//------------------------------// // Flying Plates aren't as hazardous to your health as angry girls... // Story: Bass Clefs and Sapphires // by Crispn //------------------------------// A week has passed since I moved in with Dash. It seems like no time at all, what with all the studying and recording I have done. The week just seemed to slip by. I have barely left my computer except for going to classes. Luckily for me, no one had made any mention of what happened between Rarity and me at her work, although I had pretty much been avoiding everyone so that could have been the case. I felt bad about flipping out for no reason, and made a note to apologize when next I got the chance. It was hard to focus on midterms, with Rarity in the forefront of my mind all week. Vinyl, on one of the days that she had managed to get past the barricade of energy drink cans, had convinced me that on Friday, I would cook for everyone. She said it was to celebrate midterms but I think it was she just wanted a reason to get a free meal. Whatever, I was more than happy to oblige. I got a hold of Pinkie and managed to get her to make a special order for tonight. She seemed really excited about it. I had no idea what she was planning, all I did was order desserts. I felt like making a dish that I had made a long time ago, a garlic chicken pasta with some rosemary garlic bread and a Caesar salad. The oven timer beeped as the bread had just finished, and just in time too. It was almost 7, and I had not been able to change from my clothes earlier in the morning. I had an idea of what I wanted to wear. A simple vest over a long sleeve shirt and dark slacks and dark shoes. Simple yet elegant, or that’s what I thought. I also decided to wear the scarf that Rarity had given me last week. I really did like the scarf and it went well with the rest of my outfit. I finished putting the pasta together and slipped back into my room and just as I had put on the slacks and my shirt, the doorbell rang. I quickly slipped on my shoes and was trying to button up my vest I jumped over the couch and opened the door. Fluttershy was standing there, looking as meek as the night of the party. She was wearing her hair in the same fashion, but it seemed to suit her very well. She had on a yellow sundress that flowed down just past her knees where she was wearing white sandals. She had a small white coat that she was wearing and her bright yellow wings were folded up behind her. “Hello Fluttershy, come in come in. Dash will be back in a minute, she just went out to grab a couple bottles of wine and some butter for the bread.” I attempted to usher her in, but she stood outside the doorway just looking down at the floor it seemed. She was taller than Dash, a couple of inches I say, although you would never know it. The poor girl held herself in such a way that she was always closed off. Don’t understand why, but for some reason, this was making me slightly depressed. “Its a bit cold out in the hall and it’s lonely out there. Don’t worry, we don’t have to talk, we could just sit, I just need to finish preparing dinner. Please come in.” I put on a small pouty face that would have made Vinyl impressed. Fluttershy looked up at me. I had never seen her eyes before. They had a green shade to them. They also had a sparkle to them that drew me in more. And in the smallest whisper I have ever heard, she said “Ok, thank you.” She fluttered inside with such poise that it was impossible not to notice how nimble and graceful she was, like a dancer. I was in awe as she flew into the kitchen past me and started to look at everything that had been laid out on the table. Usually I did not care about what people thought about my food, but for some reason, the way this girl was eyeing the food so carefully, it was weird to me and made me slightly nervous. She hovered softly in the kitchen. Then she turned to me and fluttered over to me and got to my level. She gave me a small smile and said in her little voice, “It looks wonderful, I really hope it is as good as it looks.” “Oh well thank you. Sorry if I’m taken a little aback, didn’t think you would ever talk to me, let alone smile.” “Well, Rarity should be up any moment, she’s looking for a good place to park and you don’t seem like a bad person. I’m sorry about the night of the party, I was just so nervous that I flew home in a slight panic.” “Well don’t worry, Dash would put the hurt on me if I did anything to one of her friends.” “Oh don’t say that.” “Say what?” “That we are just one of her friends, because any friend of Dash is a friend of mine.” she beamed. It was a calming sight. This very shy girl seemed out of her element with many people, but just like me, she did well in small intimate settings such as this. “OH well, uhm this, this is so sudden what do I do. What do I do?” Fluttershy looked like she was starting to have a panic attack. “Whoa whoa whoa, you just said we we were friends. It’s not like you were professing an undying affection.” I tried to smile comfortingly at her, and luckily it seemed to calm her down as she landed in front of me. She was close. Very close. I felt my face start to blush and my wings strain to be free of the restraint. I just wish there was something that would diffuse the tension. She did look really cute in her outfit and her face was soft and kind, her pink hair draping over her right eye. BAM. The door slammed open as two girls walked through, carrying a couple grocery bags and some clothes, followed closely by a third carrying a large tray. Dash, Pinkie and Rarity hustled in but stopped dead in their tracks at the site of Fluttershy being so close to someone she had barely known. “OOOOOOO Something juicy is going on in here” exclaimed the bounding Pinkie as she placed the tray on the counter and jumped in between the two of us. It really seemed as though she could bend the laws of physics to her will. She was just at the door blocked by Rarity and Dash and somehow managed to not only place her tray on the kitchen counter but get in between us with in a matter of a couple seconds, and there was barely more than six inches between us. “What?! No nothing was going on here.” Fluttershy began to stammer. “I mean there was some talking but that was it, talking about food.” “It is alright Fluttershy Darling.” Rarity had managed to intervene before Fluttershy had gone too far off the hinges. “We did not think anything like that. Just calm yourself down and let us have a wonderful evening. Is that rosemary garlic bread?” “Oh my god it is. You actually made it!” the unmistakable lightning blue streak of Vinyl’s hair was barely noticeable before what felt like a linebacker tackled me over the couch and onto the floor past the coffee table. “And you made the pasta. You, You, you right there, I love you and your stupid face. Make this food more!” “Hello to you too Vinyl, now please get off my probably already cracked ribs.” Vinyl quickly got up off my chest and I looked in to see Twilight, Tavi and AJ had also arrived. Fluttershy and Rarity had looks of horror and disbelief at what just happened on their faces, while Dash and Pinkie looked as though Vinyl should be congratulated. Which was ok I guess, since she was indeed the smallest. “Hello everyone, please help yourselves to something to drink while I finish putting everything out.” I said to everyone, wiping dust off of my clothes. Doing this, I noticed Fluttershy and Rarity both eyeing me. Well maybe Rarity was admiring how well I could clean up. I did look like a butler with the lavender shirt and tie with black vest and pants, or maybe she was going to bitch me out for knocking her over in the shop. I walked into the kitchen and started making everyone drinks. Most asked for wine while AJ asked for a Whiskey Sour. Vinyl and I had a couple of shots in the kitchen before making ourselves a couple of sea breezes. “Please, sit, sit,” I gestured to the living room area with chairs spread out around the table. “Not enough room at the table but once everything is ready, please help yourselves, should be ready in a few minutes.” Everyone sat down around, AJ taking the chair while Vinyl and Rarity surrounded Fluttershy on the couch. Dash was just being Dash and hovering next to the couch closest to Vinyl. Twilight, Pinkie and Tavi took the table chairs, leaving me to be on the floor. That’s fine. I was never one for sitting long periods of time anyways. I actually just ended up sitting on the edge of the entertainment center, right in front of the tv. I asked for Dash to help me pass out the food for everyone but before she could even give a reply, Rarity sprung out of her seat, saying that she would not feel right if both myself and Dash were serving all of us. After her tiny little speech, she proceeded to join me at the counter where I was placing different parts of the meals on the plates for everyone. “You and I sir, need to talk about something.” She said as she stood next to me, in a hushed tone. “I’m sorry about knocking you over on Saturday, but I don’t think this is the time to talk, we have people to serve.” I quickly replied as I picked up two plates. As soon as I turned around, the rest of the plates of food that had been sitting on the counter shot across the kitchen and landed in the laps of the girls sitting in the living room. Grabbing one of the plates out of my hands, Rarity looked at me with a stern look, “That’s not all we have to talk about, there is something else I think we should address, and do not think you are getting out of this one.” Rarity then proceeded to walk out of the kitchen, back into the party, leaving me alone to slightly worry about what she was going to berate me about. Was it the knocking her over, or basically ignoring everyone since then, or was it something about Fluttershy? Or maybe it was just something about my suit. And was she blushing just now, or did I actually mess up my glasses when I crashed? Anyway, I thought it best to try and put it out of my mind for now, I was supposed to enjoy tonight. After the food had been devoured and idle conversation about school or music had subsided, Pinkie ran over to the counter and grabbed the platter and revealed its surprise. A group of 9 cupcakes, each a different color, each a different flavor. Pinkie really came through on this one. She passed out the cupcakes and as she dove into hers, everyone else did as well. “Well, Ah’l be, the cakes have really outdone themselves with this apple brown betty cake.” “mhmmmm, was this your idea Crisp?” Twilight mumble through bites, much to the horror of Rarity, who had just been enjoying her cupcake. “Yeah it was his idea, he said that he had no idea what anyone one wanted to he asked me to get everyone’s favorite and then he asked if you all were ok with what he was going to make and I said yes because everyone loves chicken.” I smiled and blushed slightly at the compliment. Everyone seemed satisfied with their meal and the cupcakes. It turned out Vinyl’s idea of a party was actually a really good idea for me. It allowed me to get to know the others better and boosted myself a little higher in their eyes it seemed. And then the drinking started. It seemed as though AJ was controlling the large part of the conversation. A few too many whiskey sours in and she was retelling her life story. Seems as she was running a farm with her brother Big Mac, Apple Bloom and their grandmother. She was studying business in agriculture to help run the farm better, even though I'm pretty sure we all knew that already. Didn't stop her from hammering it into our skulls a few more times tonight. She also said her brother Big Mac studied Agriculture Marketing, but had to go home and run the farm before he could finish. So she was doing what she could to help her family. A noble venture and I hoped it worked out for her, since she seemed like one that has been through an incredibly hard time. Fluttershy, though, had not say a single word since we had had our little moment in the kitchen. Rarity was also uncharacteristically quiet since our conversation in the kitchen. As I was taking dishes to the kitchen, I chanced a glance over at them. I thought I had been quick about it but unknown to me, it was noticed.