Trixie drove through the length and breadth of Canterlot. For two straight days, she had run herself ragged trying to find Shuffle, and berating herself for not even trying to follow him into the night. Shuffle himself had seemed to up and vanish. By day two, she finally snapped, enlisting the help of her and Shuffle’s friends. After recounting the situation, the group searched high and low. On the third day, by chance, Trixie received a text from Sunset Shimmer.
We found Shuffle, he's on his way to the hospital.
Trixie, tired from the few days of endless searching, pulled herself from the hammock of her trailer and practically dove into her car, cutting through traffic on the way to the hospital moments after reading the message, a sense of hope in her chest.
"I swear, when I get my hands on you Shuffle, it's not gonna be pretty," She said aloud, taking the first turn towards Canterlot General.
Shuffle made his way into the hospital. His mind was robotic, his body numb, and his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. Without any direction, she wandered towards the ICU. Once he arrived, he was greeted by the same nurse that greeted him every day for the past four days. Or was it three? Shuffle’s mind didn't care to remember.
"Hey Shuffle, back again I see…" Nurse Red Cross, replied.
"Yeah," Shuffled said. Red Cross noticed the teen’s voice was haggard and hoarse. Thinking ahead, she quickly left and returned with a bottle of cold water, offering it to him.
"Doctors say that the damage to her brain was significant. The alcohol and blood that got in her brain when she was struck built up, and we are still trying to drain it out of her skull. I'm not gonna lie, she is going to have some issues after we get her back."
Shuffle nodded and looked towards the room that housed his mother. "May I?"
"Usually yes, but you look like you haven't had any sleep in days. Are you okay?"
"No," The teen replied, his eyes never looking away from the room.
The nurse sighed. "You got five minutes, after that you need to go straight home and get a bath, I'm breaking enough rules for you letting you in now."
Shuffle wordlessly approached his mother's room. As he looked in, a lump reformed in his throat while he tried to hold back what was left of the few tears he hadn't already shed prior. Shuffle made no attempt to leave as he pulled a chair up to his mom's side, sat down, and waited, taking a drink of the water Red Cross gave him.
Tick-Tock
One of the only consistent sounds in the room beyond the beeping of the heart monitor. The clock was the only measure of time for Shuffle, as his mind would not count the passage of time on its own by now.
Tick-Tock
Seconds felt like minutes to the teen. He slipped his hand into his pocket, removing a small black ring, and slipped it on his mother's ring finger.
"Mom, I know you're in there. I brought Dad's ring. Can you see him? Is he in there, helping you find your way home?" Shuffle sputtered out, his voice slowly starting to return. He moved closer to his mother's comatose form, taking her hand and laying his head on her bed. A few long moments of silence passed before his mind wandered back to his childhood, and a special song his mother had sung to him on the nights when he would have nightmares.
When the fire is gone, I will die to protect you, light a candle for me, on this winter's day.
As Shuffle continued humming softly, his will finally shattered, turning the broken teen’s mind to mush.
My Queen, don't cry this night, we have a dream left to cling to. Rest in ash, to leave you safe I pray.
The two verses alone brought a wave of sorrow, leaving his face covered in his mother’s hand as he let the floodgates opened.
Time slowed even more as Shuffle finished crying. He noticed that his tears had soiled his mother’s sheet. Delicately, Shuffle took off the soiled linen and replaced it with a spare set in the cabinet nearby, making sure Tesla was tucked in. After finishing, Shuffle got up to leave but was caught on the door being slightly ajar, showing a silent, disheveled Trixie Lulamoon.
Shuffle visibly tensed up. He hadn't remembered anyone else that would have been affected by his disappearance. Shuffle looked away, trying not to draw attention to his red face and bloodshot eyes.
"Hi," He said silently before being caught in a vice-grip hug.
"I missed you," Trixie said silently. The relief from seeing her boyfriend well, and the pain he felt, made her own will crumble. She broke down herself, crying into Shuffle's shirt.
The two's embrace was cut short by a person clearing their throat behind them.
"Shuffle, it's been almost thirty minutes. I need you to please leave and get cleaned up," Red Cross said, guiding the two out of the ICU.
Trixie clutched Shuffle’s hand making sure he could not escape from her this time.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all week. How were you able to stay out of sight for so long?" Trixie questioned Shuffle, each word piercing Shuffle's heart, making him feel even worse for how he made himself scarce.
"I...I don't want to talk about it."
Trixie gasped at hearing Shuffle’s voice be so weak. She understood why he didn't want to talk, but continued to hang on to him. Finally, Trixie and Shuffle were escorted out by the Red Cross.
Shuffle turned towards the road, ready to walk back to where he had been hiding out but was stopped by a strong yank from Trixie, kiting him to her car.
"Nu-uh, you’re gone two days and you think you’re just gonna run off on me again?" Trixie pulled open the door.
"In."
"But, I-"
"Get. In. Shuffle." She repeated firmly.
Shuffle looked down, ashamed at his actions. "Okay".
The drive home was dead silence between them. Shuffle was visibly uncomfortable from being in the car. Trixie was more focused on getting him home and cleaned up. When they arrived, Trixie got out but Shuffle stayed inside.
"Come on you. You need to come inside."
Shuffle didn't move.
"Come on the big guy, let's get you inside. Please, for me?" Trixie pleaded with the immobile teen.
Shuffle finally responded by getting out of the car and slowly making his way around it and into the vacant home.
Trixie opened the door and led Shuffle inside. The blood from days prior had been cleaned up by Trixie, and the house still had the soothing scent of lavender leaves. She went towards the kitchen and got a few apples for her and Shuffle to share. She noticed Shuffle had arranged himself on the couch, his head already slumping over from an obvious lack of sleep.
"When was the last time you slept?"
Shuffle didn't respond immediately. But when he did it was barely a whisper.
"Two days."
Trixie sat beside Shuffle, pulling his attention to her.
"Where were you hiding out all this time? I've been looking for you."
"Never stopped. Needed silence," He choked out before taking another drink of his water.
"Where did you sleep?"
"Trees, rooftops, just about anywhere out of sight."
"How did you survive?"
Shuffle looked away, ashamed. "I Didn't."
Trixie took a moment to mull over everything.
"Why did you not try to come home?"
"I did, multiple times. But this place feels hollow, no soothing hums and beeps of mom's machines, her popping up and down getting food or saying ‘hello” after school. Even Greg still scaring her with his appearances. All of it’s gone now. And it's my fault." Shuffles voice became more and more stable as he went along.
"Shuffle, no one blames you for what Lightning did. If anything, it's his fault your mother is hospitalized. Or better yet, it's my mother’s for setting this whole thing up. Had I known, Trixie would have put her through a table."
Trixie chuckled at her joke, trying to coax a smile out of him. Instead, his eyes still held the same hollow look his voice had.
Trixie scooted closer to the boy, putting his arm around her.
"I know you’re hurting Shuffle. Remember when my dad had died, how broken I was? It hurt, yes, but do you know what helped me get through that nightmarish time?" Trixie turned Shuffle’s face towards hers.
"You. An anchor Trixie could latch onto when she felt lost. A beacon of light awash in a sea of shadow. I hope for a brighter tomorrow. Shuffle, the last time I felt this way was last year when I and Zero tried to go out. He understood me just as much as you do. But his heart belonged to another. It took me a while to get that through my thick head, but when it did, it hurt. If anything, Zero has been like a brother to me ever since then. And I still love him like one, but you… You’re special, and Trixie doesn't want to lose you."
Trixie took initiative and soft pinned Shuffle to the couch, adjusting herself so she would be his center of attention, making sure he saw her.
"Shuffle Suit, Tri-- I, love you, more than anything in this world and beyond. Not like how I love Zero or even my show. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And if you ever forget this fact, remember today. Remember all that we've been through. Remember this most importantly, you NEVER have to fight alone. I will be there as your shield. Just as you were for her."
Shuffles wrapped Trixie in a hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"Thank you. For everything… You are the Greatest and Powerfullest girlfriend ever."
"And you'd better not forget it this time. Oh, and another thing…"
Trixie got off of Shuffle's lap.
"Go take a bath. I might be Great and Powerful, but even I can't stand up to your smell for very long, and you chose to go into a hospital too. For shame."
Shuffle got off the couch and started to head upstairs, but was stopped again by Trixie.
"And I swear, if you try to escape, Trixie knows where you hide now!"
Shuffle did not attempt to run that night, as he was plagued with the same nightmare that haunted him. His mother looking directly at him. The eyes hazed over and piercing him.
"All your fault…" The voice said, its tone malicious. Before long, his father would appear next to her, holding out his hand.
"Failure…" the figure said. The torture becoming too much for Shuffle, he let out an ear-piercing scream as the two malevolent figures attempted to swipe at his form. Soon, the two apparitions took hold of his body, pulling Shuffle down. He tried to fight back, but the constant barrage of negative emotions quickly destroyed his defense, and as he started to accept his fate, a blue hand reached out to Shuffle, bathing him in a sea of light. Desperately, he reached for the hand and was overcome with a dozen lights in the distance, along with a carved crescent moon illuminating the sky. Shuffle instantly recognized where he was.
"Shuffle, you okay?" The familiar voice of Trixie behind him asked, making the teen jump. Shuffle turned around to see something odd. It was Trixie, yes, but she seemed much older. Almost twice his age.
"Yeah, just thinking is all," Shuffle played along, hoping she didn’t think he was weird. Trixie sat down on a small blanket. "You wanna tell me, or do I have to trick it out of you again?"
Shuffle looked dumbfounded. "No, it's fine, just a flashback I guess. Why are we at the cavern again?"
The older Trixie shook her head, chuckling silently. "To celebrate. After all, I AM pregnant," She retorted, holding her stomach.
The rest of the night passed smoothly. Shuffle woke up later than normal, sprawled out on the couch with Trixie asleep on his chest.
What was that dream? It felt so… Real. He thought to himself. Shuffle rearranged himself to where his arms wrapped around Trixie's stomach. Feeling its flat form reminded him of the dream.
The early morning silence weighed heavily upon Shuffle. Each tick of the clock nearby brought more and more questions to his mind.
Why did I dream of that? As Trixie said, it wasn't my fault for what happened to mom, but Lightning, he needs to pay… No, that's not how I was raised. Even a despicable being like him, karma will find him, but the dream after, it seemed to change so suddenly, like someone was watching it. Maybe my mind just made it up. But then it wouldn't feel real. Would it?
Shuffle’s internal thoughts were broken moments later as Trixie rolled over, mumbling something in her sleep.
"And for my next trick, I'm going to…ZZZ," Shuffle smiled as the silly magician performed in her sleep, a small snort coming on occasion.
"Trixie, it's good to know how pure you can be sometimes," Shuffle said in a low tone.
Trixie hummed in approval and snuggled into the warm body nearby.
I wonder how Trixie would react if I told her my dream. Would it scare her? She is dead set on being a famous magician. But what about after? What about us? I know now how she feels, what about six months from now? Will it be the same? The Trixie in my dream was pregnant too, how would she react if I told her that?"
Shuffle's mind once again over-analyzed what was a simple dream. But the thoughts kept gnawing away at his subconscious. He wanted to know. Shuffle took a breath.
Even if she doesn't like it, it's a nice dream to have.
Shuffle's lingering thoughts flitted away as the early morning sun finally made its way high into the sky, and he fell back into a dreamless sleep.
The next few days were silent for the two. Shuffle had finally gone back to school. With permission from Principal Celestia, if he wasn't feeling emotionally able to participate due to his mother, he would be able to stay home, as long as his grades didn't drop. On the days he showed, he barely said a word to any of his friends, however. Trixie noticed this and pulled a few people aside after lunch to come up with a plan on one of the days he didn't show up.
By Friday afternoon, Shuffle and Trixie had gotten out of school, piling into Trixie's car. She swiftly left the school’s property and started to drive into town.
Shuffle hadn't noticed them entering town until SugarCube Corner came into view.
"What are we doing?" Shuffle asked.
"Trixie read somewhere that being inside for too long was unhealthy, and you have done nothing but mope around for the past few days. So, for the weekend, we are going to be spending every hour of sunlight out of the house.
"Trix, no, I don't want to-"
"We're heeere~," Trixie said in a sing-song tone.
Shuffle sighed as he got out of the car, resigning to the weekend. He would have much rather been at home in his opinion, but if he tried to get away again Trixie would just follow him. She walked around the car, putting a small box in his hand and dragging him into the store.
"Why are we at Discord's? I thought you didn't like being here?"
"I may not, but you do. Besides, Artemis was housing me when you were gone, so you go on in there and have some fun. Trixie is right behind you."
Shuffle shook his head, groaning inwardly before entering the shop.
The interior of the shop had drastically changed from the last time Shuffled passed through the door. With it being a new year, more merchandise had appeared, and it seemed Discord had made the store look even more chaotic than normal. Shuffle, finally giving in to his curiosity, took a look at some of the new stuff. Having grown up on older anime, he hardly recognized any of it, but the designs of each character and the well-made figures hidden behind each display case were expertly crafted and meticulously placed to ensure maximum "wow" factor.
"You like them? Imported from across the sea recently," The familiar voice of Discord rang out from behind the counter.
Shuffle turned around and approached the shop owner.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you’re expanding your inventory Mr. Discord."
The gray man's face scrunched up into a look of disgust.
"You know I hate when you do that Shuffle. Do I have to ban you from the store again?"
Shuffle wasted no time in firing back a smart remark.
"If you did, then who would host your locals? Or better yet, those games of O&O? Last time you tried to do it yourself, it didn't end the best, if I remember right."
Discord scoffed dismissively. "How overpowered can a reality-bending Draconequis even be? Honestly, no one likes letting loose."
"Because of balance, as all things should be," Shuffle retorted.
"Ah well, that's beside the point. What brings you in today?"
Shuffle went silent. Not wanting to think about what happened over the last week he quickly changed the subject.
"No reason," Shuffle replied.
Discord eyed the teen, before shrugging. "I do have a few new cards sets up around the corner. And knowing you and Artemis, you’re gonna want first pickings at them, so enjoy. Plus if you’re interested, I do have a few openings for some hired help here, if you want that is."
Shuffle nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Shuffle made his way around the store, looking for the Duel Monsters section, browsing the newer sets once he found them. After catching back up with the card game itself, Shuffle found it fascinating that a game as complex as Duel Monsters could evolve into an almost 4-D game of chess, especially with this new Link Summon mechanic; the game had become a shadow of its former self. But it did make the game interesting to watch, for outsiders at least.
Trixie rounded the corner and saw Shuffle looking at stuff, but decided to hang back. She wanted him to be happy, but seeing as she didn't like the game herself, she didn't want to bring down his mood any more than it already was. After a few minutes of watching, Artemis, Zero, and Clyde entered the shop.
Trixie noticed the trio come in and flagged them down.
All three approached Trixie. "Ok you three, remember the plan. Keep Operation Shuffle's Smile on track. Trixie has to go get the rest ready and check-in with Pinkie."
The trio nodded in unison before Trixie left. All three approached Shuffle.
"Hey dude, we didn't know you came in here!" Zero said loudly, putting his arm around him.
Shuffle jumped before twisting around and seeing the three familiar faces of his friends.
"Oh, hey guys," He said absently.
Artemis came next, with a few boxes in hand. "Hey man, I know it’s been a while, but maybe you can help me. Clyde and Zero were curious about how to play Duel Monsters. I've been waiting to talk to you since you pay attention to the more nuanced areas of the card game; maybe you can explain things easier than I can."
Shuffle frowned. Artemis was incredibly intelligent, and even though he did display a lot, he knew just as much as Artemis did. Something seemed off, but Shuffle didn't want to say anything.
"Trixie brought me and I know she would want… to… go..." Shuffle took a moment to look around but found no sign of the magician.
"Oh…" Shuffle said silently.
Clyde, being more attuned to people's emotions, picked up on Shuffle’s silence and quickly made something up.
"Trixie passed us by the door, she wanted me to carry along a message. She had to step out for a minute. Rarity finished the touch-ups on her attire, and she went to go pick it up."
Shuffle sighed. "I guess I'm stuck here for a bit then. I'll help you Artemis; what decks are they trying to learn?"
Zero held up a bright green box. "I chose Psychic types."
Clyde had an Indigo box. "Ultra-Athletes I think they’re called."
Artemis had his box, but instead of it being the normal lavender, it was black. "I've built something new for you, Orcust."
The 4 sat down at one of the many tables and started playing. After about an hour, Clyde and Zero had a decent grasp on what their decks could do, so they decided to have a mini tournament to test their skills. Clyde vs Zero, and Artemis vs Shuffle. Each game took a good minute, but it ended with Clyde and Artemis taking the win in their respective games. Zero was bummed he lost, but he still had fun. Shuffle on the other hand had been mentally beating himself for displaying as bad as he did. Not even one of his favorite games could bring him to even smirk. He moved away from the trio so he could sit and look at his deck again.
Let them have their fun, maybe deck building will help me, Shuffle thought to himself after laying out each category of his cards.
"This deck is missing something." He said absently. The days of playtesting with Artemis taught him not only how the game played again, but how truly versatile Odd-Eyes was. It could use every summoning mechanic in the card game, but it still had the same result: beat down the opponent.
Using his phone, Shuffle decided to research any more pendulum based decks. A few minutes of searching revealed that Odd-Eyes had a sub-archetype that complimented it.
"Magician?" Shuffle tapped on the tab and continued to read on about them.
The magician archetype, subservient to Odd-Eyes, was introduced in the duelist pack "Pendulum Evolution". These spellcaster pendulum monsters allowed the legendary Dimensional Dragons to gain access to one of the most powerful decks in Duel Monsters, but regrettably, due to an error in the printing, not all of the magicians got a release. Four that were slated to be released to the general public had been mysteriously cut from the final product. The dimensional dragons would have to wait until these hidden cards got released, but a leaked image revealed one. Shuffle pressed on the image link. Up popped a human male, wearing red armor-like robes, wielding a straight sword, pointed hat, and shoulder pauldrons. Along the hilt of the sword was a deep blue jewel attached to each piece. Shuffle also noticed that the spellcaster’s eyes were differently colored from one another.
"It's like he's a human Odd-Eyes," Shuffle said to himself before looking back at his deck.
Shuffle had been so caught up in his thinking that he hadn't noticed Artemis approach him.
"Hey man, we are wrapping up over here. What are you doing?" He asked.
"What are the Dimensional Dragons?" Shuffle asked suddenly.
"Pardon?" Artemis asked again.
"The Dimensional Dragons. What are they?"
"Oh, those," Artemis pulled out his wallet revealing a card hidden within. "They are four dragons, each to represent the four summoning types. Synchro, XYZ, Pendulum, Fusion. Not only that, they were limited prints too, and I was lucky to get one. You have one too, y’ know," Artemis turned the card over revealing it. It was purple, snake-like, and had multiple colored orbs on its body.
"This is Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, my personal favorite. Plus a gift from Aria on our first anniversary. She paid almost forty dollars for it, too. Your Odd-Eyes is one of the others, and if I remember correctly, the remaining two are called Dark Rebellion and Clear Wing."
Shuffle thanked Artemis for the information before putting his deck away. He got up and approached Discord, but before he could ask about anything Trixie came from behind and hugged him.
"Heeyy~..." she said.
Shuffle hugged her back. "Hey, you. Did you get your stuff from Rarity?"
Trixie nodded as she took his hand. "Yeah, sorry. Trixie didn't mean to leave you so urgently. But Rarity insisted that Trixie picked up her new outfit as soon as possible."
Shuffle nodded silently, watching his three friends from Trixie's side. All three were talking, or in Zero's case, making grandiose gestures, causing Clyde and Artemis to burst into fits of laughter.
"You know they miss you right?" Trixie said as she took his hand.
Shuffle's mind had already begun to shut back down again. Trixie noticed Shuffle’s eyes seem to lose some of the warm luster that she had become familiar with. Thinking quickly, she pulled him towards the door.
"Here, let's go. Maybe you can help Trixie rearrange her caravan?" Trixie asked hopefully.
Shuffle nodded and the two left the store.
As Trixie drove back towards home, Shuffle had nodded off, leaving Trixie to her thoughts. A small traffic jam slowed the duo down, so to pass the time, Trixie messaged Sunset.
How is the party arrangements coming along?
Their coming along everything's set up inside the house, are you sure Shuffle is gonna be okay with this?
Trust Trixie Sunset Shimmer, she knows her great and powerful assistant, and he is going to love it
HONK! HONK! HONK!
The traffic finally began moving. Trixie, who had been wrapped up in her phone, was given a rude gesture from the older man behind her car. Trixie growled silently as she put her foot back on the gas pedal, falling in line with everyone else moving on towards home.
By dusk, Trixie pulled into the garage of Shuffle’s house. Turning off the engine, she leaned over and attempted to wake the sleeping boy.
"Shuffle, wake up, we're back," Trixie nudged his side to no avail. No matter, Trixie was determined and tried again, this time getting a mumble from Shuffle.
"Hey, come on we're home," She said softly, placing a kiss on his lips. Shuffle's eyes finally opened, and as his sight returned all he saw was the face of Trixie, who had a soft smile on her face.
"Sorry…" he said almost silently.
"For what? Trixie understands why you’re sad and tired, and she doesn't blame you for taking a quick power nap, but if you’re gonna do that, you’re not doing it in the hot sun. Come on, let's go inside," Trixie got out and attempted to slide across the hood of her car, trying to mimic what Shuffle had done during the early days of their relationship. The heat from the car running naturally, along with the sunbaked metal, made her yelp out in pain and quickly scramble off the hood.
Shuffle groaned in embarrassment as Trixie's rubbed her rear end.
"Not one of Trixie's best ideas…" she said, grabbing Shuffle's hand. "At least if I have a burn on my butt, I have someone who'll help me take care of it~," Trixie purred. Shuffle nodded in silence, looking down at the magician before shaking his head.
"What was that Shuffle? You’re making it look like you don't appreciate Trixie's Assets," Shuffle groaned at the terrible joke but even he thought it was kind of funny.
"That was awful Trix," Shuffle took lead and began to unlock the door. Once he opened it, he stepped inside to almost immediately be blown back by a small blue cannon.
SURPRISE!
Lo and behold, behind the cannon revealed a certain pink party planner, who had somehow not only gotten into his home but she, along with his and Trixie's friends, had been scattered throughout the house. Behind them all was a giant banner that read:
Get well soon Shuffle!
"SowhatdoyouthinkShuffledoyoulikeitTrixiesaidyouwouldlikeitandIalsosawhowsadyouweresoTrixieaskedmetohelpsetyouupthispartyand...mmm!" Pinkie's mouth was quickly covered by Swift, who was standing beside her.
"Sorry, Pinkie got hungry and got into the sweets early," He said, pulling her and the cannon out of the way. "Come on in you guys."
Shuffle hesitantly made his way inside with Trixie in tow, before joining the group.
"So, you guys set up a party. Why exactly?" Shuffle asked.
"As Pinkie said, Trixie had been planning this all week. She wanted to make sure you remembered that your friends were here for you," Sunset said. Shuffle looked towards her, where she and Soul had been sitting on the couch.
"You guys didn't have to do that. I was doing okay," Shuffle replied, sitting down on the loveseat away from everyone else.
"No we didn't, but it seemed like the nice thing to do. We are your friends," Soul said.
Shuffle nodded in silence before Swift finally lost control of Pinkie. The party planner was practically foaming at the mouth, quickly crossing the room at an inhuman speed and turned on the boom box that had appeared from nowhere. It began playing an electronic tune, something Shuffle didn't recognize, then grabbed Swift by the hand and pulled him onto the impromptu dance floor.
"Less talking, more partying!"
Everyone shrugged before others decided to join in on Pinkie’s fervent dancing.
All of the partygoers had been enjoying themselves for the majority of the night, save one certain dichromatic boy, who slipped outside midway through.
Shuffle took a deep breath, taking in the calm spring night, the warm early summer air, and the pale full moon slowly rising into the night sky.
Shuffle mindlessly approached one of the few trees that littered his backyard before increasing his strides into a jog. Then at the base of the tree, he used the thick trunk as a jumping point and launched himself upward onto the first branch he could reach, pulling himself up onto it and resting against the trunk.
Shuffle sighed as he silently watched dusk give way to night.
"You do know you’re gonna get it when Pinkie notices the guest of honor had vanished y’ know?" Shuffled yelped in surprise before almost falling out of his little hideaway.
He looked around the tree trying to find where the voice originated from, finding a familiar rainbow-haired girl a branch up above him.
Shuffle sat back, sighing. "Never been one for parties, Rainbow…" Shuffle replied.
Rainbow hopped down onto the same branch Shuffle was sitting on.
"Look, it's not like I don't appreciate it, but unlike Trixie, I just prefer to suffer in silence."
Rainbow sat down on the branch. "But why suffer anyways? It's not like you did anything wrong."
Shuffles groaned inwardly. "That's not what I mean. I just don't like being in the limelight."
"Considering your girlfriend can be an attention hog, might want to get used to it," Rainbow retorted playfully.
The two sit in silence as the muffled sounds of the party continued.
About Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow got up and stretched herself. "Look, I'm not gonna tell you how you're gonna live, but just remember your friends. You'll never be alone no matter what."
Shuffle nodded as Rainbow slid off the branch and back down onto the ground.
He leaned over, looking down at the athlete. "Hey Rainbow!"
Rainbow turned around at her name being called.
"Thanks."
Rainbow gave a thumbs up before returning inside to the party.
Shuffle rolled off the branch himself a few minutes after and made his way back into the party, hopefully not to anyone's immediate ire.
The party finally began to wind down at about eleven, everyone started to make their way back to their vehicles, some carrying leftovers, others, actual people. As the other partygoers said goodbyes, Shuffle helped Swift carry a case of leftovers to his car
"Thanks again for the help Shuffle.”
Shuffle nodded. "Hey, Swift, when you get the chance, can you let Pinkie know that, while I do appreciate the party, can we pull it back, just a little?"
"Not a fan of parties huh?" Swift asked.
"Not parties, just being the center of attention."
Swift held out his fist and offered it to Shuffle. "Okay, I'll make sure to pass or along, but don't expect a random cannon blast now and again now."
Shuffle returned the fist bump. "Seems like that's just a byproduct of being friends with Pinkie, so I'll take the risk."
Swift chuckled before heading back inside to aid in cleanup, leaving Shuffle and Trixie alone in the living room.
Shuffle took a few minutes cleaning up some of the remains of the party with Swift. As they cleaned up, he turned on some slow relaxing music to play in the background. Shuffle began to hum along with the music after a bit. Shuffle sat back down on the couch to take a breather and noticed that Trixie had all but disappeared. Shuffle got up and attempted to look for her.
Shuffle made his way upstairs after turning off the radio and noticed that the door to his room was slightly ajar. Shuffle opened it the rest of the way, revealing Trixie who was asleep on the bed. "There you are." He said quietly. He got ready for bed, and without thinking, stripped off his shirt and pants, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. He attempted to take Trixie’s hoodie off her so she wouldn't get uncomfortable during the night but was pulled down onto the bed and into the arms of a very awake girlfriend.
"So, care to explain why you were trying to strip Trixie?"
Shuffle stuttered, trying to form a coherent sentence before Trixie breaking out into a fit of giggles.
"You are so easy to tease Shuffle if you just wanted to see me…" Trixie moved to nibble on his ear, "You only have to ask~," Shuffle went pale in the face. Trixie howled with laughter. Before long, Trixie had calmed down and settled back into the bed, stripping off her clothes as well.
Having recovered from the little prank, Shuffle was smirked before the room was made for him on the bed. A sudden thought crossed his mind.
I can be damn near naked with her, and she doesn’t mind… wow…
"Trixie hopes you enjoyed the party," She said after a few minutes of silence.
"It was...Eventful..." Shuffle replied.
"Especially when the main person sneaks out of his party?" Trixie asked. "If it wasn't due to the fact we had five of the seven magically gifted girls from school here, I would have been especially worried, but that's why I sent Rainbow Dash out to look for you…"
Shuffle frowned. He hadn't thought about what he was doing, considering earlier in the week had been driving herself into a physical panic just to find him. To just leave from something that she probably worked hard on to plan was incredibly rude. Shuffle took a moment to collect himself before he explained himself.
"Look, Trix, it's not that I didn't enjoy it, it's just… I don't like being the center of attention. I do appreciate it, but for now, I don't need these over the top parties. Maybe a calm night, just us, next time?"
Trixie nodded before pulling the boy into a hug. He suddenly realized she had been watching him with deeper concern than he expected, though she seemed relieved that he would stay in the next time.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Shuffle gave her a warm smile as he laid his head down beside hers.
It's good to finally have you back Shuffle, Trixie thought as she pets his head, snuggling into the boy’s bigger frame, her fears, and anxieties put to rest.
Little did the duo know, this little reprise was going to be their last...