Chapter Thirty: Making Plans
Chapter Thirty: Making Plans
A large grin pulled itself across Chenoa’s beak as the butterfly fluttered a little closer before eventually coming to a rest on Fluttershy’s nose. The image of the insect sitting on her mother’s face she found rather comical. She laughed uproariously in her high-pitched baby laugh, ultimately causing the dragon holding her to chuckle.
Hearing Chenoa laugh never failed to deliver a warm feeling the hearts of Fluttershy and Smokey. The pegasus smiled kindly, a rosy tint blooming on her cheeks.
“Now what’s gotten our baby so tickled?” she giggled softly.
“Your little butterfly friend has landed on your nose, my dear,” the dragon chuckled, finding it quite amusing himself.
“I know,” the buttercream mare giggled a second time. “I just… didn’t expect her to start laughing like that is all.”
“I must admit… it is just as endearing as it is amusing,” he commented with an additional chortle.
“Oh?” The equine beamed as the butterfly lifted off, fluttering away. She felt a bit depressed the tiny creature wasn’t sticking around, but the smile returned to her face as she moved over to nuzzle her baby.
Apparently forgetting about the deer, the child squirmed in the large reptile’s strong hands, wanting to get down and play.
“Alright.” Caving in, Smokey set the bundle of white fur and feathers on the ground.
“Don’t go too far, sweetie,” Fluttershy warned, though she and Smokey kept a sharp eye on the baby. Her snowy plumage may have done an excellent job blending in with the remnants of snow, but the vibrant red of her clothes helped her stand out.
“I certainly am looking forward to seeing Ponyville in full bloom,” said Smokey, a wide grin stretching at his maw as he watched Chenoa bat at a small puddle of icy water and giggle at the ripples.
The pale yellow pony nodded, settling down on her haunches at her companion‘s side.
“It’s an absolutely incredible sight. You really should see the park during the spring. The view is just breathtaking!”
“Will do!” He beamed, a surge of anticipation brimming at the suggestion. A second later, an idea was presented to him - and without removing his eyes from Chenoa, he opened his mouth to tell Fluttershy. “Say… Miss Fluttershy? Now that spring has arrived, care for that picnic sometime when everything’s in bloom?”
She blushed lightly, bringing her hooves up and pressing them together with a bashful expression.
“I was… actually just thinking that when I mentioned seeing the park. That… would be lovely.”
Smokey’s grin stretched wider, finally turning away from Chenoa to look at the mare at his side. He was quite pleased to hear that she had been thinking the same thing as him.
“Great!” He then directed his vision back to the griffon. “Perhaps… we can do something else, too? In town? Like… go to a movie?”
The blush on Fluttershy’s face darkened, her forelock falling out of place to cover an eye.
“Um… sure. That would… that would be… wonderful!” She went quiet for a moment in thought. But… would we be taking Chenoa with us?”
“Of course. It would be a nice outing with her parents.” He suddenly blushed, realizing how his proposition may have sounded. “I-I don’t mean it as a date! I… I mean… we w-we would just… be spending time with her, that is all!”
“No?” Fluttershy’s smile faltered a bit, though she kept grinning nevertheless - fully away and perplexed at the paradoxical emotions that suddenly rose up. On the one hoof, she felt almost upset that she wouldn’t be spending time with him personally - yet on the other hoof, she was actually glad that she wouldn’t be… alone, with him.
Smokey would have liked to spend one-on-one time with her, but he wasn’t sure how to ask without it sounding he was asking her out on a date. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. However, the tone in her voice convinced him that she wouldn’t mind doing the same with him, spending time together alone.
“Well… we can always find a babysitter some time in the future and… do something together.”
“Really?” She sounded excited - almost hopeful - but recognized this and scaled back, rubbing her hooves together. “I mean, um, that would be… fine. I just… I think I might know who wouldn’t mind watching over Chenoa, but…”
A certain pink curly-maned equine popped into Fluttershy’s mind.
“I’m not really sure about Pinkie. She… does a good job with Pound and Pumpkin Cake… but… a griffon?”
“She does not act any different from a foal, does she?” Smokey asked, laughing softly as he watched the little griffon bury her face in a pile of snow to leave an embedded print. Over the past week, she developed a habit of leaving various stamps in snow for amusement.
“No… I suppose she doesn’t,” she finalized as she observed Chenoa, planting her front hooves back onto the ground. “I guess… I’m just worried. Worried she and the Cakes might not get along well, or maybe, just… Pinkie. I love Pinkie as a dear friend, but…
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt? I’ll talk to Pinkie and ask her.”
“Ask me what?” came a bubbly voice from out of nowhere.
“Yaaaiii!” Fluttershy, not having expected that, jumped a few feet into the air. Landing straight into Smokey’s awaiting arms, she turned her head to face the pink equine.
“Hi!” the earth pony greeted with a rather wide berth.
“Oh, Pinkie!” the rosy-maned pegasus gasped, heart pounding against her chest. “You startled me!”
“Gave me quite a start as well,” the dragon admitted a bit shakily and returned his attention to the baby, clutching onto Fluttershy.
“You said you wanted to ask me something?” she burbled with a single bounce before eyeing the two of them suspiciously. “And are you SURE you two aren’t together?”
“Together?” Fluttershy parroted, blinking in confusion. “What do--”
She gave pause, glancing up at Smokey and suddenly realized the compromising position she was in. In unison, patches of hot pink bloomed on their cheeks. The dragon loosened his hold and tore his eyes to Chenoa while the winged mare moved to climb out of his arms, fluttering her wings to hover at his side.
“Er… W-we’re sure…”
Right now, Smokey was seriously considering not requesting Pinkie Pie’s babysitting services. He didn’t want Fluttershy or himself to undergo more teasing, figuring the pink equine might mistake their outing for an actual date. He cast a quick glance over at the pegasus, non-verbally querying if she wanted him to ask. The look of uncertainty gave him his answer.
Pinkie Pie’s eyes narrowed, as if scrutinizing them as they exchanged looks. She appeared ready to make some sort of accusation that they were keeping something from her before her entire face brightened up.
“Okie-dokie-lokie!”
“Um… Pinkie? Ahhh… How much of our conversation did you hear?” Fluttershy asked.
“What conversation? I was just walking back from the lake when I heard you say you needed to ask me something. So, I popped up to ask what you wanted to ask me!”
“Oh! … Uh… Ah…” The mare blushed softly. She opened her mouth once, closed it, opened it again, and… “… Lovely day, isn’t it?”
The pink-pelted pony’s excited demeanor deflated somewhat into one of bafflement, her facial features morphing into an expression that clearly said that’s it?
“Yes! Perfect weather for Winter Wrap Up, wouldn’t you say?” Smokey followed, taking his eyes off of Chenoa only to flash Pinkie Pie a toothy - albeit nervous - grin.
“Uh, well, yeah, I suppose?” she replied, sounding like she hand been taken off guard. “Rainbow Dash and the weather team are doing a REALLY good job, but… why’d you wanna ask me?”
“Uh… no reason…” Fluttershy put on one of her sweetest smiles. “I mean, you’re my friend and I… wanted your opinion because you’re my friend and… that’s… what… friends… do?”
Ponyville’s party pony pondered this, rubbing a hoof to her chin and staring at her fellow pony as if she didn’t quite trust her completely. Right when the pegasus and dragon broke into a couple beads of sweat under the heavy judgmental stare, Pinkie Pie’s expression changed dramatically, a wide smile painting a cross her face.
“Okie-dokie-lokie!” she chirped, backing off and skipping up to Chenoa to give the happy child a gentle noogie. “I thought you wanted to ask me something, y’know, important. Guess I was wrong!”
“Uh… yeah…” the pastel pink-maned pegasus mumbled, glancing off for a moment.
“I’m heading back to town,” Pinkie Pie declared, beginning to bounce off. “I’ll catch you later! Bye, guys!”
“Yes, yes, thank you, Miss Pinkie. Goodbye!”
Again, the dragon took his gaze away from the chick to wave off the hyperactive equine. After that, he went back to watching Chenoa frolic in the snow, relieved that Pinkie Pie had believed them.
Once Pinkie Pie was out of sight, Fluttershy let out a sigh…
… Then froze up with a soft gasp, her eyes widening as something dawned upon her.
Ear frills flaring at the gasp, alerting him, Smokey half turned his head to keep his attention on both Fluttershy and Chenoa.
“Hm? What’s the matter, Miss Fluttershy?” he queried in a concerned tone.
“Pinkie said she came back from the lake,” she began, her voice wavering in confusion… and held more than a little wariness, as she turned her vision entirely on the dragon. “The lake is on the other side of town.”
It took a few seconds for Smokey to fully comprehend this, but when he did, his eyes sprang wide open in an obvious display of shock.
“How…
“What…
“Uh…”
***
Since the temperature seemed to be on the rise as the snow and ice melted away, Smokey allowed his animals to wander outside. The excited tweets of an assortment of birds, the chatters of squirrels and chipmunks - along with the rest of the animals - revealed the presence of increasing life, and the draconian figured socializing his small family with the local wildlife would be good for them.
In fact, they made friends almost instantly! He soon learned that his rabbit and birds wished to spend the night with their new comrades. Of course, he was worried about predators - among something else - , but the others were instant.
He checked the burrows and nests they would be staying at and came to the conclusion that they were safe, but there was something else nagging at him. Something he hadn’t dealt with in years - his extreme intolerance to long periods of loneliness.
Smokey couldn’t bring himself to deny his animals. That would have been selfish on his part. He would get along…
***
The clock struck eleven o’clock at night and Smokey was repeatedly pacing the length of the living room in a nervous wreck. Every single noise that reached the dragon’s ear holes on occasion startled him. He couldn’t sleep - he couldn’t even stay still longer than three seconds. His phobia weighed down on him, slowly pushing out the will to restrain himself from bursting out the door and running to Fluttershy’s cottage.
He couldn’t do that to her… If he did… what if she thought he was nothing more than a creepy stalker and no longer wished to associate with him?
No, he could do it… He could retain himself through the night until his animals outside were bright-eyed enough to tackle another day. He could do it…
Right?
***
Smokey tiptoed across Fluttershy’s property, determined not to disturb the sleeping animals. They may not have been his, but anyone’s presence was enough to sooth his high-strung nerves. He felt so ashamed for resorting to this, but… the fear, the restlessness… It would not leave him. Sure, he could go a few hours alone, but anything beyond that was too much for him to endure.
Singling out a spot beside the chicken coop, he dropped down onto his knees and curled up on his belly. It was chilly, but he didn’t care. Feeling the effects of his isolophobia dwindle away, he found it much easier to drift off into a much needed slumber.
***
Even though it was late at night, Fluttershy oddly didn’t feel sleepy. The events of the day kept replaying through her mind. Her animals, currently sleeping - even Angel was curled up in his bed near the fireplace, which was roaring away. Even though winter was over and the temperature was on the rise, it was still steadily cool outside, and she simply couldn’t say no to at least one last night to a toasty heart.
The light illuminating the room was dim, yet still good enough to read by. Her eyes traced the lines on the pages, her mind often wandering off from the adventures written down before her to the misadventures she had spent with her daughter and scaly friend today.
Why couldn’t she get him out of her mind, she wondered. It seemed that, ever since he entered her life, she couldn’t stop thinking about him at least once a day…
Perhaps it was because he saved her life. Or, perhaps, she mused, as her thoughts drifted to Chenoa - that he agreed to help raise her as their own…
Why HAD he decided to help raise her, she didn’t know. Of course, she was just a small baby, but the fact he had readily agreed to such a life changing task when he barely knew the both of them was quite surprising in and of itself.
Maybe it was because he had saved Chenoa alongside herself. If it had been just her, well… they might not have been in a situation like this. It was possible, but…
All she knew about him was that he had been lonely - had grown up without parents and was largely friendless save for his animal companions. She was much the same, she realized. When she was really young, her only real friend in her days at Flight Camp was Rainbow Dash - but outside of her, her true companions she had were her animal buddies… at least up until she met the others.
Then Twilight Sparkle came along and after that, things were never really the same.
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i cant wait for the romance to actually start.
4039655 Awwww... you must really ship Fluttershy and Smokey. ^__^
4039661
well they would make a cute couple.
4039697 Thank you for your kind words. <3
IT'S PINKIE PIE DON'T QUESTION IT