Winter is Magic
There was something about the change of seasons that always amazed Fluttershy. Maybe it was how subtly it happened, or its harmony with climate, the changing color of leaves or the behavior of the animals as the cold approached. Or maybe it was the increasing expectation of people around, effusively moving in their daily lives, busier than usual with the infinite holidays approaching, one after the other, like there was no ending. Maybe it was the comfort of winter attire, hidden in the back of the wardrobe the rest of the year.
Or maybe it was how easy it was to hide behind said clothes.
Usually, this was the season Fluttershy used to stay at home, curled up under her blankets with her bunny, Angel, who would demand food, sipping her mother's hot chocolate. After all, she had many reasons not to go out other than with her best friends. Nevertheless, she did. For some reason she felt the need of visiting that park she didn't visit since she was a child, with her parents and little brother. That one with the huge lake, surely frozen by this time of the season, and the tall trees where squirrels crossed all the time in spring, squirrels that surely must be hidden in their burrows.
And it was peaceful. Actually, finding a crowd there wasn't really usual. Not even in this time was the park crowded, occupied by happy families, mothers with strollers and old ladies with young dogs. There was plenty of room to walk without exchanging awkward words with strangers.
Fluttershy walked around the park, enjoying the mundane scenes around. Maybe she looked like a lonely, friendless girl walking the paths of a wintry park, watching strangers enjoy their holidays, but, well... It's not like there was something better to do in there.
After all, the goal of the outing was walking.
And of doing so her feet grew tired, so she sat in the first bench she came across. Maybe she should head back home soon.
"Hello!"
Fluttershy flinched when a boy approached the bench she was sitting on, smiling. He was wrapped in a thick gray coat, white cotton gloves, a violet scarf and matching beanie; nevertheless, Fluttershy recognized him: he was the new boy from her Biology class, the one with white hair and skin, probably albino, and eyes of the color of the sky. If only she could remember his name...
They hadn't talked at all in the short amount of time he's been attending CHS, and because of that, when she heard his greeting and after looking at him, she turned around to see if there was no one else he might be greeting instead of her.
This made him laugh.
"Yes, I was talking to you. Fluttershy, right?"
Fluttershy looked at him, and feeling the heat on her cheeks increase out of shame, she nodded with an "mhmm", grabbing on the long sleeves of her coat.
He didn't seem to take this badly. Instead, he pointed the free seat next to her.
"Can I have a seat?"
Fluttershy asumed he didn't just sat because he had noticed she was so shy, and she appreciated it. She surely would have been frightened if he just sat there. Because of that, she hummed yes again and slid to the edge so he could sit on the dry spot of the bench.
He didn't stop smiling kindly and sat at a prudent distance from Fluttershy, placing his sports bag on his laps.
"I've noticed you're not a girl of many words." he commented, taking out of his bag a thermos and two plastic cups. "I didnt mean to bother you, I'm sorry. Hot chocolate?" he offered, extending her one of the empty cups.
Fluttershy smiled and, for the first time, talked: "Yes, thank you very much. It's very kind of you."
The boy smiled and poured her a cup of the sweet-scented beverage, that he offered to Fluttershy. She took it between her hands and, with the sky blue gloves in between, she felt instantly the heat of it. She raised it to her nose, allowing the hot steam to reach her nostrils. She sniffed deeply.
He poured himself a cup and, putting the thermos back in the bag, he asked Fluttershy:
"You aren't allergic to cinnamon, are you? I put some in the chocolate."
Fluttershy shook her head no. "No, I'm not allergic."
"Nice."
With little sips, Fluttershy drank her chocolate, the boy next to her mimicking her actions. Ocasionally, Fluttershy would look at her companion out of the corner of her eye, too ashamed to ask the question in her head.
"Um..." she whispered, catching his attention. "Sorry if, um, I'm rude, but... Ehem..."
"You don't know my name, do you?" to Fluttershy's surprise, the boy burst out laughing, almost spilling his hot chocolate. Fluttershy got red as a bet, which he quickly noticed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."
"You... You didn't." Fluttershy smiled, trying to make him believe her words. "I just... wasn't expecting you to take it so well."
"I wasn't expecting you to remember my name." he laughed. "I've only been a few days at the school, and winter holidays arrived, so I wasn't. Don't worry, I'm not offended." he sipped his chocolate and, after carefully swallowing, he went on. "By the way, my name's Double Diamond, a pleasure."
He raised a hand towards Fluttershy, and they shook hands.
Double Diamond. Of course, he said it when he introduced himself . Fluttershy almost felt bad for not remembering.
Quickly, Double Diamond changed the subject.
"Where are your friends, Fluttershy? Are you waiting for them?"
Fluttershy sipped from her cup and shook her head.
"No, I'm on my own."
Diamond tilted his head. "Do you tend to go out alone?"
"Only when I need some fresh air."
"I see, do you want me to leave?"
Fluttershy shook her head again. "No, it's okay. It's nice to have someone to talk to even if, um, I'm not that sociable."
Diamond smiled. His lips were pink because of the heat of the cup. "Alright."
He drank the last bit of his chocolate while opening his bag again, and Fluttershy drank the rest of her own, now warm, chocolate to give him back the cup.
"Thank you." she whispered, intertwining her fingers on her lap.
Diamond smiled, putting the cup back in his bag. "No problem."
Fluttershy looked at Diamond's bag, wide open, and noticed inside a pair of ice skates, the blades surrounded by some kind of plastic case. Diamond followed her eyes to the skates and Fluttershy flinched, scared of looking like a nosy girl.
He let out a laugh. "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. Do you like ice skating?"
Fluttershy put a lock of her hair that fell before her eyes behind her ear, her head down, but looking at his face.
"Actually... I don't know how to."
Diamond raised both eyebrows. "You kidding? You don't know how to ice skate?"
Fluttershy shook her head no, holding once more her coat. "I'm not, um, that good with sports..."
Diamond stared at her for a second, then smiled.
"Say, Fluttershy... Would you like to learn?"
Albeit at first Fluttershy was reluctant to accept, Diamond insisted to the point she had no choice but to give in. Seeing him happy at the fact she accepted, Fluttershy smiled, thinking maybe it wasn't so bad in the end, for at least she took advantage of the outing.
Inmediately both went on their way, and Fluttershy followed Diamond to the lake. They stopped by a small cottage on the side, where he rented a pair of ice skates for her, and guided her to the edge of the frozen lake, where they sat. Fluttershy saw with amazement how Diamond put on his skates like an expert. He turned to Fluttershy, noticing her face.
"Do you ice skate often?" Fluttershy dared asking, to which Diamond nodded.
"I love winter sports, want some help with that?" Fluttershy nodded, giving him the skates. He sat before her and helped her put on her skates and tighten the laces. "Where I come from, it's cold all year long, and it gets worse in winter. There was a place not that far from my house, at half an hour at most, which was a mountain with tons of lakes always frozen. Lots of people skated there. Although my personal favorite is ski, I like ice skating a lot too. How do you find them?"
Fluttershy was paying so much attention to his story that she didn't realize inmediately that he was asking about the skates. Shaking her feet, a little scared of the blades being so close to Diamond's hands, she noticed:
"They're a little bit tight."
"It's precaution." Diamond informed, getting to his feet and standing in perfect balance on his blades without apparent effort. "If they are too loose you could hurt yourself, and we're not gonna be the only ones there, so I'd like you to be as far off the floor as possible, to avoid accidents."
Fluttershy nodded, but, when she tried to get on her feet, she couldn't find her balance and fell back on her behind. Dying of shame, Fluttershy hid her face behind a curtain of hair.
Diamond did not laugh, instead, he squatted before her. "Don't worry, I fell the first time I got up too." spying between locks of pink har, Fluttershy saw Diamond's hands extended towards her. "Here, let me help you."
Fluttershy took Diamond's hands, way bigger than hers, and helped her to stand up, balanced over the thin blade of the skates.
"It's your first time, so kneel a tiny bit." Diamond instructed. "And don't part your legs too much, but don't keep them close either."
Nodding, Fluttershy swallowed, and still holding Diamond's hands like her life depended of it, did as she was told. Soon she found out that this way it was a little easier to keep your balance and smiled.
Diamond gave her hands a little squeeze. "There. Now to the ice."
Fluttershy swallowed again, losing in a second her newly acquired confidence. Her legs trembled like jelly.
"Hey, don't you worry. If it helps, I won't let your hand go a second. I'll be sure you don't fall too much."
Fluttershy soon understood that, with these words, Diamond kindly warned her she would fall. After all, this was just like when she learned to ride a bike: she fell a few times before getting the hang of it. But, just like back then her father helped her, Diamond would be there to ensure her well-being.
So, trusting her instructor, she followed his instructions to "walk" towards the frozen lake little by little. When she stepped on the ice, Fluttershy jolted so hard she lost her balance, but Diamond helped her straighten up again.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Diamond reassured her, slowly guiding her farther off the edge. "I'm here."
Nervous, Fluttershy allowed Diamond to guide her on the ice. Diamond found a clear spot for the both of them and smiled, forcing her to look at him.
"Alright, the first step is checking for how long you can stand in one foot."
Her eyes shot open like dinner plates.
"You said you wouldn't let me go."
"I won't," he reassured. "but I need to stop holding them this tight to test your balance. Nevertheless, we'll still have our fingers intertwined so you feel safe."
"O-Okay." Fluttershy noticed Diamond's grip looseing. She doubted her balance, but soon noticed that it wasn't that difficult to stand if she tried hard enough. Also, the closeness of Diamond's hands to her own was enough to help her feel safe.
"You doing great, see? You're not bad at this."
Fluttershy smiled, happy of doing it right.
"Now just raise one foot, whichever you want. We'll see for how long you can stand, alright?"
She whispered a soft "alright".
"Don't bend your ankle. It'll be harder to keep your balance and you could hurt yourself, so keep it straight."
Fluttershy obeyed all the words that left Diamond's mouth, raising her foot to knee level. She managed to stand like that for twelve whole seconds, that Diamond counted out loud, before her leg trembled and she holded onto him again, letting his feet down once more, her heart pounding of fear.
Diamond smiled. "Not bad, that was a good time."
Fluttershy raised her gaze. "Really?"
Diamond nodded with his ever-present kind smile. "Of course, it's great. Come on, let's keep going."
He let go Fluttershy's right hand, but holded the left one tight. He carefully slid to stand on her side, their both hands intertwined between their bodies. She noticed he had an extrange yet familiar aroma. Diamond showed Fluttershy his feet.
"See the way I've got them?" he asked, and Fluttershy nodded. His right foot was completely straight over the blade, but his left one was pointing lightly outwards, in a V shape. Diamond tapped Fluttershy's blade with his skate. "Well, you've got do the same thing. That way, you can advance easily, and with the left one you turn."
Fluttershy mimicked Diamond's feet position, but opened the left one a little too much. Diamond used his own foot to place her foot the right way, while she took mental notes of her mentor's instuctions.
"Are you gonna teach me how to move?" she asked, to which Diamond nodded.
"It's actually pretty easy." he reassured her. "And you're a fast learner, so it won't be that hard. Look: you'll start with the straight foot. Slide it carefully, lifting the other, and then the oposite, propelling yourself. Got it?"
"I-I think so."
"Do not worry, I'll be holding your hand. I won't let you get hurt."
Fluttershy briefly looked at Diamond. He smiled, and seeing his smile, Fluttershy felt safer, and that security gave her a boost of confidence, enough to help her skate.
Obviously, she didn't make it in the first try. She didn't move much more than a few inches, and her legs shook so much she feared for her balance. This fear caused her to grab Diamond's arm, in a similar fashion like when she was scared of thunderstorms as a child and hid behind her father.
"I can't..." Fluttershy sighed. She was hanging onto his coat.
Diamond gripped her other hand. "Of course you can, you just need to try. That was the first time, next one will be better. Come on."
It took them around an hour for Fluttershy to move a yard the right way. With every failed attempt, her spirits fell to the ground, but Diamond's kind smiles, his hands holding hers and his everlasting patience brought them back up again. Two times she tripped and fell inches to the floor, but both times Diamond caught her before she hit it. She trembled out of fear more than cold, and he rubbed her shoulders, helping her to calm down with comforting words.
Little by little, Fluttershy got the hang of ice skating, and little by little, she advanced more and more. Her legs still shook like crazy, but when she finally managed to move a few yards with little help from Diamond and, smiling, glanced over her shoulder towards him.
"Do you think I could try without your help?"
Diamond had been gripping her hand and shoulder all the time to keep her steady. He looked into her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
Fluttershy shyly nodded her head. Diamond encouraged her with a smile and let go of Fluttershy's shoulder first. She went through the motions in her head, and when Diamond let go of her hand she let out a joy shriek when she managed to stay balanced. Carefully, a foot at a time, slid the blade over the ice.
Diamond skated after her, staying at a safe distance to catch her if she fell but without getting on her way. Since Fluttershy moved slowly, taking several seconds to advance a yard, but with a proud smile on her face, Diamond started to skate around her. Fluttershy was marveled at the sight of his graceful movements. He didn't seemed to notice she was looking, marking almost perfect circles around Flutterhy with closed eyes and nose pointing upwards, his arms open like if he was a bird flying. Suddenly, he jumped and twirled in the air, making Fluttershy flinch.
Fluttershy had only seen that move on TV, from proffesional skaters, but never in real life. It actually looked easy at plain sight, but Diamond looked really confused. Right after her spin, he landed with perfect balance but backwards to his previous trajectory. Fluttershy gapped when he kept skating the same route, but backwards.
"You make it seem so easy." she whispered, marveled. Diamond opened an eye to look at Fluttershy trying to follow him with the head.
He let out a chuckle. "It's years of practice. I liked to watch videos of proffesionals and try their moves. Took me weeks to achieve that jump."
Diamond glided in front of Fluttershy and stopped there, offering her his both hands. The boy smiled. "It's like vals. Do you know how to vals?"
Fluttershy shyly noddded, her hands on her laps.
Diamond shook his fingers. "Wanna see it's similar?"
Fluttershy smiled and nodded again, taking the boy's hands. Diamond put one of her hands on his shoulder and holded the other, brining his own free hand at her ribcage level.
Diamond lead Fluttershy sideways, who briefly looked Diamond's feet to mimic his movements. Althought hers where clumsier and less refined than his, she managed to keep up with him (barely). Diamond guided her slow, twirling her on delicate curves.
To Fluttershy, this was really amazing. If she closed her eyes, she could picture herself dancing on the ice, just her and Diamond, both dressed with those lovely outfits she saw the experts wearing on TV, moving in perfect synchrony and elengance. They'd twirl and do multiple tricks, like that one she saw a couple do once where Diamond would pick her up and spin around over and over while going backwards, finishing with Diamond throwing her into the air and she would spin gracefully until she landed once again on perfect balance.
But who was she kidding. Diamond himself said it: those things took years of practice. Also, it wasn't like if he would teach her how to do it, no matter how kind he seemed. And even if he did taught her, what were the chances they would skate together?
As the final blow, the sports girl of the group was Rainbow Dash. Maybe she would make it one day, despite Fluttershy being the one who knew ballet and listened to the classes (Rainbow joined just to keep her company and were the most embarrasing hours of her life, though she wasn't bad at it) more than her friend.
"Would you like to try a trick?" Diamond asked her after a while of just sliding. Fluttershy brought back her focus to him.
"What trick?"
"An easy one, do you trust me?" Diamond asked, offering a comforting smile. Fluttershy stared back at him for a second and then smiled.
"Of course."
Diamond smiled and showed Fluttershy his feet moving over the ice. It was becoming harder for her to keep up with him.
"Just raise your leg until it's parallel with the floor. It's not that hard, I'll help you stay balanced."
Fluttershy nodded and Diamond slowed down so she could prepare herself for what she had to do.
"On three." Diamond whispered. "One... Two... Three!"
Cautius, Fluttershy raised a leg. Her heart raced while she was at it, for she didn't feel stable enough to stand like this, but Diamond did as promised and held her tight to keep her balanced.
Fluttershy raised her leg until she was practically sideways to Diamond, but managed to lift it horizontally. For a moment, she feared that her skirt would lift, although she had on those nice thermal pants Rarity had given her. They looked almost like pantyhose, but kept her warm, so she wore them with skirt like the one she was wearing at the moment. Rarity would surely be proud of her attire.
Diamond grabbed one of Fluttershy's wrists and held it before her, without letting her go. With the other hand, he grabbed her calf and kept sliding over the ice, moving like an expert over the frozen waters.
Fluttershy wasn't the least surprised at how hard it was to hold this position, but she screamed when her strength wavered anyway. Diamond used his hands holding her to support her and keep her balanced.
When her equilibrium came back, she exhaled. She almost felt like a flying bird.
"Great, isn't it?" Fluttershy answered Diamond's question with a nod. "Spread out the other arm, you'll see it feels magical."
Diamond was using his feet to move them and keep her steady, so Fluttershy closed her eyes and spread her arm to the side. She really felt like flying, and she could actually do so when she transformed, though she was too scared to try.
Fluttershy took a deep breath of cold air. "It's so magical... And I know a few things about magic." She giggled.
Diamond turned to the left. "That've heard. Let's take a break, alright?"
In the end, they left the park behind. Though Fluttershy didn't really want to abandon the ice just yet, for she found skating or at least trying to loads of fun, her legs hurt and her stomach would really appreciate something warm.
Officially, she loved winter.
So, when Diamond asked if she knew any good place to grab a little something to eat near, Fluttershy inmediately took him to Sugarcube Corner.
Fluttershy was still trembling out of excitement when they sat down in one of the booths next to the wide window, Diamond accross her, and she hugged herself between giggles.
"That was so exciting!" She exclaimed, though hushed.
Diamond set his bag next to him on the seat. "I know, ice-skating is so much fun. Maybe we should try ski one day, I'm sure you'll like it."
Fluttershy laughed and shook her head. "No... I'm not that good with sports. It's a miracle that it went so well with ice-skating."
Diamond checked Sugarcube Corner's menu and lift his gaze with a smile. "If you ask me, I think you'll be great skating. Maybe you should keep practicing it."
Fluttershy tucked a strand of hair, that had fallen over her face, behind her ear. "And who would teach me? Do you know any instructor here in Canterlot?"
Diamond smiled and reclined backwards. "I do, actually."
Fluttershy looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Really? Who?"
Diamond made a gesture with his head. "Me, of course. I would gladly teach you everything I know of ice-skating."
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, that's so nice of you, but there's no need of that. I'm sure there is some instructor in here."
Diamond was about to reply , but Mrs. Cake arrived at that very moment, with a wide smile on.
"Fluttershy! I thought you'd be with Pibkie and the other girls."
Fluttershy showed the woman her kindest smile. "No, I wanted to go out on my own."
Mrs. Cake looked at Double Diamond. "And who is the boy?"
"He's Double Diamond. He came to town shortly ago and gos to CHS now. We came across each other in the park."
Diamond smiled to the woman. "A pleasure, ma'am."
She smiled kindly. "Welcome to Canterlot, son. What can I get you?"
"A cup of hot chocolate, please?" Fluttershy asked, giving the menu to Mrs. Cake. "Could it be with marshmallows? If you can..."
Cupcake smiled. "Of course I can, sweetie. What about you, dear?"
The boy gave back the men. "The same, please. A cup of chocolate always comes in handy in winter."
"Then it'll be two hot chocolates, with marshmallows. Anything else?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "No, that's it."
"Alright, I'll be back soon."
When the middle-aged woman left, Diamond turned to Fluttershy. "Seems nice."
"She is. Pinkie Pie, do you know who she is?"
"Your friend, with the puffy pink hair, right?"
"Exactly. She lived with them for a while, on her first years on Canterlot, until her older sister, Maud, moved here to follow her studies and both went to live together to a house."
"Wow, that's cool. Do you come here often?"
Fluttershy nodded, rubbing her hands together to keep warmth. "The girls and I come here after school almost every day, it's like our headquarter. The Cakes-"
Diamond seemed confused. "The Cakes?"
Fluttershy pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, towards the cpunter where Mr. Cake was busy making a strawberry milkshake, topping it with cream. "Cupcake and Carrot Cake. They've run Sugarcube Corner since way before I was born. They live upstairs, with their baby twins, Pound Cake and little Pumpkin Cake."
Diamond smiled, something between surprised and excited. "That must be cool. They don't need to leave their house to work, and their home is a stair away. Great."
Futtershy nodded. "Pinkie Pie babysit the twins sometimes. They are two little restless kids but they are adorable."
Diamond toyed with a napkin holder. "I'd like to meet them one day. How do they look?"
"Pound, the boy, has cream skin and brown hair and eyes. Pumpkin, the girl, has cream skin too, orange hair and blue eyes."
"Do they have any special characteristic?"
"Why?"
"I'm trying to imagine them."
"Oh. Well, no, they don't have anything out of the usual."
Diamond had closed his eyes and, widening his smile, he opened them.
"They are adorable."
Mrs. Cake went back to their table with their order. "Two hot chocolates with marshmallows, served!"
She placed both beverages in front of the teenagers and they both thanked at the same time. Fluttershy took a long sip from her cup and fished out a marshmallow that she happily chewed. The sticky sweet got stuck in her theeth and, though it took her a while to get it off her molars, it was worth it.
Diamond let out a satisfied hum. "This is delicious."
Fluttershy nodded. "Everything the Cakes cook is amazing."
Diamond looked around him. "It's a cozy place. I should come back."
Fluttershy cleaned a line of hot chocolate over her upper lip and made gestures to Diamond under his nose.
Holding back a giggle, she said: "Um, you've got a mustache there..."
Diamond crossed his eyes to be able to look at his brown mustache and snickered. He faked holding the end of it and made a borderline elegant face and said:
"I must say, my lady, that this style suits me just right."
Fluttershy couldn't help but laughing a little loud, but she tried to hush her laughs because they'd attracted some attetion to them. However, when she looked at Diamond again, she laughed again and he joined her.
This time, neither minded the curious ones.
When they finally managed to calm down, Fluttershy handed him a napkin.
"Here, clean that up."
Diamond raised an eyebrow . "Why? That's a total waste."
He then proceeded to use his tongue to clean the mustache. Fluttershy made an amused-disgusted face.
"That's a little gross."
Diamond chuckled. "I know, sorry. My parents say the same thing all the time, but I can't help it. I'll try to keep it to the minimum."
They went back to their cups, but he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Instead, he was looking at the street. When Fluttershy followed his eyes, she came across a group of children jumping into snow mounds and having snowball fights. Fluttershy looked back at him and noticed something a little sad on his eyes. He sighed.
"Is something wrong?"
Diamond showed her a sile. "Sorry, I was just remembering back when I was their age."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"I've already told you that where I come from is cold, didn't I?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Well, that's about it. Back at home is cold all the time. Even in Summer. We didn't knew natural heat back there, and I've never experienced it myself. That's why I've never been to the beach or something like that."
Fluttershy made a face. "You don't know how to swim?"
"Oh, no, of course I do. There were a few thermal pools on my tiny mountain town. But I've never touched beach sand nor smelled the sea breeze. That makes me sad everytime I see children playing outside, reminds me that I couldn't."
"Why not?"
Diamond looked at her and softly smiled.
"I think that's quite evident. I'm albino, Fluttershy. My skin is ultrasensitive to sunlight. I'd bet anything that it has crossed your mind."
Fluttershy toyed with a lock of her hair, nervousness tickling her belly. "You would win that bet..."
"See? I've never felt ashamed of my condition. I believe it's one of the things that makes me special, but it did limit me as a child. My parents were very overprotective back then, and if the sun shone a little brighter than usual, that was it. I couldn't play outside with my friends. That's why I've never been to the beach before."
Fluttershy was sincerily distressed for Double Diamond. She had always loved the beach, specially the sea creatures, and thinking he couldn't know what that was made her sad.
Diamond smiled.
"But enough about my sad childhood, let's talk about something else."
Fluttershy took another sip and asked:
"Would you tell me a bit more about your albinism?"
Diamond frowned, confused. "About my albinism? What would you want to know?"
Fluttershy shrugged one shoulder. "Anything. For example... Is there anything that happens besides your looks when you're albino?"
Diamond thought about it for a while and then smiled. He reclined over the table towards her and Fluttershy flinched when she saw him so close.
"Look at my eyes." Diamond ordered, looking straight at Fluttershy's forehead. "Do you see them moving?"
They did. It was quick but slight, almost unnoticeable, but there it was. It seemed like two tiny lakes shook on a snow and coal surface.
"Yes, I do."
"It's a condition of us albinos. Doesn't happen to everyone, obviously, but this fast unwilling movement is a symptom. If you're wondering, no, it doesn't stops me from seing clearly. I actually don't even notice it. You can see my albinism in my hair and skin, but it's not total. Like you can notice, my eyes are sky blue, but it would be total if my eyes were pink. I think my albinism takes part on my love for winter. Sunlight is really dangerous for me, that's why I have to wear contact lenses. That, and for my sight problems. And always, no matter the weather, I have to wear a thick layer of sunscreen."
So that was the strange yet familiar smell Fluttershy noticed before: sunscreen. The smell of the product came to her, along with the one of salty waters and sea breeze.
Fluttershy smiled while Diamond went back to his seat. "That's fascinating."
Diamond gave her a smile back. "I'm glad you find me so interesting." He drank a bit more chocolate. "I've already told you a lot about me, I think is only fair than you tell about yourself."
Fluttershy nervously played with her bangs. "Yes, I guess it's fair. What would you like to know?"
Diamond shrugged. "Let's keep on the topic. Any special condition on your side?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "No, not at all. Well... A serious case of social anxiety, but that's all."
Diamond gave a slow nod. "I see. Well, that's pretty evident. Sorry if that offends you."
"No, it doesn't. I've always been very shy. They detected it when I fainted on my first day of preschool."
"Really? Here, in Canterlot?"
"No, I grew up in Cloudsdale, with Rainbow Dash."
"The Captain of all of the school's female sports teams?"
"Yes, she's the one. We grew up together on Cloudsdale until we moved here, when we were eleven. That's when we met the other girls. You've probably heard what happened after."
Diamond scratched his head. "I've heard some stuff."
"And aren't you scared? I mean studying in a school with persistent threat from magical beings of a parallel world."
Diamond laughed. His laugh was sincere, not mocking, and it refreshed heart of those who heard it. "The threat part doesn't, but, well, you know. The child on me loves it. It's something like out of a fairytale."
Fluttershy was intrigued. She was sure that, weren't she one of the holders of the Elements (that was how Sunset called them), she would be terrified.
"If I can ask, how does it feels?" Fluttershy looked at Diamond, who smiled with certain shyness. "Having superpowers. Posses magic, is it weird or does it feel funny?"
Fluttershy had to think the question through. How did she felt when using her magic? It was like a tickle all around her body everytime it went on. An adrenaline boost, maybe. A touch of the bravery she needed. Euphoria, too: something inside her knew she possesed a great power.
But no. It was something beyond that, not just a physical thing.
She felt complete. That magic was a part of herself she had no idea she was missing. The hug of a mother that told her that was hers and she had to protect it.
With her geode between her hands, she tried to explain that to Diamond. But, how could one describe the indescribable?
After a long try during which she stumbled over her own words, Diamond smiled at her.
"I see. I think the word you are looking for is 'special'."
Special.
Fluttershy blushed. "Yes, I supose it is."
Diamond stroke her hand with an affectionate gesture. Fluttershy looked at him. There was a pinkish hue in the boy's cheecks, kindly smiling. It made her heart flutter in her chest, like a delicate butterfly.
"Fluttershy, I think you are very special. And you should know that."
The remaining of the afternoon, Fluttershy dedicated it to showing Diamond every place she liked of Canterlot. I took a quick text to know her friends hadn't gone out all day. They preferred to stay inside with their families or a good book, in Twilight's and Sunset's case.
They walked in the packed hallways of the mall, the most divine parks covered by a winter layer and in front of the infamous Winter Fair of Canterlot.
They entered the Fair for a while to play for a while in the darts booths and other games that were located near the street. Diamond won two. Both prizes were small stuffed animals that the boy gave Fluttershy since he, actually, wasn't fond of teddies and neither was his mother.
On Fluttershy's hand, she had barely managed to win a consolation prize at one of the booths: a small chocolate bar Diamond and her shared.
They talked all the afternoon, non-stop, about different stuff. Little by little, Fluttershy felt more at ease around him, able to even trust him with any secret along the journey.
In this few hours, they were friends.
But sooner than later, the afternoon came to it's end, and it was time to say goodbye.
"Thank you for walking me home, Double Diamond." Fluttershy stopped by the white fence. She loked at the albino boy. "That was very nice of you."
Diamond smiled. His teeth were as white as his skin. "That's what I'm here for. No problem, really." He looked at the humble house that stood before them, at a front yard of distance. "You have a lovely house."
Flutterhy smile. "Ah, thanks a lot. It's prettier in spring. Mom has a beautiful garden."
In spring, the whole house was surrounded of all kind of flowers of the most vibrat colors, bringing it to life. Since they moved to this house, her mother took care of her garden with the devotion she took care of her children. Also, since Fluttershy and Zephyr were now old enough to take care of themselves and help in the house, she had more time to spend in her flowers.
Diamond kept his smile while admiring the snow-covered front yard. "I can't wait to see it." He looked at Fluttershy. "Today was fun. Thank you for showing me around Canterlot. Would you like to go out some other day?" He swayed on his heels. "I mean, I'm busy during the holidays, but maybe after that, I don't know.."
"Yes, of course. That'd be nice."
"Great! See you soon, then."
Fluttershy took a step forwards and shyly kissed his cheeck goodbye. Diamond stared at her a few second before smiling.
Fluttershy smiled back. "See you soon..."
Double Diamond didn't move from his spot, like afraid something bad could happen to her in the yards separating from her front door. Fluttershy walked to the door with a certain skip in her step. When she had already opened the door to get in, she turned around.
Diamond was still there, looking at her back. When he noticed she had turned around, he raised his hand and bid her goodbye. Fluttershy did the same from the threshold.
With a smile on his pale lips, Diamond walked away towards the bus stop. Fluttershy sighed and went into her house.
Getting rid of the winter clothing once inside home was comforting. Coat, scarf, beany and gloves ended up in the rack. While Fluttershy walked towards the living room, Zephyr Breeze came running dowstairs, almost tripped in the fifth step, and stood before Fluttershy in a single jump.
His were the only sudden appearances that didn't scare her.
"I saw everything, little sis'!" Zephyr was beaming of uter joy. "Who was that boy? Is he your boyfriend? Sweet Fluttershy has a boyfriend? I'm so proud of you!"
Fluttershy squirmed out of his embrace. "Double Diamond isn't my boyfriend, Zephyr. He is my friend. We crossed in the park."
"That doesn't explains the pink cheecks."
Fluttershy touched her right cheeck. It felt warm.
Zephyr poked her in the ribs. "You like him, don't you, sis'?"
Fluttershy walked with all the confidence she could muster towards the living room. "He's nice, I admit. But I repeat, Zephyr, he isn't my boyfriend."
Zephyr sat before her on a coffe table. "That didn't answer my question."
Fluttershy sighed and reclined in her seat. "I don't know. He's just a friend."
Zephyr supported his chin on his hand. "Did you arranged to go out again?"
"You're making up stories, Zephyr."
"I just want to know about my little sister's love life!"
"There's no love life to know about, Zephyr! And by the way, shouldn't you be working?"
Zephyr shrugged. "That place was locking me up. My creative genious cannot be hold between the pages of a hairdo's book! I'm way better than that."
"... You really are a case, Zephyr..."
Winter holidays went flying past. Soon, sleet became a frequent ocurrence and cold lessened, and classes at CHS resumed as usual.
Or, well, almost as usual.
Fluttershy couldn't stop noticing Double Diamond's presence a few desks away, in Biology. The first day he came in and showed her a radiant smile before taking a seat behind Caramel, with who he had become friends in the short amount of time he had been there.
Although the matter didn't overwhelmed her, while the teacher talked she did shoot some glances towards the albino.
They crossed paths again in the halls, and Diamond came to her with his everlasting smile. They talked a bit about how much fun it was to spend the afternoon together. They exchanged numbers because he wanted, at all cost, repeat it, and Fluttershy couldn't see why not.
They crossed many times along the week, but it was nothing else than brief encounters in-between classes, in the middle of the halls or the cafeteria.
Her friends thought it was a good thing Fluttershy was making new friends outside of their group. In their own words, that "helps meeting people and change the routine a bit".
That weekend, her mother asked her to go do some grocery shopping with her. At the supermarket, when they crossed the aisle of skin care, Fluttershy noticed a peculiar product in the showcase that before she surely would have ignored, but now resulted convenient.
Without thinking it further, she took it and threw it in the shopping basket. Rarity wasn't the only one who could be generous.
Spring was at the corner. Some trees already had brand new leaves and the fresh heat was beginning to show itself, melting the sleet into slippery puddles. Inside CHS, the Christmas ornaments dissapeared and the halls were back to their old selves.
It was this very halls Fluttershy was walking with quick strides, looking for Double Diamond, who seemed to have dissapeared. She had decided the time was good enough to wear skirts again, though she also jumped into long socks and a sweater. Many girls had similar ideas, actually.
Finally did she saw Diamond, standing next to his locker, focused on a pocket book. Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh an advanced towards him.
"Double Diamond!"
She hand't said that very loud, but the boy heard her anyway, and raised his eyes to look for the source of the voice. When he saw her approaching, he smiled and walked to meet her in the middle.
"Hello, Flutteshy! How was your weekend?"
"Great, thanks. Actually it has something to do with what I came to give you. I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Sorry, I haven't stopped moving today. I was looking for a club to join. Well, what did you wanted to give me?"
"This!" Fluttershy gave him the small gift box, wrapped in sky-blue paper (he told her that was his favorite color, that afternoon).
Diamond looked with curiosity at the box. "What is it?" He opened it and took out the product.
Fluttershy toyed with her hair. "It's, eh, sunscreen. For spring. You said you've never experimented heat, so I thought this would help you. I saw it this weekend in the supermarket: I thought it would be useful for you because it says that it is for sensitive skins and albinos. I thought about you inmediately and, well..."
Wow, that sounded way less awkward in her head.
Diamond laughed. "Comes in handy!" He showed Fluttershy a huge smile. "Thank you, Fluttershy. That's very considerate from you, remembering. I appreciate it."
Fluttershy smiled. She felt herself blushing. "It was nothing..."
Diamond put the sunscreen on his bag. He seemed to doubt a second before talking again.
"Say, Fluttershy, are you free this saturday? Maybe we could go out. If you want to, of course, I don't want to push you or anything alike."
Fluttershy smiled. "Yes, I'm free. Would you mind if I invite my friends over? I'm sure they would love to come along."
Diamond shrunk a little. "Actually... I thought about going out just the two of us, does that bother you?"
Fluttershy was confused. Then she understood. Her face burning, she babled. "I-Is it a d-date?"
"Yes, well, I mean... If you want to. I understand if you don't."
Fluttershy thought about it for a few seconds. She had never had a real date. It scared her, but Diamond seemed to be a nice boy, and he acted as a true gentleman up until now.
She smiled.
"Of course, Diamond. I would love to."