//------------------------------// // Five // Story: Shell Game // by BlazzingInferno //------------------------------// Fluttershy could hear birds chirping somewhere nearby. Birds always spoke with great excitement, no matter if they were discussing where to find seeds or if it might rain soon. Usually she found their morning chatter invigorating, a perfect complement to the warm sunlight illuminating her small bedroom. Usually the birdsong would practically lift her out of bed as she began a new day. Today wasn’t a usual day. She lay face-up in bed instead, counting and recounting the knots on the wooden beams supporting the roof. She didn’t feel like crying; she’d done plenty of that yesterday, and the day before. She’d probably do that today too, considering the thoughts and feelings still haunting her. Everything was going so well with her circle of pony friends; they were even going to the Grand Galloping Gala in another month. Had she told Noteworthy about the Gala? She rolled onto her side and hugged the pillow. She’d ruined things with him, somehow. She’d tried to make a new friend, and done something to give him the wrong idea, something that normal ponies would’ve known not to do. “What did I do wrong?” she whispered, hugging the pillow tighter. There was only one pony she wanted to ask, but he wasn’t her friend anymore. The bed’s springs squeaked as Angel hopped up next to her. He stared down at her, matching her frown. “M-morning, Angel.” He crossed his tiny forelegs, his frown deepening. Her special talent rarely came into play with Angel; he rarely opened his mouth for anything other than a meal. “I-I think I’m going to stay in bed for a while.” Angel shook his head, his frown turning into more of a glare. Fluttershy rolled over, opting to face the window’s bright light instead. “You know where your bunny treats are. You’ll be fine without me… and so will everypony else.” Angel hopped onto the windowsill, his tiny body casting a formidable shadow. He glowered at her and pointed to the outside world. The meaning was clear: go. She shook her head. “I know you’ve gotten used to having the cottage all to yourself, now that I’m spending so much time with my friends… but this is different. I-I made a big mistake out there.” Angel drew an imaginary egg shell around himself, and pantomimed punching through it. “No,” she said, far more forcefully than she meant to. “I’m not doing that right now. I tried making a new friend just like Dr. Grape said, and now… I-I lost him forever. I’ll just wait for my other friends to come visit.” She shut her eyes, hiding Angel from view and thus blocking his preferred form of communication. A loud thumping rattled half the cottage, and Fluttershy pulled the pillow over her head. “Please, Angel! I don’t want to talk right n—” A very different voice floated up through the window. “Fluttershy? C-can we talk? Please?” Her heart thundered in her chest. She leapt out of bed and put her face against the window glass. “N-Noteworthy?” As if he’d heard her, he looked up from the doorstep, found her face in the second story window, and offered a cautious wave. Angel reached for the window shade. “It’s all right, Angel. He’s… He was my friend.” Angel gave her one final annoyed look and hopped off the windowsill. Fluttershy pushed the window open, half-wondering if she should’ve just let Angel pull the shade. If only Noteworthy hadn’t seen her first. “H-hi,” he said. Fluttershy took a deep breath. Maybe she could still apologize and make everything right again. Maybe they could have lunch just like nothing bad had ever happened. “I’m s—” “I’m so sorry I upset you, and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to work up the courage to come here to say it,” he said, pausing briefly to blow his nose. Fluttershy stared at him, speechless. What did he have to apologize for? “I could barely breathe after you left the other day. I just… please accept my apology. I promise I'll never bother you again.” “No! I-I mean yes! I mean p-please come-in-and-I'll-be-downstairs-in-a-minute,” her voice had gotten so quiet by the end that she herself barely heard it. He smiled all the same and nodded. Of course he’d heard her, he always did. She slammed the window shut and turned around. After a moment’s panic at seeing her own reflection, she gave her mane a vigorous shake, flexed her quivering wings, and headed for the door. What did she need to say to make everything go back to the way it was? She just wanted her special friend back. Noteworthy was in the living room, a full two feet away from the couch where Angel sat with his arms crossed, clearly unwilling to surrender his preferred seat to the likes of this unfamiliar stallion, even if he had unlatched the door so he could come inside. She rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own tail, and looked from one pair of waiting eyes to the other. “S-sorry to make you wait.” “It’s fine, Fluttershy. I’m… I’m sorry we're not having this conversation sooner.” Angel looked far less enthused about whatever was going on. He hopped away towards the kitchen, clearly more interested in food than pony talk. Fluttershy watched him go, hoping that she'd miraculously think of something to say in those intervening seconds. “Um… Hi.” He stifled a sneeze. “I'm sorry for before.” “Um… Why do you keep apologizing? I'm the one who should… I ran away. I… gave you the wrong idea somehow.” “No, no. It's my fault. You were just so nice to me, and you listened all the time, and I listened to you, and… I guess…I guess I just thought that's what a r—what having a… you know. I thought that's what it would look like… what it would feel like.” “That's just friendship… I really wanted to make a new friend so I wouldn't be a scaredy-pony anymore… so I could break out of my shell. I really liked having you as a friend. I didn't feel shy, or worried, or scared, and… and sometimes I wanted our lunch to just keep going for the rest of the day. I wanted you to come meet all my friends so they'd be your friends too and… maybe we'd spend more time together.” Noteworthy eyed the now vacant couch and, after an approving nod from her, seated himself on the far end. “I wanted all that stuff too, especially the lunch part, and I wanted to get my anxiety under control so… so I could invite you to… to…” Fluttershy joined him on the couch, worried and intrigued all at once. There were so many scary things he could suggest, like having a candlelit dinner, or going anywhere crowded. She'd never have expected things like that from him during their wonderful lunches together, but those days, she feared, might be over forever. The Noteworthy she thought she knew, the gentle listener perfectly contented to be her friend, might not even exist. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Clearly he'd been paying attention when she described her breathing exercises. “I've been working up to this for a while… calling in favors, making arrangements… the easiest part was figuring how to tell you. I know you don't like big surprises, so I'm going to explain everything right now, okay?” She nodded, shivering slightly as she fought to pay attention while still controlling her breathing. “My cousin Stageworthy is in charge of a traveling fair, and right now they're set up twenty minutes away by train. They've got a huge assortment of rare animals that I'm sure you'd love to see. The fair closes at four, but I convinced Stageworthy to let the two of us go in at four thirty tonight. We’d get to see the animals all by ourselves.” Her mouth hung open. Was that what a date would be like? Aside from the general panic alarms ringing between her ears, it didn't sound too bad. “A-and—” he hastily added when she didn't respond “—you can put whatever label you want on it… on us… on me. No matter if it's s-special somepony, friend, acquaintance, or even pony-you-never-want-to-talk-to-again. Whatever you choose… I'll accept it.” “I… um…” out of the corner of her eye she spotted Angel standing in the doorway, repeating the shell-breaking pantomime. Could she really ask for a better evening? No crowds, exotic animals, and the company of a pony she definitely wanted as more than a mere acquaintance sounded wonderful. “Okay.” He gasped a few times, and then sneezed again. “R-really?” “Can… Can I meet you at the train station at four?” Fluttershy’s skin prickled, as if a cold wind had swept right through her fur and feathers. She stared at Noteworthy all the same, drawing a modicum of comfort from his smile. Tonight she was leaving her shell for good.