Blaze rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t slept, he had wanted to keep an eye on Fluttershy and make sure she was still ok, and results from the tests looked promising. He had yet to find one that would work, but he was close. He was also tired, and was glad he had a good supply of coffee beans to chew. He preferred that to the actual drink coffee. It was now 7am in the morning. He walked in and checked on Fluttershy. She was asleep, and he smiled for the first time since before his last visit to the Breach with Fluttershy. He turned and closed the door, intending to head in to the study when he heard another knock on the door. He sighed. He was glad he kept his house immaculate with all the visitors.

He opened the door and saw 5 ponies standing there, including Applejack, Dash and Twilight, as well as well as another white unicorn and another pink, bouncy earth pony. Twilight had a saddlebag.

“Oh, hello. How are you all? Please excuse me, but I don’t know you two.” he pointed at Rarity and Pinkie Pie who was still bouncing.

“Well, darling, my name is Rarity, and this, uh, energetic pony is Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie, oh yes I remember. You left me and Hammy those cupcakes and muffins.”

“Yeah, I just got back to town, and I was going to find you and throw you a HUGE party, but then Twilight here told me

Fluttershy was sick, and it made so sad,” to emphasize this, she sat down and pulled a frowny face, then went back to bouncing “then she told me you were looking after her, and I was like ‘Ah, that’s sweet!’, and then-”

“Ok, that’s enough for now Pinkie.” Twilight said, putting her hoof in front of Pinkie. “Hello Blaze, we brought Pinkie and Rarity to see Fluttershy, and here,” using her magic she opened her saddlebag and levitated out several dozen cards.

“Once word got around that Fluttershy was sick, loads of ponies made get well soon cards.” she put them back in. “Can we come in and see her?”

Blaze smiled again. “Of course. One moment.” he turned and walked up the stairs to Fluttershy’s room to light the Lavender candles. He also lit an additional 4 candles around the house. He didn’t want anypony else getting sick and he wasn’t taking any chances. He walked back over to the front door and waved them all in. They walked up the stairs in single file to Fluttershy. Blaze stood outside the door.

“She’s asleep and still has a severe headache, so please, whispering only.” he opened the door and let everypony else go in first. Rarity was the last one, but she stopped and whispered to him.

“If you DO like Fluttershy in that way, darling, you should just tell her.”

“Wait, how did-?”

“We’re all the best of friends. We tell each other everything. And you’re not exactly subtle.”

“Ok, just, don’t tell anypony else.”

“Certainly.” she walked in the room and Blaze followed, sighing to himself.

Fluttershy was still asleep, and her friends had congregated in a semicircle around her, crowding the small room. Blaze walked over to Twilight.

“Could I have those cards?”

“Sure, why?”

“I was going to put them on the bedside table and shelves.”

“Ok. I’ll help.” They set them up around the room while Pinkie did her best not to bounce around and stay quiet at the same time. Fluttershy coughed. Blaze put the last card down and went to check on her.

Applejack spoke up “Thank you again for helping her sugarcube. I don’t know what we’d do without ya.”

“It’s fine Applejack.”

“Does she know you like her?” asked Twilight.

“I haven’t told her, but I think she knows. I think she likes me too.”

After a few minutes, Rarity spoke up.

“Well, we’d best be going. From what my friends here have told me, you need to work on a cure for this dreadful illness.”

“Yes, that’s probably best, but I didn’t want to say.”

“It’s ok, we’ll go.” Rainbow Dash said. She then walked over and nuzzled Fluttershy’s mane. “Get well soon Flutters.”

The rest of them walked over and did the same, with the exception of Blaze. He led them out of the room and downstairs. At the front door, Twilight remembered something and stopped.

“Oh, Blaze, I have a letter from Princess Celestia for you. Here.” she levitated it out of here saddlebag and put it in Blazes hoof.

“P-Princess C-Celestia!? Why has she sent me a letter?” Blaze asked worriedly.

“I wrote to her when I got back to the library, after me, Applejack and Dash met you, telling her about Fluttershy.”

“Oh, ok. Oh, and Applejack, could you bring Angel and Hammy round here?”

“Ah sure can pardner.” she tipped her hat and walked out the door with Rarity and Twilight, leaving Blaze standing there with the scroll wrapped in Canterlot ribbon. He opened it and read:

To Dr Blaze Carousel, or Blaze

It has come to my attention, through my trusted student Twilight Sparkle, that one of the elements of Harmony and one of Twilights best friends, Fluttershy, has become gravely ill, and that you are caring to and treating her. Twilight has also told me part of your story, and how you came to be in Ponyville. I wish you luck in your attempt to cure her. When you have found the cure to this illness, please send me a letter through my student Twilight Sparkle. I wish to know more about it.

Signed Sincerely, Princess Celestia

Blaze put the note down and thought about what he had just read. Princess Celestia. As if he didn’t have enough pressure on his shoulders. He went into his study and placed the letter on the shelf and got back to the cure. It was almost complete.

Any time soon…

-An hour later-

Blaze was in the kitchen preparing lunch for him and Fluttershy. He heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. It was Applejack with Hammy, who had gone to Fluttershy’s house while Blaze looked after her, and Angel.

“Thanks AJ.”

“No problem.” she turned and left. Blaze brought Hammy and Angel in and closed the door.

“Guess I might as well make you both some lunch as well. Carrot, Angel?”

Angel nodded and Blaze handed him one, then gave Hammy a small bowl of his Guinea Pig feed, and then finished his and Fluttershy’s lunch. He whistled to Angel and Hammy, indicating they should follow him up the stairs. He opened the bedroom door and walked in with Fluttershy’s lunch on a tray and Angel and Hammy following him close behind, hidden from the stirring Fluttershy.

Blaze walked over and set the tray down on the bedside table. “I have a small surprise as well.” He moved to the side and revealed a jumping Angel.

“Angel!” Fluttershy squeaked and hugged him. “This is wonderful. Momma missed you so much! Thank you Blaze.”

“It’s ok, I figured you would want to see him.”

He fed her lunch, then led Hammy and Angel downstairs

-That Evening-

It was now early evening. Blaze took the bubbling mixture off the burner and watched as it cooled. The result was a sour smelling, thin, blue liquid. He used a dropper to get some of the medicine out. Trying not to get his hopes up after 22 hours of testing and being kept awake only by the coffee beans he was chewing every other minute. He slowly walked over to the blood samples and shakily picked one off the rack, carrying it and the medicine over to the desk with a microscope. He put the blood sample down.

He slowly, and extremely carefully, squeezed the drop of medicine out of the dropper, straight on to the blood sample and quickly slid it under the microscope lens, looking into it. He located an Illness cell, and then saw the medicine (still bluish even on a microscopic level) slowly surround it. Now was the moment of truth. He watched as the medicine slowly ate away at the Illness cell. As soon as it broke the edge, it instantly destroyed the cell.

He gasped, but then he moved the scope, finding an infected blood cell. If it destroyed the blood cell as well, it would be useless. He watched, fascinated as the medicine slowly surrounded the blood cell and gasped again, louder as he saw the Illness being sucked out of the blood cell. He jumped back and pumped the air with his hoof, forgetting his tiredness. He put 4 drops of the liquid in a hypodermic needle and put it on a tray with a small cloth, medicinal alcohol and a Band-Aid, which he carried into Fluttershy’s room.

“H-hello Blaze, oh, what’s that?” she coughed quietly after asking him.

“I, I think I’ve made a cure. Except, it’s an injection.” he smiled sheepishly.

“O-oh, well, ok then.” Fluttershy was determined not to look weak or scared in front of him. She sat up and laid her foreleg on the blanket.

Blaze softly held her foreleg and grabbed the cloth from the tray in his mouth, dabbing it on the bottle of alcohol and rubbing it on the spot he was going to give her the injection. He put it down and got the needle ready.

“Ready?”

Fluttershy had her eyes squeezed shut, but nodded. “Mm-hm.”

Blaze got the needle and gave her the injection, hearing a small squeak when the needle went in. He gave her the injection, then pulled the needle out to reveal a small blotch, which he covered with the Band-Aid. He looked up at Fluttershy’s face and smiled. She let out a small sigh and opened her eyes, smiling back at him.

Blaze wanted to shout with joy when he saw some of the colour almost immediately return to Fluttershy’s face. “If you want, I could get you a lolly pop.” he said, making her giggle. She hugged him and he hugged back.

“Thank you Blaze.”

“Thank you Fluttershy.” he pulled back and smiled at her again. She smiled back again, and their eyes locked. He moved his head in close and she copied him. They stopped and looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, before letting their lips touch and they exchanged a quick kiss, barely brushing each other’s lips, but it was enough to make them both blush heavily.

“If it’s alright, could I get some sleep? That injection made me feel very tired.” Fluttershy knew the kiss with Blaze was probably overwhelming any odd feelings the injection had given her, but she wanted to sleep.

Blaze nodded happily and turned to see Angel and Hammy giggling silently in the doorway, but their faces turned to those of surprise when they saw Blaze looking at them, then they turned and ran down the stairs, making Blaze laugh and Fluttershy giggle. Blaze walked out and closed the door behind him, all the while smiling. He had done it. He had found the cure he needed. He had used about half the flower experimenting, but each petal, mixed with the other ingredients, produced about 750ml of medicine, and each injection need 50ml. He counted the petals. There was still 14 good ones. He did a quick calculation, and figured out he could make enough for 210 injections, more than enough. And on top of the cure, Fluttershy knew he loved her, and he knew she loved him back.

He smiled and felt something he hadn’t felt for a long time.

Pure, unaltered happiness.

-An hour later-

Blaze was on the balcony with his guitar again. No matter how many times he sat here, the view still awed him. Celestia’s sun was halfway behind the horizon behind Ponyville, and he guessed that Luna’s moon was halfway behind the opposite horizon.  He looked up at the stars that were slowly revealing themselves as he started to play the song he had written and was so close to perfecting.

Hearing the music and beautiful singing voice for the third time, Fluttershy opened her eyes. She still felt weak, but she was getting stronger. Blaze had saved her. She listened to the music, the music that seemed sad, despite everything. She wanted to see Blaze. She sat up in the bed, and put her back legs on the floor, wrapping the blanket around her. It was the first time she had gotten up in days, and felt dizzy. She continued regardless, and stood up on all 4 legs, wrapping the blanket tightly around her with her mouth. She opened the door of the bedroom and walked across the hall to the open study door, entering Blaze’s study.

She looked around at the lab equipment, still listening to the music and Blaze’s voice. She walked over to the open balcony door and stood there, just listening.

Blaze continued singing and playing, oblivious to Fluttershy’s presence. He finished and put the guitar down, a tear in his eye.

“That was beautiful.” Fluttershy said quietly, surprising him as he turned to look at her. She walked over and sat next to him.

“T-thank you. I,” he stopped at a loss for words. Fluttershy understood, and simply laid her head on his shoulder, and he in turn rested his head against hers.

After looking at the sunset for a while he felt Fluttershy shivering, and put a foreleg around her.

“Come on, let’s go back inside.”

Fluttershy nodded and they stood up and went back indoors.