//------------------------------// // Three // Story: Shell Game // by BlazzingInferno //------------------------------// Fluttershy pulled Dr. Grape’s office door closed on her way out, his seemingly unending praise still fresh in her mind. She’d heard phrases like “amazing progress” and “truly inspiring” plenty of times before, but only in reference to Rainbow Dash, her oldest friend of all. She wasn’t sure what to do with accolades like that, really. Obviously she was supposed to feel proud and happy with herself, to hold her head up high, somehow. Maybe she’d eventually get better at that, too. For the moment she focused on her breathing exercises, fighting against the world and all the ponies in it to keep calm. She couldn’t just bolt for the door, not when all this talk of her finally edging toward a normal, therapist-free life hinged on her starting up a brand new friendship all on her own. Abandoning Noteworthy with no explanation would be downright mean, anyway; the mere thought of it brought back plenty of bad memories, all featuring her alone on the school playground or on a Saturday afternoon. She had her animal friends now, but that wasn’t the same, at least not according Dr. Grape. Still, a glimmer of hope remained: she was an expert at keeping conversations awkwardly short. Soon enough she and Noteworthy would say goodbye and slip into the stress-free realm of acquaintances. They’d nod hello at the office every week, possibly comment on what a nice day it was, and go their separate ways. That was all she really needed, after all. She had six other friends ready and willing to drag her off into scary and stressful situations. A simple how's-the-weather, first-name-basis kind of friendship sounded like the perfect addition. Noteworthy, as always, announced his presence with a loud sneeze. “H-hi, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy took a deep breath and turned to face him. He’d emerged from the office directly opposite Dr. Grape’s, wet handkerchief on his hoof. “Hello, Noteworthy. How… um… How are you?” “I understand if you don’t want to go,” he said with a frown, his gaze dropping to the floor, “I’ve been sort of bracing myself for that.” “N-no,” Fluttershy stammered, even though he’d treaded dangerously close to the truth, “I mean… I need to. It’s lunch time. We both need to eat, don’t we?” A short, silent walk through Ponyville brought them a small cafe just off of main street, one of the many that were forever overshadowed by Sugarcube Corner. Three outdoor tables sat empty, and the window by the door revealed one solitary customer seated in a booth by the back wall. “Is this place okay?” Noteworthy asked, “You said before that you're shy, so I thought… someplace quiet?” Fluttershy nodded, her eyes fixed on the outdoor table closest to the door. “Thank you for remembering that… and not picking someplace loud anyway. I've wanted to come here with my new friends before, but we always end up somewhere fancier, or busier.” Noteworthy stepped forward and pulled out a chair at the table she’d eyed. “That's what I love about it; it's so quiet and peaceful. Whenever something has me really anxious, I come here for lunch.” She seated herself in the table’s remaining chair, wondering if he'd picked this table at random or if he'd been watching her. That wasn't a comfortable thought, but at least he was only one pony. He wasn't a gang of bullies out to torment her, or big scary crowd judging her every move. If she could handle being around her six best friends almost every day, she could definitely manage this one lunch. Painless, worry-free acquaintanceship was just around the corner. He dabbed his raw nose with his handkerchief, wincing slightly. “Oh, are you in pain?” “N-no, I’m fine. It’s not usually this bad. My therapist has been helping me control it… my anxiety, I mean. Sometimes I just get really stressed… Sometimes it’s work, sometimes it’s weather, sometimes just thinking about stress gets me stressed…” Fluttershy nodded so vigorously her mane fell into her face. “I know exactly what you mean! I’ve always been shy, but something about leaving Cloudsdale for Ponyville just made it worse. Until a few months ago I could barely go into a store to buy groceries without panicking. Then I made some new friends, and they’re really helping me come out of my shell… I hope.” “You hope?” “My therapist isn’t so sure… But having so many friends is still wonderful, and we do things together all the time. It’s so much better than things ever were back in Cloudsdale.” “Why did you move to Ponyville?” “My special talent is communicating with animals, and there really aren’t many of those in cloud cities. When I saw a job opening for an animal caretaker here in Ponyville, I just had to take it.” He smiled. “That’s amazing! My special talent is writing out sheet music, but… there’s not really much call for that around here, and I don't think I could bring myself to move to a big city.” “Then what do you do?” “The other kind of notes. I copy documents for city hall most days. Sometimes I get a music order from out of town, but not that often. It’ll be better when I get over this problem of mine,” he tapped his nose with his hoof. “New ponies don’t want to work with me when they think I’m going to get their music sheets all wet.” “Is it getting better? Your nose, I mean.” “Oh, yes. I’m sorry you only see me on the bad days… Most of the time it’s just about normal. It’s just when I have my weekly appointment…” She gasped, holding a hoof to her mouth. “Your therapist makes you feel that bad?” His ears flattened against his head, and he glanced away. “M-my therapist? N-no, not really. It’s… I don’t really know how to explain…” Fluttershy’s gaze dropped down to the table and the pair of menus resting on it. “Y-you don’t have to. I’m… My therapist has been challenging me to go out and meet new ponies, so I said hello to you and… here we are. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, asking so many questions. M-maybe I should just go.” Noteworthy laughed. His smile alone startled her. “Uncomfortable? Fluttershy… I haven’t sneezed since we left the doctor’s office. I’m… I was having a great time.” “Really? I—” and then Fluttershy realized something: even with this new pony staring her in the face, her heart wasn’t pounding, and she’d forgotten all about taking slow, steady breaths. She took a deep one instead, one deep enough to voice a thought that she wouldn’t have the nerve for otherwise. “Me too. We should have lunch every week.” And they did.