The Hunter Approaches [PRIVATE]

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy felt bad for making Twilight uncomfortable in front of the princesses, of all ponies. He rushed over and tried to help her stack up the papers. Glancing down at them as he stacked, he saw that she was right. Even though each individual piece of evidence was small, she had hundreds of observations to back up her conclusions.

"Wow, Twilight," he said, after helping her out of the mountain of paper, "I'm impressed that you gathered all of this evidence so quickly. I was wrong to judge you before you presented the full story."

He gave Partheus a disapproving look. Twilight certainly didn't need him to make this situation any more awkward.

[Partheus]

Twilight smiled slightly. "Thanks. We haven't got anything else to go on, so even if this turns out to be wrong, it's our best bet at the moment." She collected the remaining plies of paper, and shoved them all into her massive saddlebags. She walked over to Partheus, who was trying to bury his face after embarrassing himself in front of everyone. "Thanks for the kind words, Partheus. They really mean a lot to me." Partheus grimaced a little at her compliment. Why did Rainbow Dash have to tell me that, he thought. Now every innocent compliment Twilight pays me is going to sound like a chat-up line! "Err, no problem, Twilight. You know I'm always here to support you..." He gulped nervously, Twilight giving him a concerned look.

Just then, a pink alicorn with multi-coloured hair walked into the throne room. "Cadence! It's so good to see you!" Twilight ran over to her, hugging her while still carrying all of her paperwork. Weighed down by the unusually heavy unicorn, Cadence tried to slip out of Twilight's hold before her neck snapped. "Oh, well, it's lovely to see you too, Twilight! Looks like you've been working on something big!" Twilight blushed and giggled. "Aww, it's nothing much, just a little investigation I've been doing for Celestia." Cadence rolled her eyes cheerily. "Old habits die hard, eh?" They both laughed among themselves.

Cadence walked over to Celestia and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help with this whole affair with Sagittarius." Celestia smiled thoughtfully. "Well, if you feel as though you must assist, I suppose boosting the morale of those made homeless by Sagittarius would be a fitting task for a mistress of love such as yourself." Cadence bowed again. "Thank you, Your Highness. The gesture is much appreciated." Rainbow Dash saw her opportunity to strike; she flew over to Cadence as she was making her way out of the throne room and whispered into her ear, "Hey, you see that human over there?" Cadence looked over at Partheus. "Oh, is that what they're called? Yes, go on."

"Well, he really likes Twilight, and Twilight really likes him. Like, 'you and Shining Armour' like. But, they don't want to admit it to one another. I was wondering if you could cast a love spell on both of them to help their relationship get off the ground..." Cadence gasped. "Really? Twilight's finally found that special somepony? I'm so happy for her!" Rainbow Dash hushed Cadence. "You can't tell either of them anything! You've got to do it in secret, or else they'll deny that they love each other completely, which would be a total shame, right?" Cadence nodded in agreement to Rainbow Dash's terms. "Oh, I get it, one of those 'star-crossed lovers' sort of things." She winked at Rainbow Dash and chuckled. "I'll see what I can do." She walked out of the throne room, humming a tune to herself. Excellent, Rainbow Dash thought. If all goes according to plan, I'll swoop in just as Twilight makes her move on Partheus, and steal him off her! Hehehe, Rainbow Dash, you darned genius!

[NeilWacaster]

Seeing his opportunity, Newsworthy rushed over to where Cadence and Rainbow Dash were conversing. He just caught the last whisper, "I'll see what I can do," but nothing more. This remark puzzled him, but it seemed to be a confidential matter between Dash and Cadence, so he decided not to ask about it.

"Princess Cadence," the news pony said, bowing. "Would you mind if I accompanied you on your journey to the refugee camp? I need to interview them for my newspaper. Not only that, but I'm sure that writing an article about your visit would be an excellent way to cheer up the ponies in this troubled time."

[Partheus]

Cadence smiled at Newsworthy, recognising him as that passionate journalist she's heard so much about from Ponyville. "Oh, you want to do a story about me? Why certainly! Getting the refugees to know a little bit more about me before I go down there to cheer them up is a wonderful idea." Cadence and Newsworthy left the throne room, headed for the refugee camp together. Twilight walked over to Celestia, still wearing her massive saddlebags full of paper. "So, Celestia, if you want to sift through this information yourself, feel free. Mabye you can arrive at a better conclusion than I can..." She took off her saddlebags and dumped them onto the floor at Celestia's feet.

Twilight then walked over to Partheus again. "So, what have you learned about Sagittarius?" Partheus winced slightly, but complied to her wishes. "I have learned from Newsworthy that he uses powerful magic, so I'll need to learn some form of barrier spell..." Twilight clasped her hooves together in joy. Oh no, he thought. Please don't say you know a spell like that... "I know just the person for you! My brother, Shining Armour, knows all about protection spells! You can meet up with him some time and train." Partheus sighed with relief. "Well, I also learned he can use something known as a "balefire" spell..." Twilight gasped. "Oh, that's some pretty advanced magic! The magical barrier will be useless against it. You're only option would be to avoid it like the plague, but who can help you with that? Hmm..."

Twilight clasped her hooves together for a second time. "I know! Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash snapped out of her twisted fantasising. "Huh, wha? Yes, Twilight?" "How would you like to train Partheus to be as agile as you are?" Rainbow Dash developed a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Oh my gosh, she thought. Could this day get any better? Now I can spend time with him, alone, in Cloudsdale! Nobody will bother us there! I'll have to teach him how to walk on clouds, though. Wouldn't want that devilishly handsome dude to turn into a devilishly handsome stain on the forest floor below... "Yeah, sure Twilight! You better be ready to get sweaty, Partheus! It ain't easy being as awesome as me, you know!"

Partheus rolled his eyes dismissively. All bravado, he thought. Thing is, she could have a crush on me, but she's friends with Twilight, and she knows how Twilight feels about me. She wouldn't hurt her friend's feelings like that, so I should be safe from any advances by her... I hope... "Finally, a story from Fillydelphia says that a powerful magic user cast a certain spell at Sagittarius, that drove him away, but at the life of the caster. Do you know any spells like that?" Twilight thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. He suddenly gasped with horror. "No... not those spells... could it be?"

"What is it, Twilight? What spells?" Twilight put her hoof on Partheus' shoulder. "Forbidden magic, locked away in the Restricted Section of the Canterlot Archives. Evil wizards and corrupt sorcerers of times past created terrible spells that granted enormous power, but at the cost of something important..." Twilight began to pace up and down the throne room as she spoke. "Some drain your willpower, some deplete your capacity to love or reason, and the worst ones drain your very life essence. For obvious reasons, they are totally banned from ever being used, and only a select few, myself included, have access to the archives in which they are stored. Whoever cast that spell must have been a very respected member of the magical community to even have the privilege to read those books."

Twilight leaned into Partheus' face. "You are not to learn any of those spells, under any circumstances. The effects could be catastrophic to your psyche, or even your life..." Twilight's eyes saddened a little when she said the last part of her sentence. Partheus smiled. "Hey, no need to worry. I don't plan on doing anything that foolish..." Right, he thought. I'll sneak into the Restricted Section at some point, and learn some of the spells there. If everything else fails in my battle against Sagittarius, I'll have those spells as a Plan B. He'd kill me anyway by that point in the battle if I lay down my arms and surrendered, so I might as well do him some damage before I pass on...

"One more thing..." Partheus unsheathed his sword, and presented it to Twilight. "This is apparently enchanted with some sort of magical power. Do you know anything about this kind of thing?" Twilight shook her head. "You'll need to speak to Celestia if you want the... finer points of what that sword can do..." She giggled at her own joke. "Well, that about wraps up everything I know. Now, to head to my room to unpack." He walked over to Celestia, sheathing his sword back into his scabbard. "So, where is my room?" Celestia looked around for a butler. "Jeeves? Could you be a dear and put these bags in my room, please?" A short pony in a suit ran over, picked up the bags, and ran as fast as he could out of the throne room with them. Celestia held out her hoof to Partheus. "Hold my hoof." Partheus raised his eyebrow, and tentatively held on to Celestia's hoof.

There was a sudden flash of light, and before he knew where he was, Partheus was in a luxurious room, complete with a king-sized poster bed for two, a harpsichord, cabinets for placing clothes and other odds and ends in, and an en suite bathroom, decked with a bathtub, shower, and sink. To the left of Partheus was a door, that presumably lead to the rest of the castle, and another door to the left of it, with two crossed swords placed on the front as decoration. "What's behind that door, Celestia?" Celestia walked over to it, and pushed it open with her hoof, smiling proudly. "You'll like this, Partheus. Come." Partheus peered inside and felt his jaw drop.

The room was a large well lit hall, the walls lined with every weapon imaginable on wooden racks. There was an obstacle course, dummies for sword practise, a meditating circle for honing in on magic, a small circular arena for sparring, and a curious lever besides the door. "This room is amazing! But, what does this lever do?" Celestia smiled and raised the lever by one increment. Suddenly, Partheus felt his entire body become heavier, dragging him onto his hands and knees with a heavy thud. "Gah... what... is this?" Celestia smirked and pulled the lever down to it's original setting.

"This room has been enchanted with an encumbrance spell. You have a lever here to alter how heavy things are. The higher you pull the lever, the more effort things like walking and running will take, great for building speed and strength." Excellent, he thought. This should give me an edge. "The maximum setting for this is x5. Any higher would crush your bones into dust." Partheus winced at this gruesome detail. "The lowest setting is x0.1. Perfect if you want to hone in on aerial combat without the use of levitation spells." Partheus suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes, that reminds me. You know this sword you gave me?" "Yes, the Imperial sword I had crafted for you. What about it?"

"Apparently, it has magical properties..." Celestia facehoofed out of embarrassment. "Oh, of course! How could I have been so absent-minded? Yes, it does have magical properties. It can channel your inner power to increase it's effectiveness, and to ultimately be an extension of yourself, like a good weapon should be. A weapon doesn't make the man, but it certainly helps him after he is made." She smiled kindly at Partheus. "Now, if you need anything, just ask one of our helpful butlers. You'll find one almost anywhere you look, and they've been told to help you out as readily as they would help me and my sister out." Celestia walked out of the training hall and into Partheus' living quarters. "Good luck with your training, Partheus! May the sun shine brightly upon thee!" Celestia then disappeared into a bright flash of light.

Partheus took off his satchel and sword, placed them in one of the cabinets, and laid out on his poster bed. Man, he thought, this is better than I expected. And to think I was considering not coming at all earlier today. He looked out from his window; it was beginning to get dark already. Well, he thought, may as well... wait a minute, my pyjamas are still in Twilight's house. What am I going to-

Suddenly, Twilight burst through the door, holding Partheus' pyjamas above her head with a spell, panting heavily. "So... many... stairs..." Oh for crying out loud, he thought. Now she knows where my room is! Twilight placed the pyjamas on Partheus' bed, and sat down beside him. "So, what do you think of your new room?" Partheus craned his neck back. "Err, I love it, Twilight. Thanks for asking." Twilight frowned. "You know, I'm curious. You seem to be acting rather... avoidant of me as of late. What's changed?" Partheus didn't know what to say; he couldn't possibly tell Twilight what Rainbow Dash told him, and he couldn't possibly tell Twilight what he thinks she wants from him. "I... uhh... it's kinda hard to... umm..."

"Oh don't worry. It's probably just nerves getting the best of you. I mean, you've been told by Celestia to train as hard as you can to fight a creature that now rivals her own power! I'd be pretty avoidant of everyone if I were in your hooves, because I know that everything that would come out of my mouth would be irrational and ill-informed. Kinda like what happened downstairs earlier..." She looked down at her hooves mournfully. "Hey, no need to fret about it, Twilight. You gave it your all, and that's what matters. You did all you could, and even though it may not have turned out as great as you wanted it to, at least no one can blame it on a lack of effort on your part." He rubbed Twilight's shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, you've given all of your work to Celestia. I'm sure she'll come up with something. She always does."

Twilight smiled. "Thanks for the support, Partheus. You're always there to give me help when I need it most, and for that, I truly value you as a friend." She hopped off the bed, and walked over to the door. "Goodnight, Partheus. See you tomorrow!" She opened the door, and shut it behind her, leaving Partheus alone in his room. Well, he thought, she had a golden opportunity to make her move on me just then, and she didn't. She's either biding her time, or what Rainbow Dash told me isn't true. But why would Rainbow Dash tell me a lie? What could that possibly accomplish? He slipped on his pyjamas, got into his bed, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy and Cadence walked through the city at a leisurely pace, taking in Celestia's beautiful mid-afternoon sunlight. What an opportunity! Newsworthy thought. A chance to interview Miss Cadence! But what to ask her ... The contingent of six armed guards walking in formation around the princess certainly didn't make it any easier to talk. He decided to watch, for the time being, and then ask some questions after they met some of the survivors.

They passed through one of the city gates, and he gasped in astonishment at what he saw. They had come to the royal fairgrounds, which stretched for about two miles square. The low hills were completely covered with tents and wagons of every size and description, and he could see a line of new arrivals stretching off to the horizon in the direction of Manehattan. Over the entire camp, a spherical pink magical shield was being maintained by magical towers spaced at regular intervals. This made sense to the newspony. Since there was not nearly enough room for this many ponies in the city, they had to be housed outside, and this barrier would at least provide some protection should Sagittarius attack.

A low murmur drifted up to them, strangely quiet, considering the mass of several hundred thousand ponies clustered together. Once they drew closer, he realized that the shield was blocking much of the sound.

Refugees were moving in and out of the city, many of them laden with supplies purchased within or carrying injured family members into the city for treatment. Of course, since he was traveling with the princess, there was no need to fight the crowd. The ponies parted before her, bowing in reverence.

They came to one of the towers, the only one of this side of the shield with a gateway into the camp. The guards nodded to their princess as they passed through.

Once inside, the crowd noise was much louder. Ponies were yelling to one another, setting up tents, hawking their wares, and galloping back and forth. It was everypony for himself in a chaotic frenzy for survival. Newsworthy wished that Twilight were here to bring some sense into this disorder.

They walked around the camp for the rest of the day, Cadence using her magic as well as her words to cheer up those ponies in the most need. Newsworthy photographed everything, and wrote down all that happened.

As they walked back to the castle late that night, Newsworthy felt very discouraged. The stories they had heard from the refugees were deeply troubling. He was glad to have heard a first-hand account, but it made Equestria's future seem all the more hopeless. The only bright spot in the day had been Cadence's love and care for the refugees. He trotted up next to the princess, knowing that he just needed to ask one question.

"Princess," he asked. "If I may ask, what would you like to say to the ponies who read my paper about these events, now that you have seen those affected by the disaster? I'm sure all of Equestria could use some of your special brand of encouragement."

---

Twilight had offered for Rainbow Dash to stay in her castle suite as long as needed while training Partheus, and the pegasus had gladly accepted the offer. It would give her more opportunity to watch and influence Twilight's actions. She smiled to herself as the unicorn came back into their room.

"So, did you tuck the human into bed?" she teased.

[Partheus]

Cadence smiled and thought for a moment. "For thousands of years, Celestia has ruled over Equestria, and has always ensured that peace came to her land, no matter the cost. She's fought and imprisoned every threat to Equestria without fail, endangering her own life time and time again, filling the empty sky with the captured beings, as a permanent reminder to those who wish to harm the peace Celestia has worked for over millennia. She even went as far as banishing her own sister to the moon..." She looked back at the encampment behind them. "Tell the people of Equestria that Celestia is willing to sacrifice everything to ensure this glorious land she has fostered remains a paradise for all ponykind, and that there will be peace hereafter, as it always has been."

Cadence conjured a pink heart from her horn. "Tell them to cherish what they have, no matter who that is, be it family, friends, or that special somepony. And if they have nothing..." She turned to Newsworthy and smiled. "Tell them to seek out someone to cherish. Even if their search turns out fruitless, the searching will give them the strength to continue in these dark times..." She then blew the pink heart into the wind, watching it being carried away like a rose petal into the encampment below, phasing through the barrier around the encampment, and disappearing over the horizon. Suddenly, there came a huge pink wave of energy that washed over the encampment, clouding the inside of the barrier with pink dust. "One of my personal favourite spells of mine. I call it 'the Love Bomb'. That should keep the camp happy for the night, at least..." Cadence and Newsworthy headed back into the castle, tired from their labours...

* * *

Twilight giggled. "What? No, he doesn't need tucking into bed, silly! He's fine!" She climbed into her own bed, staring at the ceiling. Partheus seems a little stressed out at the moment, she thought. I'd better keep my distance from him for the time being. I don't want to upset him, or get him angry. The last thing we need is for him to blow up half the palace in a fit of rage brought on by a nagging... friend?... Mabye that's what's causing it? He doesn't view me as a friend any more. But what does he see me as, then? It can't be an enemy, he was fairly friendly to... "OH MY GOSH!"

Twilight sat up from her bed. She looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was looking at her awkwardly. "What's the matter, Twilight?" Twilight grinned. "Uh, nothing, just, err... chocolate milk..." Rainbow Dash raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Okay, whatever, 'A Beautiful Mane'. You seriously need to catch some zeds before your mind explodes or something..." Twilight lay back on her bed. That's ridiculous, she thought. Why would he have feelings for me? He acts as though he's... above such things normally. He's shown no interest in starting a relationship with anyone as of yet, and seems to be a little unnerved at the idea of dating a pony...

But it explains so much! Why he's so supportive of me, why he only seeks me out, instead of any of my friends... I'm actually a little flattered! But, I don't know whether it would work out between us. Heck, all of this could be just me being my delusional self once again. I'll keep my eye on him, but only occasional visits. I could be wrong, and he could hate my guts right now. Mabye once every few days? That sounds fair enough. Now, to lull myself to sleep... Twilight then recited the finer points of quadratic equations, a task so dull, she was out like a light within minutes...

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy wrote down every word that Cadence said, knowing it would be the icing on the cake of his sensational article. The princess offered to put him up in the castle for the night, and he couldn't help but accept the offer. It just so happened that he was housed in the room next to Partheus'.

Before going to sleep, he typed up the story about the Princess' visit and sent it by magical post to his assistants in Ponyville. He also sent a copy to the Equestrian Newspaper Syndicate, confident that other papers would be eager to print the story as well.

He fell into bed, and though he was dead tired, it took him more than a little time to fall asleep. He couldn't take his mind off the impending attacks of Sagittarius. Could they be stopped? When would he attack Canterlot? What could he himself possibly do to help avoid the defeat of Equestria?

---

The next morning, Rainbow Dash was up much earlier than usual. Despite her laid back nature, she was an athlete through and through, and she knew that Partheus needed to get an early start on his agility training if he was to defeat the menace. Besides, she couldn't wait any longer to get to see him again.

She flew up the staircase to his room and pounded on his door. "Wake up, you lazy, hairless ape!" she called, sounding even more like a gym coach than usual. "You can't learn to walk on clouds if you're asleep!"

---

Newsworthy was jolted out of an unpleasant dream by Rainbow Dash's assault on his neighbor's door. He groggily put on his hat, picked up his suitcase, and poked his head out. "I see that you couldn't even wait until the sun comes up," he said, yawning.

"Nope! Training takes determination, and there's no better way to test determination than with an early morning workout!"

"Well, somepony needs to make sure you don't kill him. I'd better come along."

"Whatever. As long as you stay out of my way."

[Partheus]

Partheus was fast asleep in his bed, snoring heavily. He suddenly jerked upwards at the sound of Rainbow Dash banging on his door. "Yeah, I can hear you. I'm coming right out!" Loudmouth, he thought. He reluctantly get out of his bed, changed into his day clothes, walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it. "Good morning, Rainbow Dash..." He yawned and stretched at the same time, and noticed that Newsworthy was behind Rainbow Dash. "Why is Newsworthy here?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "He's only here to make sure I don't work you to death. For now, we're heading off to Cloudsdale to teach you a thing or two about agility!" Partheus may have been half-asleep, but he wasn't stupid. "Sorry to ruin your plans, but I thought only pegasi could go to Cloudsdale? Wouldn't I just fall through the clouds?"

Rainbow Dash grabbed Partheus by the ear and dragged him down the hallway outside his living quarters and down the large staircase, Newsworthy following closely behind. "No time for questions! Now, we train!" Partheus tried to break free from Rainbow Dash's grip, but he lacked the fine motor skills to grab on to her hoof, having only just woken up. "Oww, come on, Rainbow Dash! I haven't even eaten anything yet!" Rainbow Dash walked past a table that so happened to have Celestia's breakfast on it, consisting of a bowl of the finest feed, two apples, and a warm cup of milk. She swiftly grabbed the bowl of feed from the table, and gave it to Partheus. "There, Your Majesty! Eat up. We're flying soon!"

Partheus was dragged by Rainbow Dash to the open court outside the palace. He was hastily stuffing uneven handfuls of the fine feed into his mouth; even though he was being rather unfairly rushed, he could still appreciate how much nicer this feed was to the standard feed he was used to at Twilight's house. Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped, let go of Partheus' ear, and spread her wings. "I didn't have time to arrange transport. You'll just have to ride me." Partheus finished off the bowl of fine feed, set the bowl on the floor, and hopped on to Rainbow Dash's back. Being smaller than the horses Partheus was used to riding, it was a little uncomfortable. But, after a shaky lift-off, he became accustomed to the strange sensation of riding on top of a slightly thinner and rounder back... while flying.

Partheus and Rainbow Dash flew over Canterlot, soon a colourful blur from way up high in the sky. Newsworthy was following behind, looking slightly tired himself. So, Partheus thought. No questions. I wonder why she's being so uptight about it? Is it some form of secret training? And she still hasn't explained how I'm supposed to walk on the clouds in Cloudsdale. Unless there's some technique involved, I can't see how it can be done. Oh well. If this technique helps me become more agile, then I guess I have no choice. At least I'll be safe from Twilight and her advances on me...

[NeilWacaster]

As the three friends soared through the sky, the sun began to peek over eastern mountains, and a magnificent sunrise blanketed the sky. Equestrian sunrises were often beautiful, but from the air they were simply breathtaking. Newsworthy thought about Celestia standing in the Temple of the Sun, directing her unbelievably powerful magic to the sky to raise the glorious orb.

---

Rainbow Dash had to work extra hard to support the weight of the human, but it was totally worth it. She was enjoying having him astride her, perhaps a little more than she should.

Suddenly, she looked back at Partheus with a mischievous glint in her eye. She twisted in the air and burst forward, making it impossible for him to stay on her back. She paused in the air, letting him fall.

"What in Equestria are you doing!?" Newsworthy screamed, diving to save the messenger. Rainbow Dash exploded through the air behind him, laughing. She easily overtook the newspony, grinning back as she streaked past.

[Partheus]

Partheus was grabbed by Newsworthy by his arms, letting him dangle helplessly as he gazed fearfully at the ground far below him. "don'tlookdown, don'tlookdown, don'tlookdown..." His heart was pounding fiercely, and he was beginning to feel light-headed. He hoisted himself up on to Newsworthy's back, and raced off after Rainbow Dash, who was still cruising across the sky like a blue bullet. After a while, they eventually caught up with her, still grinning maliciously at her prank. "What the heck was that for, Rainbow Dash?!" She turned around, only having just noticed they had caught up with her. "Just wanted to see if you're scared of heights or not. Are you?"

"Well, not to a ridiculous degree, but..." Rainbow Dash laughed out loud. "Oh really? Is that why I heard you scream like a little filly when you fell?" Partheus grunted. "What?! That was Newsworthy!" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever..." That should get his adrenaline pumping, she thought. Now he'll be more open to suggestion, meaning when I make my move on him, he's more likely to accept it. A huge smile formed on Rainbow Dash's face, and she chuckled to herself at how her grand scheme to take Partheus for her own was coming along swimmingly...

Partheus' heart was still beating from earlier. "Well, Newsworthy, I assume you aren't just here to make sure I don't die..." He looked down at the ground below him. "...though I do greatly appreciate the gesture. What other reasons do you have following me and Rainbow Dash to Cloudsdale?"

[NeilWacaster]

"I'd say that keeping you from dying is going to keep my hooves full," Newsworthy glared at the other pegasus.

"I was going to catch him. Eventually," Dash said, shrugging.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"And another thing. It's not particularly unusual for somepony to scream when his best friend is in mortal danger," he said with a huff.

The weather pony giggled. "Then you're going to be screaming a lot today."

Newsworthy gulped. "Anyway," he said, a little shakily, "You're right about me having more than one motivation, Partheus. If you don't mind, I think that my public would be greatly interested in an article about their future defender and his training regimen. Everypony really enjoyed the one about you saving us from the sorceress, and I'm sure you enjoyed all of that fan mail. Do you mind?"

As he spoke, Cloudsdale came into view. Its towering spires and buildings were all made out of white and blue clouds, and the most striking feature was the large rainbow waterfall that marked the location of the rainbow factory.

Newsworthy had assumed they were flying directly to the city, but Dash veered off to the left. After a minute more of flying, she landed lightly at the entrance to an enormous cloud building. In swirling calligraphy, the sign above the door read, "Wonderbolts Training Arena."

"Now this is where we really see what you're made of. That is, if you can learn to walk on clouds, blank flank." She paused. "Or, at least I ASSUME you don't have a cutie mark. You really should get out of all those stuffy clothes for training like this. They'll just slow you down."

[Partheus]

Partheus looked at Rainbow Dash oddly. She's being way too eager about that for my liking, he thought. And what does she expect me to wear instead... oh hang on, I think I get where she's coming from... "Err, beg your pardon, Rainbow Dash, but uhh... humans normally wear clothes when training, and everywhere else too. We try to avoid walking around naked when we can, and to be honest..." He quickly looked around to see if anyone else was listening in. "...with me being a curiosity among the citizens of Equestria thanks to Newsworthy's articles about me, I feel rather uncomfortable about the notion of running on top of clouds in my birthday suit, knowing that there could be some deranged pony out there who would really enjoy seeing me naked..." Like Twilight, for instance, he thought.

"Yeah, err, I agree. I mean, what kind of... sick pony would want to see you naked, hehehe?" Rainbow Dash panicked. Darn it, she thought. I'll have to figure out how to get those clothes off of him another way. And I still need to keep Newsworthy busy while I make my move! This'll take some real imagination to pull off... "Anyway, now you're gonna learn how to walk on clouds! First, I want you to try and stand on one. Go ahead, it isn't that bad..." Partheus slowly dismounted off Newsworthy, placing both feet on the clouds below him. He suddenly fell through, tumbling through the air, closing his eyes shut trying not to think of what would happen to him when he hit the ground. Before he had time to say his prayers, he felt something grab him by the back of his shirt. He opened his eyes and looked around to see Rainbow Dash holding him by her teeth.

"Huell, how disch it feel tu schtand on a claud?" "Sorry, what?" Rainbow Dash held onto the back of Partheus' shirt with her hooves, freeing her mouth. "I said, how did it feel to stand on a cloud?" Partheus looked down at the ground below him. "Err... I felt no resistance whatsoever. I didn't even stand on it." Rainbow Dash flew Partheus over the top of the clouds he fell through. "Now, when I let you go, don't put any pressure on your feet. Treat the cloud as if it's made of hot coals. Got it?" Partheus nervously nodded. Rainbow Dash then let go of Partheus, who landed on the cloud, trying not to lose his balance. His feet were stuck about an inch into the cloud, and he dared not move. "C'mon, scaredy cat! Put a foot forward, will ya?" Partheus cautiously put his right foot forward, gently landing it on the cloud. Then, he gently lifted and placed his left foot in front of him. And so on, and so on...

Before Partheus knew it, two hours had passed, and he could walk with some confidence on clouds. Newsworthy was sitting on a floating cloud nearby, making notes. Rainbow Dash was watching him casually, reading a Daring Do novel as she did. "Well, now that you've found your footing, how about you try running?" Partheus began to add speed to his walk, going from a brisk jog to a full blown run. However, as he increased his speed, his foot began to slowly sink into the cloud more and more, before suddenly breaking through to the other side. He struggled to get his foot free, but this caused him to fall through the cloud again. He didn't shut his eyes again; by this point, he had grown used to the sensation of falling. Rainbow Dash grudgingly grabbed him by the back of his shirt again, and placed him back on to the clouds.

She glanced over to Newsworthy, who was still busy taking notes. "Say, Newsworthy, isn't that notepad getting full? You may want to head back to Ponyville quickly and get a new one. Wouldn't want to miss any details, now, would we?"

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy slammed his notepad shut and stuffed it in his bag, clearly upset about something.

"Dash, I need to talk to you. Privately." He looked over at Partheus. "If you would be so kind, would you excuse us for just a moment?"

The pegasi walked a little distance away so that if they spoke quietly, Partheus would be unable to hear. Newsworthy would have preferred that the conversation be completely private, but they had to stay close enough to catch the human should he fall though the clouds again.

Turning to the weather pony, Newsworthy spoke in a serious tone. "Could you be any more obvious?"

She gave him an innocent look. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

"Look," he hissed, "This has gone far enough. As Partheus' friend, I can't sit by and let you run roughshod over him like this. He has stated in no uncertain terms that he is NOT attracted to anypony, romantically or otherwise. You are being a selfish jerk, projecting your own infatuation onto him when it is clearly not there."

She opened her mouth to make a reply, and abruptly shut it again.

"And don't think that I've missed any of these shenanigans you've put on. Even if Partheus is too oblivious of our social customs to have seen them, I have. And you've been getting worse, too. Talking about his ... er ... flank yesterday, and today, asking him to disrobe in front of you? Have you no shame?"

"Well," she said, blushing, "I guess the comment yesterday was a little over the top. But you can't deny that he has a nice ..."

"Don't even start. Do. Not." Newsworthy looked like he was about to explode.

"And about that earlier, I honestly didn't know that humans wore clothes all the time," Dash tried to explain. "I mean, you're right, I was thinking it would have been nice if he had let me check him out. But I assumed that, like us, humans only dressed up when they want to be formal."

Newsworthy sighed. "Well, that explains that at least." He took a few deep breaths, calming his nerves, so he could speak more evenly. "Dash, I think you just need to give him some space. If I were you, I'd apologize for what I had done, and just be honest with him about your feelings. It's not bad to like someone, but it is wrong to keep them in the dark and try to pounce on them in the night. Especially when they have explicitly stated that they aren't interested."

The news pony waited for her to reply. He hoped that Dash would understand and take his advice.

[Partheus]

"Hmph, way to put the pressure on me, Newsworthy! I can't just blurt out that I like him. You heard him; he's scared stiff of the idea of ponies fancying him!" She buried her face slightly. "To tell you the truth, the only reason why I'm doing this is because I actually want to help Partheus out a little. I'll admit, I like the guy, like, a LOT. But, as I said yesterday, so does Twilight. I don't want to hurt her feelings by nabbing her first love interest off her, but at the same time, I want to help Partheus get used to the idea of ponies liking him so him and Twilight will be happy together..." Rainbow Dash looked over at Partheus, who was running in circles on a cloud. "You see, the idea was for me to... advance on him, but do it in such a way as to be gentle and gradual. You might be able to spot the signs, but him? He doesn't even realise I'm doing anything."

She looked down at her hooves. "Then, after he grows accustomed to the notion of dating a pony, we'd part ways, giving him the opportunity to go after Twilight. That way, everyone is happy, and gets what they want. What, did you think I was interested in spending the rest of my life with him? Pfft, nah! I mean he's super hot and all, but I wouldn't want to spend every day with him, you know? I'm not even interested in long-term relationships full stop. Too slow for my tastes!" She waved her hoof in the air. "Now, let's get back to training this slowpoke, eh?" She and Newsworthy flew back to Partheus' cloud.

Brilliant, she thought. The cover story I spent all last night thinking of worked a charm! Now, Newsworthy is utterly convinced I'm doing this for Twilight's sake. Of course, what he doesn't realise is that I know both of them well enough to know that it wouldn't work out between them. One likes being outdoors, the other likes being indoors. Simple as that. It doesn't take a genius to figure out all of the problems and arguments this'll cause. What Partheus needs is a real mare who who shares his interests, who likes being out in the open, and who isn't afraid of a challenge. And that special somepony just so happens to be me...

[NeilWacaster]

"Rainbow!" Newsworthy yelled after her, trying to catch up. He flew around her and angrily stopped her in the air with a hoof. "You just don't get it, do you!? Don't you remember what he said yesterday? He said humans don't date other species, under any circumstances! No matter how much you think you're in love with him, he is not going to date a pony! Let me put it in simple terms you will understand. Partheus is as sexually attracted to you as you are to Tank."

Suddenly, he looked down, realizing that Partheus was standing close by. The pegasi hung there in the air for a moment, silently. Newsworthy blushed a bright, beet red. "I ... ah ... need to ... um ... go get another notepad."

He flew off towards Cloudsdale, leaving Rainbow Dash and Partheus alone.

[Partheus]

"What's he going on about?" Partheus looked at Newsworthy with a raised eyebrow as he flew to Cloudsdale. "Oh, uh, nothing. He's just a bit tired from writing down everything that you're doing, and I suggested that he should... write a love story about him and my pet tortoise, Tank, to unwind a little. He didn't react very well to it, as you can see..." Partheus laughed out loud. "Yeah, he's a little touchy about people giving him stupid things to write about. I mean, a pony and a tortoise? Gosh, that's almost as bad as a pony and... well, a human, am I right?" He looked at Rainbow Dash, who suddenly looked sad.

"Oh, was it something I said? I'm sorry, I know how you guys are with your inter-special relationships..." Rainbow Dash sat by Partheus on the cloud. "Well, um, about that..." Partheus looked at Rainbow Dash with a concerned look. "What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash looked at her hooves, blushing slightly. "I know how you humans are about dating other animals, but I was just wondering if..." Partheus stood up defiantly. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is 'no'." Rainbow Dash looked more sombre. "I am not letting you set up a date with Twilight, and that's final..."

Rainbow Dash's ears perked up. "Oh, is that what you thought I meant? No no no, of course not! I was thinking something a little more... personal than that..." Partheus maintained his look of utter bewilderment. "I'm... not following. Could you just tell me?" Rainbow Dash looked at Partheus with soft and regretful eyes. "Umm... how do I word this... err... I think it might be beneficial for both of us if we... go out..." Partheus still looked at Rainbow Dash confusedly. "...what?" Rainbow Dash clenched her hooves together. "Oh, I can't take this any more!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "Partheus, listen to me. I like you as a friend. But, I was thinking that it would be a waste if we left it at that. Think about this for a second; we both like being outdoors, we both like a challenge, and when the time arises, we both love nothing more than a good punch-up! We'd be perfect together, right?" Her eyes were beginning to well up with tears.

Partheus was completely blown away. All this time I was worrying about Twilight fancying me, he thought, and it was Rainbow freakin' Dash who eventually posed the question? Equestria, you never cease to amaze me. Aww, but what do I do now? Look at the way she's looking at me with those big eyes of hers! I can't say no to her, it'll break her heart! But, at the same time, I'd feel rather guilty about going out with Rainbow Dash and not Twilight... Gah, what am I saying? She's a pony, for Torbolt's sake! It just isn't the done thing... in Hominopolis...

Great, now I'm thinking about those darn demons again... Wait, what do they know about relationships? They don't even know what friendship is! Who cares about what they have to say about who I should and should not date? Besides, these ponies are a sentient race, not animals. If I refuse to date them because they are ponies, isn't that being racist? Fine, it's settled. I'm no longer going to refuse these mares just because they are ponies. The last thing I want to do is to spread the social niceties of that vile cesspool of hate around such a lovely place like this. Now, I have to figure out how else I can refuse them... and darn it, those eyes aren't helping matters!

"Umm... well... I'm not saying this because I'm not into the idea of dating ponies..." Rainbow Dash looked on in anticipation. "And I appreciate that you have feelings for me... trust me, that's more than I can say about a few maidens I've met in my time... but, my point is, I'm simply not interested in dating anyone at the moment." Rainbow Dash's face sank slightly in disappointment. "You have my absolute word on this; even if you were a human, I would still say the same thing. But hey, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. We can continue to do what we usually do together." He looked back into her rosey eyes. "Hey, who knows? Mabye you're right, and I will start warming up to you mares one day..."

Rainbow Dash simply saw no other alternative. She grabbed Partheus tightly around his shoulders, and started to gently rub noses with him. Partheus was stunned; he didn't quite know what she was doing, and why. Then a sudden and horrible realisation came over him. Now, he thought, I'm no expert on horse relationships, but I'm fairly certain that when they rub noses like this, it's their version of a... kiss... Yep, I'm getting snogged by a pony right now... yep... eeyup... uh-huh... just let it sink in... okay... hey, this actually isn't that bad. It could be worse, though. She could be trying to... why can I suddenly feel a draft on my chest?

He looked down to see Rainbow Dash slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt. He jumped back immediately. "Oh no you don't!" He did up the buttons Rainbow Dash had undone. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm simply not ready yet. I'm barely used to the fact that you guys can talk. Give me some more time to think things through, okay?" Suddenly, he fell through the clouds; he had forgotten where he was, and had applied too much pressure to his feet when he jumped away from Rainbow Dash. He fell for a few seconds, then a few seconds more, and a few seconds more... Partheus came to the horrible realisation that he wasn't being saved any time soon. He tried grabbing the clouds that were whizzing past his head, but his hands kept slipping through. He looked back at Cloudsdale, which was slowly getting smaller and smaller with each passing second. Then, without warning, everything went black...

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy sat by himself in a corner of a Cloudsdale pub. It was only he and the bartender, seeing that it was still early morning, and apparently nopony else needed to drink away their problems.

He had already had two mugs of hard cider, but it still wasn't enough to make him forget what he had done.

In his carelessness and his anger, he had let Partheus know Dash's feelings without her permission. And who was he to judge Partheus? All he had really said was that he wasn't interested. For all he knew, Partheus had a girl back home that he was saving himself for. Now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense.

So that's why he was so angry at us for thinking he and Twilight were a couple. In fact, he probably just said that about interspecial dating just as an excuse. He's ashamed to tell us that he has a crush on someone back home. He probably thinks we would think of him as less of an adventurer and wanderer if we knew, so he keeps his romantic feelings a secret. Now I feel even worse. Why was I so blind? So careless? So idiotic?

He called for more cider.

---

The pegasus drained the last of his mug and slammed it back down on the table. "I need, mure ta drunk," Newsworthy slurred.

The bartender looked over at him with concern. "Hey, buddy," he said, chuckling a little to himself, "We've all had our mare problems, but I think you've had quite enough cider for today."

"Whut makes you thunk I hurve ... hic ... mare prurblurms?" Newsworthy said, resting his head on the table. A tear fell from his eye.

"Well, isn't it obvious? You've been muttering to yourself about Rainbow Dash and crying for the past three hours. I've owned this bar for the past fifty years, son, and I have never seen so many disillusioned lover boys what loved a mare before."

Newsworthy's mind was very foggy, and it took him a few seconds to process this. "Wait ..." He wobbled back upright. "This ... is prerty commurn?"

"Oh my goddesses. Yes. When she was in flight school, it seemed like it was every week or so that somepony came in here after she dumped them. After she moved to Ponyville, of course, it tapered off, but it still happens on occasion. Most recently it was that Soarin' fellow."

Newsworthy sat bolt upright. The bartender's face swam before him, but he had to hear this story in full. "Do tell ..." the newspony said.

"Well, just between you and me, y'understand," the bartender said confidentially. "After that young fliers competition, the Wonderbolts spend the day with Dash, right?"

"Yeah ..."

"Well, apparently, Dash and Soarin' hit it off pretty well. But Spitfire gets jealous and says something or other that set the two at odds. Something about the rainboom being a hoax or something, and that Soarin' really didn't like her at all. Dash flies off all angry, not even allowing Soarin' to say goodbye. Spitfire eventually realizes what she did and tells Soarin'. He comes in here, all mopey, orders a couple apple pies and appletinis and nearly passes out drunk a few hours later."

Newsworthy grinned stupidly. "Now THURTS a furny stury ... hic."

It took him a minute to remember what they were talking about. "Wait. Dash don't know? What happerened?"

"Not as far as I'm aware."

Newsworthy realized how he could fix at least part of this situation. If Dash knew that Soarin' was still interested in her, then she wouldn't be interested in Partheus in the least. In fact, she might even be able to forgive both of them for what they had done.

He had to find Rainbow Dash. But first, he had to get sober.

"Gimme a cup of your strungest curfee."

"My what?"

"Curfee! I need black curfee! I have to find Rainbrow Drash and tell her the TRURTH!"

[Partheus]

Pain. That's all Partheus could feel. Abject pain. He dared not open his eyes, for fear that he might make the pain any worse. It was coursing throughout his body, lighting every orifice on fire with white-hot misery. Partheus remained where he was, unsure of exactly where that actually was, and prayed that the pain stopped soon. Suddenly, he felt someone take off his shirt, and what felt like hooves rubbing some cool lotion on his chest. It made the pain worse at first, but after a while, it started to subside. He could begin to make out a voice, faint and muffled at first, but it gradually grew louder and clearer with each passing second. "Partheus? Partheus, are you awake? Partheus! It's me, Rainbow Dash!"

Partheus opened his eyes to see a worried Rainbow Dash pored over him, rubbing healing lotion on to his chest. He looked around to see where he was; he was in his living quarters, spread out on his bed, his satchel hung up by the door. "I'm so sorry I didn't save you! I wasn't thinking straight, I was still getting over... what happened between us..." Partheus smirked. "So... how... bad... is it?" Rainbow Dash scanned Partheus' body. "Well, Fluttershy gave you a quick look, and apparently, you're just very, very bruised all over. No broken bones, thought that's probably because you landed in a bale of hay..." Partheus gasped. "Did any go in my mouth? I hate that stuff, bleh!" Partheus sat up and looked around. There was no one else in the room with them. Oh great, he thought. She could go in for the kill again. Let's try to avoid the topic for now. "So, how long have I been out?"

"About three hours. When I got to you, it was just a pair of legs sticking out of a pile of splinters and hay. I thought I'd lost you..." Rainbow Dash began to shed tears. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have been so impatient! Can you forgive me?" Partheus smiled. Well, he thought, so much for that idea... "Hey, of course I can! It's not your fault you like me, is it?" Rainbow Dash wiped her tears away. "Besides, like I said, I'm currently considering the thought of dating ponies. Just give me time to mull it over and we'll see what we can do, yes?" Rainbow Dash went over and nuzzled Partheus on the cheek. "Thanks, Partheus." Partheus didn't react to her nuzzling him like that; he couldn't move anyway, and it's not like anyone was watching...

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy flew back to where he had last seen Rainbow Dash and Partheus as fast as he could. If he was lucky, everything had blown over and they were still training.

As he drew closer, he saw they were gone. To be expected.

However, he was surprised to see a hole in the cloud near where they had been. Before, Rainbow Dash had been pretty conscientious about repairing the clouds when Partheus fell through. This was troubling.

He looked through the hole to the ground below. There was a farm below, with apple orchards stretching for miles in every direction. His brow furrowed in worry. Diving through the hole, he streaked straight down toward the ground. Just before impact, he flared his wings and braked to a halt. He found himself floating above a small haystack that was strewn around in disarray. He looked around. Several other stacks were nearby, but all were very tidy. Clearly this one was an anomaly.

"What ya'll doin' up thar?"

Newsworthy saw that an earth pony was leaning on a pitchfork below him. He was a yellow stallion with a blue mane, and looked up at the pegasus with kind eyes.

"Oh, hello, my good sir. I was just looking for my friends. One is a human messenger, and the other is a pegasus named Rainbow Dash."

"Aw, those two? Apple Fritter saw the tall one fall outa th' clouds and inta this here haystack. She was buckin' apples over in the south orchard today, jus' right over thar, in fact." He pointed to a mare just emerging from the trees, laden down with two big bushel baskets of fruit.

"We got another visitor, Red Delicious?" she asked.

"We sure as sugar do," he grinned.

"Yes, yes. I'm Newsworthy, very pleased to meet you," he said rapidly. "But I'm in a terrible hurry. Please, just tell me what happened."

"Aw, don't get yer tail all in a wad," Red said. "Now, as I was a'sayin', Apple Fritter saw him fall and bust up this haystack, and came over ta see what she could do ta help. He was hurt bad."

Newsworthy gasped and covered his eyes. "This is all my fault! If only I had just kept my big mouth shut! If only I had stayed close by! I could have saved him!"

"Shucks, kid. He'll be fine. Just bruised up, as far as we could figure," the mare said with a grin. "But that gal with the rainbow mane came just tearin' out of the clouds a minute later. She nearly bowled me over trying to get to him, all a'cryin' and sayin' she was sorry and all. He was out, though. Didn't hear a thing. I told her she was awful lucky that her coltfriend fell where he did. She gives me the strangest look and says, 'I could never have forgiven myself if he hadn't.' Now ain't that just the most romantical thing?"

Newsworthy rolled his eyes. Mares. Always looking for romance where there is none.

"After we got him all bandaged up, she carried him off that way," she pointed. Newsworthy sighed with relief. They had gone back to Canterlot.

"When did this happen?"

"Uh, 'bout four hours ago, I reckon," Apple Fritter said.

"Thank you so much," he called back, climbing higher in the air. "I owe you one!"

He smiled to himself. Now that he knew his friends were safe, he had a little errand to run in Cloudsdale.

---

Breathing hard, Newsworthy rapped on the door of Partheus' room. He still hadn't recovered from his full-speed flight back to the castle. It probably shouldn't have surprised him that Rainbow Dash opened the door, but he was a bit disturbed when he saw that Partheus was mostly unclothed on his bed.

"Oh, I don't want to bother you if this isn't a good time ..." he said. He was losing count of how many times he had blushed that day.

"No, please, come in." Her voice sounded very strained, and it looked like she had been crying.

"But, um, why is he ..."

Rainbow Dash gave him a sharp look. "Fluttershy gave me some painkilling lotion to put on him every few hours to help him feel better."

Newsworthy laughed nervously, walking to Partheus' bedside. "Oh! Of course." Why in the world did you immediately jump to that other conclusion?

He looked down at his friend. His entire body was covered in sickly purple and green bruises. His eyes filled up with tears, and he couldn't speak. It hurt him so much to see his friend like this, knowing that if he had stayed just a few more minutes, he could have saved him from this pain. And to think that it was only by a strange twist of fate that he hadn't just died.

Newsworthy collapsed by the bed, sobbing quietly. He grasped Partheus' hand in his hooves and pressed it to his forehead. After a minute, he looked up. "I ... I'm so sorry ..." he said.

[Partheus]

Partheus raised his head to see Newsworthy, who was sobbing to himself. "Hey... no need... to worry... about me... I've... been through... much worse... remember?" Partheus had come within an inch of his life so often, both in his line of work and in his adventures across Equestria, that it no longer phased him. He doesn't even consider it an adventure any more unless he's been hospitalised at least once. Rainbow Dash leaned over Partheus, checking to see if the healing lotion was working. "Yep, looks like it's kicking in. You should be able to walk tomorrow. For the time being, you just rest here. Newsworthy, you stay here and apply the lotion about half an hour from now. That'll be his last dose of the night, then he can get some shut-eye. Then, we can pick up where we left off and get him ready for that mean old Sagittarius!" She walked over to the door. "Well, if you don't mind, I've got some training exercises to plan for you, Partheus. Catch you later!"

Rainbow Dash walked out of the room, leaving Partheus and Newsworthy alone. "Oh yeah... forgot to... ask... Why... do you... smell... of... alcohol...?"

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy wiped his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "Well, that's a long story."

He thought for a moment. "Actually, never mind. It's really quite short. I just felt awful about coming between you and Rainbow Dash and so I went to a pub in Cloudsdale to forget. It's not something I'm in the habit of doing anymore, but stress brings out my old hard cider addiction."

He sighed. "I was wrong to try to interfere in your relationship with Dash. It seemed to me that you were completely oblivious to her advances, and that she was getting more and more out of hoof. Like asking you to train in the nude, my goddesses. But anyway, all I wanted to do was help you. To minimize the damage to both parties. And then this happens! I just made everything worse."

He sniffed, continuing, "she told me that she didn't want to reveal her feelings for you just yet, and then I go and blurt out the whole thing right next to you. And then what do I do? I just run and drown my problems in cider, when I could have saved you from this injury. I was careless and foalish, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

[Partheus]

Partheus chuckled, coughing heavily as he did. "Well... that's... perfectly fine... you... had an addiction... to feed... and I... had a pegasus... to train me... and unintentionally... get to second... base with..." He looked over at the window; the sun was still shining as brightly as it was in the morning. "So... you knew... about how she... felt about me... all that time... and you... didn't... tell me...?" He chuckled again. "Classic... Newsworthy... he keeps the... hottest... new info... to himself..." He had the strength to raise his arm, waving it dismissively before letting it flop limply by his side again. "Don't... worry about it... you... only did... what came... naturally to you... no one... can hold you... accountable... for that..."

Partheus suddenly felt a sharp spike of fiery pain course down his body, causing his every muscle to spasm slightly. "Oww... I think... it might be... time to... apply more... lotion..."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy was surprised that the time had passed so quickly. He wasn't exactly comfortable with this task, but his friend was in need. He gingerly applied the lotion, and while doing so, he kept talking.

"Well, the first time I noticed it was when Rainbow Dash started talking about your, erm, hindquarters yesterday. Any foal could see that she was going all gaga over you." He stopped himself, realizing that there was no need to continue bringing this up now that Partheus had forgiven him.

The task complete, he then curled up in a large armchair nearby. Apparently, it was made for a stallion the size of Big Macintosh to sit in, so the cushion was more than large enough for Newsworthy's small frame.

"Anyway," he continued, "I have the perfect solution to all these problems. Rainbow Dash will be out of your mane by tomorrow morning."

[Partheus]

"Oh... really...?" Partheus painfully craned his neck to see Newsworthy a little better. "And... what would... this solution... entail...?"

[NeilWacaster]

He smiled broadly, plucking a letter from his briefcase. It was sealed with a wax version of the Wonderbolts logo.

"The bartender told me some very interesting things about Rainbow Dash. Although, if this adventure has taught me anything, it's that gossip is destructive, so I won't say too much. Suffice it to say that there's a certain Wonderbolt with his eye on Rainbow Dash, and she just doesn't know it. Not until she reads this letter, that is."