//------------------------------// // By the Book // Story: Super Shy // by Severith //------------------------------// Super Shy Chapter 2: By the Book I lightly trotted through Ponyville as I made my way to the library. Ponies went about their day as I passed them. Some watered their plants and others casually chatted with each other. I smiled and nodded to any ponies that noticed me as I passed them. “What a lovely sight,” I happily muttered to myself as the figure of the Ponyville Library tree came into view. It had been several days since I had been to the market and even longer since I had sat underneath my tree to read. I needed a new book since I had finished my last book. My magic opened the double doors of the library. Walking inside, I noticed the lavender librarian pony, Twilight Sparkle, tidying up the large, circular main room lined with shelves of books. I knew her a little more than other ponies in Ponyville since I visited her library frequently. “Oh, hello there!” Twilight greeted me, her magic setting down the levitating books. “What can I do for you today?” “Hey Twilight,” I responded. “I finished this book, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. I’m looking for the next one.” “Ooh! Of course! I love that series,” Twilight beamed and dashed to the wall of books. She began to scan the shelves for the book in question. At that moment, the front door opened, letting the light breeze and sunlight into the library for a brief second. Twilight and I both ignored the newcomer for the time being. “Twilight, you wanted to see…?” A soft voice floated through the room. Both Twilight and I turned to the new pony, but we reacted completely different. I froze. Twilight smiled. The new pegasus pony took a step back and shyly tried to hide her face behind her flowing pink mane, obscuring one of her eyes. She diverted her attention to the floor immediately in front of her. I quickly turned around so my back was not facing the entrance of the library where the yellow furred pony stood. I also averted my eyes, staring at the floor in front of me also. My cheeks rose in temperature as I blushed. Just my luck. I run into her again.I thought to myself. Why am I even embarrassed about seeing her again? I don’t even know her! She just happened to show up at my reading spot and then out of all the chances in the world, we made eye contact  at the market the next day! And now she’s here! “Fluttershy! I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about a book I just read that’s sure to help you,” Twilight talked, oblivious to the situation as she trotted back to me with a book. Finally, Twilight stopped walking and saw me and the other pony, Fluttershy, trying our best to not be awkward but failing miserably. She glanced between me and the yellow mare as we both cowered in embarrassment. Tilting her head to the right a bit, Twilight asked, “Do you two know each other?” Fluttershy and I both mumbled incoherent responses. “I didn’t quite get that,” Twilight said, smiling awkwardly now. Again, Fluttershy and I repeated our incomprehensible answers. We also took a slight step backwards away from each other while avoiding eye contact. Twilight looked back and forth at us. “Are you sure you don’t know each other?” She said. “Umm.... I think I need t-t-to go. Angel probably needs me…,” Fluttershy quietly muttered as she backed away towards the double doors. All of a sudden, Twilight gasped. “Is this the stallion you were talking about?” At that, I momentarily forgot my shyness as I glanced at the winged yellow mare across the room from me. She blushed profusely and attempted to cover her entire face behind her mane. My cheeks flushed to an even deeper shade of red at that. “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked. “He is, isn’t he?” Twilight beamed. Fluttershy attempted to dash to the doors, but Twilight engulfed her in a purple magical field of levitation. “This is the perfect opportunity to teach you what I've learned in this book I read called Dating 101.” All together, Twilight levitated the flailing, yellow pegasus to the middle of the room, and she procured a book from her stack of books on the floor. Twilight joined the quivering Fluttershy in the center of the room while floating over the book. “Umm…,” I mumbled nervously as Twilight also pulled me closer to the group. My legs shook and sweat began to form on my face. The situation was quickly moving in an uncomfortable direction. “Okay, let’s see,” Twilight started as she rifled through her book. She stopped on of the first pages. Glancing at the book, i noticed the title was indeed labeled Dating 101. Numerous pages scribbled with who knows what kind of information filled the inside of the book. Somehow an author had found enough material to fill a quite surprisingly large book. “Aha! It says right here that the first step of a date is asking somepony on a date!” Twilight read aloud proudly after removing her nose from the book. She happily glanced at her two unsuspecting victims. Meanwhile, Fluttershy and I had continued to look anywhere but at each other. The combined heat of our blushing could probably light the book on fire. After no move was made, Twilight consulted her book. “Hmm… it also says the male pony usually asks the female pony on a date though it is acceptable for the female pony to ask the male pony.” Twilight turned her gaze to me. She raised her eyebrows expectedly. “Oh… umm… I think I should probably get going,” I muttered semi-coherently while scratching the back of my neck with my left hoof and staring at the floor. “Can I… um… have my book so-” “Nope! Not until you ask Fluttershy out on a date,” Twilight announced while holding my book hostage behind her. “Oh… uh… well…” I stammered, hanging my head sadly. The awkwardness competition between me and Fluttershy continued. Twilight’s eyes bounced between me and Fluttershy. The lavender unicorn waited for the unlikely inevitable moment, but nopony budged. Sighing, she glared at me and said through her smiling, gritted teeth, “Just ask her. Please.” Why should I? I thought to myself. Why do I care so much? We don’t even know each other at all. I guess we could get to know each other on a date or something, but I can’t bring myself to just ask! I shifted uncomfortably. My eyes lifted up a little to see the shy for of Fluttershy still trapped in the levitation field across from me. Of course, our eyes met for a brief moment. I diverted my eyes again. Swallowing nervously, I mumbled, “D… do… you… umm… wanta… g… t… e.” A fresh batch of red blossomed on my face. Several moments passed. Then, I heard a timid eep through the veil of pink hair. “Good enough!” Twilight proclaimed. Speaking quickly and clearly, she read from the book, “Okay next step! The two should go on a date where both can communicate and learn about each other. A preferable date would be during the evening. The two could spend some time bonding during a nice meal!” Twilight beamed at the two of us. She shut her book and looked much too happy. “You two can go on a date and have dinner tonight! It’s the perfect plan!” She bounced happily. “Umm… sure… I guess,” I agreed, uneasily. “I don’t know Twilight…, Fluttershy mumbled. “Now, we can meet at six o’clock for the date!” Twilight informed us, ignoring Fluttershy. “I can’t wait!” “Yeah…” I sighed, heading for the door. Twilight made no move to stop me, so I rushed out of the library. “Great… I have a date, I guess,” I sighed to myself as I trotted home. Even though that whole encounter had been weird and awkward, my heart raced from the elation at the chance to see that beautiful yellow pegasus again. Just me and… Fluttershy, peacefully eating together. How bad could it be? *    *     * The hours passed since my library visit. I still contemplated skipping the whole date thing, but my decision always stayed affirmative. The guilt of standing up Fluttershy on a date kept me from avoiding this upcoming potential awkward situation. Yeah, it would probably a little weird to meet her for dinner. Oh well. I nervously walked through Ponyville to the restaurant. My heart pounded in anticipation of meeting up with that shy mare. The closer I got, the more doubt and anxiety filled my thoughts. It took a high degree of willpower to turn tail and escape. I was this far. I might as well proceed. Eventually, I reached the destination. I spotted the yellow mare quietly sitting alone at a mushroom table in the outside section of the restaurant. Other ponies populated several other tables strewn throughout the designated eating establishment. Some enjoyed meals to themselves or with others. A waiter trotted about the area and attended to anypony’s dining needs. Taking a deep breath, I approached Fluttershy’s table. She continued to resolutely stare at the table directly in front of her where a patron was sitting, hidden behind a menu encapsulated in a purple glow. Fluttershy was so concentrated that she did not immediately notice me arrive at her table. “Um… hello…,” I announced myself, barely above a whisper. “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked. Her frightened eyes darted to me, but quickly flitted away. A light hue of red also began to form on her cheeks. “H… hello,” she managed to whisper. My face likewise flushed, but I still sat down opposite of the timid mare. I looked anywhere except at her as I tried to figure out how to break the ice. Nothing came to my mind. “Ah, good evening, sir,” the waiter suddenly appeared and greeted me. “Do you know what you want to order?” “Um, no,” I muttered, glancing at the menu in front of me. “That is quite alright,” continued the waiter. “How about a drink while you look over the menu?” “Water’s fine,” I answered softly. “And for you, madam?” the waiter asked Fluttershy. “Water is fine, thanks,” the quiet mare responded. The waiter walked off, leaving me alone at the table with Fluttershy. I smiled awkwardly more to myself and not looking directly at the yellow pegasus. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a matching smile on her face. She also avoided eye contact. A couple of seconds passed before I decided to pick up the restaurant menu to distract me. Fluttershy copied me. I flicked through the pages with no real interest of picking something. The anxiety from this date had left me with no appetite. The waiter returned with two glasses of water. “Have you two made a decision?” he asked. “Umm, I guess,” I sighed, glancing over at Fluttershy. “Yes,” Fluttershy answered quietly. Neither of us spoke up after that. The waiter looked between us, expecting somepony to order. “I-” I started. “O-” Fluttershy began at the same time. We both shrank in our seats a little bit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Fluttershy apologized in that sweet, innocent voice. “No, I’m sorry. Go ahead,” I offered. “Okay, I guess. I’ll have that salad, if that’s okay,” Fluttershy told the waiter. “I guess I’ll have the daisy sandwich,” I ordered and set down my menu. “Very good. I’ll get your orders,” the waiter announced. He picked up our menus before trotting away. This left me alone with Fluttershy yet again, and this time we had nothing to distract ourselves from each other. I grinned and chuckled sheepishly while fidgeting in my seat. My eyes drifted to the floor. Fluttershy also laughed softly while looking down and to her left. The light wind of the afternoon day blew around me. It helped cool me down as I fought not to sweat from my nervousness. With each passing second, the tension built between us. It fueled my anxiety as I fretted over what to do or say. The wind picked up a bit for a second. It was strong enough to blow a couple pink strands of hair to cover Fluttershy’s face. She absentmindedly brushed her hair away while still staring at the floor. I noticed this moment in my peripheral vision. Taking a chance, I gazed a little more carefully at the shy, lovely mare. She looked cute with her pink mane in the shape similar to a heart. Her soft, teal eyes were so innocent and docile that I felt soothed just looking at her. Fluttershy glanced up at me suddenly. I quickly blinked and shifted my attention to the sky above her. “Um… nice weather today,” I said out loud, not really sure what else to say. “Yeah,” Fluttershy agreed. She smiled and looked at me again. “Psst! Ask how his day went!” a loud, familiar sounding whisper called out from behind me. Fluttershy visibly tried to hide by making herself smaller behind her locks of hair. She stared at the table. Very timidly, she said, “Oh… um… how was your day? If you mind me asking.” “Uh, it was okay, I guess,” I answered softly. Several seconds ticked by before I realized that I should say something more. “Um… how was your day?” “Good,” Fluttershy said after a bit. Once again, we found ourselves in an awkward silence. To distract myself, I looked around the area. My mind stalled as I tried to think of something else to say. A mental pressure from myself built inside my head to try to extend this stagnant conversation. I had meant to say more earlier before being distracted by the whispered advice. Now, my mind refused to restart. Fluttershy moved to her right, catching my attention. Her eyes stared at something past me. Her gaze was intent and focused for some reason on an unknown thing. I began to turn around in my seat. “Hey!” Fluttershy all of a sudden exclaimed, holding up her hooves. Then she hastily reverted back to her shy shell form. “Oh, I’m sorry. Um…” “Your food,” the waiter appeared out of nowhere with our food. I turned my attention back to our table where my sandwich rested. My curiosity dissipated now, yet I swore I had heard a sigh come from behind me. Though, Fluttershy sighed at the same time. The two of us nibbled on our meals for the time being. I occasionally peeked at Fluttershy. So far, we had barely talked to each other at all. I still felt uncomfortable near her. As we continued to eat, I noticed that once again Fluttershy glanced at something behind my my back. She also nodded her head and her eyes moved from left to right slightly. My right eyebrow raised a little. I almost asked, but I ignored this for now. “Psst!” that familiar voice called out from behind me. Fluttershy perked up a little and glanced at something. Her eyes quivered anxiously. Then she said nervously, “Um… what… do…,” the yellow mare spoke disjointedly one word at a time. Her eyes squinted as she continued while not explicitly looking at me. “Are… your… hobbies?” “Uh, are you okay…?” I inquired, tilting my head and giving Fluttershy a questioning expression. Before waiting for a response, I began turning around to my left. “Wait!” Fluttershy called out which caused me, mid-turn, to stop and gaze at her. “What?” I wondered aloud. “Um…,” Fluttershy mumbled, clearly staring at something behind me. Without further explanation, I completely turned around in my seat. I caught a glimpse of a lavender unicorn with straight bangs before a menu obscured the pony’s face. A purple glow levitated the menu just as before I had sat down at the beginning of this date. “Is that you, Twilight?” I asked the menu, tentatively. “Um.... yes, but ignore me!” the menu spoke with the voice of Twilight. “I’m just here to get something to eat. Nothing else!” “Uh, are you sure?” I questioned. “She was helping me,” Fluttershy admitted, burying her face in her hooves. “She offered to help me because I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry.” “Please! Don’t mind me and continue your lovely date,” Twilight attempted to redirect our attention. “How about you two talk about-” She stopped talking to consult the book in front of her. “-what makes you laugh?” “Um…,” I turned back to face Fluttershy. I shrugged while trying to think of something. “I don’t know… I guess… what makes you laugh?” I managed to mumble just audible enough. “Oh… well… um… Pinkie Pie is funny,” Fluttershy answered while fidgeting with her front hooves. “What about… you? “Well… uh… jokes, I guess,” I lamely answered. We sat in another silence again as we lightly ate our meals. I was eating more to occupy myself than because I was hungry. “How about your favorite place in Ponyville?” Twilight chimed in. I immediately thought of the tree where I routinely read. That place always calmed me after a stressful day or week. I could be myself there, without a care in the world. It was calm and serene. The place was removed from the complexities of normal everyday activities. I enjoyed my solitude underneath that tree. Unfortunately, I could not share my thoughts with Fluttershy. I did not want to reveal or discuss any of that stuff with her. She probably would not care anyways. My thoughts were my own. I did not need to tell her. “Oh, I like my home because that’s where all my cute animal friends are,” Fluttershy answered Twilight’s question. “No, Fluttershy, ask him!” Twilight insisted from behind me. “Oh, um… I’m sorry,” Fluttershy apologized. “What…” She trailed off, gazing off to the ground. I waited a couple of seconds to see if the shy mare would say anything else. Instead, she chose not to finish her sentence. So, I answered, “I really don’t have a favorite place, I guess.” “Oh…,” Fluttershy said unenthusiastically. To no pony’s surprise, another awkward silence commenced. “Um, try asking about his family. Or about his childhood. Or-” Twilight listed of questions while frantically flipping through pages. “Um, Twilight,” Fluttershy politely interjected. “Or how about his job? Or ask about his influences,” Twilight rambled on. Now, I decided to turn around to face the frantic mare. Sure enough, Twilight was hunched over her book. She was in full research mode while trying to stimulate this date. “Hey, Twilight,” I spoke up softly. “Or how about you two just look into each other’s eyes and declare your undying love!” Twilight suggested out of desperation. I looked over my shoulder at Fluttershy. My eyes widened in fear. Fluttershy and I shared a look of terror before we both turned away. “Um, what’s going on here?” a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail interrupted us. She hovered down to our table while glancing between Twilight, Fluttershy, and me. Fluttershy shied away. “Oh nothing, Rainbow,” Twilight explained to the new pony. “I’m just helping Fluttershy on her date with this stallion. You know, the one who she was talking about the other day.” “What?” the cyan mare gazed at Twilight a questioningly look. “Really Fluttershy? You asked Twilight  for help?” “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy apologized for some reason. “Well, it doesn’t look like it’s not going well,” the pegusus, Rainbow Dash, commented. “Hey! We’re following the book to the ‘T’!” Twilight protested. “This is how a date is supposed to go!” “Ugh, Twilight, seriously?” Rainbow Dash said. “You can’t just follow a book for dating advice! And besides, a date like this is lame.” “But…,” Twilight pouted. “My kind of date would be awesome! I need to know my date is just as awesome as me!” Rainbow Dash explained. “I would challenge them to a bunch of competitions to make sure they can stand up to my standards. In fact, I can teach you, Fluttershy.” “But I-” Fluttershy attempted to protest. “How about if you two show up early tomorrow and I’ll show you what a real date should be,” Rainbow Dash told us. “Well, I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Come on! Are you afraid? Do you think you’re not good enough for my good pal, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash accused my, getting in my face and glaring at me. “No, that’s not-” I started. “Good! Then we’ll see you tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “I don’t think that that will go well,” Twilight warned us as she flipped through her book. It says here that-” “Do you really need a book to do everything?” Rainbow turned her attention to Twilight. Those two began to argue with each other. They basically ignored Fluttershy and I for the time being. I glanced at Fluttershy. She was gloomily staring at the table, occasionally flicking her left hoof at her food. “Um, I think I’m going to go now,” I quietly told Fluttershy. “I’ll see you tomorrow… I guess.” Fluttershy nodded solemnly. So I left some bits on the table for my meal. Then I quietly left the restaurant. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle still bickered in the background. On my way home, the dread of tomorrow’s date thing began to set in. After today’s disaster, I doubted anything could be much worse.