One Call Away

by Inkwell Prose

Here We Go Again

"Okay, Fluttershy. Tonight is the night you will see if Star Chaser is the stallion of your dreams," Fluttershy says into the mirror, brushing her mane and tail. It was the night of Fluttershy's fifth date of the month. Unfortunately, it has been a different stallion on each and every single date. Every time the stallion either doesn't turn out like she had hoped, or something happens that completely ruins everything and the stallions would bail.

The reason Fluttershy kept on trying to date was that her friends have been encouraging her to put herself out there and meet a nice stallion. All of them already have, so they agreed it was Fluttershy's turn. It took some convincing, however, a lot of convincing. But now she's been on the dating scene for two whole months; she's been on eight different dates with eight different stallions. Tonight would be her ninth.

Fluttershy was about to apply blush to her cheeks when she felt a tug on her tail. She turned to see Angel pulling at it, tapping his foot and pointing to an empty bowl on the floor. "Oh, are you hungry, Angel?" she asks. Fluttershy goes and gets some carrots from the kitchen and places them in his bowl. "There you are. Now, let Mommy get ready." Fluttershy went back in front of the mirror and continued to get ready.

After she was done, Fluttershy looked up at the clock. It was seven-thirty; her date was scheduled to be at eight. She went out into the living room and threw on the light, black jacket that went with the rest of her outfit; a seamless black dress, with the bottom of the dress fading to a clear fabric. She turned towards the rest of her house. "Goodbye, everyone, I'll be back later," Fluttershy says to her animals. With a chime of animal noises in response, she headed out towards Ponyville and her date.

It was a beautiful night; the air crisp and clear, Luna's moon glowing deeply into the night, shining a path towards Ponyville. The sounds of nighttime critters roamed freely within the air. There was a light breeze, making the sound of rustling leaves from the trees present too. Fluttershy was enjoying every second of it as she passed through.

As Fluttershy entered Ponyville, the night seemed to turn to day with the street lights making the town glow brightly. Her date was at Horvweir's Restaurant and Café, Ponyville's most high class and prestigious restaurant. She bustled through the nighttime commute of ponies and approached the restaurant with confidence and determination in her heart. Oh how she wanted this date to go smoothly.

A ring of a bell went off as Fluttershy stepped inside. She has heard that bell many times before, but somehow it sounded different this time. A little more smooth. Looking around, she did not see Star Chaser anywhere yet, so she went and took a seat to wait for him. She decided on a booth; Rainbow told her they were more romantic. She watched out the window for her date, and listened for whenever the bell went off.

*Ding* The bell again. Fluttershy turned; Star Chaser was walking in and looking around for her. She waved a hoof at him and he saw. Star trotted over to her and sat across from her in the booth. "Hello, Fluttershy," he says, his voice smooth. Star Chaser was a normal height for a stallion. His coat was a light brown and his eyes were the same. His mane was styled in a way for it to fall as it wished, yet keep a styled formed about it. In Fluttershy's opinion, he was very handsome.

"Hello, Star. How are you?" Fluttershy asks.

"I'm good, thanks for asking. How about yourself?"

"I'm doing wonderful. I'm so excited for our date." Star smiles, making Fluttershy blush a little. She turns towards the window. "It's such a lovely night, isn't it?" she asks him.

"Yes it is. Probably one of the most beautiful I've seen in a while." He looks out the window and smiles, admiring the night with her.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" asks a voice. They both turn to see a mare with a notebook. This must be their waitress.

"Oh, just water for me, please," says Fluttershy.

"Can I have a glass of cider, please?" Star asks. Cider? On a date? Their first date? Fluttershy got a bit irritated at this, but shrugged it off for now, hoping things would pick up after she got to know Star some more.

The mare nods, scribbling in her notebook. "Alright, I'll be back shortly with your drinks." And with a cheery smile, she trots off to fulfill their order.

"So, um, Star," Fluttershy starts, "what is it that you do?"

"Well, I'm an astronomer. Right now, I'm in Canterlot taking classes to perfect my study. After that, I'm moving back home, to Ponyville, to study the stars," Star responds.

"That sounds lovely."

"Oh it is. I've always had a fascination with the stars and planets. I studied it young, and when I got my cutie mark, I knew it was my destiny. What is it that you do?" he asks.

"I'm an animal caretaker," she says, "I take care of many animals; those that need a home or are sick, I help them."

"That's um, interesting. Exactly how many animals are we talking about?" Star asks, getting noticeably nervous.

Just as Fluttershy was about to respond, the waitress came back with their drinks. "Are you two ready to order yet?"

"Mhm. Give me a daffodil and daisy salad. Star?" says Fluttershy.

"Oh, um... the same thing please." With more scribbles in her notebook, the mare trotted off again. Fluttershy and Star made more small talk until their food arrived. Star kept trying to get an exact number of animals from Fluttershy, but the topic would be shoved away by interruptions or just nervousness from him.

Star despises animals. Ever since he was a colt he has. Never a rhyme or reason, just didn't care for them. Fluttershy was such a fantastic mare, and she was so pretty, but he didn't think he could deal with all the animals. He didn't want to hurt her. Star decided to keep his mouth shut until later.

Their food arrived within ten minutes of ordering, and after complementing the service, Star and Fluttershy began to dig into their food. "Mmm, this is really good," Star said, "I may just eat here more often. It's just hard to get away from Canterlot and my classes."

Fluttershy finishes chewing a flower and swallows to speak, "I always love the food here. I've been eating here since I was just a filly. Mom and Dad would take me here every Sunday. That was, until they passed away..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Star comforts, putting a hoof on Fluttershy's.

"No, no, it's okay. They're in a better place now." Fluttershy takes another bite of salad. Star does the same, and soon both of them are finished with their meals.

"I cannot eat another bite," Star says, pushing his plate away from him. Fluttershy did the same, smiling at how well the date was going. Star was a really nice and caring stallion. It was like nothing was wrong about him. It was like he was perfect for her. Fluttershy's stomach was starting to fill with butterflies.

The waitress had come back with the bill. Star agreed to pay for it. "This date doesn't have to be over yet, does it? How about we go for a walk?" he asks, smiling kindly. Fluttershy didn't have to contemplate it much before she agreed. It would be a good way to get to know him even more. After paying the bill, and leaving a tip for the mare, the two headed back out into the night.

"Follow me, Star, I know a lovely spot near the edge of the forest for us to relax," says Fluttershy as she takes the lead towards the Everfree Forest. There was little talk on the journey; if any talking took place, it was about the stars and their alignments. Star was the culprit for these conversations.

Eventually they found it; a nice clear patch between two oak trees and in front of a beautiful lake. It was a sight, indeed. Star gapes at it and Fluttershy giggles. "Like it?" she asks.

"It's amazing. How did you find this place?" he asks.

"An old friend showed me it when he lived in Ponyville. I've been coming here since. It's a lovely spot to just lie down and think for a while." Fluttershy responds.

"Well it looks like the perfect place to get to know each other a little more." He sits down, inviting Fluttershy to sit with him. She does, leaning up against him happily. "So, I've been meaning to ask this. How many animals do you care for?" Star asks.

"Oh my goodness, so many. And from all different trots of life." she replies.

"S-such as?"

"Well I have bunnies, birdies, turtles, squirrels, chipmunks, and I even have a bear!" Fluttershy says excitedly.

"T-that's a lot. How do you take care of them all?" Star asks, figuring out how to say what he needs to.

"Oh, it's not that hard. I feed them and care for them like you would any other creature. I just happen to have many is all."

"Doesn't that ever get... bothersome?"

"Oh heavens, no! It has never been a burden on me to take care of my animal friends. I love them all so much, it can't be!" Fluttershy was bothered Star had asked that. What was he trying to get at.

"I was afraid of that." Star says somberly. Fluttershy asks why; what was he afraid of and why? "I... don't really care for animals, Fluttershy. Never have, never will. They're just..."

"Just what?" asks Fluttershy, her heart slowly breaking.

"...not for me," he finishes. Fluttershy doesn't really know what to say. Animals were her life. How could she be with Star if he didn't like animals like she did? How could they make it work? Would this be the end to their story? Already? "We could still be together, though. I just... You just... No animals..." No animals? How could she give up her animals? For a stallion?

"Star, you know I couldn't do that. Why would you even ask that?" Fluttershy's voice was rising a little.

"Because you're amazing and I was thinking maybe it would work because I want to be with you," Star replies.

"Well me and my animals stick together, always. And if you don't like that, then you can just go," finalizes Fluttershy, pointing away from her. Star sighs; he ruined his chance. He got up and began to walk away. He looked back at Fluttershy, to no avail of a response, and continued on his way.

She may not show it, but Fluttershy was crushed. her heart shattered. How could such a lovely stallion try to get rid of her animals like that? Star was so nice and caring, and then that? It hurt Fluttershy. It hurt her deeply. She got up and started walking home. On the way, she began to cry; her emotions overwhelming her until she broke.

Fluttershy didn't even say hi to the animals as she stepped through the door. She dried up her tears and went into her room, leaving behind a confused room of critters to wonder what was wrong. She hit her bed with a flop and started crying again. Why couldn't there be just one successful date? Why did all of the stallions have to try to change her or just be plain vulgar and rude and not for her? Why wasn't it fair?

She laid in her bed for a long while. It was late, but she had no desire to sleep. All she wanted to do was think; it was something she did to calm herself. She would focus on a situation and figure out ways to right it, and it would calm her. It helped her not stress out.

A clock chime startled her, causing her to look up at it. It was midnight. Fluttershy got up and went to the restroom. After she was done, she went back into her room and went over to her night stand. Fluttershy opened the drawer and looked for her book; reading was another way she calmed down. Rustling about through the drawer, she found not her book, but a crumpled piece of paper, one she has never seen before "Hm? What's this?" she says, unraveling the parchment. It was small, with small writing.

Fluttershy,
Just remember I'm only one call away whenever you need me, for anything. 6**-**32
Until I see you again
Inkwell Prose

Inkwell Prose? She hasn't seen that name since... how long ago? It's definitely been years. Inkwell had been one of her fillyhood friends growing up, They even attended the same school. But he moved to Manehattan one year and she hasn't seen him since. She didn't even know this note existed. She read it again.

Just remember I'm only one call away whenever you need me, for anything. 6**-**32

His number. Inkwell said he'd never change it. Should she call? She surely needed the support. Fluttershy looked over at the phone on her desk; it taunted her. Fluttershy had made her decision. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Comments

[Twyla In Wonderland]

[Inkwell Prose]

6986050 Awww, thank you

[Inkwell Prose]

6985538 Thank you!

[Zeyon The Green]

It's interesting so far. I kind of wonder who is setting up these dates. I assume Twilight this time with an Astronomer as her date?

[Inkwell Prose]

6991685 It's never implied who but good theory!