Fluttershy squeaked in fear, immediately diving beneath the nearby kitchen table, shivering. She however was only there mere moments before her shaking stilled and she blinked, raising her head.
"Horsefeathers," she spat.
The pegasus crawled out from beneath the wood furnishing and stood up, walking over to the source of the noise that had startled her in the first place. She eyed the device with disdain for a second before sighing deeply. Fluttershy reached over with a hoof, taking the two newly warmed slices of bread out of their slots, then placing them beside each other upon a clean plate she'd retrieved from the cupboard beforehoof. She began to apply butter to the toast with a blunt knife; having completed the process, she looked down at the substance as it melted into the crispy creations and sighed once more.
Despite her best efforts, Fluttershy had ended up being startled by her new toaster... again.
The pony took an open jam jar - with a spoon in it - from off the counter with her free hoof, lifting herself with the use of her wings to a hover just above the floor; she then fluttered herself in the direction of the living room, passing through an archway before landing on her hooves between her green sofa and her new coffee table.
She set the plate down on one end of the couch and gently eased herself onto the place next to it. Facing her snack as she lay on her tummy, she took a scoop of the blueberry jam with the spoon and started to spread it out evenly across the bread. The house was silent save for the distant outdoor twittering that emitted through the cottage walls, which the pegasus did her best to ignore, as she never wished to eavesdrop on another creature's conversations.
Fluttershy eyed her finished food sadly, setting the jam aside on the table. She inhaled through her nose tiredly, the delicious scent of her labors wafting inadvertently in her direction, teasing a smile from her with its temptingly mouthwatering aroma. She lifted a piece to her mouth, taking a bite, which caused her small smile to widen. However bland her current emotion, the taste of her sumptuous jam covered toast was infinitely delightful.
She closed her eyes in contentment, continuing to chew and take in the wonderful smell, her thoughts over her meal turning to musings of a different nature. Fluttershy began to wonder just how she might prevent herself from being startled by her new appliance in the future. But alas, what could she do? The toaster, as she'd been told it was called, had been a gift from her dear friend Twilight. The device, the first of its kind in Equestria, had been painstakingly built by the lavender alicorn.
About a week and a half ago, Fluttershy had come to the castle to visit Twilight, who immediately launched into a very enthusiastic and jargon-filled dialogue concerning the completion of the little, silvery, chrome-cased machine. She hadn't understood all of what her ecstatic friend had said, but was able to gather from the jovial ramblings that the device was commonly used on the other side of the portal - the place where Sunset Shimmer and alternate versions of the mane six resided. Apparently, Twilight said she'd managed to create one with a self-contained Equestrian power source - a crystal or jewel of some kind which housed electrical energy, or something like that.
Fluttershy took another bite of her food in the present moment, recalling her friend's eagerly animated explanation and the demonstration proceeding it immediately afterwards. At the time, the toast popping up had only startled her a little, seeming not nearly as loud and unexpected as it did once she began using it within the privacy of her own home. It didn't matter that Fluttershy knew it was going to pop up; she never knew exactly when it was going to pop up, and every time it did it frightened her. She'd tried leaving the kitchen and coming back later, but either it hadn't popped up yet and she was startled regardless, or she returned to toast that had lost that delightful warmth which the butter would always melt so savoringly into.
The pegasus turned the last bite of her snack about in her mouth, swallowing it. She began to suppose that one simply couldn't live in a startle-free environment and have the most, effortlessly perfect toast. The thought to simply tell Twilight the specifics of her issue had occurred to her days ago. Twilight had told her to keep her appraised of how the device functioned over time, after all - if the toast continued to be warmed to just the right temperature and that it didn't malfunction in any way. There hadn't been any problems of that sort, of course. Twilight was nothing if not thoroughly efficient in all that she chose to do.
So why? Why hadn't Fluttershy told her?
Twilight, the toaster is too loud. Could you make it quieter please?
The words were so simple, and likewise the resolution to things would've been simple. Twilight could likely alter the toaster with the most minimal effort and solve the problem in a flash if she'd only just ask. So, the reason she said nothing? Well, that was also quite simple... embarrassment. Fluttershy was so embarrassed that the little fltut of the toast popping up frightened her, that she simply couldn't bear asking her friend to make it quieter. She blushed in humiliation even at the thought of approaching Twilight with the request.
Oh, Fluttershy didn't usually have qualms about telling her friends she was afraid of things. She'd admitted that she'd been terrified of that towering skyscraper of a dragon residing atop a certain mountain - quite openly in-fact - but saying she was scared of a little sound that she was already expecting after a fashion? No way! Fluttershy was sure that nopony else would ever be startled by such a thing... except maybe her alternate self, but that hardly made her feel any better. The pegasus briefly felt a twinge of sympathy for her other self, which made her wonder if that was just an overly complicated way of feeling sorry for herself. She shook her head to brush off the thought. Philosophical ponderings would hardly be of any assistance to her in this situation.
Hopping off the sofa, Fluttershy grabbed the jam jar and her empty plate, beginning a leisurely walk towards the kitchen. Well, she supposed she shouldn't complain. The toaster was a wonderful invention, and it was especially useful on days when she'd been so busy tending the animals, that she didn't feel much like putting in the effort to prepare something complicated for herself to eat. Zipping over to the kitchen sink, Fluttershy set the jar on the counter and tightened the lid. She then commenced to wash her plate and spoon, the water trickling quietly as she rinsed them.
Well, she would simply have to put up with being startled whenever she made toast - that wasn't a big deal. Henceforth, she would continue to enjoy the invention. Twilight had done a wonderful thing adapting a version of the device for use in this world, and who doesn't love toast? You take the bread slices and slip them in, press it down, wait, and presto! Warm and crispy - pre-programmed to your exact specifications. Perfect every time!
Fluttershy blinked. Exact specifications. Perfect every time. She whirled around, casting her gaze in the direction of the toaster, not bothering to turn off the water. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before! She didn't have to be frightened by that thing any longer! And she wouldn't have to tell Twilight about it either.
---*---
Fluttershy sat on her sofa, a contented smile gracing her lips as she watched the sand in the hourglass trickle silently into the lower chamber. Finally, the last of the grains fell through and she got up, trotting happily through the living room and into the kitchen. She took the warm toast from the slots and buttered them with satisfaction. The thought had occurred to her that for the toast to be perfect every time, the toaster had to have be doing the same thing, exactly the same way every time. All she had to do was find out how long it took between popping the bread down to it popping up, accounting for an extra few seconds so she wouldn't walk in too soon and be startled, and voila! Startle-free toast, just as perfect and delicious as ever. She set the slices onto her plate and grabbed the stopwatch off the counter, grinning as she thought of how helpful it had been. She then put it back in the drawer where it belonged, sliding it shut.
Suddenly however, there was a knock at the door, and Fluttershy dove beneath the kitchen table again.
"Fluttershy, are you home?" came what sounded like Twilight's voice from outside, another few knocks shortly following.
The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief and squirmed out from beneath the table, flying quickly over to the front door. She turned the knob swung the door aside, smiling brightly. "Hi, Twilight!"
The alicorn returned her friend's warm expression. "Hey, Fluttershy, I just wanted to ask you if that toaster is still working out alright."
Fluttershy beamed. "Just like it's supposed to!"
Twilight released a relieved sigh. "Thanks. I just wanted to be sure. I made several others for Applejack and Rarity to try a few days ago. I needed to be certain the recoil mechanism was still functional after a week or so of use. I'd hate to have given two more toasters out only to find out later I should've used some stronger materials."
"Nope!" Fluttershy replied with a grin. "The toast pops up just fine, and it tastes just like it should!"
"Thanks, Fluttershy. Oh! Before I forget, do you think the toaster is too loud when it pops the toast up?"
The pegasus darted her eyes back and forth, grinning broadly as beads of sweat started to materialize on her forehead. "Too loud?" she repeated. "W-Why would you ask that, Twilight?"
"Oh, I dunno," Twilight replied with a shrug. "It's just that Applejack and Rarity said the sound startled them a bit once they actually started using theirs."—Fluttershy's eyes widened—"I was wondering if perhaps I should try and make it quieter. But it's just really hard to get the degree of volume right."
"Ha... ha ha," Fluttershy laughed nervously. "Well, come to think of it, I don't suppose it would hurt to make it a bit quieter. It sure works well though!"
Twilight chuckled. "Thanks, Fluttershy. Well, I guess I'll drop by again later and make some minor adjustments to the toasters. Mind me coming back here to fix yours tomorrow afternoon?"
"N-No," Fluttershy replied quietly, "that would be just fine, Twilight."
"Okay, good. See you later then!"
"...Bye, Twilight," Fluttershy said as her friend walked off.
With a soft sigh, Fluttershy slid the door gently closed with a click. She turned her head, the toaster sitting upon the counter visible from where she was standing.
"Maybe I'm not such a scaredy-pony, after all," she murmured to herself in realization. For a while she stood there with a small smile curving her lips, and her eyes filled with a sweetly heartwarming sort of wonder. But then abruptly her expression turned to annoyed.
"But I bet neither Applejack nor Rarity hid under their kitchen tables when they were startled!"