A Doubt of a Shadow - Part One
Fluttershy’s Shadow
Written by Broken Logic
Chapter One - A Doubt Of A Shadow - Part One
Two days before the annual Nightmare Night Festival, Fluttershy was out on a relaxing morning walk. Princess Celestia had only just raised the sun, and its rays shone lazily upon the little path that Fluttershy had taken. Only a few splashes of bright sunlight slipped through the boughs of the trees lining the path, illuminating patches of Fluttershy’s yellow coat. She took long, peaceful breaths as she swept her head from side to side, hoping to catch glimpses of the cute little animals as they were waking up. With winter approaching, she wouldn't get many more chances to see some of them until Winter Wrap Up brought them out of hibernation. She raised a tiny ripple in the tranquility when she sighed, contentedly basking in the calm colours of autumn; much of the flora had toned down to a mellow amber and brown that complemented her pelt and personality.
However, something intruded on the outskirts of her attention. A little nagging feeling that something was wrong. The back of her neck prickled as she gingerly slowed to inspect her surroundings with a more thorough eye. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Fluttershy suppressed her disconcert, chalking it up as fancy as she was often worrying about mundane things. She stepped up her pace again and forced a brave smile on her face, her once even breathing just a little quicker.
She soon entered a break in the trees dotting the trail, and a flood of light shone dazzlingly on the foliage around her. She had stopped to admire the vista of flowers veiled in glistening dew when, once again, she felt an uneasiness creep upon her. An apprehension that she was being watched. Her heartbeat spurred unbidden. She shook her head to rid the sensation, deciding not to let it disturb her quiet time and focused her mind back onto the autumn bounty.
But a dark presence had slipped quietly behind the pony, and even now stood right at her heels.
And when Fluttershy finally turned to trot on, she saw it: her greatest nemesis, the unknown stalker, the silent terror.
Her own shadow.
“Eep!” Fluttershy squealed in fright, dancing wildly on the spot in an effort to get away. But before fear completely overtook her, she noticed a bouquet of light pink roses lying next to her umbrage. The panic in her eyes quickly turned to interest at the bundle of flowers. Her pink mane swayed gently as she took a quick glance around. Seeing no other pony, Fluttershy assumed they were for her.
A strange, foreign feeling wriggled inside her chest and her heart beat faster instead of slowing.
"Oh, are these for me?” she asked meekly, a blush forming upon her cheeks. “Thank you very much. You really shouldn't have." She bent down to collect the bouquet and nestled it gently between her wings. The weight felt right.
Hiding behind her curtain of long, willowy hair, Fluttershy continued bashfully, “I've always hoped we could become friends one day. That is, if that's what you want. If you don't mind." She was greeted by a heavy silence. The fear that had lost its grip on Fluttershy adjusted its hold and gave a tug. "I'll take that as a maybe," she said eventually, to fill the growing lull, and proceeded to back away anxiously. The shadow mimicked each step towards her, causing the culmination of Fluttershy's panic and prompting her to dash off, her projection close behind.
Little did Fluttershy know that she had yet another shadow. It sat perched in an oak tree just to the side of the road, surrounded by rust-hued changing leaves. The concealed figure’s head slumped as it looked longingly down the path that Fluttershy had gracefully bolted, the ground gently marked by a light set of hoof prints and a few scattered rose petals.
A sigh escaped the adumbration.
Shaking a few leaves loose as it lithely bounced off the tree's trunk on the way down, the unseen shade descended from its roost and landed in a patch of sunlight, revealing a dark-coated earth pony. It cast one last pining stare down the trail on which Fluttershy had beat a hasty retreat, a blowing wind ruffling the its mane and shifting the trees along the path until they seemed like a coursing amber river. After a moment's indecision, the pony turned and dragged its hooves towards Ponyville, hidden in the shadows.
Fluttershy had almost galloped the entire way home before she calmed down enough to consider that she may have outrun her pursuer. Hearing no hoofsteps behind her, she risked a careful glance. As luck would have it, she had entered the shade of a large outcropping, thus hiding her shadow.
“Oh, thank Celestia.” Fluttershy let out a huge sigh of relief and slowed her frantic pace to a trot. Despite the respite, she quickly wondered if she might have hurt her possible new friend's feelings by running off like that. As relief and guilt battled for control over her emotions and eyebrows, Fluttershy stumbled into Twilight Sparkle, who had been standing in the middle of the road.
"Heh, heh." With a claw, Spike suppressed a chuckle at Fluttershy's little crash. From his seat upon Twilight's back, he gave the pegasus a wave. "Hey, Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy!” exclaimed Twilight with a delighted smile, ignoring their minor collision. ”Just the pony I was looking for.”
Regaining her bearings, Fluttershy greeted the purple pair of pony and dragon.
"Oh! Hello, Twilight. Hello, Spike. What brings you out here to see me so early?”
“I was wondering if you could help me with a squirrel problem. You see, there's a bunch of them-” Twilight paused as she noticed the bouquet upon Fluttershy's back. She sent Fluttershy a questioning look. “Whoa, whom are the flowers for?" Twilight asked, craning her head around Fluttershy to get a better look. Fluttershy turned accommodatingly to show her the flowers between her withers. Despite her little scramble, they seemed to be unharmed.
"Aren't they just lovely? My shadow gave them to me," gushed Fluttershy as they admired the roses.
"Your what?" inquired Twilight, nonplussed. She raised an eyebrow emphatically.
“My shadow,” Fluttershy repeated, her face shining with optimism. “I was always hoping we could become friends, even though she is a little scary."
"Hold on a minute; how can your shadow give you flowers? It’s just an image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. Here, let me see those..." Twilight poked her nose into the bouquet of roses. "Aha!” she exclaimed, pulling a small card out from the bouquet. She unfolded it in front of them with the help of her unicorn magic. "Let's see who really got you those flowers... Ahem... 'Dear Fluttershy, I just wanted to say that you're the kindest pony I ever met and that I think you look beautiful. If you don't mind, I was hoping we might get to know one another sometime. Sincerely, Shadow'..." Twilight finished, her mouth left slightly agape at the note's message, which appeared as if it were written by a slightly shaky hoof.
“Oh, wow, she thinks I'm kind and beautiful, but she's probably just being nice. And she wants to get to know me better. This rocks, woohoo!” whooped Fluttershy with characteristic restrain, rearing delicately onto her hind hooves in elation.
"Huh, well I guess that's Fluttershy for you," declared Spike with a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head. "Only she could make friends with her shadow. Although I guess Pinkie might have a good chance."
"Oh, we're not friends yet. I mean I'd like to be, but I wouldn't say it without asking her first. Oh, I hope we are," Fluttershy started to ramble, the optimist and pessimist in her almost coming to blows. Petite, ineffective, apologetic blows.
"Yes, yes," interrupted Twilight, shaking her head to clear her mind. She cast Fluttershy a determined look as she passed back the card. "However, I still don't believe that your shadow got you those flowers. I'll get to the bottom of this. But first, about that squirrel problem..."
Dry, fallen leaves crunched softly underneath Twilight Sparkle's and Fluttershy’s hooves as they headed down a well-worn dirt path. Twilight had offered to help Fluttershy with her morning rounds of animal care while she explained her situation.
Their first stop was Fluttershy's cottage. Rays of sunlight shone through the assorted windows of the small dwelling, touching gently upon the sleeping animals inside. Fluttershy’s home also doubled as an infirmary for a menagerie of injured animals, so at any time she might have half a dozen recuperating creatures staying on the first floor, as well as her warden and friend, Angel Bunny. Angel snoozed upon a window sill, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun and giving the odd frantic twitch of a leg. He stirred slightly as they entered the cottage, but otherwise kept to his hair-raising dreams. Spike was tempted to spook the rabbit as a prank, however, being mindful of the other dozing inhabitants, thought better of it.
Twilight paused her story to keep the silence and quietly crept around the sleeping patients and warden as they moved through the house, collecting supplies. They placed the gear into a saddlebag Fluttershy had strapped on her back. Fluttershy decided to keep her bouquet in its perch between her shoulders, as she was unwilling to part with it.
"They make me feel special," Fluttershy whispered bashfully in confession when Twilight raised an inquiring eyebrow. Indulging Fluttershy’s whim, Twilight smiled back.
Equipped and ready, they crept back out the door of the cottage and continued towards their next destination. Twilight picked up her story where she left off and talked until they they arrived at the den of their first beneficiaries.
"And so I can't sleep because I keep worrying the squirrels are sneaking peeks," Twilight confided, wrapping up her recounting.
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy remarked, as they slowed their canter to a stop just short of a knoll topped by a rug of grass persistently trying to ignore the onset of winter. A small burrow had been bored into the side of the hill and small footprints were scuffed about its entrance.
“Yea, those little critters just won't stop. I've tried locking the doors, hiding it, even setting magical traps around it. But they always manage to squeeze through and find it. I can't think of anything else to do,” Twilight finished with a resigned sigh.
“And she's tried everything!” Spike contributed as he climbed down, seeing they had reached their destination. “Stuff that usually works on me doesn't even faze them. And talk about highly coordinated; I think I saw them using walkie-talkies and rappelling gear.”
“I'm sure we'll figure something out,” Fluttershy said in consolation and gave Twilight a reassuring smile. “You just leave the problem to me. I'm good with animals. It's my special gift, after all.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, returning her smile with one of gratitude. She felt as if a weight had just been lifted off her back, and as a sudden gust of late autumn wind ran chilly fingers through her coat, her spirit was revitalised. “Alright!” Twilight declared energetically, taking a deep breath of sweet, cool morning air and standing up taller. “Let's get to helping these little creatures! Where do we start?”
“Well, Twilight, seeing as it’s almost the season for hibernation, I thought we could help the animals gather their food and make sure they're getting ready for winter.” Fluttershy pointed to the burrow in front of them. “This is the home of a family of ferrets. Because ferrets don't hibernate, we need to make sure they store enough food to last the winter and have enough bedding to keep warm during the nights.”
Fluttershy poked her head inside and called out in a lilting voice, “Rise and shine, little ones; time to start your day's work,” and pulled her head out. She smiled warmly as the family emerged one by one, yawning and stretching. Turning to Twilight, Fluttershy continued her explanation. “Whether or not creatures hibernate, they all need to prepare for winter. But the cold drives them to sleep longer, which means some of them might become too lazy to forage.” Fluttershy probed her saddle bag and retrieved a bell which she passed to Twilight. “Just like Winter Wrap Up, we need to make sure all these animals wake up and don't sleep in. I'll be sure to indicate which burrows are the snakes so we don't have the same accident as last time.” Fluttershy passed another bell to Spike, in case he wanted to help, too. “And the bats- oh, and the skunks, too.”
“Thanks,” Twilight replied dryly, shuddering as she remembered the painful misadventure she had quite some time ago. “I'll try not to freak out so badly this time.”
Twilight and Spike began their work, tolling their bells at the entrances to caves and burrows and calling for the critters to come out, while Fluttershy used her wings to wake the birds in their nests.
Spike first took on the task of waking the snakes, as he had an affinity with other reptiles. The serpents yawned, wholly stretching their elastic jaws, and meandered sluggishly out of the cave. Spike laughed mischievously at Twilight's discomfort as they slithered past her, an uncontrollable shiver starting at her flank and sweeping up her spine, and she shot him a menacing look. Spike hurriedly dashed off to wake a family of badgers, a daunted look splayed on his face.
Twilight kept mostly to the caves Fluttershy had told her were full of cute and not-in-any-way-threatening creatures. She had just finished stirring a particularly stubborn sleeping tortoise with a tendency to snap when she returned to the subject of the mysterious bouquet.
“So, Fluttershy," Twilight started casually, "let's assume, hypothetically for a second, that your shadow might not be the bona fide bestower of the bouquet. Can you think of anyone else who might want to give you flowers?”
“I don't think so,” Fluttershy responded, looking at Twilight in surprise. “I can't imagine a reason why anypony would want to give me flowers. I'm not very special,” she ended humbly with a demure droop of her head.
“Nonsense, Fluttershy,” Twilight rebuked her, sternly catching her eyes, “everything in that card is true, and so much more. You are the element of kindness, and you don't get that by being half-flanked about it.” Her gaze softened as she saw Fluttershy smile modestly in embarrassment over the praise. “Now think harder. How about during your fashion model days? You sure had a lot of admirers then, so you might have a few hangers-on.”
“Well, that’s true, maybe,” Fluttershy admitted. “I never really paid attention to the crowds. I could barely give enough attention to my hooves. I was so nervous,” she confessed, the edges of her mouth bending sourly in remembrance of her modelling days. She gave a thoughtful pause. “It’s been quite a long time since I received any presents or letters regarding my modelling, I think maybe half a year by now.”
“Hmmm, I guess even if your well-wisher was a fan, we still wouldn't be able to connect their interest in fashion to the bouquet. Anypony can buy flowers. What we need is a witness or some kind of hard evidence. Then, I'll hit them during the cross examination!” exclaimed Twilight, startling Fluttershy with her outburst.
“E-Excuse me, Twilight?” Fluttershy scrunched her eyebrows together in consternation.
“Oh. Eheh. Sorry,” Twilight apologized, scratching her head in embarrassment with a hoof. “Got a little too excited. Must have been playing too much Dark Horse Attorney lately.” Fluttershy responded with a tilt of her head, no less confused by the explanation. While Spike tried to describe to Fluttershy the concept of a crime-solving lawyer that nayed his opposition into submission, Twilight Sparkle moved on to the next cave on the route, one she hadn't yet asked Fluttershy about. She didn't think anything of its larger size as she shook her bell. “Hello in there? Anybody home? Time to start the day!” She waited expectantly, hearing some grumbling from deep within the cave.
A shadow became visible to her, but its shape was hard to distinguish in the lack of light. It came closer and closer, and as it did, Twilight saw the shape become larger and larger, until it was standing nearly three ponies high in front of her.
She had been first confused and then petrified, but as the light finally shone upon the bear, revealing its elongated sharp teeth and age-worn claws, she finally managed some modicum of movement. She tipped over in shock, ending up rigid on the ground like a fallen statue, her mouth open in a soundless scream. The bear's gaze moved from Twilight towards Fluttershy and recognition lit its eyes. It roared loudly and charged Fluttershy, ignoring the prostrate unicorn. While fear of personal danger had immobilised Twilight, fear for her friend ignited her courage, and her horn quickly shone with charging energy.
Wobbly, she picked herself up, using her fear as a focus. On relentlessly trembling legs, Twilight shouted in a threatening tone, “Don't you dare hurt my friend!”
However, it proved to be for naught as the large rampaging bear snatched up Fluttershy and gave her a big, warm bear hug.
Twilight watched, speechless.
“Don't worry Twilight, Yogi is a nice old bear. Yes, you are! Very smart, too,” Fluttershy reassured the flabbergasted unicorn, switching to a cooing voice when she praised the giant bear. It continued to stroke its head against the pegasus’s. “He just loves the massages I give him. He's also vegetarian, just in case you're still worried. Yogi is a bit lazy, though; I have to give him regular picnic baskets just to keep him happy. Don't I? Yes, I do,” she wheedled, bopping the bear on the nose.
As Twilight stared in bafflement, the glow surrounding her horn dissipating, another smaller bear came out of the cave, yawning at the fuss occurring outside its den. Twilight looked down at the cub, briefly sharing a glance, and then performed a double take after she had digested the sight. After rapidly tensing to freak out, she suddenly relaxed and slumped her head, all the fight going out of her. Her eyes had narrowed down from being pools of fright into squints of irritation, and one eye twitched occasionally.
“Forget it,” Twilight exhaled forbearingly. A purple glow enveloped Fluttershy’s tail, and she was yanked out of the bear's embrace as if by an invisible pair of hooves. “Come on, Fluttershy. I'm sure we have many more animals to wake today,” Twilight muttered, telekinetically dragging her friend, hind first, down the path towards the next group of burrows. Spike trailed behind, throwing a final glance at the odd pair of bears before hurrying to catch up.
After they had left, the smaller bear watched the larger one head back into the cave and return having donned a green hat and tie, and carrying a pair of skis under an arm.
“But Yogi, Miss Fluttershy isn't gonna like this.”
“Nonsense, this plan is foolproof, or foalproof as the situation calls for. After all, I am smarter than the average bear-ony!”
Let us consider this inconspicuous pony that without further explanation may otherwise be labelled under such titles as shadow, stalker or tree enthusiast. It was an earth pony stallion whose name was, totally coincidentally, Shadow. Although, one could be forgiven for mistaking Shadow for a shadow, as his dusky grey coat often blended him into the background, especially during the night. His black mane and tail and sharp brown eyes didn't help to distinguish him in the dark, either. But this didn't bother him, as he had a penchant for shadows, which was physically indicated by his cutie mark that depicted a pony shadow cast on a wall.
He had decided yesterday, after wearing a rut into the floor of his house with apprehensive pacing, to confess his feelings to Fluttershy. It had taken all of his nerves just to buy a bouquet of roses, choosing them for how they matched Fluttershy's mane, as well as not to seem too forward. He had been on his way to Fluttershy's cottage that morning to follow through in his decision when he caught a glimpse of a pink mane bobbing up the path. Seeing the engrossed pegasus trotting delicately towards him, Shadow had pulled together his courage in order to present her the flowers. Unfortunately, it proved insufficient, and he quickly gave in to panic. Abandoning the roses in his attempt to hide, Shadow had skedaddled up the nearest tree with a powerful bound of his back legs and swung himself onto a branch, hoping she didn’t see him. From his vantage point, he then watched in envy as Fluttershy spoke to her shadow, which had the nerve to take credit for his gift.
Now, as he walked through the town, he fantasised about succeeding in offering Fluttershy the bouquet, and a hopeful scenario in which she accepted them wholeheartedly. He blushed, a searing warmth spreading over his body, but it barely registered on his dark grey face. Well, at least she got the roses, he thought, breaking out of his consoling musings as a sweet savoury scent invaded his snout.
The sensational aroma originated from Ponyville's chic little corner cafe, and it amplified Shadow's emotional hunger with a physical one until his stomach rumbled loudly. Thus, he quickly decided to have breakfast at the cafe to fill the empty feeling inside.
Since it was still rather early, there were plenty of free tables available. Shadow chose one near the entrance and picked up a gold-bordered, red menu lying on the table. He decided on a sandwich and waited for somepony to come serve him. After being ignored for a while, he decided he would have to take the initiative.
“Waiter!” he called to a snappily-dressed pony with a slick marine-blue mane and moustache. “One violet petal sandwich, please,” he asked politely, indicating a picture printed on the fancily written menu, its florid cursive style evoked an image of Prance.
The waiter looked at him in surprise. He had walked past that table several times in the last few minutes and hadn’t previously noticed a pony sitting there.
“Of course, sir,” the waiter replied, collecting himself and Shadow’s menu, and then weaving through the tables towards the kitchen. Shadow indulged in a wry smile at the waiter’s fluster. He had long since gotten used to other ponies not noticing his presence. Shadow’s natural aura seemed to scream, or, more accurately, whisper persistently, “Ignore me.” Though, there was a time in his life where it had been very useful for his profession.
As he waited for his sandwich, Shadow’s thoughts turned to what had first made him fall for the kind, elegant mare that had captivated his attentions.
It had begun in the Everfree Forest, when a pair of irate rocs had attacked him for straying too close to their nest. He had almost given up hope when Fluttershy had descended through a hole in the forest canopy, like an angel in a shower of light, and placed herself between him and the giant birds, with no thought for her personal safety. Her soothing voice had calmed the rocs and saved him from becoming lunch for their hatchlings. Ever since, his dreams had been filled with the entrancing singing of a pegasus pony bathed in shifting sunbeams.
While it might have well have been love at first sight, it wasn’t only this meeting that had captured his heart. His fondness for Fluttershy had grown over the years as he witnessed her personality shine time and time again. It seemed that every occasion he had caught a glimpse of her, she was doing something altruistic, or at least adorable. He remembered seeing her escorting a family of ducks into town one day while he was delivering letters as part of his current job as a mail pony. Another time, she had been helping her friend train for the Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition. He had been passing by on his way back to the Post Office after dropping off a package at one of Ponyville’s numerous farms, when he overheard the pegasus he remembered as Rainbow Dash shouting, “Louder!” Fluttershy had then taken a deep breath and then screamed with all her might in a dainty little voice, “Yay!” His heart had spasmed dangerously at witnessing her adorable endeavor.
A sudden recollection heated Shadow's cheeks, reddening enough to show through his dark coat. It was that of a beautiful filly dressed in an ethereal green garment strutting gracefully down a hushed stage, a shy blush causing her face to glow. Despite her time in the limelight, her personality never changed during or after performing in front of thousands of adoring fans, one of whom may have been him. He had heard in the end that she was only modelling at the supposed behest of a friend, and that she actually hated it herself. The aftermath of her brief stint as a fashion model had revealed to Shadow that the extent of her kindness didn’t stop at necessity or convenience. It was pure, and it was beautiful.
The arrival of his sandwich interrupted any further contemplation, and he took to his breakfast with relish. He expected a hard day of work ahead of him, and needed all the energy he could get.
After making sure the animals were correctly readying themselves for winter, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Spike proceeded to the Ponyville Library to negotiate with the squirrels causing Twilight anguish.
As they entered the library, they immediately heard tiny chittering noises. With a beleaguered grimace on her face, Twilight quickly rushed up the stairs to her bedroom, followed closely behind by Spike and Fluttershy.
“Those are the culprits!” Twilight pointed angrily at a pair of chipmunks reading a book upon her bed. She charged at them, causing them to drop the leather-bound tome and flee. As the striped squirrels hastily escaped through an open window, Twilight thought she imagined that one of them wore a tiny fedora and a flight jacket while the other was clothed in a red Hawaiian shirt. Puzzled, she put it down to her stress and, while huffing angry bursts of air, she slowly regained her composure. Fluttershy, in the meantime, had moved up to the bed and slowly read the title of the book which had interested the little critters so much, and conveniently fallen closed face-up.
“Twilight's Sparkle's Super Secret Research Revelations,” Fluttershy enunciated.
“Ah, don't read that!” Twilight cried, frantically snatching the book off the bed and hiding it behind her. Startled, Fluttershy looked questioningly at Spike, who shrugged back noncommittally. “Sorry, Fluttershy,” Twilight apologized, blushing abashedly. “I guess I can get a little overprotective of it. These squirrels just put me on edge.”
“It's quite alright, Twilight,” accepted Fluttershy sympathetically, “Almost everypony has a special something they don't want other ponies to touch.”
“Must be a filly thing,” snorted Spike .
“Hush, now, Spike,“ Fluttershy gently scolded. “Can't you see Twilight is distraught?”
“Yea, yea,” he grumbled as he moved to shut the window. “I told her we need to get rid of them if she wants any peace. But she's too nice to make them move.”
“No, Spike, it wouldn't be fair,” Twilight said sternly, composing herself. “The squirrels were here first, and it’s really only my discomfort they’re intruding upon; the only thing they’ve damaged is my pride. No, I'm sure Fluttershy will be able to straighten them out.” She gave Fluttershy a hopeful look.
“You can count on me Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her encouragingly. She reared back into what she thought was a striking pose, fore-hooves pawing the air. “Those cute, furry, adorable little creatures with their puffy little cheeks won't know what lightly tapped them.”
“Great,” Twilight applauded, clopping her hooves together. Fluttershy's boast was about as close to a battle cry as Twilight could expect from her. “The squirrels don't really trust me not to throw anything at them anymore, so I think it'd be best if you talk to them by yourself. With your affinity with animals, I'm sure it'll be a snap. Meanwhile,” Twilight continued, “I'll head over to Rarity's to see if she can give me a lead on your new admirer.”
“I'll come!” piped up Spike, always looking for a legitimate opportunity to visit Rarity.
“No!” Twilight exclaimed quickly, then revised herself. “I mean, I need you to look after the library in my absence. It'd be bad if someone came along needing a copy of Ancient Equiptian Irrigation Methods and no one was home.” Spike looked disappointed, but nodded in understanding. “That's my number one assistant,” praised Twilight, hoping to lift the dragon's spirits. It had the intended effect as Spike put on a purposeful look and headed to sort the stacks of unshelved books littering the library. Twilight was worried that all this talk about admirers might inspire Spike to do something drastic.
Twilight’s horn glowed as she magically filled a saddlebag with a writing pad, a quill, a blank checklist and some other writing apparatus, and then fastened the saddlebag onto her back. Turning to Fluttershy, she asked, “Do you think I could take the card that came in the bouquet with me? It might be useful in explaining the situation to Rarity.”
“Of course, if you think it will help,” Fluttershy agreed obligingly, removing it from the bouquet and presenting it to her.
“Thanks,” Twilight replied, accepting the card and placing it inside her bag. “Maybe she’ll notice something we missed.” She looked thoughtfully at Fluttershy. “I suggest you leave your saddlebags here. I think you’ll have to do a bit of flying.”
Fluttershy nodded in response and shrugged off her bags, and after a second’s thought, placed her bouquet with them, as she worried they might be harmed if she took them flying.
Twilight led Fluttershy outside and indicated upwards, saying, “The squirrels live in the uppermost branches of the library. I'd be grateful if you gave them a good talking to. They need to learn to accept the boundaries of the library. Otherwise there will be consequences. Consequences that may in fact be dire.” Twilight emphasised her words with a stern grimace, however, it was with feigned conviction. She wasn't genuinely cold-hearted enough to mete out any real punishment, but she was at the end of her rope. Any more and she'd have to hire Pinkie for some shock tactics, something involving balloons, maybe.
“Okay, Twilight. Leave it to me. I'm sure we can find a solution if we talk. Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding.”
“I hope so, Fluttershy.” Twilight watched the pegasus position herself to launch. “Good luck, I leave it in your capable hooves.”
“Good bye, Twilight. Tell Rarity I said, 'Hello.'” Fluttershy leaped gracefully off the ground and flapped her wings quickly to gain height. Twilight stayed to watch her ascend into the leafy umbrella of the library and then trotted off on her investigations.
Shadow was passing by the library shortly after Twilight left. He had finished breakfast and was heading to work when he saw a dazzling flash of pink and yellow. Quickly hiding behind a merchant's cart, he took a tentative look over towards the library and saw Fluttershy floating among its gently waving boughs.
What graceful form, Shadow wondered. How angelic her mane. See her coat glint in the sunlight. What acts of kindness could she-
"'Scuse me, sir? You gonna buy that?" asked the merchant earth pony in charge of the wagon, a white and brown stallion with a cockney accent, breaking Shadow from his reverie. He looked down and saw he was tightly squeezing an orange between his two hooves. Loosening his grip quickly, he paid the vendor sheepishly and then snuck closer to the library.
Behind the merchant, another stallion lowered a levitating stack of crates full of apples and wiped his brow with a hoof. A notebook and quill adorned his flank.
“I’m surprised you managed to sell something, Fetlock, even though it’s just a cover job,” the unicorn said to his companion, between breaths.
“You know my methods, Watson,” Fetlock said, dropping the cockney accent for a dialect more familiar to Canterlot. “There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry. I was bound to find a buyer eventually.” He waved dismissively as he struggled to catch a glimpse of his customer. In his distraction he had lost sight of Shadow. “More surprising, I find, is the pony who bought it. He was acting quite... oddly.”
“A lead, Fetlock?” Watson asked, leaning casually on the stack of boxes.
“Perhaps. It's not often that a pony avoids my notice until he was so near. He was definitely no normal stallion.”
Meanwhile, moving from a well to behind a horse-drawn cart and then over to a barrel, Shadow had finally edged close enough to catch the lilting melody of Fluttershy’s divine voice as she addressed an assortment of squirrels in the boughs of the tree. Oddly enough, two mice also numbered in her audience.
Fluttershy had been trying in vain for some time to convince the rodents to change their minds. She knew for a fact that the animals residing in the library’s branches were rather intelligent for their respective species, having cared for their sick and injured a few times. But ever since Twilight Sparkle had moved in, the squirrels had picked up a few peculiar reading habits.
"Now, I know that sometimes Twilight Sparkle may write very interesting things down, maybe even things you find very funny, but it is not nice to read her things without permission. Don't you think you should respect her privacy?" The creatures looked not the least bit repentant. A few of them, including a pair of strangely dressed chipmunks, even looked away defiantly.
Exasperated, Fluttershy thought, whatever they read must have been very, very interesting. Regardless, she was on a mission to help her friend, and she wouldn’t let her down now.
She landed on a branch and closed her eyes, feeling inside herself for the rare steely sternness she required when she needed to put an animal’s well being above their happiness. Because true kindness isn’t about being nice. It’s about doing what’s right.
The instant she opened her eyes, a wave of pressure washed over the group of squirrels, rendering them squeakless.
"I said, don’t you think you should respect her privacy?" Fluttershy repeated, all seriousness in her normally timid voice. Her stance was unyielding, her gaze, unbreakable. The squirrels, cowed by the might of Fluttershy’s intimidating Stare, suddenly all nodded so strongly that they shook the branch on which they were standing.
Fluttershy looked pleased at their response. "I'm sure Twilight doesn't mind your living in the branches of the library, but she definitely doesn't appreciate your invasion of her privacy. Nopony likes having her secret diaries read. That's the point of a secret diary, you see. They're secret. Now what do you have to say for yourselves?" The pack of squirrels tittered repentantly, chastened by Fluttershy's lecturing, and more considerably by her Stare. "Good. Now run along, and no more looking at Twilight's diary."
The rodents nodded quickly and darted off. Fluttershy glided back to the ground and trotted into the library to wait for Twilight Sparkle to return. Shadow, having watched the encounter with rapt attention, sat astonished. He had only been glanced with the Stare, not receiving the full blast as its targets had, but he was still left with a powerfully compelling need to apologize.
"Such a strong mare...” Shadow whispered. “That's just so incredibly wonderful."
Rarity was feeling a little put off as she fed cloth through her sewing machine. Sweetie Belle had ruined a beautiful dark-blue kimono belonging to a client, and they had had a heated argument. The exchange had ended when Sweetie Belle stormed out of the shop, slamming the door behind her while Rarity yelled, “Don’t get too dirty!”
The stress must have been getting to her. She looked over to her wardrobe, full to bursting with half-finished costumes. Rarity knew Sweetie Belle was just trying to help as usual, but with her large workload of dresses for the upcoming Nightmare Night, she didn’t need extra distractions. Even so, Rarity felt she had been a little harsh with her sister. A regretful sigh escaped her lips and she decided she’d make it up to Sweetie Belle later with a nice apple pie.
She was sewing a felt bat to the hem of a witch’s robe when a ringing sound caught her attention. It was her doorbell, signaling that someone had just entered her shop. Though she cringed inside at the possibility of more work, she put on an outward look of graceful invitation and turned to face the caller.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I help- Oh, it’s you, Twilight! How good to see you, dear.” She dropped her feigned hospitality for the real deal and ushered Twilight into the shop. “Is there anything you need? Or did you come for a dress?"
"Hello, Rarity. No, I'm just here to ask you something. If you're not busy right now. Also, Fluttershy says, ‘Hello.’"
"Oh, it’s always nice to hear from her. And go ahead, darling. It’s about the same as usual, honestly." Twilight nodded in understanding, a knowing smile spreading on her face. Rarity often worked hard, but she always had time for her friends.
"This morning I went out to ask Fluttershy if she could help with my squirrel problem, and it seems she had just received a bouquet of roses and—" Twilight began.
"What?! How exciting!” Rarity exclaimed, interrupting her. The white unicorn clapped her fore-hooves together eagerly. “Who was the daring colt?"
"Well, that's just it. We're not sure who it was,” Twilight admitted, “but Fluttershy was convinced it was her shadow, of all things." Twilight wore a skeptical look; Rarity mirrored it.
"But isn't Fluttershy scared of her shadow?"
"Yes, but there was a card in the bouquet saying it was from her shadow." Twilight levitated the card from her saddlebag and floated it to Rarity, who then held it with her own magic and began reading. "Maybe it meant in a metaphorical sense?"
"How intriguing," Rarity said as her eyes reached the end of the note. "Fluttershy is so in need of a colt in her life. Somepony to hold her in strong but gentle and warm hooves, while a storm rages outside, and the world stands against them!" The fashionista's mind seemed to drift off for a second, before snapping back to reality. "Ahem. So, what is it that you have to ask me?" she continued, suppressing a small blush.
Giving a playful, amused smirk, Twilight replied, "I was hoping that you might know of any colt that may have shown interest in our Fluttershy, seeing as you two spend a lot of time together when she comes into town for your regular spa meets."
"Hmmm, nopony comes to mind right now." She floated the note back to Twilight, who then returned it to her bag. "But I'll take extra care to keep an eye out next time Fluttershy and I get together. Oh, this situation sounds sooo romantic. A mysterious colt falls for the beautiful and kind, but shy, filly. It was love at first sight for him, but the object of his infatuation doesn't know he exists. He sends her flowers, but she believes them to be from another pony." Rarity swooned dramatically, and then shot up close to Twilight Sparkle. She grasped one of Twilight’s hooves tightly in her own. "Please, Twilight, darling. You must keep me informed of everything!" she begged, putting on her trademark pout, her eyes as beseeching as a lonely puppy dog’s.
"I will, Rarity,” Twilight assured her, jockeying to regain some breathing space. “You know I value your opinion on these matters, and I'm sure Fluttershy does, too. And besides, we're all friends aren't we? Speaking of which, I think I'll give Pinkie Pie a visit,” she said, gently disentangling herself from Rarity and turning to head out. “While she might get overexcited, she does know everypony in the village, so maybe she'll have some idea of who Fluttershy's secret admirer might be. See you later."
"Okay, dear. Thank you and good luck,” Rarity said, accompanying her to the door. Suddenly remembering something, she added, “And please tell Pinkie Pie her alligator costume is ready, but I'm still working on Gummy's Pinkie Pie suit. That hair is a nightmare to replicate!"
Shadow was plodding his way to work with a bemused look on his face. He was so lost in thought about a certain yellow pegasus that he didn't notice when a certain little alligator decided to chase a certain occupied Shadow.
“Oh, Gummy! That isn't licorice!" a voice giggled, breaking Shadow out of his reverie. A particular pink party pony, burdened with a bulging bag of cooking contents, was watching his backside with glee. Taking a look himself, he found he'd obtained a green passenger chomping toothless gums into his black tail. As he stared into the alligator’s deep emerald eyes, he found himself unable to look away. Gummy's slowly blinking, seemingly absentminded eyes had somehow locked with his. Somehow, he knew it knew. It was only when Pinkie Pie gave Shadow a big whomping pat on the back that he was able to break free of the peer-to-peer connection, the manoeuvre simultaneously causing various tins to clatter together in Pinkie's panniers.
"Shadow! How are you doing? How's the show coming along? I barely see you at parties anymore. You should come more often!" Pinkie greeted, asked and stated all in one breath, barely finding room to add punctuation.
"Hello, Miss Pinkie Pie. Actually, I usually try to make every party you invite me to," replied Shadow to her last question, trying futilely to keep up with the words flowing out of the blurring pink snout.
"Really? I'll have to keep a better eye out for you, then." She affirmed her decision with a nod, and then lifted a thoughtful hoof to her chin in a rare moment of silence. "So, what's the orange for?"
"Huh?" said Shadow, and Pinkie pointed to the orange he was holding in a forehoof. He'd completely forgotten about it.
"Oh, uh, just buying groceries," he lied, putting on a fake grin.
"So you bought one orange?" Pinkie wore a dubious look, squinting one eye and glaring widely with the other.
"Uh, yep?" he said uncertainly, stretching his grin to compensate.
"Hmmm..." Pinkie hemmed, leaning closer and continuing her piercing look. Her lips were pressed thinly across her face. Shadow started sweating bullets. "Okie, dokie, lokie!" she exclaimed suddenly, breaking into a huge grin. "You should visit the bakery sometime. I know a great recipe for orange cupcakes! I've got to go now, lots of preparation for Nightmare Night to do. Come on, Gummy, cupcakes wait for no pony! And there's a huge muffin shortage to fix. Make sure you come by soon, Shadow, okay?"
Pinkie grabbed Gummy by the tail and bounced off, making smooth large arcs despite being laden with heavy bags. Shadow was left once again on his own with a bemused look on his face. There may or may not have been a chunk of "licorice" missing from his tail.
"Howdy there, Twilight!" an orange pony called out in a Southern accent as Twilight Sparkle was making her way across the marketplace. Ponyville had just begun the setup for the Nightmare Night Festival, so there were only a few odd bits of decoration on the buildings surrounding the marketplace. However, the individual shops and carts had signs all over them advertising near Nightmare Night special deals and offers.
"Hey, Applejack. How's business?" Twilight asked, having trotted over to greet her friend behind an apple stand showing the spirit of Nightmare Night. Applejack was wearing a pair of red devil horns over her Stetson, and her applecart was painted with bats, skeletal anatomy and the slogan “Get your red devil delicious here! Perfect for caramel apples, apple bobbing and carved apples!”
"Can't complain. Though, a lot o’ ponies seem ta be preferrin' oranges lately. Can't understand why m’self. Probably just a phase. Why, I remember when they went bananas over, well, bananas. They sure went over the mo—"
"Ugh, please don't remind me,” Twilight stopped her, squeezing her eyes shut in discomfort and scrunching her forehead. “Princess Celestia was just a little feverish that day. And she did end up replacing that poor pony's burnt house."
"Beg pardon?" inquired Applejack, a quizzical look on her face.
"Uh, never mind,” Twilight said quickly, widely opening her eyes in realization of her words. Seeking to change the subject, she exclaimed, “Oh, I haven't told you the news!"
"Hmmm? What news?” asked Applejack, her interest aroused by Twilight’s enthusiasm. “New apple breed bin developed in Canterlot? Princess Luna makin' another appearance for Nightmare Night? Pinkie lost Gummy again?" Applejack gave a vexed look with the last.
"No, none of that,” Twilight informed her. “Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers today."
Applejack gave an impressed whistle.
"Well, don't that beat all? Who's the brave cowpony?" she asked with a conspiratorial waggle of her eyebrows.
"We're kind of having a small problem with that." Twilight glanced away and fidgeted with her hooves.
"What kinda problem?" Applejack queried suspiciously.
"We don't know who the flowers are from," confessed Twilight with a wry smile.
"... I reckon that's a mite bigger than a small problem, Twi," pointed out Applejack. She quickly turned to assist a customer, and then turned back to Twilight, urging her to continue.
"Yea... The good news is that she received a note with the bouquet," she said, taking the card out and levitating it so the earth pony could read it. "The bad news is that it doesn't really give us much to work with." Twilight told Applejack all she knew of the situation as Applejack read the card. She snorted about Fluttershy's ambition to befriend her shadow, but otherwise looked thoughtful.
"'Sincerely, Shadow,' huh? Y’know any Shadows?" Applejack asked.
"I don't think so, although you've been in Ponyville longer than I have,” admitted Twilight. “Actually, I was thinking that it might be metaphorical."
"Ah, like 'does a pony exist?'"
"That's metaphysical," corrected Twilight.
"Leave it to fancy mathematics to muddy the issue,” said Applejack with a grimace.
"Uh, well anyway," Twilight continued, choosing to brush aside the comment, "I meant that I think there's a pony watching over Fluttershy like a shadow."
"Oh, why didn’t y’say so?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and moved on, stashing the card.
"I was wondering if you might know of any pony that might have an interest in Fluttershy."
"Can't think of anypony right now. I'll keep thinkin’ on it.” She tapped her chin contemplatively. “Y’know, maybe I'll ask Big Mac if he knows if any colt's taken a shine to our filly. Or at least, maybe one of his friends does."
"Thanks, that'd be great." Twilight saw that she was holding up traffic, and made her goodbyes. "See ya, A.J. I'm off to see Pinkie. Don't work too hard."
"Later, Twi. Don't study too hard y’self," Applejack replied and turned to address her waiting customers. Twilight continued on her way to Sugarcube Corner, wondering if she was on the right track for her investigation.
Shadow finally arrived for work at the Post Office at about ten o'clock. He slipped through the crack between the building's large, ornate double doors to get in. As he entered the back room, he saw his senior, and the only other employee of the post office, already at work sorting the letters.
"Morning, Miss Derpy," greeted Shadow. “Sorry I’m late.”
"Muffins, Shadow," replied Derpy, causing Shadow to smile. “It’s ocher.” The grey mare was working at a blistering pace, as usual. Shadow was always impressed by her agility, at least in certain matters. Half her mind was always on muffins and this meant she had to sacrifice some processing power in the area of words when she filled the other half with work. She looked up for a second, halting her sorting briefly. Eyes snapping together to focus on Shadow for a second, she asked, "So, how did it go?" and resumed her work. Shadow froze in the process of taking a seat at his desk.
Forcing himself to relax and finish settling down, he answered nonchalantly, "How did what go?"
"Gordon the raisins to Fluttershy." He didn't know how Derpy knew about the roses, but he could never keep secrets from her anyway.
"Not so well," he told her, sighing. Derpy raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. Her eyes and hooves didn’t leave her work, however. Shadow put down his orange and picked a bag of his own to sort through. "In the end, I couldn't manage to give them to her. I got pretty close, though."
Derpy nodded in response.
"I'm post of you,” she consoled Shadow and gave him an encouraging smile. “Melon next time, you'll massage to give her the flounders.”
"Well, at least, she did get the flowers," Shadow revealed, causing Derpy to halt her work and look up in surprise. "You see, I dropped them in a panic and—"
"Ran up a tree? You've still got a leaf in your mane. Oak, judging by its shape."
"Yes," acknowledged Shadow, reaching up to dislodge the leaf. "From the tree, I saw Fluttershy pick up the bouquet. But I think she got the wrong idea. She seemed to think her shadow gave it to her."
"Really? Her shadow? That's rich," said Derpy, giving a giggle, and once again resumed sorting. "Well, hopscotch this will sock itself out eventide. If not, just tire again."
Taking the words of wisdom, and mentally correcting them, Shadow nodded and got up to make them some coffee. He felt like he needed the pick-me-up.
"By the watch,” Derpy began tentatively, again without looking up, “whale's with the orphan?"
In response, Shadow just grimaced at the orange.
Pinkie had just put a batch of muffins into an oven when Mrs. Cake called out to her.
"Pinkie, dear? Twilight Sparkle is here to see you."
"Oh, sweet! I'll be out in a second!" There was the sound of a few bowls clattering in a sink and the splashing of water, and then the pink pony came bouncing out, a light dusting of flour covering her. "Thanks, Mrs. Cake. Hey, Twi! You're here to see me?" Pinkie beamed out a sugary smile.
"Yes, Pinkie Pie. But before I tell you why, I need you to remain calm, or as calm as is Pinkie possible. In fact, I'd like you to Pinkie swear it." The lack of a smile on Twilight’s face showed Pinkie how serious this was. Not much more than usual.
"Okie, dokie, lokie!” she exclaimed, ready to humor her friend. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie recited and then gave a solemn salute.
Twilight nodded and thought, well, here goes... "This morning, Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers from somepony," Twilight spat out and braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut and shielding her face.
When the silence continued, she opened an eye and took a peek between raised hooves. Pinkie Pie sat almost still, but from her subdued bodily shaking and overly tense face, Twilight could tell she was under an enormous strain. Sighing, Twilight took pity on the pony and said, "Okay, Pinkie. You can let it out."
"Whaaaaaaa?!” Pinkie exploded, twice. “Twilight, you know what this means? This means we need to have a party! And a picnic! And a picnic party! And a one-week anniversary party! Unless they don’t make it that far. But that's okay, because we can have a break-up party instead! Oh, we need to tell everyone!"
"I've already told Rarity and Applejack on the way here,” Twilight supplied. “So I guess Rainbow Dash is the only one who doesn't know yet."
"I'll tell her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly, and like an unstoppable pink blur, she zipped out of the store. Twilight stared at the pony-shaped white dust cloud as it dissipated.
"...Aren't you going to ask who gave them to her?" Twilight said to nopony in particular. In the back, an oven timer dinged.
Rainbow Dash sat silently in a musty changing room, waiting for her turn at the tryouts for the Wonderbolts. A single weak roof lamp light provided illumination, casting long shadows around the dim room. Being the last one left, she waited nervously in isolation for her name to be called.
Rainbow restlessly tugged at her flyer's uniform, as she felt unusually constricted and uncomfortable. Suddenly, her ears picked up a faint creak in a far corner of the room. Her nerves already frayed by waiting so long, she stared apprehensively at the dark corner, her head weaving in search of the source of the distraction. Just as she was about to dismiss it, she heard her name faintly called.
She stood up shakily and was about to trot towards the door when she heard another creak, this time closer, and behind her. Slowly turning around, she saw a black pony-shaped shadow move menacingly towards her. She suppressed the fear taking root in her stomach, but some still gleamed in her eyes. She backed away and turned to gallop for the door. However, she was faced with yet another figure of darkness, its body blocking escape. She heard the faint calling of her name again. Frantically, she looked around for an escape, but only found one more shade soundlessly detaching itself from the walls. She tried desperately to dodge her way through them; but she found her every step thwarted, her every twist countered.
The three dark shadows quickly cornered her.
She heard her named called once more, this time a little louder. Her breath heavy and ragged, Rainbow Dash ignored the voice as she was overcome with terror. As the shadowy forms finally tensed to jump at her, she screamed "Ninjas!"
And fell out of bed. Dazed and a little sweaty, Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes quickly and looked around to find herself back in her bedroom.
"That's the last time I let Pinkie Pie convince me to eat ten cupcakes before bed," she groaned, untangling herself from her blanket and letting out a breath of relief. Only to breath it back.
She stiffened upon hearing her name called softly in a voice familiar from her dream.
"Rainbow Dash!" it sounded out again, this time much closer. She started shivering uncontrollably.
"Rainbow Dash!" it shouted once more, sending the alarmed pegasus bolting up onto a chandelier as a flying contraption suddenly burst through a wall.
"Oh, hi, Dashie! Are you awake? Why are you hiding up there? Are you playing hide and seek? Can I join?" said a pink bubbly form poking its head through the wreckage, the words spewing forth in rapid sequence. Rainbow Dash let her breath of relief gain freedom once again.
"Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said coolly. She glided down to help her friend out of the rubble. “No reason, and how couldn't I be awake after you came crashing into my house. Again."
"Oh, yea. Sorry about that,” Pinkie apologized as she was pulled out of the debris. “I was just so excited; I couldn't wait to tell you! You'll be excited too! Everyone’s excited! It’s so exciting! This exciting, exciting... thing!" Pinkie exclaimed, flailing her fore hooves wildly in her efforts to express her excitement and almost losing her balance.
"Whoa, slow down there, Pinkie Pie. What's going on?" said Rainbow Dash, hoof held ready to stop Pinkie's talking.
"Oh, it’s so exciting!"
"Yeah, I got that."
"Fluttershy got some flowers from somepony!"
"What?! Our Fluttershy got flowers? From somepony?!"
"Yeah! Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited in my life! Oh, except for that one time, when I first met Twilight, and I was like, ‘Whaaaaa!’ But this comes close! Maybe even more! You know what we should do? We should throw a party! I'll get the mariachi band, and we need an inflatable pool!" Rainbow Dash extended her waiting hoof.
"Pinkie?"
"Yez, Raimbow Daz?" mumbled Pinkie Pie around the hoof in her mouth.
"You are so random."
Twilight Sparkle trudged her way home to the library, grateful to the weather team for the fine afternoon. She decided she’d ask Pinkie Pie if she knew anything tomorrow. She had too large a stack of unfinished checklists left to prepare for the Nightmare Night Festival, not to mention her own costume, to be squandering time chasing the energetic filly. Besides, after walking around town the whole morning, she was looking forward to lunch.
As she pushed open the door, a familiar gentle humming greeted her. Fluttershy was gliding around the library, brushing shelves with a featherduster while singing a charming foalhood tune. Enjoying Fluttershy’s warm company, Owlowiscious hooted along on his perch near an open window and a pleasant breeze ruffled his feathers. A sweet smell wafted towards Twilight from the kitchen.
It’s good to be home, Twilight thought. I haven’t found any leads, but I’m confident something will turn up. Probably.
"Welcome back, Twilight," greeted Fluttershy, noticing the purple pony’s arrival. Owlowiscious cooed his own welcome. Twilight waved an acknowledging hoof in response. "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't just sit here without doing anything to help."
"No. Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight replied sincerely. "You really didn't have to do anything. And I'm already in your debt for helping me with the squirrels."
"What are friends for?" Fluttershy said with a smile.
"Indeed,” Twilight returned the smile warmly. “Did you manage to get them to listen in the end?"
“Oh, yes. It took some persuading, but your ‘research notes’ are now squirrel-safe.” Fluttershy answered, throwing her head back ever so slightly and smiling a little proudly.
"Lunch is served!" Spike announced before Twilight could thank Fluttershy. The dragon backed carefully through the kitchen door with a platter of salad balanced on a hand and deposited the meal on their dinner table, which was already laid out for lunch.
"Great, I'm starved," Twilight declared, sitting down at the table. She noticed that Fluttershy’s bouquet sat at the center of the oak table, the yellow roses adorning a blue vase.
"I offered to let her keep her flowers in one of the old vases in the basement," Spike explained. "Is that okay?"
"It's perfect, Spike," Twilight praised the dragon. "Go ahead and keep it, Fluttershy. And I hope you’re staying for lunch. It’s the least I could do."
"Ahem," Spike interrupted crossing his claws over a “kiss the cook” apron.
"The least we could do," Twilight corrected with a smile for her number one assistant.
"I'd love to," Fluttershy answered, taking a seat at their table.
"Wonderful,” Twilight said, scooping some salad into her bowl. “I'll tell you all about what happened today."
The room was dark, despite the hour being in the middle of the afternoon. Thick black curtains barred the windows of the chamber, shutting out the pleasant day. In the dusk, a pair of bloodshot eyes gleamed in the room’s only source of light, also on which the eyes were fixed intensely. The screen flashed vividly, entrancing its witness with bright colours and moving images.
Luna had been enthralled with this amazing discovery. Television itself was astounding, showing various places and ponies in all sorts of situations. Tuning in to watch Hard Back write his new book, Return of the Buffalo, was a fascinating experience, though she was a little puzzled at the popularity of novel writing as a spectator sport. However, she felt that just watching the shows, interesting as they were, wasn't much different than reading a book. And to be honest, she cherished more the freedom of imagination that a book provided.
Now, video games were an entirely different matter.
Ever since she had been introduced to a charming little game called “Pong,” she had been smitten with them. She liked Pong because it was reminiscent of a game she played on the moon to help stave off boredom. It was certainly more enjoyable with two players.
But upon further discovery of the medium, she also found that they invited her personally to partake in the strange and mesmerising journeys they told. And they didn't sleep when the moon came up.
Right now, Luna's attention was transfixed upon a quest to save the Friendship Tree, the source of friendship for the whole world, her ears riveted on an enchanting melody evoking a feeling of hidden grandeur. A small box lay discarded to the side, displaying, between some cover art of five ponies dwarfed by a large, yellow tree with pink leaves, the words, "Secret of Magic, Made by Square Phoenix, Only for Super Pony Station." The game advertised that it was based on a true story. She had a sneaking suspicion it was hers.
A strong gust of wind blew in through the window, buffeting the curtains back and sending bright beams of light cascading into the bedroom, blinding the lunar princess. The illumination revealed shadowy bags under her eyes.
"Uuugh," she moaned, taking those teal eyes off the screen long enough to squint out through the window. "What time is it?" she asked out loud to herself.
Suddenly a loud crashing sound echoed in the room as Celestia kicked in the door and announced in an upbeat voice, "Time for you to sleep!" She marched her way into the room, dodging around discarded game manuals and plastic covers, and found her sister enfolded in a large, high-backed La-Z-Colt armchair.
"Nggggh," Luna moaned again, this time in mild annoyance. "Just one more hour."
"You have been awake for a week straight, playing these games," entreated Celestia, pointing to a stack of boxes five hoofs high. "Maybe you should take a break from them?"
"Yeah, sure," Luna agreed absentmindedly, beginning to zone out reality again. "After We finish this."
Celestia looked skeptically at her sister and rolled her eyes.
She might as well have stayed on the moon at this rate, thought Celestia, a grimace upon her regal snout.
"Luna?" she began, deciding to go for a different tactic. "You have received a letter from our subject, Pinkie Pie, asking if you'd like to visit Ponyville for Nightmare Night again this year?" Luna's left ear flicked interestedly towards her sister, drawing a smile from Celestia. She held up a large bright pink card bordered with lace and covered in glitter that somehow didn't manage to fit in with the whole Nightmare Night motif. "Would you like to go? I think it'd be good for public relations for you to make an appearance again."
The idea was certainly appealing to Luna, as she quickly replied in a considering tone, "Public relations are important."
"You see? Now turn off that game and get some rest so you'll be able to enjoy the party." Celestia trotted over to nudge her sister. When Luna refused to move, she added slyly, "Unless you'd like me to raise the moon for you tonight."
The Princess of the Night leapt into action. She quickly saved the game and dived into her bed, pulling the covers over her and looking innocently at Celestia.
"Good day, sister," she said promptly.
"Sleep well, Luna," Celestia replied with a smile, not troubling to hide her amusement. She switched off the television and gave her sister an affectionate nuzzle. "Sweet dreams."
As Celestia left the room, she saw from the corner of her eye an abacus enshrouded in blue floating towards the bed. She chuckled quietly as she trotted back to her royal duties.
End of Chapter One.
Next Chapter.
A Doubt of a Shadow - Part Two.
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Tracking because I need to get back to my own story but this has caught my intrest by the title alone, that is very promising!
219614
Thanks for giving it a go. Its a bit long, but I hope you like it.
220357
ITs perfect I love everthing about it!
Ok maybe a few grammar errors but I got no right to judge I think its perfect!
COnsider your self watched my good sir/lady
ANd 5/5
I'll give it a read. Begs the question, what's it a crossover with?
241279
Thanks for giving it a read.
Not so much a particular crossover as it has a few random cameos around the place. Hmmm, maybe the crossover tag isn't the best descriptor for what I meant it to mean?