//------------------------------// // Take a Chance! // Story: Hearts a-Flutter // by LightningSword //------------------------------// “So,” Shining Armor said, looking between Nocturne and Fluttershy as the latter chatted with the pet shop pony across the street. “Nocturne’s got a bit of a crush, huh?” He leered at Nocturne and raised a smug eyebrow, and Cadance and Twilight glanced at each other and giggled. Nocturne stared back at Shining Armor, his mouth worked up into an awkward grimace. After a second of this, his eyes narrowed and his mouth was a straight line of bemusement. “That is untrue, sir, and I take offense to that insinuation.” “Nocturne,” Twilight spoke gently, “there’s no need to be embarrassed about how you feel. I’ve seen the way you look at her. Even if you two are just friends, it’s clear to me that you care for her.” “Well, of course I do,” Nocturne replied earnestly. “I couldn’t lie about that. She’s the first real friend I ever had. And for a while, she was my only friend. I’d be crazy not to care for her . . . .” His voice became distant, almost dreamy, as he watched her standing there, talking and smiling about something he couldn’t hear past the chatter of the café. He was snapped back to reality by Cadance, who had gotten up, moved to his side, and touched a hoof to his shoulder. She smiled warmly at him. “If she means that much to you, then tell her,” she said. “There’s no better day than today.” Nocturne looked away from Cadance and sighed. “I . . . I can’t. I don’t . . . well, we’re just friends, and this Hearts and Hooves Day nonsense isn’t for me . . . .” “Nocturne, even a love between friends can be a strong, passionate love,” said Cadance. “And you don’t need to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with a ‘special somepony’. Only the pony who means a lot to you.” “And Fluttershy means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Twilight added. “Well . . . yeah,” Nocturne replied, nodding. “She means the world to me . . . b-but, that doesn’t matter. I mean, I’m sure she’s taken, so I’d just be making a fool out of myself.” “What makes you think she’s taken?” Armor asked. “Oh, come on!” Nocturne spat. “She’s cute and sweet, and she’s a national hero! There are stallions all over town who’d line up to date her!” “Remember what I said before, Nocturne,” Cadance spoke up, “mares have preferences. Whether she’s such an eligible bachelorette is irrelevant. What matters is what she chooses, and you don’t know for sure whether she’s chosen a special somepony or not.” “In fact, to my knowledge, Fluttershy hasn’t expressed any interest in anypony, stallion or mare,” Twilight added matter-of-factly. “Ahh, see? There you go!” Shining Armor cheered. “Don’t count yourself out just yet! You’ve got a chance!” “What chance?” Nocturne retorted. “I can’t just roll up to her and ask her out when she clearly has better things to do with her time!” Twilight and Cadance both glanced across the street. Fluttershy was loading up on various bags of animal feed, courtesy of the Unicorn shopkeep, and was now paying for her merchandise. “She’s buying pet food, Nocturne,” Twilight deadpanned. “I don’t think she’s all that busy.” Nocturne sighed again, roughly. This was getting more and more difficult to squeeze out of. “I just can’t, all right?” “Why not?” The question came from Cadance, and was said with a chuckle and a grin. Another sigh escaped Nocturne’s throat. “I . . . I . . . .” It was harder than he’d thought to say the truthful answer straight out. “Look, just go talk to her,” Cadance continued. “Ask if she’d like to hang out with you, that’s all. No dates, nothing fancy or romantic, just two friends in each other’s company. You can do that, right?” “Cadance is right,” Twilight added. “Besides, you said you didn’t like spending this day alone, right? This way, you don’t have to.” “And it’ll help you gain more confidence around mares!” Armor pointed out with a grin. The grin quickly soured as he leaned in close, brow furrowed curiously. “Just so we’re clear—” “Yes, it’s mares!” Nocturne growled. “Okay, okay!” Armor quelled him. “Just ruling some things out, is all.” Twilight and Cadance giggled again. “Look, she’s leaving!” Twilight urged in a hushed voice. Nocturne spun around in his seat, and saw Fluttershy thanking the shopkeep and slowly trotting away. “Come on, Nocturne, it’s now or never!” Nocturne glanced amongst the smiling, urging faces of Twilight and her kin, then back to the slowly-retreating Fluttershy, and felt his face wrinkle up. Maybe they’re right, he thought briefly. She might just say yes. And if she says no, said a defiant voice in Nocturne’s head, you’ll look like an idiot. Why would she say no? Nocturne argued with the voice in his head. You know perfectly well why, the voice fought back. Does that matter to her, though? Why wouldn’t it? It matters to everypony else. Nocturne glanced back at his wings and released another dejected sigh. Every other Pegasus stallion had normal, feathery, well-proportioned wings, and normal wings went a long way in clearing up a pony’s insecurities. And insecurity, as Cadance said, was the enemy. As Nocturne got up from his seat and prepared to thank Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor for their efforts, another small, yet much stronger voice went off in Nocturne’s head: She knows you’re insecure. She knows why. And she cares about you anyway. And for a few seconds, Nocturne stood perfectly still. “Uhhh . . . Nocturne?” Twilight asked, her voice almost completely lost on him. “Are you okay?” There was a short pause in which the whole town seemed to fall into a deep silence. Even movement was hard to process in this illusory vacuum. Twilight, Shining Armor and Cadance stared at Nocturne the whole time, only seeming to blink after two simple words escaped his mouth to break the silence: “Buck it.” Nocturne then pulled a few bits from under his hat, dropped them on the table, then turned around and left the café, trotting briskly in Fluttershy’s direction. On his way, Nocturne heard the voices of his company: “Yes! Go for it, man!” “Good luck, Nocturne!” “Remember all the advice I gave you, okay?” But Nocturne barely processed it. Fluttershy had stopped at the corner, and no other thought occurred to him except to catch up to her. “Hey, Fluttershy!” He called out to her when she was only a few feet away, and her ears perked up instantly. She turned around, and her wide teal eyes seemed to sparkle. “Nocturne! Hi!” She trotted slowly up to him as he slowed his pace, and the two met up on the side of the street. Fluttershy grinned at him, and Nocturne could already feel his face warm up. “I’m so glad to see you, Nocturne. I was afraid you might be upset today because of the holiday. I know you’re still . . . umm, uncomfortable . . . with things like that . . . .” Fluttershy’s grin faltered a bit as her brow wrinkled. Worrying about me again, Nocturne thought. I never know whether I should be flattered or insulted when she does that. “It’s okay,” Nocturne replied, “don’t worry about it. I’m fine. I just thought I’d come by and see what you were up to today. You, know . . . celebrating the holiday and all . . . .” “Oh, I’m not celebrating,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “I never really could celebrate Hearts and Hooves Day. It’s not my cup of tea, I suppose.” “Hmph, join the club,” Nocturne replied bitterly, almost instinctively, before changing his tone. “B-but, I’m sure your reasons are way different than mine, right? I mean, you’ve probably got a lot of stallions asking you to be their ‘special somepony’, so it must be hard to choose and all.” At this, Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she touched her hooves to her slowly reddening face. “Oh . . . do . . . do I, really? Oh, my . . . .” “Oh! B-but that’s not to say you have to choose!” Nocturne blurted out, feeling the sweat forming on his face. “I-I mean, to me, Hearts and Hooves Day is just any other holiday, right? I-I mean, no one has to celebrate it if they don’t want to, right? I mean, I have the same problem with Hearth’s Warming Eve. The cruddy weather, the gaudy decorations, the crowds . . . not my thing.” He added an awkward, almost creepy grin after he finished. Oh, great, now I must look like a total psycho. “I suppose you’re right,” Fluttershy replied, seeming (thankfully) not to notice Nocturne’s cumbersome words. “I don’t usually celebrate Nightmare Night, either . . . except I don’t hide under my bed during Hearts and Hooves Day . . . .” She too, grinned awkwardly, accentuating it with a light giggle. Wow, Nocturne said to himself. She doesn’t like my favorite holiday? Well . . . they say opposites attract, so . . . . “W-well, uhhh . . .” Nocturne pressed on, “s-so . . . what will you be doing today, if not . . . you know . . . .” He gestured to the various pink and red heart-shaped decorations that hung all up and down the street. “Oh, just running a few errands,” Fluttershy answered. “I don’t really think about Hearts and Hooves Day all that much, but I’m so glad everypony can spend it with a special somepony . . . .” She suddenly gasped with a fretted expression. “I mean, most everypony . . . I’m sorry, Nocturne, I just—I forgot that you don’t—I mean, that you’re not—” “It’s okay,” Nocturne said, holding up a hoof to comfort her. “Well . . . I guess I won’t bother you, then. Have a good day, Fluttershy.” “Oh, umm . . . you too, Nocturne,” Fluttershy answered softly. “Yeah . . . .” “Umm . . . yeah . . . .” One unsettling pause later, and the two turned around and started walking away. As he walked, another voice berated Nocturne inside his own mind: And you just blew it. Way to choke, Phantom. But Nocturne ignored the voice, staring ahead of him with a scowl. It’s for the best. She doesn’t need me mucking up her quiet day. And she’s already done enough for me. I can’t ask— Catching movement in the corner of his eye, he looked back to the café and saw his would-be pep squad. Twilight gritted her teeth and waved a hoof in circles in front of her. Shining Armor planted his face firmly in his hoof, and Cadance ushered him forward with her hooves, mouthing the phrase “Go on!” Nocturne frowned at them, but couldn’t help but glance at Fluttershy’s receding figure in the distance. Cadance had said that she had a choice. She also said that everything else had to be set aside so Fluttershy could make that choice for herself. And she is worried about me spending Hearts and Hooves Day alone, Nocturne thought as he continued to stare at her. Maybe that is her choice? Maybe she cares enough about me not to let me feel this way? I can’t let her think I’m miserable . . . I owe her too much to . . . let her think . . . less of me . . . . “Hey, Fluttershy!” Nocturne found himself, without thinking, turning and running back up to Fluttershy, catching up to her easily. Fluttershy turned quickly, saw him coming, and her eyes widened. “Oh, Nocturne!” she gasped. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?” There she goes again, thought Nocturne. “Uhh, well . . . I was just wondering,” Nocturne spoke aloud, “I . . . well, since you’re not doing anything for the holiday, and . . . well, I’m not doing anything at all, I . . . .” “Yes?” “I-I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, and I’d understand if you didn’t, but . . . .” “Yes?” “Well . . . it wouldn’t really be ‘official’, you know? But . . . would you . . . that is, are you willing—no, I mean . . . .” Nocturne tilted his head down, closed his eyes, and sighed. Come on, man, would it really be the end of the world if she said no? he muttered inside his own mind. No . . . he replied to himself . . . but it wouldn’t hurt any less . . . . “Umm, Nocturne?” he heard Fluttershy speak. “If you want to ask me something, please go ahead. You can tell me anything. We’re friends, remember? Whatever you say, I won’t be upset, I promise.” Nocturne said nothing for a few more seconds, looked back up at Fluttershy, and saw her wide teal eyes shimmering with concern. This was the face of a mare who could never let a stallion down painfully. With one last deep breath, Nocturne looked her straight in the eyes and spoke at last: “Would you like to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with me?” Nocturne turned away and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the answer. Despite the effort he took to suppress them, they already began floating around his head like poisonous clouds. I really can’t Nocturne, I’m sorry. I’m just too busy right now. I don’t think so. Maybe next year. If it were another year, I would, but . . . . I just don’t want anypony thinking . . . . We’re just . . . too different. Nocturne instead heard a gasp, and his eyes bolted open at her answer: “Ooh, yes!”