Half Hour Horses: Legacy Prompts

by HoofAndQuill

LP42: Don't Panic [Shipping, Drama?]

The Prompt: Don't Panic.
Alternate Prompt: Panic!

Don't panic, Fluttershy.

Fluttershy forced a smile as she saw the stallion start to walk toward her. She should be okay, it was okay. It was just Caramel. They didn't know one another, not really, but she had seen him in town a few times. He was part of Applejack's family, so he couldn't be too bad. Besides, they were at one of Pinkie's parties, ponies spoke to one another all the time at parties, so it was okay.

Caramel smiled at her, and somehow it didn't comfort her at all. "Heya, Fluttershy."

"Um... hi."

That was too quiet, wasn't it? He was going to think she was weird. Most pegasus ponies were loud and confident, like Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy could hear how quiet she was being, and feel how her ears had folded back against her head in nervousness. Don't panic, it's going to be okay.

Fluttershy looked back up to Caramel. He was saying something, but she only caught the end of it. Fluttershy smiled, and nodded her head for him to continue, but he just looked at her strangely. Oh, no. "Um, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I was just askin' how you're liking Pinkie's Apple Pie Party."

"Oh, it's... nice. Very... lively, and um, loud."

There, now he was talking again, with that slight Ponyville accent that a lot of the Apples shared. Fluttershy tried to pay attention, instead of getting caught up in how insincere she must have sounded. Fluttershy didn't really dislike loud parties, or lively ones. She just never felt completely comfortable unless she knew everypony there. This party had too many guests that she didn't really know, like Caramel, and it was just a little too--

Fluttershy smiled and nodded at Caramel's story about Sassaflash, and he smiled and kept going.

Good, see? Everything was fine, no reason to panic.

"But I guess after all the fightin' when Pinkie Pie wasn't herself, we jus' never really worked it out."

Oh, they must have broken up. Fluttershy smiled sympathetically, though of course she had no idea what breaking up with somepony felt like. "Oh, that's, um, too bad. I'm sure you'll find somepony again."

Wait, he seemed sort of nervous as well. But Caramel wasn't a nervous pony, he was a normal pony. A stallion even. Other ponies didn't get nervous like Fluttershy did, not just about talking to somepony new.

Don't panic. He was probably just nervous because Fluttershy was being weird. That was probably it.

"But y'know, I was thinking, it might be nice to meet somepony new."

Don't panic, it's okay.

"Applejack seems to think the world of you."

Don't, don't panic.

"How'd you like to go out for a cider sometime, Fluttershy?"

Okay, panic.

---

Fluttershy covered her head with one of the small pillows she kept on her couch in her cottage. She didn't remember much about leaving the party, nor about how she got back to her cottage so quickly. But she was sure at least one of her friends had seen her leave, and she was sure Caramel wouldn't be asking her out on a date again any time soon. Probably nopony would.

The pillow smelled a bit like mice. It was comforting even if most ponies wouldn't think so.

Her panic was gone now, burned away during her flight back home. But now she knew what came next.

One of her friends, probably Twilight or Rarity, would be here soon. They would coo and talk to her quietly, and try to reassure her. Fluttershy loved her friends, all of them, but she didn't need that, not now. She was already calm, and her friends would think she was weird for running away and then looking like she was completely okay when they came to help.

Fluttershy put the pillow down on the couch, and lay down on her front, staring forward.

All of her practice, all the books about how to be confident, Iron Will's seminar, Discord's magic, it all... it wasn't enough. She had come so far since meeting Twilight, when she could barely speak to new ponies at all, but she still wasn't normal. Another mare would have been happy with a date from the handsome, if maybe a bit awkward earth pony stallion, Caramel. A normal pony would have danced at the party, and had fun with everpony. A normal pony would definitely not have panicked, squeaked and dashed backwards before taking flight and disappearing into the night.

By the time Rarity made it to Fluttershy's cottage to help calm her friend, she found Fluttershy sobbing into a pillow, and smiled as she trotted over to calm her friend.