Author's Note: This is a Fluttershy centered chapter, but the thing is that she's not as shy in my fic as she is in others and even the show. If anything, Fluttershy is much more comfortable around other ponies. Just giving you readers a heads up beforehand.
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"I'm very sorry to bother you at such an inconvenient hour, but I'm new around here and was hoping you could take me in for the night. I can pay you for any troubles."
In front of ShadowCaster stood an obviously shocked Pegasus mare. She hadn't been expecting any company at the time and was surprised to see the stallion standing at her door.
"Oh... It's no trouble at all. I can't just leave somepony out in the night. Please, come in."
The mare moved aside to let ShadowCaster in. He looked around the room, and took in the environment.
Hmm, homey. A bit too outdoorsy for my taste, but beggars can't be choosers.
"Thank you very much. My name is ShadowCaster. And you would be?"
ShadowCaster held out a hoof in front of the mare, which she gently shook.
"Nice to meet you, ShadowCaster. My name is Fluttershy."
Uh, oh. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. By the moon, my plans suck.
"Fluttershy? As in the Element of Kindness? I'm very honored to meet you. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me about yourself? I've always been interested in the Elements of Harmony."
That's it. Try and keep any conversations about her for as long as possible. Gotta think of a believable story.
"Oh, I'm not really all that interesting. I would like to know more about you, though. You don't seem to be from Ponyville and you have a very unique style of clothing."
And theres the sound of another plan failing.
Fluttershy had studied the cloak that ShadowCaster wore. For some reason the colors reminded her a bit of Princess Luna. She and her guest made their way into her living room and sat on the couch in the center of the room.
"Uh, alright. Ask anything you'd like. I'll try to answer to the best of my ability."
"For starters, where are you from? I've never seen you around, and this is a pretty small town."
Come on, think of something! Anything!
"I'm from, uh, Detrot. I'm a student at a university there, and have lived there for most of my life." ShadowCaster put on a smile, trying not to seem as nervous as he truly was.
At least half of that is the truth.
"Oh, that's interesting. Are you studying magic, or is there something else that you're focused on?"
"Magic has been the main focus of my studies since I'm not very skilled at it. Even though I've grown up healthy and had plenty of practice, I've always been very weak when it came to magic. To this day, I'm still learning to master and control my full potential."
At the thought of his magical skill, ShadowCaster's smile had disappeared. Fluttershy had been quick to pick up that his abilities were a bit of a touchy subject.
"I"m sorry if my questions are making you uncomfortable. You must be tired, and it's beginning to get late. I don't have a guest room, so you can take my room for the night."
Fluttershy stood up from the couch and started walking across the room to a set of stairs. As she got to the base of the stairs, ShadowCaster stopped her.
"I couldn't ask you to do that. I may be a guest, but this is your home. I'm perfectly fine sleeping down here."
The closer to the door, the better, he silently said to himself.
Fluttershy had been surprised by his protest to taking her room, but she was a little happy that he did. The couch was very uncomfortable to sleep on, as she had learned long ago.
"If you insist," she said, feeling a little guilty for not persuading him enough, "I'll just go get you a blanket. I"ll be right back."
With that, Fluttershy trotted up the stairs, leaving ShadowCaster alone in the room. Or so he thought. He felt something soft hit his leg, and he turned to look at a small rabbit tapping his foot on the ground.
"Hey there, little guy," he said as he knelt down to the rabbit's eye level, "How are you doing?"
The small rabbit simply gave him an unamused expression, followed by him pointing at his eyes, then at ShadowCaster. As the two heard the sound of hoofsteps from upstairs, the rabbit hopped out of the room. ShadowCaster stood up and turned to see Fluttershy coming down the stairs with a blanket. She noticed the rabbit hopping into the next room.
"Oh, I hope Angel Bunny wasn't bothering you. He tends to be unfriendly towards new ponies."
"No, it's fine. Though he does seem a bit protective."
ShadowCaster levitated the blanket onto the couch. He then took of his cloak and set it down on the ground next to the couch. Fluttershy had noticed that under the sleeves of the cloak, he wore two large silver gauntlets.
"I'm sorry if I'm being too curious, but what are those?" she said, pointing at the gauntlets.
Looking down at his hidden blades, he remembered how he got them.
"These belonged to my father. They're family heirlooms, passed down from father to son throughout the generations. From what my father told me, I'm the 18th stallion to receive them. Every stallion to get them before me had amazing success in their lives because of them."
"Oh, so they're like good luck charms?"
"Yeah, in a way. These have helped me in tough situations countless times before, and will probably help me countless more times in the future."
ShadowCaster took his gauntlets off and set them down on his cloak so that Fluttershy could not see the blades at the bottom.
"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. Perhaps we could continue this in the morning?"
"Of course, I'll see you in the morning."
As he blew out the candles that illuminated the room, Fluttershy made her way up the stairs. After a few second later, he heard the sound of a door lightly closing. He made his way back to the couch and laid down, pulling the blanket over him.
No wonder she's the Element of Kindness if she's willing to take in a complete stranger for the night, and even offers him the only bed in the house. Maybe they aren't with the Templars.
And with that thought, ShadowCaster drifted off to sleep, completely exhausted from the day's turn of events.
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ShadowCaster was jolted awake by the sudden sound of knocking. He looked around to see that the sun had barely begun to rise. He got up and silently made his way over to the window. He looked out and saw what he had been afraid would be there.
Outside the door stood a group of ponies. He instantly recognized Twilight and the Doctor. With them were four other mares, the rest of the Elements. He backed away from the window, apparently not noticed by the group outside. He turned to see Fluttershy, still half asleep, at the bottom of the steps.
"Who's knocking this early? The sun is barely starting to rise."
I can't get caught, not now.
"I'm not sure, but it sounds like a group. If you'll excuse me, I need to head to the bathroom."
He quickly made his way around Fluttershy and ran up the stairs. A bit confused by his rush, she walked over to the door and opened it, revealing her friends and the Doctor.
"Good morning, Fluttershy. I know it's a bit early, but there's something really important that we all need to talk about. Can we come in?"