//------------------------------// // 5. Glimpse // Story: It's Not Easy Bein' Seen // by helmet of salvation //------------------------------// "Fluttershy? Did-did I really scare you that much?" Still not daring to part her eyelids, Fluttershy nodded, emitting an unintelligible squeak. "You don't think being scared is fun at all, do you?" The pegasus shook her head frantically and squeaked some more. Wincing, Elegy reluctantly returned her gaze to the others. "And you all understood this because you're her friends." She let out a long, sorrowful groan, ending in a sob. "Uh-oh. Everypony, look away." Twilight Sparkle had stressed to all of her friends in attendance the danger that Elegy might literally dissolve in tears if she were forced into the centre of attention, and had been on alert through the evening for any hint of crying from the squonk. As she and her friends turned from Elegy, Twilight readied her magic to gutter all of the party lights, should the situation demand further measures. Yet Elegy's appearance was the last thing on her mind. She was suffering an altogether different emotional reaction, one all the more cruel for being the result of her deliberate actions rather than circumstances beyond her control. She was weeping with remorse. "You don't have to—no, go ahead. Avert your eyes. I would too in your position." Elegy sniffed, and morosely flicked at a section of her gown. "Looks like this outfit couldn't totally conceal my ugliness after all." Twilight thought it was time for some reconciliation. Carefully, she turned back and started approaching the squonk. "Look, how about we all just——?" "Leave me alone." Elegy lumbered towards the ballroom doors. "Elegy, wait," cried Fluttershy. It was her idea to bring the squonk here. She couldn't let it end like this, with Elegy feeling even worse than before. All the forgiveness in Equestria wouldn't lift Elegy's burden of guilt unless it included that of the pony she had directly hurt. Of course, Fluttershy's grace would be a lot more convincing if she weren't still clinging for dear life to the chandelier. The primrose pegasus closed her eyes—gently this time—and took several deep, slow breaths, steadily pushing the terror of the explosion from her mind and the trembling from her body. Yet with the shock of the burst balloon gone a new, deeper fear surged into Fluttershy's psyche to take its place: the fear that came from the act of the prank itself. From another creature wantonly taking advantage of her weakness for a laugh. In order to forgive Elegy truly, she would need to let go of this sensation too. Ordinarily, Fluttershy would do so by picturing the offending party in her mind's eye until the image no longer provoked her instinctive fear. As she did not know what Elegy really looked like, she instead recalled the squonk's voice. Not her normal weepy, self-pitying speaking voice but the gleeful, uninhibited laughter that had come at Fluttershy's expense. The pony ran the sound through her mind in a continuous loop, until she felt her tight cringe melt completely away, first from her muzzle, then from the rest of her body, signalling her conquest of her hurt. A few tiny lances of resentment began to prick her consciousness but she banished them easily; she had little capacity for bitterness. Finally at peace, Fluttershy opened her eyes. Then immediately snapped them shut again. Her mistake was casting her eyes towards Elegy from the chandelier. This meant looking down, whereupon she perceived just how high the ballroom ceiling was. She tried to spread her wings but they were frozen to her flanks, paralysed with an irrational dread that would take too long to dissipate even if it were possible. "Um, Rainbow? Twilight? A little help please?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and ascended with Twilight to the chandelier. The two fliers placed their forehooves under Fluttershy's legs at either side and gently but firmly pulled, only to find the limbs maintaining a reflexive iron grip around the fixture. "Uh, Fluttershy, a little help please?" Rainbow Dash asked pointedly. "I'm trying. Nngh, nnngnngnnghh." Twilight let go of the straining Fluttershy and descended just below the chandelier. She generated a stream of magical energy that reached the bottommost tip of the chandelier and widened into an inverted dome. The dome flowed up between the fixture and Fluttershy's terrified clutch. An adjustment of the energy expanded the dome farther, prising Fluttershy's legs free. Rainbow Dash swiftly thrust her legs under Fluttershy's, and Twilight flew up to take some of the weight. Together, they lowered the pale yellow pony to the ballroom floor. "Do I have to wait much longer?" asked Elegy. "Almost there." Fluttershy had relaxed as she neared the floor. Her two friends released her and she approached the squonk, who was unable to face her. "She warned me. Pinkie Pie specifically warned me not to pop any balloons near you. I-I didn't realise how serious she was. I just wanted to give you a bit of a start. I was trying to ... I didn't think you'd ..." Elegy heaved a sigh. "I didn't think. I'm so, so sorry." "I know. It was a simple misunderstanding. You're not used to interacting with others and you're not used to me. I wouldn't expect you to get everything right in your first social outing." Elegy warily shifted her eyes towards Fluttershy. "So you-you're, you're okay? With me? With that stupid balloon prank?" "Consider it forgotten. Think nothing more of it." Fluttershy turned to her assembled friends. "Right, everypony?" "If Fluttershy's good, then I'm good," declared Rainbow Dash. The others vocalised their assent. The convolutions around Elegy's beady eyes tightened into little smile lines. "You're too kind." "I can be sometimes," Fluttershy admitted, "but I believe on this occasion I'm being just kind enough. Now let's go back and wrap this party up properly." Elegy sagged. "Oh, what's the use? I've ruined the mood twice already. I'm afraid anything else I say or do will just wreck things even more." "Are you kidding?" Pinkie Pie, eyes alight with excitement, bounded up to the squonk. "You've totally turned this into one of the best parties I've ever thrown." "What do you mean? I upset Fluttershy. I upset you all." Twilight Sparkle walked up to join the little group. "But you realised your mistake and apologised." "I only did what Fluttershy did after she tried to push me into revealing myself, or you after you acted all excited about squonk history. Is that so unusual, treating others as they treat you?" Twilight's smile turned wistful beneath her mask. "You'd be surprised. Another might have tried to justify herself. Told Fluttershy she was being silly, told us we were over-reacting. "Our duty is to spread the magic of friendship. You may not consider us your friends, Elegy, but you've shown that you understand a crucial manifestation of friendship. At your first big social activity, too. If that's not a cause for celebration then the Parhelial Paso Doble wasn't the great Star Swirl the Bearded's favourite incantation." Elegy, still dubious, shrank back a little. "Are you sure?" "Trust me. I've read his memoirs a dozen times." "I mean, have I—are you all really going to welcome me back like that balloon incident never happened, and be glad about it?" "Mmm-hmm," her hosts chorused, their eyes filled with the smile of welcome with which they first greeted her to the party. Elegy stared dumbfounded for a moment, then shook her head as a little stream of chuckling cascaded over her slack jaw. "You did it. You really did it. You caught a glimpse of my ugliness—my real ugliness—and sure, you were frightened and dismayed at first, but you're happy to look past it and accept me. "If you're willing to do that then maybe—maybe—the thought of unveiling my outer self to you some time isn't so far-fetched." The ponies exchanged glances of warm satisfaction, tinged with excitement, at the seeds of friendship they had sown. "Well then, I guess the least I can do is stay for one last dance." Spike scurried up to Elegy and bowed at the waist. "Would you do me the honour of allowing me to accompany you in your dance, m'lady?" "Oh. Um, sure. I mean, the honour would be mine, good dragon." Elegy gave an ungainly approximation of a curtsey. "Terrific. Rarity, you're nearest the phonograph. Could you crank her up, please?" A brittle smile cracked not-at-all-jealous Rarity's muzzle before she telekinetically flipped through the record selection for something suitably unromantic.