To Live Once More

The last thing Fireseeker expected was to suddenly be tackled by the pony he thought was drowning. As they sprawled out of the ground, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Or maybe that was just the water.

However, at the same time, he felt anger raise in him.

"What the hay is wrong with you?" he growled, the outburst sudden and sharp. "I though you were in serious trouble and Celestia knows what could have happened if that was real!"

"What?" she asked quietly. "I would have drowned. Simple as that. Then Faust would take me as her own, like she promised me all those years ago."

She rolled back onto her hooves and stood abruptly.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I messed up. I honestly didn't mean anything by it." She felt tears prick in her eyes, but she shook them so they fell off her like the water soaked into her coat. This was not at all going to plan.. She thought she might have found somepony who understood her, but this... this wasn't right. Angry at herself, she flew into the air and circled a hundred times, returning to the surface of the earth completely dry. She shook her wind-knotted hair out and returned her gaze to the blue stallion.

Fireseeker continued glared at Cloud, his eyes narrowed and breathing heavy. As he felt himself ready to vent again, he desperately tried to control it. He hated it when he was like this, angry anf fuming at others, but sometimes he didn't feel he had control if it.

Thankfully Cloud took to the sky to dry off. This gave him some time to calm down so when she returned he wasn't as angry. No, he wasn't angry at all. Just upset.

"You really shouldn't joke about drowning," he stated quietly, looking away as his voice broke, "It's...not a nice way to go..."

The cyan pegasus started crying then. It wasn't a childish crying, just a result of poor judgement.

"I'm s-sorry," she hiccuped, hiding her face. "You're r-right, and I shouldn't have m-made such an insensitive joke about death. I guess I was just wasn't t-thinking, but that's no excuse... I upset you, and ruined a perfectly good chat."

She bit her lip and furiously wiped the tears from her face.

"Ignorance is such a lovely thing, but it can lead to horrid, horrid results. I didn't mean to ruin your day, Fireseeker..."

Now he felt guilty. One thing Fireseeker couldn't stand was a mare in tears, especially a pretty one. Cloud seemed truly sincere in her apology and he supposed she hadn't meant it in a bad way, even if it was insensitive.

He stepped over to Cloud and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Apology accepted. And you didn't ruin my day. If anything, you made us even, considering I almost ruined your day earlier."

Suddenly Fireseeker had an idea. A strange, unusual and possibly crazy idea.

"In fact, if I hadn't almost sent you into the fountain then none of this would have happened. So let me make it up to you, and make all of this right," he continued, taking a light breath before saying, "Would you like to go out to dinner with me? Say, tomorrow evening?"

"D-dinner?" the little blue pegasus asked rhetorically. She dried her tears and looked at Fireseeker, her eyes hopeful and disbelieving. "Um... if it's not a burden... I'd love to come to dinner with you..."

She blushed.

"I hope that doesn't sound creepy or anything. I do like you, Fireseeker, and I think, Faust willing, it'd be fun. Do you have any place in mind?"

It was moving very quickly, and she wasn't sure whether or not this roller coaster of emotions was a good sign. Not many were able to leave her crying and then bring her back to happiness.

That seemed to have cheered Cloud Dancer up, or at least stopped her from crying. Fireseeker mentally gave himself a celebratory brohoof.

"Great," he replied enthusiastically, before pondering a location, "Well, there's a nice place just beside Sugar Cube Corner. How about there, say, around six?"

Personally, Fireseeker was shocked he was doing this. He could not see himself doing this a few months ago. Now...was he asking Cloud Dancer out on a date?

"Six. Six is good," she said rather stupidly, mentally slapping herself for the dumb way of answering. "I'll be ready by then. Um... I live on Flower Way, so I could just walk to Sugarcube Corner, as it's the next street over. Unless you want to meet at my house? Um..."

Why was she being so awkward? She had never stumbled over her words with Spirit. She thought about it a bit, and realized that it was because he had been the shy one in their relationship. This was a completely new experience... and she liked it. For once, she didn't have to pretend to be braver than she was, to take control because she had to do so.

Relaxing a bit, she blew her wildly tangled mane out of her face and laughed a little.

As Cloud laughed, Fireseeker felt a little tingle run though him. It was such a nice sound to here.

"Sure, I'll pick you up at yours and we'll walk down," he answered, smiling at her. "So...I guess I'll see you then?"

What are you doing Fireseeker, he questioned himself. You met this mare today and now you're taking her to dinner, on a date.

"Yeah... six. I'll see you then. Um, it's number nine, in case you were wondering," Cloud said, a blush burning on her cheeks. His smile was so nice. Yes, this was going to be a good date.

"I guess I'll go get ready," she said, stretching out her wings again. "Can't show up for dinner with hair like this, hmm?"

She laughed again, nervously and just from the poor state of her mane, before swishing her tail and turning with a little pirouette. With a little bounce in her hooves, she took off.


(You can start the date thread.)

"See you then!"

Fireseeker watched Cloud Dancer as she lifted from the ground and flew away. As she left his vision, he sighed, feeling slightly light headed. What was that all about?

He shrugged before heading towards his house at a merry trot. Things seemed to be looking up. He now unexpectedly had plans for tomorrow evening, going to dinner with a rather pretty pegasus mare  on a date...

Fireseeker stopped in mid-trot, his eyes widening. "Oh horse apples, I know noting about dates."

(Ok, I'll start it soon)