//------------------------------// // Party Time // Story: Super Shy // by Severith //------------------------------// Super Shy Chapter 6: Party Time The very next day started off like any other day had that week. The morning sun woke me up, but I refused to acknowledge it by flipping onto my side and throwing the blankets over my head. Somehow, I had fallen asleep at one point the wee morning hours. Now, all I wanted to do was lay in bed as long as possible with my eyes closed. The sun and my body were telling me that it was time to get out of bed. Grumbling to myself, I kicked my bed covers to the side. “Ugh,” I moaned, rubbing my eyes. “Stupid sun. I want the moon back…” I yawned widely while extending my hooves into the air. After several minutes of deliberation, I decided to start my day. My hooves hit the floor and I was on my way to another day. The nagging thoughts still whispered in my mind as I trotted to the bathroom. They had kept me awake for several hours. I had tossed and turned in my bed with my eyes closed long after my bedtime, but nothing could quiet those thoughts enough for me to fall into unconsciousness. What am I going to do? I thought to myself. Why am I like this? Can I ever feel comfortable enough anypony to get to know them? Why couldn’t I look past my shyness a little more so that I could dance with Fluttershy? I mean, we were both bad at dancing, but I… I shook my head. Grumbling, I reluctantly fell out of my bed. My normal routine followed and the day officially started for me today. Nothing special was on my plate in the immediate future, so I decided to lounge about the house. Of course, life outside my little abode continued. Three taps came from my front door. “Could that be…?” I wondered aloud as I trotted to my front door. For all I knew, she did not know where I lived. Cautiously, I opened the door. “Hi there!” a pink earth pony mare greeted me from my doorstep. Her poofy pink mane bounced up and down atop the pink furred pony as the mare giddily stood, gazing at me, with an enormous smile stretched across her face. “Uh-,” I started to say. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I have a special invitation for you!” the mare named Pinkie Pie jovially stated. Then, she extracted a letter from her side and handed it to me. “What’s this f-,” I tried to ask, grasping the letter in my levitation. “It’s for a super, special party and you’re invited!” Pinkie Pie cut me off. “It’s tonight at Sugarcube Corner at eight o’clock, so you should stop on by! I’m sure you’ll have a blast! And who knows, you might meet somepony you knooOOoowwWw.” I looked up at her with a questioning expression. “Are you saying it might be-?” All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie leaned over and put her right hoof around my neck and her left hoof near my right ear. While glancing around suspiciously, she whispered, “It’s a secret.” Then she resumed her normal giggling, bobbing stance on my doorstep. That grin was once again lighting up her face. I stared back at her. “Interesting,” I finally said. “Well, okay then. Who else will be there? Is this a… formal party?” “Nuh uh, this party is gonna be a fun party! Not a party for hoity toity ponies,” the pink mare explained. “I just know it will be fun for you and everypony! So don’t be shy! Stop on by!” “I’m glad I won’t have to dress up, but it’s another thing to tell me not to be shy-“ “Don’t be silly! All you have to do is talk. Easy peasy!” “Sure… super easy,” I mumbled. “Of course! You can do it. You’re talking to me right now, right?” I raised my right eyebrow in confusion. “Huh. I guess. But-“ “No buts!” Pinkie argued. Then she bopped me on my nose. “See you later!” She trilled as she bounced away from me. I stood in my doorway with my mouth open. “Did she just boop me?”   * * * The rest of the day passed without any interesting events for me. I lounged about my place like usual, though I did water my plants. That was mildly exciting. Nothing else important happened. The clock struck seven-thirty. A small bell chimed. At that time, I found myself with my back on my couch with my legs in the air and my head on the floor. My eyes followed the hands on the clock. “Huh,” I sighed while starting to contemplate out loud. “Look at the time. Should I go? Is it too early? Too late? Should I be getting ready? What’s the point?” I gazed left at the letter sitting on a table. Blinking slowly, I let out another sigh. Then I groaned and rolled my eyes as I let myself fall completely to the floor. “Fine…,” I grumbled, shaking myself and grudgingly trotting to my room. Ten minutes later, I walked out of my house. I trotted through Ponyville. The sun was lazily drifting down past the horizon. The diminishing evening light illuminated the quiet streets of the small town. Up ahead, the Sugarcube Corner loomed with its lights lit up inside and welcoming balloons tied to the front. A soft booming of music could be heard emanating from inside the candy shop. I took a deep breath. This was definitely the location of the party the pink pony had invited me to. The unknown awaited me inside the decorated building. My instinct told me that Fluttershy was in there, but I did not want to embarrass myself yet again. I fought the urge to run home. What would be the point of life if all we did was stay at home and take the easy route? Steeling myself, I cautiously walked into the building. A puff of confetti immediately hit me upon entry. "Welcome!" exclaimed a familiar happy voice. Opening my eyes from the onslaught of paper, I saw the ever smiling pink pony gazing at me. Sparkles seemed to dazzle around her mane. "I'm so so so glad you could make it!" the pink mare continued excitedly. "I was just thinking how I could help somepony and what better way than to throw a party! Everypony loves parties! And I just knew I had to invite the very best ponies for this very special party! All of my other friends have tried to help my special friend, but they were going about it the wrong way. Then I had the brilliant idea to throw a party where you and my special friend can hang out and have a good time! And I'm so so so happy that you are here now!" The pink pony bounced up and down enthusiastically with that giant grin plastered on her face. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she continued staring at me. "Uh... yeah," I said timidly, pawing at the ground. "Thanks for inviting me?" "OOOOoooohhh!!! I'M SO HAPPY!!!" yelled the pink pony. Then she grabbed me into a tight hug. "Yay?" I groaned. After an eternity of hugging, the pink mare let go of me. I massaged my neck a bit, then I gazed around the room. There were balloons and streamers lining the walls. Several tables were set up around the room. Various snacks and drinks were sitting on the tables along with a bowl of punch. Milling about the room were other familiar ponies that I recognized from previous days. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack were conversing amongst themselves, though I did notice them glance over at me occasionally. "Almost everypony is here!" announced the pink pony, bouncing to the party room where the other ponies stood. Then she said in a singsong voice, "We're just waiting on a special somepony!" "Yes, where is dear Fluttershy?" Rarity wondered aloud. "I hope she isn't hiding at home." "Ah... Rarity," the pink mare sighed. "You ruined the surprise!" "I don't think it was much of a surprise to begin with, Pinkie," Twilight explained, dully. "Yeah, it's a little obvious what's going on here," Rainbow Dash added. "Especially after the last couple of days, so I've heard." Meanwhile, I tried to stay as small as possible with my head down. I knew these were Fluttershy's friends and I had met all of them recently, but I was still not quite comfortable around them. My shyness inhibited me from talking or interjecting with my thoughts on this situation. "I really, really wanted this to be a super special surprise," Pinkie pouted. Then she sulked to the middle of the room where the other ponies were. I was left still standing awkwardly in the entryway of the shop. So I decided to follow Pinkie Pie. Everypony else gave me a sideways glance as I joined the small group. Just then, the front door opened. The presumably last guest had arrived. Fluttershy casually strolled into Sugarcube Corner, her pink bangs and tail swishing with each step. Flashbacks to the distant past of five days ago popped into my mind. That day I had been standing in Twilight's library when Fluttershy had walked in. It was such a surprise to me to run into her yet again. This time, though, I was expecting her entrance. Fluttershy had stopped in the entryway once she had looked up to see the congregation of ponies. I had turned around at just the right moment and I made eye contact with her. That was why we were both frozen in shyness with our eyes looking anywhere but at each other. "Surprise!" Pinkie exclaimed while jumping between me and Fluttershy. The pink mare beamed expectantly, glancing between the two shy ponies. Fluttershy and I continued our shy standoff. Pinkie Pie maintained her smiling while looking between me and Fluttershy. Almost a minute passed before her smile began to waver. "Okay...," she finally said. "You two are shyer than I thought! How about we get this party started!" In one quick move, Pinkie swooped up Fluttershy and me with her hooves and guided us to the center of the room. The other ponies stood around and watched with uncertain looks. "Um... Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said. She was hovering in the air while anxiously eyeing Fluttershy and me. "Maybe-" "Let's play pin the tail on the pony!" Pinkie yelled, interrupting Rainbow Dash. The pink pony enthusiastically pointed at the left wall where there was a picture of a pony hanging on the wall with detachable tail. "Who wants to go first?" She held out a blindfold to us. "Uh...," I muttered quietly while peeking over at Fluttershy. She was hiding behind her mane like usual. Without warning, Pinkie threw the blindfold over the shy mare's eyes. Then Pinkie spun Fluttershy around really fast. Next, Fluttershy was let go and she stumbled around for a bit. "Okay Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said. She rushed over to the pony board and plucked the tail from the wall. Then she returned to the dizzy, yellow mare and shoved the detached tail into Fluttershy' hooves. "Pin the tail on the pony!" "Whoa," Fluttershy said while tilting left then right. She wobbled around and flailed her legs about to try to right herself. "Pinkie!" Everypony took several steps back from the fluttering Fluttershy, except for me. When I stepped back, I immediately hit a table. This prevented me from escaping. I cowered in fear. Fluttershy, still completely blindfolded and with no sense of direction, headed straight towards me. She held the pin of the tail in her right hoof, somehow. With one swipe, the hoof and pin narrowly whooshed past my face. I closed my eyes and awaited my doom as Fluttershy swung haphazardly at me again. Then, a soft hoof pressed against my muzzle. I opened my eyes to see a yellow hoof on my nose with the pin of the detached tail's less than an inch from my nose. With her other hoof, Fluttershy lifted the blindfold from her face. She saw the pin so close to danger, and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" she apologized. The tail fell to the ground when she retracted her hoof. I blinked several times while watching the deadly tail fall to the ground. "It's... okay," I eventually said. "I'm fine." "Maybe we should give the pony with the pointed pin some more time to get ready," Twilight suggested "And the rest of us time to get away," Rainbow Dash mumbled to Applejack, who laughed. "Okay. How about we try that again?" Pinkie suggested with an uneasy smile while holding the blindfold and tail and looking at Fluttershy. "Um... well...," Fluttershy whispered shyly. "I don't want to disappoint anypony..." Taking that as a cue, Pinkie Pie re-blindfolded Fluttershy and spun the quiet, yellow pegasus on the spot. This time, Pinkie stopped Fluttershy and pointed the blindfolded mare in the right direction. I backed away just in case. Fluttershy stayed put for several seconds. After shaking the dizzyness out of her head, she took a tentative step forward towards the target. She moved slowly, closer and closer until her hoof with the tail hit the wall and stuck on the pony board. Everypony stared at the now attached tail pinned to the nose of the silhouette pony. "Hooray!" Pinkie cheered, holding her front hooves up next to Fluttershy. "You pinned the tail on the pony." "It's a funny looking pony now," Applejack commented, smiling. "Yeah! It has a lot of nose hairs," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "I'd like to see you girls do any better," Rarity said, haughtily. "You're turn!" Pinkie trilled as she pointed at me. "Uh, what about them?" I stammered, glancing at the other ponies. "Nope! You're one of the guests of honor!" Pinkie happily explained. "How could we skip your turn?" AT that, the pink mare collected the blindfold and tail and dashed to me. In one second, she wrapped the cloth around my eyes and shoved the tail in my right hoof. "I'm not so sure-," I whimpered. Then, my whole world turned pitch black. Next, I was spun around many times until I was really dizzy. "Okay, go!" Pinkie exclaimed, stopping and, hopefully, pointing me in the right direction. Cautiously, I stepped forward with my right hoof outstretched. Nothing was there. So I continued forward until my right hoof hit the wall. I pinned the tail on the wall where I thought the pictured pony was. "That's close, but...," Rainbow Dash said slowly while trying to stifle her laughter. I removed the blindfold so that I could observe my results. My face immediately reddened. In my defense, the tail was close to the right spot. Unfortunately, the spot I had placed the tail was a little further down and to the left of the pony's hindquarters. The tail was now protruding from under the belly and between the two back legs of the pony. Seeing my reaction broke Rainbow's demeanor. She fell to the ground and actually rolled on the floor while laughing. Beside her, Applejack was also snickering. Twilight and Rarity both rolled their eyes. Fluttershy just stared at the ground. "Okay, well that was a fun game!" Pinkie said a little nervously. She quickly swiped the tail from the wall and placed at the correct spot on the pony. "How about another game?" She suggested. I backed up a little while avoiding Pinkie's gaze. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Fluttershy shuffling her hooves. Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at each other. Twilight sighed, shaking her head. Rarity frowned. “Um… Pinkie…,” Fluttershy whispered. “I know the perfect game for all of us to play!” Pinkie Pie announced. “Let’s play musical chairs!” Then she rounded up five chairs and placed them strategically in a circle with their backs facing inwards. With the chairs in place, the party mare took her place at a table with a gramophone, ready to play music. “So are all of us playing, except you, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yep! I’ll be in charge of the music!” Pinkie Pie nodded. “The rest of you will play and it will be super fun! Now, everypony get ready!” The other ponies hesitated a moment before they gathered around the group of chairs. I joined them, taking a place between Fluttershy to my right and Rainbow Dash to my left while I faced towards the chairs. Applejack stood in front of a chair on the other side of Fluttershy. Rarity chose the spot to the right of Applejack, and Twilight completed the circle. Suddenly, the music started playing. All of us panicked for a second, glancing at one another. Then, almost all at once, we each made a move. I started rotating counter-clockwise to my right. My eyes went wide as Fluttershy instantly ran into me when she turned left to move clockwise. Of course, next followed Rainbow Dash collided with my backside when I stopped. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy mumbled apologetically to me. “It’s okay,” I said. “Ow! Move!” Rainbow groaned. Fluttershy hid her face in embarrassment for a second before she figured out the correct way to move around the chairs. Everypony else resumed the counter-clockwise movement around the chairs as the music merrily played in the background. I kept a bit of distance back from Fluttershy so that I would not accidentally run into her again. The music stopped. Most of us froze before scrambling to sit in a chair. Rainbow Dash had found herself in between two seats, so she immediately bolted back to her left. She aggressively pushed Twilight out of a seat that the purple unicorn was trying to claim. “Mine!” Rainbow gleefully said. “Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed as she was pushed out of the way. Everypony else successfully sat in a chair. So Twilight was eliminated in the first round. Grumbling to herself, Twilight said, “You didn’t need to shove me.” Rainbow responded by sticking her tongue out at Twilight and smiling. “That’s how the game’s played.” The remaining players stood up and Pinkie Pie took Rainbow’s chair. Then the music started again. The five of us resumed the counter-clockwise rotation around the ring of chairs as the music merrily played in the background. I focused on keeping a safe distance from Fluttershy even though Rainbow Dash was constantly nipping at my tail. The longer the music ran, the higher my heart rate rose as I tried to anticipate the end of our playful march. Silence. I panicked, caught between two chairs. Luckily I managed to spring forward and claim the spot in front of me. In front of me, Fluttershy practically fell into her chair just to have Applejack step back and sit on Fluttershy’s lap. “Ah!” Applejack cried out in surprise, jumping up. “Oh, I’m sorry Applejack,” Fluttershy squeaked. She slipped off of the chair. “I didn’t mean to take your seat. You can have it.” “Ah shucks, Fluttershy,” Applejack chuckled. “I appreciate you lettin’ me have your spot, but you got there first. You can keep it.” “Okay then, thanks,” Fluttershy nodded, climbing back into the chair as Applejack walked to Pinkie and Twilight at the music table. Twilight levitated another chair out of the ring. For the third time, the game resumed. We were down to three chairs and four ponies. I followed Fluttershy around the contested chairs and Fluttershy followed Rarity who followed Rainbow Dash. The circle was much smaller now. Around and around we went. Silence again. I found myself directly in front of a seat which I quickly occupied. Fluttershy also managed to snag the chair near her. Dash and Rarity attempted to compete for the final spot, but, naturally, Dash won even though Rarity barely put up a fight. “Haha!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “Nopony can beat me!” “Hmph,” Rarity huffed. “This game is for ruffians and the like anyways.” With her nose pointed skywards, she trotted to the crowd of disqualified contestants. Another chair was removed from the bunch. Again, the upbeat music resumed as I, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash danced around the two chairs. With only two chairs remaining, we each had a huge gap to overcome to safely be in range of securing a seat. Rainbow dashed each time to put her in good position to win a spot. Fluttershy and I casually strolled around the two chairs. “Come on! Move it you two!” Rainbow Dash whinnied, forcing us to pick up the pace. The music continued to play for an agonizingly long time. Each second felt like an eternity to me as my mind raced. The other ponies cheered in the background. Suddenly, the music stopped. I was at the right corner of one of the chairs so I placed my hoof on it. Fluttershy happened to be at the other corner. She turned around to see the chair caught between the two of us. Both of us hesitated. I did not want to fight her, but I also did not want to give up so easily. I could tell Fluttershy was also reluctant to take the chair. A classic standoff of shyness commenced. Neither of us made a move. Our eyes briefly met. “You can have it,” Fluttershy finally said. “Um, no you can have it,” I said. “It’s your party.” “Oh, well, not really, I mean,” Fluttershy twiddled her hooves. “It’s for all of us. And I don’t mind if you want to have the chair.” I tilted my head. “Are you sure?” I asked. “Yeah, it’s not a big deal. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to win. You’re the one that can beat Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy smiled at me. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash said. Sure enough, she had won the other chair while Fluttershy and I were busy. I smiled back at Fluttershy. “Heh. I guess you’re right.” Then I sat down on the chair while Fluttershy walked over to the other ponies. I slipped off of the chair. Rainbow Dash did the same as her seat was levitated away. It was down to me and Dash. Before the music started, she stared daggers at me. I returned her competitive gaze, my heart pumping. Fluttershy believed in me. I would win this game for her. So the music began. Rainbow Dash and I tangoed around the last remaining chair. Each of us practically sprinted around the back of it, not wanting to be caught away from the winning seat. Faster and faster we circled around the desired object. Dash wanted to win so badly, and I did not dare let down Fluttershy. “I’m not gonna let you beat me,” Dash panted, whipping around the backside of the chair and hot on my tail. And I’m not going to let you beat me. I thought to myself. In the background, the other ponies cheered, for whom, I was not sure. My mind was on the game on hoof. Every time I passed the front of the chair, I braced myself for the end of the music so that I could quickly pounce on the winning spot. I also kept a close watch on the blue pegasus opposite of me. Silence. Luckily, I was at the right edge of the chair, but I happened to stumble a bit from the abruptness of the ending of the music. Even after all of that mental preparation, I had not been ready. Rainbow Dash had been ready even though she was on the backside of the chair. She immediately took to the air and bounded over the back of the chair. A triumphant smile began to form on her face as she descended to victory. I had other plans. Thinking quickly, I magically grabbed the chair and shifted it sideways to me. Dash landed with a thud on the floor. Then I climbed onto the winning seat, giving Dash a smug look. “Hey! No fair!” Rainbow pouted from the ground, glaring at me. “You can’t use magic!” “Well, you used your wings,” I argued. “So it seems fair that I can use my magic.” “But…” “Hey does have a point,” Twilight interjected. “We never said we couldn’t use magic, or you couldn’t fly.” “Grr…,” grumbled Dash. “I still think-“ “Hehe, just face it Rainbow,” Applejack chuckled. “You lost.” Rainbow Dash scowled at her. “You did push some of us out of the way,” Rarity pointed out. “You kind of deserved to lose.” “Haha, okay, that was fun right?” Pinkie Pie interjected, trying to derail the conversation. “How about we play another game?” "I don't think-," Twilight started to say. "I've got a piñata full of candy just waiting to be smashed!" Pinkie announced, interrupting Twilight. The party pony revealed a pony shaped from piñata from nowhere and hung the thing from the ceiling. She held a stick in her hooves as she gleefully smiled at everypony. "Uh, what's with you and games with sticks, Pinkie?" Dash asked. "This is, like, the second game with a stick. And why are a lot of them only for one pony at a time? At least my date attempt involved both of them." "Please, darling, I would hardly call that a 'date'," Rarity butt in and mimed air quotes on the last word. "At least I had them dance at a lovely gala." "Oh really?" Rainbow questioned while glaring at Rarity. "Girls...," Twilight said, sighing. "Let's not argue." "Pfft. Even Twilight's 'date' was better," Rarity added, ignoring Twilight's comment and miming air quotes for the word ‘date’. "I'm sorry, Rainbow, but I have to agree," Applejack interjected. "I believe mine was better than yours, too. I invited them to a swell concert. Just didn't work out me though." Pinkie Pie laughed nervously. "Um, how about we start-" "Oh, come on! You're just jealous I had a really awesome idea!" Dash yelled. "Girls-," Twilight tried to quell the arguments again. "I'm sorry, darling, but your idea may have been 'awesome', but it was not good for Fluttershy," Rarity retorted haughtily. "Honestly, I know her better than you!" During this, I nervously watched the ponies argue. They all continued to express the strengths of each of their ideas, except Twilight. She was trying to take charge. Of course nopony backed down. My uneasiness heightened while the mares bickered amongst themselves. I wanted to run away, but my hooves were glued to the spot. "Um, hello," Fluttershy suddenly squeaked, appearing next to me. "Oh, hey," I responded, just as softly. "Sorry about all this," she said, sighing. "It's my fault." The two of us faced the quarreling ponies. Fluttershy stayed a foot away from me to my right. She slightly bowed her head. "What? No, this is my fault," I said. "No, well, you see, my friends just wanted to help. I should have told them I was fine." "Oh, well, it's not your fault. They tried to help... but.. I don't know. I'm not good at this stuff. I'm too shy, I guess," I weakly said. Fluttershy paused for a second, then responded, "Me too." We both stared in silence as the five other ponies in the room exchanged heat words. I did not know how to continue our recent conversation. She did not seem to know either. So we shared our usual awkward silence once again. "Oh! I just remembered," Fluttershy suddenly said. She next walked over to the far wall where a backpack was lying on the ground. She retrieved a book from the confines of the pack. Finally, she trotted back to me. "What's that?" I asked. Fluttershy handed me the book. "Um... you were in such a hurry at Twilight's library that you forgot to take the book Twilight got for you," she nervously explained, twiddling her hooves and hiding her face behind her mane. "Wow... thanks!" I replied, astonished with a smile across my face. I levitated the book in my magic and examined the cover. Sure enough, this was the Daring Do book I had wanted to read. "I totally forgot about it. I honestly just wanted to leave that day. I'm sorry. Thanks for bring me this!" "Oh, um, you're welcome," Fluttershy answered while her own sweet smile crossed her face. At that moment, I decided to make a bold move as confidence flowed through my veins. So I asked, "Are you... doing anything tomorrow?" "Oh, not really." "Well, um... I think I'll want to start reading this book tomorrow at my favorite spot under a tree where it's nice and quiet," I said tentatively. "If you want to stop by and hang out or something, that would be fine." "Of course! That would be nice," Fluttershy answered, her wings flapping several times. "Okay," I smiled. Okay," Fluttershy smiled. "Uh, see you tomorrow then," I waved goodbye to Fluttershy and I trotted out the door. This time, there was a goofy smile on my face and a spring in my step as I headed home.