A Hearts-and-Hooves Day Special (Concluded)

[Dark Star]

The sun was rising beautifully as Dark Star walked back from the forest to her home. She stepped inside, placed her saddlebags in the living room and started heading upstairs. She opened the door and found Slipstream sleeping peacefully in her bed. 'She's so cute when she's sleeping' Dark Star thought as she trotted over to the bed. She got under the covers and got herself nice and comfortable as she drifted off into her dreams. She arose a few hours later to the sound of very loud laughter and cheering going on outside. She crawled out of bed, groggy and mildly annoyed, and walked over to the window. She looked outside and saw a multitude of different fillies laughing and running around. She looked around and saw that there were a few pegasi going around, setting up red streamers. She thought about things going on for a moment and headed downstairs. She saw Slipstream in the living room, her hair down and reading a newspaper with a mug of coffee nearby. "Could you remind me what day it is today?" she asked the blue pegasus. Slipstream laughed and replied "It's Hearts-and-Hooves Day, Bright Eyes, you know that". 

Dark Star's face quickly beamed and vanished as she teleported back upstairs. Slipstream could hear things being thrown around and general thrashing sounds from her point downstairs. After a few minutes, Dark Star walked down gracefully wearing a dark black dress with red lace in the center and red trim, smiling warmly as Slipstream got herself an eyeful. She stifled back a few laughs and asked "Got a hot date today or something?" while she moved her fore-legs up to her chest. Dark Star kept her smile as she giggled lightly. "Today is the day I've waited to celebrate this holiday in Ponyville ever since I first heard about in Canterlot" she started. "I want to give back to this community in my own special way, by passing out valentines in town...with you" she said with the last part being said after a short pause.

Slipstream did a spit-take and stood up in surprise. "Excuse me?" she asked a mix of anger and shock. "You promised you would help me this holiday last month, plus you still owe me for going on that date with Onyx Bass" the dark unicorn explained. Slipstream was cornered now; she couldn't deal with the way Dark Star made demands like that, so she just gave up right there and sighed. "What do you want me ta do?" she asked. defeated. Dark Star smiled at this and flared up her horn in her red aura. The two were then dragging a cart full of red, white and pink valentine cards and some flowers through the town into the square. 

They stopped at the vendor's area and started setting up, Dark Star smiling as she eyed Slipstream wearing a white dress with light pink accents going across the sides of it. Slipstream, however, was frowning at this. She hated wearing dresses and hated the color pink even more, but she didn't complain about it one bit. Rather. she started asking Dark Star a few questions in-between putting cards on the the front of the stall. "First off, why do you even have a dress like this? Second, why am I the one wearin it?" she asked with a noticeably-annoyed tone. "I saw it in a boutique and had to buy it right away" she started. "As for why you're wearing it, I simply thought it would look cuter on you, which it does" she said with a toothy-grin.

Slipstream merely sighed and rolled her eyes. finishing up the preparations while Dark Star levitated the sign up to the top. She smiled and clapped her hooves together as she looked over the area. There were many ponies out today and she couldn't want to start handing out these valentines she had spent a week preparing prior to the situation. "Let this be a holiday neither of us will ever forget" Dark Star said happily. Slipstream just sighed and plastered on a fixed smile as she prepared to hand out cards and flowers, hoping that this would be over with quickly so she could go back to relaxing on her day off from practice. 

[Deleted]

"Do you really like my outfit, Coggy-Darling? It is quite splendid isn't it! I've been working on it for sometime, just with the impression of Hearts and Hooves day with the intention of meeting the most PERFECT stallion, and your quirky little invention has made it all the better! What do you think of my outfit?"

Lolly jumped around happily to herself, clearly proud of her outfit and her new "crown" to top of her Queen of Hearts outfit, and she was admiring herself clearly in a nearby shop window, whilst the ponies inside looked out at her with confusion and were clearly "weirded out". Alongside her, was a very downtrodden-looking Jitters, his face long and enduring, and it was made almost immediately clear that he had spent too much time around Lolly and was ridiculously irritated with her. He found her fashion taste repulsive and over the top, thinking something more elegant would be appropriate and had chosen a light grey waistcoat with a pink tie to keep the theme of today. But he gritted his teeth and put on a gently smile to turn towards Lolly.

"Yes, of course Miss Porcelain, it is quite a wonderful display you have created for your outfit, and it is certainly getting us a lot of attention... a lot of unwanted attention."

Jitters spoke the last part under his breath as they reached the town square saw Dark Star and Slipstream handing out merchandise and such that were of the theme of the day, and Jitters thought that they could possibly be his saviour from his torturous task of keeping an eye on Lolly. He hadn't seen either of them since they had kindly volunteered to take him home on his first day in Ponyville, and found it very strange to see Slipstream in a dress, never really placing her as the kind to wear such clothes, but he admired it significantly, it gave her a sense of simplicity, elegance and grace and it cheered him up significantly.

"OH! OH! Maybe we can even help you find the perfect stallion too! You are a very lonely individual, and I think it would be best and could even build your confidence! What do you say? Hm? OH MY! LOOK AT THAT! THOSE PONIES ARE HANDING OUT THINGS! Let's go see!"

Almost as soon as she had finished speaking, Lolly had already dashed ahead of him and Jitters face-hoofed, sighing softly. Why did he even bother?
Trotting to keep up, Lolly and Jitters arrived at Slipstream and Dark Star's stall and Jitters smiled weakly.

"Ladies, what a pleasure it is to see you again, I haven't see you since that time you helped me, and I have never thanked you f-"

Interjecting bluntly and loudly, a very hyperactive and loud Lolly burst out, shouting slightly at the two mares.

"OH MY! What a wonderful and quaint little stall you have here! I LOVE IT! MY, MY! Pegasus Lady! Your dress! It's so beautiful, and clean and elegant! INSPIRED! Where could I find something like that? OH!"

Lolly was bouncing around dramatically, flailing her hooves and then freezing suddenly every time she said "Oh", clearly trying to make a big scene of herself, whilst a very embarrassed Jitters looked to the side, clearly not wanting to be seen with this crazy pony.

[Dark Star]

As the two mares were handing out their merchandise, they were surprised to hear the sound of hoof-steps rushing over to their direction. They both turned to face the sound and found it to be Jitters Cogsby, the pegasus stallion they had helped some time ago, and another pony rushing over to them. They were about to return the greeting when the mare walking alongside Jitters suddenly stepped in front of them and started gushing over their stall. She was wearing a brilliantly-designed dress that clearly marked her as the Queen of Hearts, but they couldn't take much time to appreciate it as the mare simply started going all over the place, complimenting them on the many things they were handing out and even appreciating the dresses they were wearing.

Slipstream backed away slightly when this hyper-active pony started complimenting her on her dress and asking where she got it from. She did't have much time to answer though and could only muster a shy-sounding "Uh...thanks, but I didn't really buy it myself, I-" before the pink mare started having what looked like several unhealthy spasms. Eventually, Dark Star's horn flared up and placed the mare under a large dome, dark red in coloration. The dark unicorn scowled at the trapped mare and walked forward. "Just take a minute to calm down and we'll get back to you" she told her. She then continued walking forward until she was just a few steps from Jitters, then smiled at him. "Happy Hearts-and-Hooves Day, Jitters. It's so nice to see you again after so long" she told him in a happy tone of voice.

Slipstream was tapping on the glass-like surface of the dome keeping the excited mare trapped withing it, then called over to Dark Star. "Where'd ya learn how to do this?" she asked while waving over to Jitters. Dark Star turned her head back and answered "It's something I picked up in the library during my last visit, it's supposed to keep hysterical ponies from doing anything to worsen themselves. And as an added bonus, it's completely soundproof from the inside" she said as she walked over, noting how it is the mare's lips were moving yet no sound was coming out of them. Slipstream then hopped over and placed a hoof on Jitters' shoulders. "So, where'd ya pick this one up?" she asked in a mildly-annoyed tone. "She does seem a bit...out-there?" Dark Star added. 

[Sun Riser]

   Stormy Flee grumbled and mumbled at the cheerful orange pegasus flapping next to her, Stormy was actually quite impressed how Sunny managed to pull her outside on such a lovey-dovey day. "Why am I here again?" Stormy angrily muttered to Sun Riser. 
   "You know why silly! It's Hearts-and-Hooves day! Aren't you gonna find a special somepony?" Sunny made a quick smile, making her face resemble a cat's.
   Storm scoffed at the notion of finding a "special somepony", "Pffft, special somepony, I'll more likely eat five cakes in a row and stick a cupcake in my eye than to find a 'special somepony'" Stormy gave the tiny orange pegasus a bitter glare, yet Sunny was not paying attention and kept flying forwards. "Why are you flying anyways? With your lil' broken wing you're bound to break something."
   Sunny laughed, "Break something? Naw..." She then bumped into a cart of apples and it tipped over, spilling the cargo. Sunny flushed and let out a nervous chuckle. She stopped to clean up the mess she made and Storm trotted right past her.
   "Yeah, you do that Sunny, I'll go and do something." Storm said with a mocking tone. Storm saw a pony in a regal costume waltz toward two ponies giving out merchandise. "What a strange display, I'm gonna go look." With that, Stormy stomped away.
   As Sunny was still picking up the apples, she saw that Stormy was leaving, "Hey! Storm! Wait for me!" Sunny tried to rush her work without bruising an apple or trying to rack up a debt to the vendor. She finished, leaving the last apple stacked neatly on top of an immense pyramid of apples. Without warning, she spread her wings and took off as quickly as she could, as she did, her right wing accidentally knocked an apple from the bottom of the stack, making it fall out. The whole pyramid collapsed, making Sunny flinch, Sunny turned and went to clean up the mess again.
   Storm heard a thud, and rolled her eyes. Most likely Sunny and her clumsiness, She mused. There were two ponies, one she thinks she has seen before, the one with a dark black pelt, and one with a brighter pelt that she has never seen around these parts. "Hello," She said with a stern look on her face.
----------------------------------------------------
   Hearts-and-Hooves day, a day said to be full of friendship and romance. Something that would pry away a shy shell, and bring smiles to faces. Robo Sentry slammed the book closed, putting it away and laying on her bed with the tip of her long tail on her nose. "Maybe I should meet someone...," she thought out loud. Then the thought of the bullies that tormented her from her school years flooded her mind. She cowered. "No! Today, I'm going to face my fear!" Robbie stated firmly then trotted to the front door, opened it then, stepped outside. "YIPE!" She quietly screeched, and ran into a small place where she didn't think she would be seen. She breathed deeply to calm her nerves then stepped out of the shadows, she silky white pelt shimmering in the sun. I-I guess it's time to meet some new ponies... she thought and trotted towards a growing crowd around two ponies, one with a dark pelt, the other with a light one. C-Could I find a special somepony this year? Robo wondered as she approached the crowd.

[Deleted]

"Oh my stars, it truly is a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for that help before, it was much appreciated. But this is Miss Lollipop Porcelain, she's a model or something, famous for something or other, regardless, she stumbled across my quaint store today and requested a unique orbit hat design based on a crown, she then sat around my workshop all day just chattering away. I thought she'd leave me be when I was done, but she insisted on looking around for Hearts and Hooves outfit inspiration or some other obscure fact. She did quite an exuberant character."

Sighing out deeply, it was clear that Jitters had been uncomfortable spending time with her, but didn't want to say anything rude about we either. Regardless, he stood nervously blushing whilst Lolly frantically began to tap the glass, and then started to fake she was choking in te most dramatic fashion possible, pointing to her neck with her hooves and all sorts before collapsing to the ground in a heap and Jitters looked away from her for a moment before covering his mouth and chuckling then clearing his throat.

"So, what do you have on offer here, dear Miss Slipstream and Miss Star?"

He cocked his head in confusion before a blue Pegasus suddenly appeared behind him and uttered 'Hello'.

Jitters jumped on fear and made a small screech-like cry as he did and turned to see the pony no scared him and his face softened, then reddened, becoming embarrassed.

[Dark Star]

"Meh, you don't have ta thank us, we wanted to help you out" said Slipstream with a cocky grin. She knew right away to start feeling smug in the face of Dark Star, since she didn't have any desire to help him at first. Rather, she merely wanted to get home and start sleeping off the mild stress that came with work, she didn't want to try anything until Slipstream got herself involved in it, which instantly made her want to clean up the mess she had made. Slipstream continued to grin until Dark Star spoke up. "It was no trouble at all, Jitters" she said to the stressed pegasus. 

The two mares were then re-directed to the mare in the dome, Lollipop Porcelain as introduced by Jitters, where she was faking being suffocated. Dark Star rolled her eyes and undid the barrier. "Excellent acting, I was almost convinced you were deprived of oxygen" Dark Star told her bluntly with an un-impressed facial expression. Dark Star wanted to know more about her, but her attention was re-directed by Jitters, this time, at her wares. "Oh, these are just my way of showing my love for this town, a few valentines here and there, even some flowers to help with the mood" Dark Star explained in a tone that Slipstream called sickeningly-sweet, making a few pretend-gagging noises as she stood next to Lollipop Porcelain. 

Dark Star was about to explain more when suddenly, a blue-maned pegasus spoke up from Jitters, startling him. Dark Star and Slipstream looked at this pegasus and were suddenly filled with flashbacks. For Dark Star; visions of the Everfree Forest late one evening. And for Slipstream; her and two other pegasi, one of them being the newcomer pegasus, flying just above the Wonderbolt Academy Training Area one evening. They both gasped in realization of who she was. "You're the pony I met in the Everfree Forest during that storm" said Dark Star, concerned. "And the one I caught shooting her booming voice off above the Wonderbolt Academy" Slipstream added. 

[Sun Riser]

   Sunny finally finished re-stacking the pile of apples and went to join Stormy Flee. Yet when she went forwards, she remembered that she never took note of where Storm had disappeared to. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Sunny frantically swayed her head back and forth, looking for her friend. She threw her head up, "I'm lost!" Then curled up into a ball and rolled away until she hit a wall. That wall happened to be the back of a stocky leg, Stormy Flee's leg to be more precise.
   Storm nodded a quick apology to the pony she had startled, noticing that he had started to redden. She ignored that and nodded, and the same memories came to her mind. "I guess so, so we meet again," Storm says, then feels a slight knock against her back left leg. She turned, only to see Sun Riser surled up in a tiny ball, sitting still against her leg. "What are you doin' kid?!" Stormy snarled.
   Sunny turned her head, let out another nervous laugh, then stood up. She opened her mouth to respond, but was sure that she saw a flame in Storm's eyes; scared, she closed her mouth. Taking a quick calming breath, Sunny opened her mouth again, then hastily closed it. This went on for a few minutes until Sunny spotted Dark Star and Slipstream. "Oh my gosh! It's you two!" Sunny yipped, pushing past Stormy's bulk with a surprising amount of force. "How have you been?!" She questioned.
   Stormy sighed, this kind of thing happened all of the time when Sunny met new ponies or old acquaintances. Making a bored espression, she left it to Sunny to catch up with her friends.
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   Robo Sentry finally caught up with the mass of ponies. But only to come face to face with a stern-faced pegasus that didn't seem like she would take any funny business. With another "yip!" Robo fell onto her back in fear.
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   Hearing a faint yelp, Storm thought, Who is it this time? She turned around and looked down, only to see a strange earth-pony lying on its back. "Hey, who are you?" Storm introduced herself in her own way, with a booming voice and a few stomps of her large front hooves.
   Robo Sentry quickly stood up and quietly brushed herself off. The stern pegasus reminded her of one of her old bullies, causing her to loose her stance and slouch a bit. With her head hanging low, she whispered "I-I'm Robo Sentry,"
   Stormy processed this a bit then turned. "Then stand up straight, that's very rude and improper," She commented on Robo's position. Which truthfully, even to her was a strange choice of subject.
   "Geh?" Robo said, startled, "O-Okay," She stood up, to her full height, her long mane draping onto her hooves.

[20monkies]

Hearts and Hooves Day.

That one time in the year where all ponies from around Equestria celebrated love and happiness. A day where every pony showed others how much they cared and appreciated them.

It was a lovely day in Ponyville, and there was nothing to stop any pony from having a grand celebration.

Onyx Bass was residing in Ponyville for a couple of weeks, and while his concert had been a smash hit, the ponies he met while being here had been nothing short of outstanding. He enjoyed every moment he had with them, signing autographs, being in their company. Sure, his band had left him to his own devices and moved on - he really didn't need them much except for performances anyways - he was as peachy and happy about it all.

Since he was staying at one of the 5 Hooves Hotel, and while it was great there was always a rush of fans gathering around to greet him.

Today was no exception. When Onyx Bass stepped out of his room he found the hallway flooded with bouquets of flowers, large boxes of chocolates and cards of every imaginable colour lined up and down the carpet. He blushed, not realizing how much out of the way ponies went just to show they cared. Last year he would have not bothered for such a holiday as he found it rubbish. He wasn't on the music scene until some half a year back anyways. This was the complete opposite of what would have been expected and he was now completely overwhelmed.

Gathering up everything, little plush toys bouncing around on their heads, he shoved it all into his hotel room to see to later.

Right now he wanted to head on out and enjoy the sweet air and explore a bit. He didn't have anything in mind, but his sweet tooth was aching to have one of the Hearts and Hooves Day sweet special.

The beige pony, stepping out au natural without his sunglasses, walked down the street to see the sights and sounds the day brought forward.

It wasn't long until he was rounding towards Town Square where a bunch of vendors had gathered, when he saw a familiar pair with a cart. Filled to the brim with Hearts and Hooves treasures. He was grinning ear to ear as he approached Dark Star and Slip Stream, whistling as he went.

"Well hello there and good morning! A very Happy Hearts and Hooves Day to you!" He gushed, stopping around by Slip Stream. He eyed the dress she wore and smiled pleasantly. "You're looking rather dashing in your dress, my dear!" He exclaimed.

He still remembered their little date after the concert, and he was perfectly excited to see the two of them again.

He looked around and saw several other ponies with them and let out a loud gasp. One of them he definitely recognized, her outfit was a standout and her single eye had him recalling the charity concert in the past year.

"Porcelain!" He cried out. "It's so good to see you again! How long has it been?" There was a huge crowd gathering and he kind of felt pleased with the attention.

**********

Raven Feather woke with a start as she heard the loud hustle and bustle in Ponyville. She wasn't sure what was going on until she saw a bunch of heart balloons floating past her window.

She had been staying at a pharmacist's home for some time now, recovering from a rather grand misadventure. She knew that the pharmacist would be upset if she was up and moving about but it had been too much time since. After all, she needed to stretch out her limbs and make some activity worthwhile.

So slipping out of the shop where she was, Black her pet black cat trailing behind, she looked around at the spectacle. She was trying to piece the information together as to what this day was called again. Being a traveller and wanderer had her seeing many different things so just remembering what this day was had her lost momentarily.

It was only when she saw a banner with the large words painted over it that the memory clicked.

"Ah. Hearts and Hooves Day." She commented, looking back at her cat. Black was meowing softly and pawing at her trailing black tail. Today she was not wearing her cloak, nor her saddlebags. She was completely free of all the extra weight, her left wing still bandaged but moving more easily now.

She was silver in colour, her hooves red and the tips of her wings red as well. She wanted to fly, seeing the other pegasus swooping through the clouds and making shapes in the air. With a sigh, she continued around town taking in the sights and sounds as well.

"Maybe I can find something that I can give to Silk Suture. At least he might appreciate it, for all he has done for me." she commented again, smiling at her cat.

[Dark Star]

The two mares were surprised that, in spite of what they knew about her from past endeavors, Stormy Flee bore no ill will towards either of them. Sun Riser popped out from behind her stocky build and instantly went to greet them. Slipstream smiled warmly and gave the sun-colored pegasus a high-five with her wing. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Sun Riser?" asked Dark Star. Before Slipstream could catch up with her, her ear twitched slightly to the sound of another familiar voice from behind her. Onyx Bass had greeted the two mares the same, charming way he had done before, which made Slipstream incredibly giddy to hear the sound of his voice. Dark Star turned to face him and returned the greeting, "And a happy Hearts-and-Hooves Day to you too, Onyx" she said as she levitated a flower behind his ear. 

It was after that point where she had noticed Onyx looking at the dress Slipstream was wearing, which he then complimented her on. Slipstream just blushed and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Uh...yeah, it's nothing special" she said shyly. At first, she hated wearing the dress, and being rushed by Lollipop Porcelain only made this hatred for the garment rise. But after getting such a compliment from Onyx Bass, she couldn't help but like it a little more. "I'm glad you like it, Onyx, I'm the one that picked it out one trip to Canterlot ago" Dark Star said pleasantly. "I didn't think it would look very good on me, unlike the one I'm wearing now, so I figured maybe Slipstream would look good in it. I guess I was right on the money, wasn't I-" she started before Onyx went straight for Porcelain. Apparently the two had some history together. 

Another pony got to join the group, turning what started out as a small gathering into a miniature party in the square. Dark Star quickly levitated a valentine and a flower from the stall and placed them in front of the filly that had just arrived. She showed her a warm smile and returned to the rest of the group. She conversed with Stormy, Sun Riser and Jitters about the many things that had been going on in her life as of recently and suddenly noticed a familiar silver body accented with red hooves and wing-tips and smiled as she noticed Raven Feather walking through the town. She quickly levitated a flower and aimed right for the spot the silver pegasus was about to step on and shot the flower directly at her. The flower landed just a few inches from her hoof before it hit the ground and stuck into it at an angle with the head of it facing where the dark unicorn stood. She waved at her and smiled when she looked over to find the source of it. 

[Deleted]

As soon as Onyx paid attention to Lolly, time seemingly found a way to speed up as in what felt like moments, Lollipop had pounced onto Onyx, knocking both of them to the ground in an satisfactory glomp, her front legs wrapped tightly around his neck and her shrill voice bubbling and rambling again at seeing him.

"OH! It has been such a long time, Onyx! I never thought I'd see you again since we never spoke again after the concert! How glorious it is to see you! You're looking so fine! Has your mane always had those blue strips in it? I don't think I've ever noticed that about you! Oh you're so calm and collected all the time! I wish I could be as level-headed as you, I've far too enthusiastic to have that kind of personality! How have you been?! It's so wonderful seeing you! How is your music coming along? It's so inspiring!

... And so-on and so forth, but since Jitters didn't quite know many of the ponies surrounding him, he turned towards the orange pegasus and extended a hoof, fixing his heart-themed tie and clearing his throat nervously.

"I don't believe I've quite caught your name yet, my dear, please excuse me. My name is Jitters Cogsby, it's a rather delight to meet quite so many ponies at once, and today has by far certainly been an eventful one thus far, and I do expect it to become a rather wonderful day of festivities, regardless of my distaste for this kind of holiday."

He smiled softly at her, trying to ignore the very loud and obnoxious Lolly, chattering away to the beige stallion she had just knocked to the ground. He couldn't deny he was enjoying himself though, it wasn't often he got away from his store, especially when the atmosphere of Ponyville was quite so exuberant as today, and in his hometown, he never had a holiday even similar to this, well, technically it was the same holiday, but it seemed Hearts and Hooves day here was very much more community-orientated as opposed to being a rather dark hubbub it was back in his own town. As he looked around, he saw the blue pegasus disappear to go and talk to another pony just a little ways off, and shrugged, before bringing his attention to Dark Star, Slipstream and Sun Riser until Dark Star pointed his attention to another mare. A very tall and elegant mare with red-tipped wings and a bandaged one, and he found this new character to be quite a curious one indeed.

[Sun Riser]

   Sunny smiled and returned the high five (wing?) from Slipstream, "Quite some time Slipstream!" She looked around if there were anypony else to greet her. Sunny let out a giggle as she saw well-costumed pony jump onto another, knocking him to the ground. Sunny then turned and watched as Jitters turned to her and extended a hoof. "Uhhhhh," Sunny muttered. "I-I'm Sun Riser" And instead of blushing, Sunny's eyes crossed, in such a strange way that it made her dizzy and fall over. Sunny stood up, swaying a bit and her eyes were still crossed. Sunny quickly shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. When her head had stopped shaking, her eyes stated to seem to roll around, then stopped in the right position. Stormy swore that it was the strangest thing she has ever seen. "That must have looked pretty weird huh?" Sunny laughed.
   "Whatever you say Sun," Storm sighed, looking at the small mare standing behind her. "Hey you, aren't you gonna join us for a bit?"
   "Uhh...," Robo's voice trailed off as Storm looked at her with her piercing stare. Quietly, Robo slowly trotted to join the group. "H-Hello everypony... I'm Robo Sentry...,"  Robo stuttered as she looked at all of the faces, the faces that could tease, the faces that could laugh, the faces that could yell. Robo could feel beads of sweat appearing on her skin, they darkened her pelt and some got into her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to hold back eveerything. "O-Okayy... so, I-I presume you're Jitters... That one is Onyx," She points to the stallion that Lolli was tackling, "That's Sun Riser, that's... Slipstream, that's... Porcelain... I can't tell who that is but I guessing it's... Star? And who are you?" She motioned at Stormy.
   "I'm Stormy Flee," Storm said, her voice grinding into a small growl.
   "O-Okay." Robo felt a little braver as she "learned" the names of the large group of ponies. Not exactly all were accurate, but she tried. Yet that bravery was squashed when she spoke to Storm. "Heh... N-Nice to meet you guys... I'll be going now..." Robo said nervously and backed away, then turned and ran at full speed. That was a good effort... Nice try today Robo! She said to herself silently.

[20monkies]

Onyx Bass got a split moment chance to listen to Dark Star and Slip Stream, before he was attacked by Lollipop Porcelain. He collapsed to the ground under her weight, crushed beneath the layers of fabric and floral perfume.

She was hugging him, a little too tightly, but he smiled up at the mare and returned the gesture of the hug. If she ever ran out of breath, Onyx Bass would find a point in her speech to say something. But she flooded him with her words and he felt dizzy from the attention and excitement.

It was rather sudden! He was sure others were watching and just the spectacle was a bit embarrassing for his image. He was a big star now, not how he was when they first met. So he finally pried himself from her arms and legs, setting her and helping to straighten out her dress while giving her a lop sided grin.

"I didn't think I would see you in Ponyville, of all places. Have you made a name for yourself here too?" He asked, tilting his head. "Or were you following after me when you heard I had a big concert here?" He waggled his brows, then suddenly seemed to remember. Turning himself around to the others, he bowed his head.

"I must have lost my manners! I'm Onyx Bass, but I'm sure you knew!" He handed Sun Riser, Stormy and the quiet little creature behind them his CD. "Give me some feedback, if you want to hear something in particular! I'd love to sing a duet with a lovely mare one day. Especially on Hearts and Hooves day!"

******

Raven Feather seemed to float along with a crowd of ponies heading towards Town Square. She didn't rush herself, knowing fully well of her own condition. She didn't want to overexert herself. Silk would have a field day and perhaps get a bit upset, but that was just fine. She tended to do things her way.

As she examining the booths and vendors lined up with their Hearts and Hooves Day specialties - one filled with chocolates, another filled with stuffed animals (Black seemed to take particular interest here), and another with extravagantly decorated bouquets of exotic flowers - she stumbled on her hooves. Something had shot out and landed right at her hoof, and looking down she noticed it was a rose. A lovely red rose. She picked it up, smelling at the delicate petals and smiled. Who had tossed the flower towards her?

She looked in the direction it must have come from and saw a familiar face. Even though she had met her for a brief moment, enjoying a short time of their company, she remembered.

There was a small gathering happening with some easily excitable ponies and Raven Feather hesitated just a little before moving around the group to stand by Dark Star, smiling at her. Sweeping black bangs shaded one of her icy blue eyes, but there was a warmth there.

"Good morning, Dark Star." She said. "It's such a pleasure to see you again. I'm sorry I didn't get to stick around the last time we met." She acknowledged the others, smiling kindly at them as well. "Thank you for the rose. It's quite lovely. Are you selling Hearts and Hooves cards?" 

There was another familiar face and she saw Sun Riser. The cookie lover!

"Sun Riser, how nice it is to see you as well!" She called out, her head bobbing slightly. The rose in her hoof was tucked away behind her ear, sticking out just a little to add some colour to her otherwise drab black mane. She didn't know the others, but she was sure to become well acquainted with them as well.

[Dark Star]

Dark Star was a little disappointing to see the dark grey filly just leave so quickly, but was excited to finally catch up with Raven Feather. Jitters was busy introducing himself to the rest of their gaggle of friends while Onyx was busy prying off Porcelain, seeming to struggle to do so. Slipstream trotted over and whispered into Dark Star's ear. "Was I ever like that?" she asked curiously. "I don't think you could be like that even if Princess Celestia made you the sole leader of the Wonderbolts" Dark Star responded. Slipstream snickered a bit and got back to handing out cards and flowers. After prying himself free of Porcelain's grip, Onyx started to introduce himself to the others as well, promoting his own CD in the same charming way he did nearly everything. 

Eventually, Raven Feather made it to the stall and greeted Dark Star, whom of which was happy to see the silver pegasus. "It's so nice to see you here today, Raven. I've wanted to meet up with you for some time now" Dark Star admitted warmly. "Why yes, I am here to sell these valentines" Dark Star said in response to Raven's question. Slipstream noticed the way Dark Star was acting so chummy with some other pegasus and trotted over right away. "Heya, I'm Slipstream. I'm sure you musta heard of me from Bright Eyes here at some time or another" she said to the newcomer. "Ah, I forgot; you left before you had the chance to meet Slipstream. In short, she's-" Dark Star started saying but was soon cut off. "I'm the best pegasus around, and I'm also Dark Star's special somepony" she said with a grin on her face. 

Dark Star merely scowled at her and pushed her aside with a hoof. "She's not actually my special somepony, she's just my roommate. I, on the other hoof, actually do have a special some-pony, but that's not really important" she explained quickly. She hoped she wouldn't seem too frantic after mentioning something like that, but had to say something to keep Slipstream from having her way. She was caught off-guard when Slipstream went back to her old tricks, so she pulled her aside, saying that she'd be back in just a second. They both walked a few feet behind the cart and looked over to the rest of the group, making certain they couldn't hear them. "I thought you promised Midnight that you wouldn't say those kinds of things again?" Dark Star angrily asked the younger mare. Slipstream smiled coyly and retorted "I thought you promised to start telling me about the friends you make without me?". Dark Star sighed and smacked her face with one hoof, then returned her gaze to Slipstream. "Just don't try anything like that again, alright?" she begged. Slipstream nodded and winked and the two then returned to the rest of the group.

Dark Star was pleasantly surprised at the way things were going. She managed to meet up with a few old friends and even make a couple of new ones and on Hearts-and-Hooves Day of all days. She could've done without Slipstream making a complete relapse, but she didn't dwell on it for too long. Slipstream could've been better though, mostly because she didn't want to spend her day off wearing such a frilly dress. But she was happy to have made a couple new friends and be able to celebrate her favorite holiday with Dark Star. Truly, things were going well today.

[Deleted]

After being almost physically pried from a slightly crushed Onyx, Lolly responded to him with the same enthusiasm she did with everything.

"I'm not some kind of stalker Onyx, how dare you!"

She pulled an over exaggerated 'horrified' face, as though he had just uttered something unspeakable, and then primped herself and fixed herself, having a small diva-like silence tantrum before looking over at the young stallion again and her face breaking into a small smile.

"If you MUST know, I have a cousin here, and my family live here, and I frequent here often to visit them, but it doesn't seem that anypony knows my name here, it's really quite upsetting, I thought I was more well-known than this!"

She sighed out deeply and her face fell, bringing her ears with it, then continued to fake-fix herself, just trying to avoid conversation with anyone, clearly jealous that no-one was giving her any attention. Meanwhile, Jitters just looked around at all of the ponies around, he could feel himself at the onset of an anxiety attack, as this was too many ponies at once to get to know and get used to, and he began to quiver, his body began to shut down and his mind just flew with a wild mix of thoughts and emotions. He didn't want to just run away, that would make him look rude and ignorant, as well as the fact that this is a first meeting most of these ponies. Never before had a scenario occurred in which case he had more than 3 ponies to talk to at once and this was clearly quite overwhelming for him and he swallowed hard.

"Should I introduce myself? I know that, that is the polite thing to do, but there's just too much going on and no-one really wants to know me and I don't think it would be just appropriate to keep throwing myself into situations like this. Maybe I should just say goodbye to Dark Star and Slipstream and be on my way, I mean, they've spent enough time of their day on me. And there is so much pressure to get to know everyone here, I need to get out as soon as possible."

Jitters thoughts all swam in his mind, making a coherent mess as he phased out from the world around him, not paying any attention to anything. But Lolly excelled at the change to meet someone new, and rushed towards Raven with a wide-eyed grin that made her look a little crazy and definitely imposing.

"OH. MY. STARS. You are SO BEAUTIFUL!"

A, yet again, overactive Lolly rushed in a circle around Raven, giggling to herself all the way, taking in the elegant grace of the tall pony and she stopped to look at her wings and her hooves, looking her up and down, then randomly bursting out laughing before abruptly stopping.

"Can I just say, you have got some regal beauty, girl! My gosh! I love your wings! Is that red tint natural? I've never seen anything like it! Your mane has such a natural shine, I am so jealous! Wow! You could be a model! ... Speaking of which, I'm a model, do you recognise me? I'm Lollipop Porcelain, surely you've heard of me? What if I do this?"

Lolly pulled her trademark pose, clearly trying to get some more attention and even advertise herself a little, doing her best to show off her outfit and her hairstyle she spent hours perfecting this morning.

[Sun Riser]

   Stormy Flee watched with her deep blue eyes as Robo Sentry ran as an amazing speed. Wimp, She said silently. With that, she turned back to the ever-growing crowd. "Sure are a lot of ponies around town square today," Storm commented. She looked around, seeing couples walking, flying, rubbing noses, and such. Storm gagged a bit. What a horrible day. She thought. The only thing that could make it better is if it rained. She mused to herself, with a thoughtful look at the sky.
   Sunny heard her name, and turned to see Raven Feather with her cat trailing behind her. "Raven!" Sunny exclaimed cheerfully. "How have you been? I've been great, Ponyville looks nice today, and Cloudsdale doesn't have speed limits." She jabbered on and on.
   Being as shallow-minded as she is, she overheard Dark Star explaining about how she and Slipstream were selling valentines and completely forgot that she was stalking to Raven Feather."Valentines huh? I thought ponies just asked the other,I've never seen the use of valentines before!" Sunny thought out loud at the thought of "valentines". Then, as Slipstream introduced herself, Sunny just had to snicker at how the two interacted with each other. In such a friendsly way, yet with good humor and a good amount of friendly battles.
   "What do you think of this Stormy?" Sunny asked to the giant, looking up to see a forlorn look on her face. "What are you thinking about there?" She questioned poking Storm's right foreleg.
   Storm broke her gaze at the sky to look at who was poking her foreleg. "What?!" She yelled, as she does not like to be interrupted when deep in thought. Sunny repeated her questions, "Valentines? I don't really care. All I know is that I'm not in this. And, what I'm thinking is none of your business Sun!" Storm narrowed her eyes. 
   Sunny recoiled at Storm's response. "Gosh, okay. No need to yell," She smiled. She looked around the group of ponies again, to see Jitters well... jittering. "Jitters, are you okay?" She asked, concerned because even though she had met many other ponies before, she had not seen one do something along the lines of this before. She was awaiting a response until she felt a strong force pulling her back by her tail.
   "That's enough of sticking your nose in other ponies' business Sunny," Storm uttered through clenched teeth and red and yellow fur. She then let go of Sunny tail when she though the distance away from the others was an acceptable amount.