Ever Growing Friendship

Written By: Thunder-Dasher

Edited By: Bytestorm

Chapter 14: Drink Coltsters

The next day in Trace's home:

"Thumper, how do I look?" Trace asked, as he held out his arms to give the little black bunny a good view of the new blue t-shirt. It looked very similar to his others, but it was new, and the color was brighter.

The little black bunny crossed her forelegs, cocked her head, and scrunched her face in thought. She then squeaked and gave him approving gesture, while her back foot thumped rapidly against the wooden floor of Trace's home.

"I'm glad." Trace smiled as he picked the black bunny up and placed her on his shoulder.

Trace smiled as the little bunny grabbed onto Trace's long brown hair for support as he started to walk to the living room, "Ok Thumper, I will drop you off with your mother for the day when I pick up Fluttershy. Lyra said that we should drop by a restaurant called Drink Coltsters at six so we can start the date. I wonder what she has planned?"

As if replying, the little bunny squeaked and shrugged her shoulders. Trace threw open the door to his home, and locked the door behind him, before heading in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. Trace looked to the sky to see they had plenty of daylight left. Since it was spring, Celestia wouldn't set the sun till around eight. So, Fluttershy and he would have about two hours to get ready, and arrive at the Drink Coltsters before dark.

At Fluttershy's cottage:

Clearing his throat, Trace promptly knocked on Fluttershy's brown wooden door. While he waited, he took notice to the bird feeder; it was overstocked. Trace puzzled as he briefly thought, 'I wonder if Fluttershy over fed the animals so she could stay the night with Lyra and myself? She rarely gets to stay cause of her animals.'

The tall bipedal human's thoughts were cut short as the door opened. Trace chuckled as he said, "Fluttershy, you re-?" Trace halted as he looked to Fluttershy; her hair was intricately pulled up into a pony tail with flowers completing the style. The only clothing she wore was small rings that were attached to the base of either of Fluttershy's wings. On the base of the left wing, the ring that matched Lyra's minty coat, while the one matched Trace's brown hair.

Fluttershy averted her gaze, a pink hue forming on her cheeks, "D-do I look okay?"

After his mind restarted, he replied, "You look absolutely lovely Fluttershy." He chuckled slightly, "Now I wish I had dressed up a bit." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand; he felt almost inadequate next to her.

"I-I know Lyra said to come as we normally would, but... I couldn't help myself... I wanted to look nice for both of you..." Fluttershy kept her gaze to her hooves, scratching at an invisible pebble.

"Lyra will love it!" Trace smiled. He held his palm flat to his shoulder, and Thumper jumped into it, "Okay Thumper, you stay here and I will be back for you either tonight or tomorrow, so just stay here with your mom, okay?"

Once Thumper got down she gave the floor a good thumping, before waving goodbye and taking off toward her mother and Angel; both of whom sat on Angel's favorite spot on the couch. Fluttershy stepped out the door and turning, "Look after the animals while I'm gone, okay Angel?"

Angel saluted the creamy pegasus as Fluttershy pulled the door closed. Without another word, they began to walk toward town. Trace pulled a paper from his pocket with directions to the Drink Coltsters. Scanning over it, he shoved it back in his pocket and briefly glanced at Fluttershy. She was looking down at the ground, Trace sighed as he thought to himself, 'she is probably worried about what Lyra said about us mating before she leaves. I am sure if she truly wanted it, I would most definitely have sex with her, but she hasn't shown any signs of being ready for that yet, at least that I'm aware of. Maybe I should say something?'

Before Trace could get it in his head of what to say or ask, Fluttershy halted. Trace paused also, looking down, "What's wrong Shy?"

"I think we need to talk before we get to Drink Coltsters..." Fluttershy never once looked up, but the look she had on her face made Trace worry all of a sudden.

"Shy, we don't have to mate if you don't want too. Lyra is just worried of us getting too lonely without her if we have to wait for her to come back to become intimate and she doesn't want to miss out on our first time, but I think she will understand if we're just not ready." Trace tried to give a reassuring smile, but it just shown his nervous anxiety for the situation.

"D-do you want to mate... with me?" For the first time since leaving the cottage, Fluttershy finally looked up, her face riddled with an anxious curiosity and fear.

Breaking his gaze from Fluttershy's, Trace looked to the darkening sky, and saw a variety of blues and purples, along with the half circle of the sun starting to hide itself beyond the horizon. He could always tell when Celestia was showing off, allowing the sun to slowly crest over the horizon just long enough to astonish her subjects with varied hues. A soft wind was blowing, cooling the air to a comfortable temperature. Trace sighed as he said, "Shy, over the past five months living in Ponyville, I've become happier than I have ever been. I've never cared for appearances, and I don't have much of a problem becoming the mates of a different species. If it wasn't for physical form, you would pretty much be human, or I a pony. I've come to love you and Lyra more than life itself. You are sweet, kind, loving, and so very beautiful. I don't need to mate with you; just being able to be in your life is enough. So, until you are ready to mate with me, don't worry about it okay? The time will come when you know you are ready and that you want me."

Returning his gaze to Fluttershy, he softly frowned. Fluttershy was looking into his eyes, her eyes were glazed with a layer of tears. Before Trace could try and comfort her, Fluttershy broke the silence, "I love you too, but I've heard from some ponies that it hurts. I've wanted you for a while now, but I'm afraid of the pain. If it wasn't for that, Trace..." Fluttershy clenched her eyes closed, forcing the layer of water collecting in her eyes to trickle down her cheeks and falling to the ground, "I hate myself for letting fear keep me away from you..."

"Shy, is that all?" Trace smiled as he got down on one knee, pulling Fluttershy into a loving embrace, running his fingers up her neck until his hand rested on the back of her head, "I hear that it only hurts the first time when you're not aroused enough. Plus, we don't have to fully do it the first time. We can always do other things; and I promise I will try my best to ensure it doesn't hurt. So whenever you decide you are ready, just know that, okay?"

For a couple minutes, Fluttershy did nothing more than to cling to Trace, her tears wetting his shirt. Once her tears stopped, she pulled back to reveal the relieved look in her eyes, "I love you, Trace."

"I love you too, Shy!" Trace smiled, pulling her tighter.

Fluttershy gently used a hoof on his chest to push him away as she hastily said, "We should get going, we shouldn't make Lyra wait on us."

"Hold on Shy, you probably shouldn't walk through town with tears running down your face." Trace stated, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing Fluttershy's face, quickly removing the salty liquid.

Fluttershy giggled once Trace was finished, "Thanks, Trace."

Drink Coltsters:

"Miss Heartstrings, your room is ready!" An elegant looking light plum colored unicorn grinned, holding out her hoof for Lyra to follow.

"Thank you Miss Punch!" Lyra smiled, and as she rose from the large body pillow, she used her magic to return her magazine back to its proper place amongst the rack of various other magazines.

"Please, just call me Berry. I'm just so happy to see a pony that holds her herd so dear to her heart that she would buy out a dining den for an entire afternoon. I don't mean to be rude, but may I ask what you do for a living, for you to be able to afford this?" Berry smiled, as they stepped down the hall that contained several other rooms and even though just about all the doors were closed, ponies with arrangements of their own could be heard talking and making idle chatter.

"I play the lyre in the Royal Euphony and-" Lyra said with a smile, but was quickly cut off.

"Oh my goodness! I've wanted to see them for so long! I can never manage to get tickets!" Lyra frowned as Berry Punch threw her hoof around the minty mare's shoulder, "How about this; I half your bill tonight if you get me a ticket?"

Lyra frowned. She was unsure what to say, but nervously replied, "Oh, um... Listen, I can't promise anything, but I can talk to Melodic Whistle and try-"

"Okay then, how about this!? You pay in full tonight and when you get me the ticket, I just offer you another room, free of charge?" Berry smiled, her hoof tightening around Lyra's shoulder.

Pulling away from Berry's unyielding grasp, Lyra nervously chuckled, "O-okay, I'll try my best to get that ticket..."

Suddenly the welcome bell could be heard, signaling somepony had just entered the restaurant.

"Excuse me Miss Heartstrings!" Berry chimed as she pointed to an open door, "Your room is number fourteen. You can just wait there until your herd arrives and I will herd them to your room."

Lyra nodded and Berry quickly left her side to the main lobby. Lyra was about to turn for the room when she heard familiar voices, "Yes, we were told to meet Lyra here?"

"Trace?!" Lyra immediately abandoned the room to rush to the front desk, and was quickly greeted with a smiling Trace and Fluttershy.

Blinking, Lyra looked to Fluttershy in fascination, "F-Fluttershy!?"

Without thinking, Fluttershy blushed and averted her gaze, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to look nice... especially when I heard where you were taking us..."

"So you've been here before, Shy?" Trace asked in confusion, glancing to Lyra to see her just as shocked.

"N-no, but I've always wanted too."

Trace could hear Lyra sigh in relief when Berry Punch intervened, "Please, let's continue this in your room for the afternoon!"

The herd of three mutually agreed before following Berry Punch. She halted in front of an open door, and Lyra went in first to see a large square table that could easily sit maybe eight or so ponies. The room itself could probably contain ten or so before feeling crowded. The walls were of an old-style wood that deeply reminded Lyra and Fluttershy of Trace's home, though the air smelled of lemon and something else that was unfamiliar. Trace gave the indistinguishable scent no mind as he took a seat across the table from Lyra. He had to sit Indian style on the floor since there weren't any chairs, but that didn't bother him much. That just meant he would have to change positions periodically to make sure his legs didn't fall asleep. The walls were pretty much absent of any pictures or anything, but by no means looked bare. This was mainly because of the ingrained designs in the wood that very much resembled flowers.

The floor however was soft carpeting, making the entire floor feel like a soft, fuzzy gym mat. Pillows were scattered about the room, each one a different color and large enough for even Trace to rest half his body on if he chose to. There must have been around ten or so pillows. There were no windows, and the only source of light was a large ceiling fan that contained four separate light bulbs that could be dimmed by a knob on the wall.

Berry Punch spoke up, getting the three herd member's attention, "Your menus are on your table, I will give you three a little time to decide and will be back. Please abide by the rules presented in the back of the menu. Would you like to order a beverage before I leave?"

"Uh..." Trace blanked out, flipping through the pamphlet for the beverage section. Having a fair amount of trouble, Trace just sighed, "You wouldn't have just plain water would you?"

Lyra giggled as she spoke up, "Ignore that, just bring us your finest black berry wine, please."

A grin formed on Berry Punch's face as she replied, "Excellent choice! I will be back momentarily." She scooted out the door wearing a very large smile.

All three gave one another a brief glance before Lyra broke the silence, "Fluttershy, you look very pretty with your hair up in a ponytail like that, you should wear it up more often!"

"I-I uh... I feel more natural with it down. My mom told me I looked adorable like this, so I wanted to see what you both thought." Fluttershy shuffled against her spot in front of the table, fidgeting to get comfortable, mainly from her self-conscious nature.

A giggle escaped Lyra as she said, "Okay then, I'll just have to enjoy it while I can then."

"Hey Lyra, let me ask you something?" Trace said as he flipped through the menu, "What exactly is this place? I mean, I see foods on here that I could never picture ponies eating... it's mainly all sea food, and I even see a few dishes for carnivores in here."

Flipping through the menu herself, Lyra spoke up, "This is pretty much one of the only restaurants like this in Ponyville. It was made specifically for other species travelling through on business, like the occasional Griffon or small Dragon pony. It can accommodate just about any species' wants and needs, mainly to make them comfortable, especially when trying to do business. Rarity told me it would be more meaningful if I picked what we did, instead of asking others for help."

Trace couldn't prevent his stomach from growling as his eyes connected with a specific dish on the menu; chicken tenders. Though as soon as he realized what he was looking at, his eyes darted up to Fluttershy. Even though his mouth was watering, he decided to just pass it by, "I never really got used to bit prices, but most of these just seem... expensive!"

"I know, but order whatever you like! I make plenty in the Royal Euphony, so just try and enjoy yourselves!" Lyra smiled warmly, aiming her statement to both Trace and Fluttershy.

Both Lyra and Trace looked at Fluttershy worriedly as her face seemed to pale as she glanced through the menu. Trace spoke up in concern, "Shy, you okay?"

"I think I will just have the salad..." Fluttershy blushed, averting her gaze and throwing the menu closed, but when she did, her eyes scanned the back of the menu seeing the rules. Fluttershy's face filled with confusion as she looked to Lyra, "What are these rules for?"

Turning over her own menu, Lyra began to read to herself. A pink hue crossed her features as she slowly said, "The rooms have a privacy rule, the waiters won't bother you without knocking, and if you tell them to leave or you don't answer, they must leave you alone. Sometimes the rooms are used for a herd's special time."

"L-Lyra, i-is this why you picked this place?" Trace stuttered, looking to his minty mare in concern.

"No, not really... I thought it would leave the option for if the mood struck the three of us, but I've decided I won't force you both to mate. I just want you both to be happy..." Lyra's ears splayed back against her head, waiting for either of them to get mad.

A sigh could be heard escape Fluttershy as she hesitantly said, "Lyra, Trace and I talked and-"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Fluttershy couldn't help but frown as Lyra called out, "Come in..."

In came Berry Punch carrying a large bottle of wine in a bucket full of ice in her teeth. Gently sliding it onto the table, "Do you three need another minute deciding what you want?"

"I'm ready when they are." Trace gave a soft smile as he slid his menu away.

"I think we are all ready..." Lyra stated, looking to Fluttershy with a worried expression, "I will have the Rose petal plate."

When Fluttershy didn't say anything right away, Trace spoke up next, "I will just have the smoked salmon."

"A daffodil salad with the Thousand Island dressing, please." Fluttershy quickly spoke, wanting Berry to leave before she became too awkward to speak with her herd-mates.

After jotting down their orders onto a notepad with her teeth, Berry Punch smiled and bowed, "It may be a little wait, please enjoy the wine and the crackers while we prepare the food." With that, Berry turned for the door. Upon exiting, she closed the door and turning the sign to Occupied.

Silence befell the herd, before Lyra stated in a sullen tone, "you were saying, Fluttershy?"

"Trace and I spoke before coming here. I told him why I haven't tried courting both of you yet..." Fluttershy frowned, her eyes falling to the table right past where her hooves rested on the edge of the wooden table.

"R-really? What is it?" Lyra asked anxiously, her face lightening in curiosity.

Unable to really say anything, Fluttershy took a deep breath as if trying to build her courage. When the bravery never came to her, she looked to Trace pleadingly, "T-Trace... could you?"

Giving Fluttershy a gentle understanding nod, Trace cleared his throat, "Some ponies have told her that their first times were painful, so now she is afraid it will hurt."

Looking from Trace to Fluttershy, Lyra's expression turned to one of sympathy and understanding, "Fluttershy, I didn't know you were scared, you should have said something."

A small whimper escaped Fluttershy as she hid most of her face in her mane, "I tried too, several times; but I just couldn't bring myself to come out with it. At least not with both of you at once. It isn't that I like Trace more than you, honest... It was just because we were alone... I'm sure if it was just you and I alone and it came up, I would have told you..." Fluttershy looked into Lyra's tangelo irises as if begging for forgiveness, her wings slightly shaking at her sides.

"If I had known that, Fluttershy, I wouldn't have been so forceful about wanting you two to mate. I just don't want you both to have to wait, and I definitely don't want to be left out on your first time, but..." Lyra's own gaze softened, a little bit of disappointment marking her face as she looked to the table, "If it's hard for you to have all three of us together, you can both... do it by yourself, if it helps..."

"Lyra, I want all of us together when it happens, I just have trouble speaking... sometimes..." Fluttershy blushed, looking to Lyra apologetically.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Letting an audible and frustrated sigh, Lyra spoke up, "Come in..."

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal a male Earth pony with a navy blue mane, his cutie mark consisted of a covered silver serving dish. His coat was a creamy tan color and his eyes were a brown. His muzzle sported a mustache, and the only clothing he wore was a small vest and a red bow-tie. As he spoke, his voice possessed a French accent, "I am Horte Cuisine and I shall be your server for the evening!"

On the Earth pony's back was a large tray with three dishes on it. The salad was gently placed in front of Fluttershy, the salmon in front of Trace, and the rose petal platter in front of Lyra. Taking a step back the waiter spoke, "Please enjoy your meal, I will be back after a while to check if you three need anything."

"Thank you." Lyra gave a fake smile, and with that, Horte Cuisine turned and left, re-closing the door.

A nervous chuckle escaped Trace as he pulled the bucket with the ice and bottle of wine in it toward him, "Let's all just not worry about it for the moment and try to enjoy the date."

"Sounds good, Trace." Lyra smiled, levitating three wine glasses toward Trace.

Trace proceeded to gently snatch each of the glasses from the air, pouring the black, yet barely see through liquid into the glass, before allowing it to be gently pulled from his grasp by Lyra. The first glass gently sat itself down next to Fluttershy's salad. Lyra watched Fluttershy gently wrap her hoof around the slim base of the wine glass before taking a sip. Lyra smiled at Fluttershy's reaction before asking, "You ever have wine before, Fluttershy?"

Slightly startled by Lyra's question, Fluttershy almost knocked over her glass, before gracefully saving it with her other hoof. Fluttershy looked up to Lyra as she softly replied, "Sometimes after Rarity and I get done at the spa we have a glass of wine..."

"Have you ever been drunk before?" Trace suddenly asked, not really thinking about his question as he brought his own glass up to his lips, downing about half the glass.

The yellow pegasi fidgeted, but didn't seem to have too much trouble replying, "I've never gotten really drunk before... a little tipsy, but Rarity always limited me to two glasses..."

The human blinked in surprise as he closed his eyes for a moment from the wine, "Though, to be honest girls, everything seems to have more alcohol in it than the drinks back home. A couple glasses may be enough to get me drunk."

"R-really?!" Lyra looked to her stallion with her eye brow raised in slight astonishment, "But it's only wine!"

Both the minty unicorn and Trace looked to Fluttershy as she intervened, "That may be true, Lyra, but wine has more alcohol by volume in it. It really depends on the pony, especially if they are healthy or fit or not."

"What do you mean?" Lyra asked, now giving Fluttershy her look of confusion.

Fluttershy seemed to return to her normal self, with a tad bit of what one would expect from Twilight as the yellow mare spoke up, "Well, Pegasi have far less muscle than say... an earth pony. While a couple glasses of wine wouldn't make somepony like Pinkie Pie or Applejack drunk, it would most likely make somepony like me at least tipsy. I don't know about Rainbow Dash though... She has a lot of muscle for a Pegasi, and she is far healthier than most."

"Huh... I never knew." Lyra smiled as she continued, "You really know a lot about wine!"

"No... not really... I just know a lot about ponies and animals. I took many classes in college and my parents wanted me to be a doctor." Fluttershy seemed to become quieter and nervous at the mention of her parents.

"T-then why aren't you a doctor then, Shy?" Trace asked, finishing off his glass, his cheeks already showing a slightly reddened hue from the alcohol's effects.

"At the time, Rainbow was my only friend; she told me I should stand up to them and do what I want. I told her how much I wanted to take care of animals, and she talked me into telling my family how I felt." The more Fluttershy talked, the quieter she became, but both Lyra and Trace could still clearly hear her, but from Fluttershy's expression and voice, questions were popping into their minds.

"How did they react?" asked the increasingly intoxicated Trace, Lyra kept an eye on Trace and noticed he was finished with his glass, but was getting ready to fill up the glass.

Trace took a few bites of his salmon, but his eyes remained on Fluttershy. Lyra never thought that one glass of wine of all things would affect anypony... er person, but after what Fluttershy had mentioned, she kept a close watch on Trace. She almost regretted even getting the wine, but marked it off to just paranoia. Fluttershy reclaimed Lyra's attention as she spoke up, sadness clear in her voice, "They didn't like it very well... My mom was supportive and was just happy I would have a job I loved that would pay the bills. Dad, though, hated the idea. He said animals were filthy because they were on the ground, and it wasn't practical since I lived in Cloudsdale."

"So, what did you do?" Lyra asked in concern.

"M-mom convinced me to follow my dreams and dad, well..." Fluttershy averted her eyes to her glass, pulling the black liquid to her before downing it, "let's just say... he isn't a part of mine, or my mom's life anymore..."

Reaching across the table, Trace took Fluttershy's glass before filling it back up, returning it to the spot next to Fluttershy's left hoof before saying, "I'm sorry Shy. It must be rough having a dad like that."

"Is that why you don't talk about your parent's anymore?" Lyra asked, looking to see if Trace had touched any more of his wine, but was currently working on his salmon.

"To come from a dysfunctional noble family is considered shameful. It was why Rainbow and my mom ultimately talked me into leaving." Fluttershy averted her gaze, trying to look away from her herd-mates.

"And your mom? She stays in Cloudsdale?" It was Trace's turn to ask.

"Yeah, I tried to talk her into coming. Though she doesn't share the hatred most noble pegasi have of the ground, mom didn't want to leave her sister and her herd." Fluttershy looked up to Lyra and Trace to see them sharing in a concerned look. Fluttershy shot her eyes back down before taking another sip of her wine.

"Okay, different subject, we need to enjoy the date. Lyra, what about your family?" Trace stated, nearly finishing off his second glass.

Though Trace wasn't really slurring, Lyra could tell he was really getting drunk. Using her minty aura, she levitated the wine bottle away to her other side, between herself and Fluttershy. Trace didn't seem to notice the bottle was gone as she slowly spoke, "I don't really know my blood parents, as I was an orphan along with Bon Bon. We spent most of our fillyhood in separate orphanages, but we were adopted by a herd of two mares and a stallion. Dad can't have children, so they decided to adopt and that was where me and Bon Bon came in. Since my two adoptive moms were unicorns, they decided to visit Canterlot and that was where they adopted me. They brought me home and that was where I met Bon Bon and we became instant friends. Dad is an earth pony so that was why they adopted Bon Bon, but they didn't have to go much farther than Ponyville for her."

"So is that why you two are so close?" Fluttershy asked, swallowing a piece of daffodil that she had been chewing on from her salad.

"Yeah, we even thought we were in love at one point, but it was just too weird. We felt like we were sisters, which we are, but just by adoption." Lyra sighed as she downed the rest of her own glass, before letting it back down onto the table.

Looking to Trace, Lyra watched as he finished off the last bit of his wine and looked around the table, most likely looking for the bottle of wine she had hidden. He wobbly placed the glass back down as if ignoring the displacement of the bottle. Lyra looked to Fluttershy to see her holding back a giggle at their stallion, but as she looked at her butter cream pegasi, the giggles they both tried to hold back, escaped. Trace blinked as he watched his two mares, "What is so funny?"

Lyra giggled as she calmly and softly spoke, "Trace, honey, I think you've had enough wine."

Their stallion gave a small grunt and something of a pout formed on his face. His lower lip rising over the top, much like he had seen Rarity do to get her way upon several occasions. When it didn't work, Trace gave a sigh as he stated, "Fine..."

The two mares gave a short giggle as Trace returned to his salmon. Trace couldn't help but smile after hearing Lyra and Fluttershy laugh, "Yeah, I think this date was a good idea. We don't usually sit down to talk and learn about one another. I didn't even know anything about either of your parents!"

The minty colored unicorn giggled as she finally finished off her own glass, "Your turn Trace, I want to know about your family now."

Trace couldn't help but frown, even though he was relaxed from his intoxicated state, he was still wary about talking about his family. Though, after a moment of hesitance, he slowly began, "I can't say much for dad, I didn't really get to know him... I grew up in a house with my mom and two sisters. I'm the middle child, so I had a bigger sister to look up too, and a younger sister to be a role model too. My mom believed that having no male role model is why I turned out bisexual and a tad bit feminine. Though she absolutely adored my femininity, and tended to try a little too hard to have 'mother daughter' time with me."

"Yeah, you mentioned she was a… um... what did you call it before, feminist?" Lyra asked as she poured herself a second glass, looking up to Trace.

The brown haired male sighed as he rubbed his forehead for a moment before continuing, "She means well, she really does... I just can't stand her sometimes, she thinks her views are the only correct views, and everyone else is either stupid or lying to themselves."

"What about your sisters, Trace? What are they like?" Fluttershy asked with a soft smile, hoping to deter the conversation away from Trace's mom since she could clearly tell it was upsetting him.

"Oh um... My older sis, heh, she is awesome to say the least. It is sometimes fun to admit she is more male than I am. Last I saw her, she was with another woman, but that didn't stop her from spending most of her free time with me and our younger sister. Pen Quill also had an awesome singing voice, she was very talented."

"And your younger sister?" Lyra smiled as she tentatively sipped at her second glass of wine, taking her time with the black liquid.

"She is a sweet girl, she is fairly young and I don't think she has even discovered her sexuality yet. She is fifteen and doesn't show any interest in anything except her schoolwork." Trace chuckled, "Her name is Sam, but we always called her Doodle since she loves to draw."

Trace looked up to notice Lyra and Fluttershy giving him a questioning look. Trace swallowed as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your name is Trace, your older sister is Pen Quill and you call your younger sister... Doodle?" Lyra said in astonishment, watching Trace's face for a reaction.

The bipedal human laughed as he smiled, "Yeah, mom said dad named us and that he had a twisted sense of humor. Mom named Sam, so she didn't get a name like us, but mom said that Dad had originally wanted to call her Sepia Ink."

"You look like you really love your sisters." a warm smile was given from Fluttershy as she eyed her stallion lovingly.

"Yeah..." replied Trace as he looked down to the table, "Too bad they aren't here with me... They would have loved it in Ponyville..."

When Trace looked down, his sad expression made Lyra and Fluttershy look to one another in worry. Lyra was first to move as she slowly walked around the table to Trace's right, and Fluttershy made her way around the opposite way to sit down on Trace's left. Lyra nosed her head under Trace's chin as she softly spoke, "It's okay Trace, I'm sure they will be okay."

Trace smiled as he hid his sadness, "I'm sure they are, I just wish they could meet the both of you!"

Lyra pulled away from Trace to look to the clock, "It's almost midnight, if it is okay with the both of you, how about we head home for the night?"

"Sure, do we need to do anything before we leave, like pay Berry Punch?" Trace asked as he scooted back from the table.

"Nope, all taken care of, we can leave whenever." Lyra smiled as she stepped back.

Taking a few more scoots away from the table, Trace placed his hand on the floor to uncross his legs and push himself to his feet, but when he did, he wobbled, his hand darting for the wall to catch himself before falling back to the floor.

"Trace!" Fluttershy and Lyra both yelled in a frantic voice.

He could only reply with a smile and say, "Guess you girls were right, I did have too much!"

"How many did you have?" Lyra asked, now unsure if she had kept a close enough eye on him.

"Lost count after three..." Trace admitted, though he hadn't counted in the first place.

"O-okay, let's just get you home, shall we?" Lyra stated as she looked to Fluttershy, giving the yellow mare a worried glance.

"Mind if I... stay the night?" Fluttershy's cheeks flourished a reddened hue even though she had stayed over plenty of times before. Something about it being a first date seemed to make staying over a bit naughty, "I want to keep an eye on Trace tonight, if you don't mind?"

A giggle escaped Lyra as she ran her side up against Trace to help him to the door, "Yeah, we would love for you to stay!" Lyra giggled as Fluttershy ran her side against Trace's other side.

"Let's get you home so you can sleep it off, cute stuff." Lyra giggled playfully as the two mares guided their stallion from the Drink Coltsters and toward Trace's home.