Eeyup, yer a pony now so ya can eat normal grub.”

He thought for a moment before taking an hesitant bite. “Pretty darn good. I would talk in German to say something positive but no one would understand me.” He continued eating happily.

“Not at all.” AJ said, grabbing a plate of her own.

Applebloom walked up and put her plate in the sink. “Well Ah’m off with Scoots and Sweetie, see ya later!” She said happily, running out of the house.

Martin watched her leave. “She’s a lively one ain’t she?”

“Ever since she met Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Before she used ta be a quiet pony.”

“We all need something to get us outta our shells.” He smiled.

“Ah’m just waiting for her cutie mark ta appear.”

Martin looked at his own blank flank. “Oh yeah, I don’t have one myself.”

She laughed. “Neither of you humans do but Ah bet yours would have ta be something smithy related. From what Forge tells me anyway.”

“We’ll see about it when the time comes, aye?”

“Mhm.” She finished her food and put the plate in the sink as well before yawning. “Looks like its gonna be a long day.”

He nodded and put his plate in the sink. “Yep, I have to give a report about the war near the border.”

She blinked. “Oh yeah, we got another meetin’ today.”

“Aye but you’ll make it a lot more bearable.”

She rolled her eyes, a small blush on her cheeks. “Hopefully ya’ll learn how ta apple buck as fast as you are with the compliments.”

He chuckled. “I just love that blushing look of yours.”

She pulled her hat down to hide her face. “Stop it…” She chuckled as well.

He stepped closer. “Why would I want to make the pony I love stop feeling special?”

She turned redder and leaned forward, kissing him. After the kiss broke, they stared at each other. “Thank ya.”

He nodded. “We should get to work, aye?”

“Course.” She said, leading the way outside.

They began bucking trees, the earth just beginning to feel its warmth. He stayed close to her and watched her buck the trees. “So you watching her to learn a trick or staring at her flank?” Discord asked, floating next to him as a small bug.

He blinked and turned red. “Uh.. I-I…”

“So that’s the latter then..” He said with a big toothy grin.

Martin hoofed the ground, his cheeks bright red. “Can’t deny it now..” He looked at Discord. “What are ya doing here anyways?”

“Well I was just checking up on my second favourite human turned pony.”

Martin rolled his eyes. “Well ya did it, what now aye?”

Discord chuckled. “Well I already checked on Michael and Fluttershy so I’m not sure.” He yawned.

Martin watched AJ buck a tree in the distance and slowly walked up to her. “Well… you can go bother someone else.”

“Aww you’re no fun.”

“Aye, not when you’re around.”

He frowned. “Well that’s not very nice. Maybe I’ll go see if Mike will be nice.” He said disappearing.

He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t just watching her flank…” He muttered and walked into a tree.

Discord reappeared. “Yes you were…” He said laughing.

“Are ya alright?” AJ asked, turning towards the laughter.

Martin smiled at her. “I am, now that you’re here.”

She blushed as Discord groaned. “That was just painful…” He muttered.

Martin chuckled and walked up to her. “Need a break?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Ah’m not the one that just walked into a tree.”

He laughed. “I’m still learning…”

She chuckled and kissed him. “Come on, let’s get some water.”

They walked to the house, supporting each other and made it to the kitchen. Martin poured her a glass of water before getting himself a glass. She sighed and took a drink, staring out the window.

He drank the entire glass and set it on the table. “Something bothering you?”

“Nah, just thinkin’.”

“Wanna share your thoughts?”

“Just wondering bout the meetin’.”

He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. This is the last meeting, Vandir will go back to the Griffon Kingdom and we’ll go back to the farm and spend some less politically influenced time together. If you want to of course.”

“Course Ah do… Ah just wish there wasn’t a war hanging over our heads.”

He sighed. “I know… I was there but we’ll discuss whether or not if I should activate the Iron Army to help end the war.”

“What happens once we’re done? What do we do with them then?”

He shrugged. “Send them back to the castle, maybe leave them and have them watch over things for awhile.”

“Ah think that’d be a good idea, make sure it doesn’t collapse again.”

He scooted over and hugged her. “Aye, I hope you know no matter what happens I love you.”

She wrapped her hooves tightly around him. “Ah hope you know Ah love ya too.”

They kissed passionately, her hat knocked off her head and gently floated to the floor. The kiss lasted until they had to break it to get air. He bent down and picked up her hat. “You look cute with your hat off.”

She blushed and grabbed it out of his hooves before placing it back on her head. “T-thanks…”

He looked at the nearby clock. “We should get some more bucking done…”

“Yeah before we have ta head off for the meetin’.” She said, walking towards the door. “Let’s try and finish this row of trees and we’ll be done fer the day.”

He nodded and trotted after her.

=

The sun was shining high as Michael and Fluttershy went around the house and fed the animals, who at that point ‘accepted’ Michael, letting him feed them and sometimes pet them. Fluttershy was outside, happily humming as she gathered the eggs from her chicken coop as Michael swept up inside. The dust pile got bigger and some shot into his face, he sneezed and nearly destroyed all his hard work.
“That was close…” He whispered.

Angel hopped towards him, making sure to avoid the dust and not get his coat dirty.

“Hey Angel, how are you?” Mike asked, sweeping by the fridge.

He smiled at the pegasus and nodded, holding out his paw. Mike smiled and shook his paw. The bunny hopped away and came back a few minutes later with a small magenta flower. He handed it to Mike and pointed at Fluttershy.

He tilted his head. “You want me to give her the flower?”

Angel nodded.

Mike shrugged. “Ok, why not.” He said, leaning the broom against the wall and walked outside. “Hey Fluttershy…”

She turned around, a breeze tugging at her mane. She smiled and walked over. “Hello Michael.”

He blushed. “Um… h-here…” He held out the flower.

She gasped and her face turned beet red. “T-that’s my favorite flower… how did you know?” She grabbed it and gently sniffed it.

“A little bunny told me.” He smiled.

She giggled and kissed him. “Thank you… and next time you see him tell him how much I appreciate it.”

“I will…” He blushed and headed back inside. The bunny was waiting for him, gnawing on a carrot. “What can I do to repay you?” He asked.

The bunny nonchalantly waved his paw.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, the carrot in his mouth like a cigar.

“Thanks again Angel.” He said, grabbing the broom and finished sweeping. Finally he plopped down and stretched, wiping the sweat off his brow. He looked at the medallion. “I wonder…” He said, grabbing it.

He froze, pain and numbness shooting through his body. He started to shiver, his mind going blank. Memories of every bad thing that happened to him through his life forced themselves to play on repeat, weakening his already fatigued mind. His heart beat erratically as his hooves were frozen on the medallion. He fell to the floor, tears pouring out of his eyes.

Fluttershy walked inside, the flower in her mane as she set the basket on the counter. She turned around and saw Michael on the floor, rushing over and quickly grabbed his hooves. She yelled his name, trying to get him to respond as tears started to trickle down her face. She forced his hooves away from the medallion as he gasped. “Michael? A-are you ok? Please! Can you hear me?” She asked frantically called his name, holding his head in her hooves.

Just as sudden as the numbness and visions came, they disappeared. He took a moment, trying to get his heart to beat normally. “Whoa…” He blinked, looking at her. “Hey… what… what happened?”

She hugged him tighter. “Michael!?” She sobbed. “Y-you’re ok… thank Celestia…” She muttered, not letting go as her body shook.

He wrapped his hooves around her and rested his head on her stomach. “Of course I am.”

“W-what happened? Y-you just laid on the ground… crying. Your body was ice cold and you didn’t respond…” She managed to say.

“I was sweeping up and grabbed the med-” He paused and glared at it. “What in the world…”

She looked at the medallion. “D-don’t do that again… e-e-ever…”

“I won’t… I’ve learned my lesson.” He sighed. “I always end up doing something stupid, don’t I?”

She was silent and looked at him with puffy eyes. “Y-you sh-shouldn’t always get yourself in
trouble like that…”

He kissed her gently. “I’ll try not to do anything stupid but you know me…”

She frowned and kissed him again. “Please… try and keep away from trouble… I don’t want you to get hurt… I wouldn’t know what to do…”

“I think Redheart would kill me…” He chuckled. “But I’ll do what I can Flutters.”

She hugged him again. “O-ok…”

I wonder why it did that… He hugged her tightly. “I love you Flutters…” He whispered.

She blushed. “I-I love you too…”

He smiled as he got up onto his hooves, a bit shaky. “Well that was a fun experience.”

She got up and immediately fell down again, her legs weak. She turned bright red and covered her face with her hooves.

He looked at her worriedly and helped her up, holding her tightly. “Are you ok?”

She nodded. “I-it’s just…” She mumbled, her voice too quiet to hear.

“I’m sorry but could you say that a little louder.”

She covered her eyes, her red cheeks bright on her yellow fur. “I-it’s just… that se-seeing you like that… it-it was horrible… I-I didn’t know what I would’ve done… if it would’ve been something else. I-I don’t want to lose you…”

He was silent and gently pulled her hooves away from her eyes and stared into them. He bent down, kissing her on the lips. They stayed like that for a few moments before he broke it. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I’ll go to the edge of the world, fight Death, as long as I can stay with you.” He put a hoof over her heart then his own. “We’ll be together no matter what happens, cause our hearts beats as one.”

She stood there for a moment before a tear rolled down her cheek and pulled him into another hug. “T-thank you…” She managed to say.

He rubbed her back, resting his head against her. “Shh… it’ll be ok…”

She continued to cry for a few more minutes before she started to calm down. She moved away and smiled at him, wiping a tear from her eye. She kissed him once more. “Thank you Michael… what would I do w-without you?”

“Still be the best pegasus ever with five friends that would do anything for her.” He smiled. “And have a lot less to worry about.”

She shook her head and giggled before glancing at the clock. “The meeting is in a few hours… w-what do you want to do?”

He sat there, tapping his hoof against his chin. “How about I try and make us something to eat?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I-I’ll be upstairs…” She said, quickly walking up the stairs and leaving him alone.

He wandered into the kitchen, going through the cupboards, trying to find something to make. Angel hopped on the counter and grabbed a book from a shelf. He flipped through a few pages and pointed at a dandelion and white rose sandwich.

Michael stared at the bunny. “Somehow I will pay you back, when I get some bits.” He promised the bunny, rummaging around started gathering the ingredients. Together, the two of them made two sandwiches that looked exactly like the one in the picture. He put both on a tray and balanced it on his back as he made his way upstairs.

Her room was dark, the curtains closed as she set up a projector on a small table at the end of her bed. It coughed to life and illuminated the wall, a film already loaded. She turned around and smiled, her face red.

“Oh? What’s this?” He asked as he walked in, Angel trailing right behind and he sat the tray on the bed.

She smiled and hoofed at the ground. “I-I thought m-maybe we could watch a movie…”

He grinned. “I’d love too, what movie?”

“Umm… it’s called ‘Dawn’.”

“Hmm… sounds interesting…”

Her face turned redder. “Um… if you’d like to we-we could sit on the bed together…”

He got onto the bed, making sure not to knock over the food. “Sounds like a plan.”

She gulped, her face bright pink as she sat down next to him. She leaned forward and pushed a small button on the projector. As the countdown began, he passed her the food and they ate in silence, the movie’s opening scene played. He wrapped a hoof around her waist.

=

The movie ended, the credits beginning. She watched the names crawl by and sighed. “Did you like it?” She asked.

He hesitantly smiled. “Y-yeah… it wasn’t that bad of a movie…”

She smiled and hugged him. “It’s one of my favorites…”

He hugged her back. “I-I can see why…”

She kissed as she got up and started to pack up the projector. Together, it was packed up in no time and she opened the curtains. The light blinded them and they shielded their eyes.

At least I don’t sparkle… He shuddered, staring out the window. “So Flutters, we still have a bit before the meeting, what’d you like to do?”

She looked outside and smiled. “It’s a nice day… d-do you want to… go for a walk? I mean, if you want to that is…”

“I’d love to.” He smiled, picking up the tray and carried it downstairs.
Angel napped on the couch, his back paw twitching slightly. She followed him downstairs and nuzzled the bunny’s cheek. She opened the door and headed outside. The sun was still high in the sky, its warm rays making it a beautiful spring day.

He walked outside, shutting the door behind him and wrapped his hoof around hers. “Any particular place?” He asked, looking at the sky.

She looked towards the forest and blushed. “Y-yes…” She said, leading the way into the Everfree.

He gulped, slightly afraid of the forest. He tightened his grip on her hoof and walked closer to her.

It was dark, the canopy blocking most of the sun. Noises came from everywhere, echoing through the dense forest. He could feel as if things were watching him, waiting for the best moment to strike. He turned and saw Fluttershy calmly lead them deeper. “Don’t worry…” She said, smiling.

He forced a smile as the forest seemed to close around them. “I-I’m not worried… not at a-all…”

She giggled led him further inside. After a bit, she stopped and looked at him. “Close your eyes…” She whispered.

He gulped and very slowly closed his eyes, letting her lead him completely. With his eyes closed, it was scarer, the noises right next to him. He could feel his heart beat faster, a manticore following them. A few plants and leaves brushed against his fur before they stopped.

“Ok, you can open your eyes…” She said, leaning towards him.

He opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. A gentle crystal blue pond gurgled as birds and other forest inhabitants gathered around to drink and rest. A few fish hopped out of the water, creating a nice ripple in the water as it landed. A whole in the canopy let a beam of sunlight hit the middle of the pond, letting some light into the dark forest. The ground was covered with red and purple flowers, the grass a more vibrant green. Trees formed a circle around the pond, the hostile atmosphere of the Everfree vanished.

He stared in awe at the scene, trying to find his voice. “It’s… beautiful…” He whispered, slowly making his way towards the water, trying not to disturb the animals.

She walked next to him and nuzzled his cheek. “Just because something looks grim doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good about it.”

“Yeah… I guess even the scariest places has a light to it.” He looked at his reflection in the water, a fish shot by.

She laid down and closed her eyes, leaning towards the flower and sniffing them.

He looked at her, the sun bouncing off her yellow coat, creating an angelic glow around her. He blinked a few times before slowly walking towards her and laid next to her, resting his head on her side. He nuzzled her neck. “Thank you Flutters…” He whispered.

She blushed and rolled onto him, pulling him into a hug and kissed him. He closed his eyes, relaxing in her embrace.

They laid on the grass, kissing gently as the water rippled in the wind. It was peaceful there and they were grateful to finally be away from all the death and pain that had surrounded them. He broke the kiss, somehow switching spots with her, her pink mane draping over half her face and against his side. He smiled at her, her sapphire eyes shining from the water’s reflection. “Thank you so much Fluttershy… for everything.” He whispered, staring into her eyes.

Her face turned bright pink and she leaned closer. “I have to thank you Michael.” She gently kissed him and laid on him, closing her eyes as she nuzzled her way under his chin.

He kissed her head, oblivious to everything but the precious sound of her heart beating against his own. “Thank me? For what?”

“Yo-you always were so nice to me… you were there for me and I-I love you… I wouldn’t want to spend time with anypony else…”

“I love you too… and you were always nice to me. You led me around when I was blind, spent all your free time with me with those numerous hospital visits, made sure I was ok earlier, made sure I had a house to live in, taught me to walk.” A tear crawled out of his eye. “You kept me going, even when all I could think about was ending it or ignoring the world, you were there… there to stop me…”

She wrapped her hooves around his neck and buried her face into his neck, sobbing happily.

He wrapped his hooves around her. “Are you ok?”

She nodded and let go, looking into his eyes and smiled.

He smiled back. “There’s the Fluttershy I love so much.”

She blushed harder and gently kissed him again. He nuzzled her snout and yawned. She closed her eyes and rested on top of him.

“Wanna take a nap?” He asked, looking around and made sure there was no danger in sight.

She nodded silently and kissed his neck. He grinned like an idiot and closed his eyes, wrapping his hooves around her and rolled to his side, making sure she was still comfortable and he was the closest to the forest. Just in case.

Time flew by as the sun lowered and gave way to the moon. Fluttershy opened her eyes and yawned. She kissed his cheek. “Wake up sleepy…” She said, her gentle voice was like warming his heart.

He blinked and groaned, his eyes taking a second to get used to the darkness. “Fluttershy?” He yawned.

She smiled and kissed him. “We should get back to town now, we might be late for the meeting.” She said, looking at the sky.

He got to his hooves and held one out for her. “Then let’s get going.”

She smiled and grabbed it tightly. She led him back to the cottage, their tailed entwined. She leaned against him as they reached the cottage, only taking a pitstop to check on the animals. Once everything was ok, they headed into town. They nuzzled each other frequently, their tails still locked together as he used a wing to block against the gentle chill. They finally stood outside town hall.

They took a deep breath and opened the doors, stepping inside for the final meeting.