Watchers
A story by Doctor Serious
Before we start, this is a new way of storytelling I wanted to try out. Please tell me in the comments if you like this writingstyle.
The music that inspired me. Listen to it if you want
The night rose, and many ponies left the late night party Pinkie Pie had given. The party was a huge success, even getting the attention of ponies from Canterlot.
Fluttershy left at the usual time. The party had worn her out, she really needed the rest. The only problem was the party was far away from her home, thus making her walk through the dark streets of Ponyville for a long time.
She began to feel scared as she heard hoovesteps behind her. She quickly turned around.
"Please don't hurt me...!" she yelled, while trying to cover her face.
A stallion looked at her with confusion.
"Wow, take it easy, miss. I'm not going to hurt ya."
Fluttershy looked up in mild suprise, as she rose her hooves down.
"Ooh, I-I'm terribly sorry," she said, sounding as her shy usual self. "I-I'm a little shaky when it's dark, you see...?"
The stallion nodded understandably.
"I understand, I sometimes have that feeling to." he said, trying to comfort Fluttershy a little.
For a little while, they both looked at eachother, wondering who would say the next sentence.
It was Fluttershy.
"Umm..."
She looked at the ground for a moment.
"What's your name, mister...?"
"The name is Corn," he said, smiling. "What's your name, miss?"
Fluttershy slowly whispered her name to him.
"Umm... my name is Fluttershy..."
Corn looked at her with questioning eyes.
"I... couldn't quite hear you there. What did you say your name was?" he asked again.
She looked at the ground again, trying to avoid his gaze.
"It... is Flu-Uttershy..."
An awkward silence flew by.
"That's a nice name, a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy~" Corn said with a smile and holding out his hoof, waiting for Fluttershy to shake it.
Fluttershy looked at the hoof for a moment and finally gave it a slow shake.
"T-thank you, sir. It's nice to meet you too..." she stammered.
Corn smiled.
"Please, call me Corn. 'Sir' makes me sound old." he tried to say under a small laugh.
"Ooh... okay then, Corn..."
Corn gaze went to face hers again.
"So, where are you going Fluttershy?"
"I'm going back to my house," she sighed. "I'm really tired after the party..."
A small nod was given
"I can understand that, that pink pony sure knows how to throw a good one, hey?" he replied.
Fluttershy nodded back. She sure knew how Pinkie Pie could throw some parties, after attending to most of them.
"Yes, she's really nice. Her name is Pinkie Pie..."
"Aha, so that's her name. Thanks for telling me, Fluttershy."
"No problem. She's a very good friend of mine..." she told him.
Corn looked up in surpise.
"Really? Wow, Fluttershy, I'm so glad for you to have such a great friend." he said, looking more and more upbeat.
"Mhm, she's a great friend, just like all my other friends here in Ponyville..."
Both gave eachother a smile, breaking the shyness in Fluttershy a little.
Corn suddenly asked a question.
"Mind if I join you when you walk back home?"
Fluttershy looked up, a corncerning feeling creeping up in her belly.
"Huh? W-why would you want to join me?" she said, sounding like she was questioned.
"So we both won't be so lonely during our walk." he replied, looking at the ground, worrying a little. "I'm sorry if I sound creepy to you. And I understand if you don't want me to join you..."
Fluttershy looked at him with sadness.
"Ooh no no no..," she tried to correct herself. "It's just that... you asked it so
suddenly..."
He looked up to her again.
"I'm sorry, please forgive my rudeness. But I thought maybe, we could talk to eachother on the way to your house, until we cross the place where I stay." he apologized.
Both ponies looked at eachother.
"It sounds better than going alone..." she whispered to herself.
She quickly nodded.
"Okay, come on then, Corn. We've still got plenty of road before us..." she said, sounding happier than first.
A pleasent smile appeared on Corn's face.
"Thank you, Fluttershy." she quickly spoke, before standing beside her. "Let's go then."
Together, the two ponies walked towards Fluttershy's house and to the unknown destination of Corn.
For a while, there was only silence between the two of them, until Fluttershy spoke up.
"So where are you staying for the night?" she asked him. "I've never seen you around here before..."
"I'm staying at my grand parents house. My parents are gone for an indefinite time." he explained, a bit of sadness appearing on his face.
Fluttershy gave him a sorry look.
"Ooh, I'm sorry to hear that... Why are they gone?"
"Problems with their families" he said. "They live in another part of the country, which I don't remember the name of. I sure hope my family is doing fine..."
"I hope so too..." she replied, feeling a bit sad for him.
Corn looked at her for a moment.
"How about you? You seem to be a pegasus, why don't you live in Cloudsdale."
Many memories about Cloudsdale appeared before her eyes, causing her to look away for a moment.
"I... don't have great memories about Cloudsdale. Plus, over here are all these cute woodland critters, needing my attention..."
Corn looked at her flank.
"Ooh, I see." he said, looking at her cutie mark. "Now I understand what those butterflies stand for.
A big blush appeared on Fluttershy's face.
"W-what? You were looking at my cutie mark like that...!?
Corn quickly looked forward again, a small blush appearing on his face as well.
"S-sorry, I shouldn't have..."
A awkward silence took over once more.
After a little while, Corn spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I shouldn't have looked at your cutie mark like that."
Fluttershy's face was still red as beetroot.
"I-it's okay..." she stammered under the sudden heat she felt.
She took a quick peek at his flank, seeing a rake and a bucket of dirt.
"What does your cutie mark stand for?" she asked.
"I love gardening," he replied. "Ever since I was a little colt, I always stared at the gardeners who were watering their flowers and plants.
He gave a quick sigh.
"The flowers looked beautiful and the plants grew delicious looking vegetables."
"My friend Applejack take care of the apples here in Ponyville..," she explained. "Together with her brother, Big Macintosh, her younger sister Applebloom and old Granny Smith..."
"Yeah, I've heard about if. They say the apples they grow are amazing, as well as their famous Applesider. I wish I could taste them one day."
Fluttershy gave him a shy smile.
"If you want, we can go there sometimes, if you'd like..." she offered.
"Really? That sounds like a great idea! We should do that when we have the chance, Fluttershy." he replied rather loudly and smiling brightly.
They both looked up, seeing the moon and stars shine brightly.
"It looks really nice tonight..." a glinstering of tears appearing in the corners of her eyes.
"It sure does. Do you look at the stars often?"
She shook her head.
"Not really, I'm a little scared of the dark..." she told him, blushing slightly.
"I guess everypony is scared of something." he remarked.
"What scares you then...? A curious look on her face.
A new sadness appeared on Corn's face.
"Loneliness..."
"Loneliness...?" she asked him with slight disbelieve.
"Mhm" he replied sounding less like the upbeat pony she met a little while ago. "I sounds like you have great friends, Fluttershy. But when I was young, I didn't have much friends. Only one to be precise..."
Fluttershy put down one of her hooves on his shoulder, feeling sadness taking her over as well.
"Ooh, you poor thing..." she said, trying to sound as motherly as she could.
Corn felt her hoof touch his shoulder, soft and comfortable.
"I called him Flour. He was my imaginary friend, bit I always believed he was real." he told her, sounding more and more depressed as he continued. "I remember all the things we had done together, from nice to naughty. But he started to vanish when I began to grow up, and at last it struck me that he wasn't real."
Fluttershy hold him tighter now, wanting more and more to comfort him.
"That... must have hurt to you..."
A tear escaped the sides of Corn's eyes as he looked at Fluttershy with pure sadness.
" 'Hurt' doesn't even describe it, dear Fluttershy..," he spoke, trying to control himself. "I was socially awkward after that, I coulnd't connect with others..."
Fluttershy gave him a hug, feeling his shivering body touch hers.
"Please don't be so sad..," she said with a calming voice. "I'm sure you have plenty of friends now..."
Corn's face brightened up as Fluttershy hugged him and spoke to him with such calmness.
"Luckily, I did. When I went to college, I met a group of ponies who were also socially awkward and with the same problems. From the outcasts to the cool ponies, I met them all. And many became my friend after the began to know me. And..."
He looked away for a moment and then meeting Fluttershy's gaze again.
"Now I've met another great friend this night." he said, smiling again.
"And i've met another great friend too..." she replied, smiling back at him.
The walk continued. Many minutes past with them talking about their lives, how Fluttershy took care of the animals and how they took care of her during hard times. Corn told about his college time and the jobs he had taken. Many laughs were shared and many tears were dried, from both Fluttershy and Corn.
At last, they arrived at Fluttershy's house.
"Well, here it is..." she sighed, happy to be back at her home.
Corn observed the house thoroughly, looking at the suprising amount of plantlife growing around it.
"Wow, much more plantlife than I expected."
"You like it?"
He nodded.
"It's really nice, what with all those flowers and plants surrounding it" he said.
This truly was his element.
"I'm glad you like it..." Fluttershy shyly replied.
"Well, now that we're here, I guess I should take off. I saw the house I had to be at."
He slowly walked away from Fluttershy.
"It was nice talking to you, Fluttershy. I'll come visit you soo. Goodbye!" he waved and he walked away towards his destination.
After a little hesitation, Fluttershy called him.
"Corn, wait...!" she softly called out to him.
Corn turned around, looking at Fluttershy with confusion.
"Something wrong, Fluttershy?" he asked.
"Don't you want... something to drink before you go...?" she asked him.
She turned around, her head becoming a deep crimson.
Corn blushed as well.
"Umm... Okay, if you insist." he replied shyly.
They shared a cold drink together, both looking at eachother from time to time. To Corn, her soft yellow fur and her pink mane seemed to tell her personality in a flash, while Fluttershy looked at the light, grass green stallion with his tousled yellow like hair. Both unable to speak, but their gaze meant enough, they were both very happy to have met eachother.
After a few minutes had past, Corn stood up and walked towards the door.
"Thanks for the drink, Fluttershy," he said, feeling refreshed after the drink she had given him. "But I really have to go now. Good luck to ya."
Fluttershy gave him a happy smile.
"Okay, Corn. I'll take you to Sweet Apple acres when you come by again...~"
"I can't wait!" he smiled. "Goodbye Fluttershy."
.
With these words he waved and went out her front door.
"Goodbye, Corn..." she replied.
And so a friendship started, between Fluttershy and Corn.
To be continued.
Chapter 1: Meeting the new 'friend'.
Chapter 1: Meeting the new 'friend'.
Of course, can't forget music
Small bursts of light came through the window of Fluttershy's house. Fluttershy looked with almost completely shut eyes and then rolled her back to the sun. She didn't want to wake up, she was enjoying her nice dream, now it was ruined by the sun.
But eventually the animals began to shake the bed, trying to get her out. They were hungry. Fluttershy turned to face them, still feeling really sleepy.
"Ooh, good morning, my little friends..." she said with her usual kindness. "Who's ready for a nice breakfast...?".
As she prepared their food, hoofing it over to each animal, she began to recall her dream. Quite some dream that was, all she saw was a field with unique plants and flowers, and in the middle was he, the stallion she just met yesterday. Both looked at eachother for a moment, and then a hearty laugh came from him.
"Fluttershy! Please, come join me!" he exclaimed with his usual happiness. "Okay, Corn..!" she exclaimed back. She smiled and flew towards him. When she was with him, they started walking through the yellow fields, surrounded by the colour of nearly thousands of flowers, bushes with shining berries and trees holding many birdnests. Animals were skipping beside them, sounding like they were singing. Both laughed and smiled all the way through. At last, they arrived at a tree. It was gigantic, the largest one Fluttershy had ever seen. "Let's go rest there for a moment." Corn said.
But right when they saw the biggest tree ever, her dream was ruined by the morning sun. She sighed for a moment, until one of the critters started to get a little impatient.
"Ooh, I'm sorry, little guy..." she said quickly. "Here's your food...". The critter took of with the food, giving Fluttershy a thankful smile.
Corn got up pretty quickly that morning, pretty unusual for him. Most of the time it would have been late in the morning by now, but not today. He felt ready to take of and see Fluttershy again. But before he could do that, a full belly would be a great idea.
As he walked down the stairs to the living room, the sun started to shine brightly in his face. "Aah~ I see the morning sun wants me to move quickly as well." he said, laughing slightly. As he got to the living room, his grandparents seemed to be up already.
"Aah, good mornin', Corn," his grandpa spoke, with oldness cracking his voice. He was sitting on the large sofa, located at the right side of the living room. "Where are you going to so quickly?". Corn looked at him with a smile appearing on his face. "Meeting a friend I met yesterday when I walked back from the party." he replied with honesty.
His grandpa always saw when people were lying to him, that's why his cutie mark was a spyglass inspecting a piece of paper. Yep, his grandpa was a true detective back in his days. "Please, calm down then, youngster..," his grandpa laughed. "Many ponies aren't awake yet. Plus, even someone as strong as you needs a full stomach to go through the day."
"Yes, I know, grandpa...". Corn went into the kitchen to see if grandma was awake yet. She wasn't apparently, because the kitchen was empty. Usually, his grandma is a true cook, always cooking things, even if there was no need for it. But it made her happy, creating amazing food. He opened the storage room to find some applebread. He quickly stuffed his mouth before running towards the front door. "Gfobyfe, Gramfa.".
As the front door closed, his grandpa looked through the window, seeing his young grandchild galloping towards his destination. "Heh, nothin' better than young love..." he said, smiling.
After all the animals were fed, Fluttershy ate her own breakfast. Taking some vegetables in her mouth, she looked outside for a moment, it truly was a bright day today. Many birds were chirping happily, many flowers started to show their natural beauty, a light green stallion was looking through her window. Yep everything looked great... wait...
She suddenly looked up in suprise and jumped out of her chair as she saw him. After taking in the situation, she calmed down a little, realizing how the figure was she saw through the window. She opened the front door, seeing him look a little worried.
"Ooh, good morning, Corn..." she said with her soft, kind voice. "Good morning, Fluttershy," he smiled, but a second later, he looked at her worrying a little. "I didn't scare you, did I?". Fluttershy looked away for a moment. "Just... a little...". Corn sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia, I nearly thought I scared you stiff...". Both looked for a moment, but then a smile appeared on both their faces, small laughing afterwards.
She let him inside, showing her house. "Nice house you've got her-". But before he could finish, he saw all the woodland critters, looking at him with suprise. "Ooh, good morning!" he said. Many were taken back a little. "I hope I didn't scare you.".
But after a little stare, they all went back to eating their breakfast. Fluttershy stood beside Corn now. "They've never seen you before, so they maybe a little shy..." she said. "Nah, that's alright. And beside, I don't mind it when they're shy." he replied. "In fact, I think it's kinda cute.". But as soon as he said it, he looked at Fluttershy. She looked back, and after staring at him for a moment, her eyes widened and she looked away, blushing a little. He did the same.
Fluttershy finished her breakfast, talking with Corn about the night before. The morning was nearly finished and the sun started to reach it's peak. The front door opened, and both ponies left to meet Applejack. After all, Fluttershy had promised Corn to meet her and show him Sweet Apple Acres.
During the walk, they began to look around them. Many ponies were up and started their daily lives. Many talked to one another, while others opened their shop and others walked towards the shops. The school bell rang and all the young foals galloped into the class. "Look, Corn. Those three young fillies, they are the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'..." she explained. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders?" he asked, being a little confused.
"They try to find their talents by doing all sorts of things, so they can earn their cutie marks..." Fluttershy replied. "Aha, but I didn't see them having any, so I presume..." he said. "Mhm, they still haven't found their hidden talent..." she sighed. "But I know the will find them one day...!" she suddenly spoke up, sounding confident. Corn nodded. "They will, as long as they don't give up.".
They continued to walk, but they were stopped when they heard one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders call for them. "Hey, Fluttershy!" the white filly exclaimed. "Ooh, good morning, Sweety Bell...~" Fluttershy said happily as the three of them came closer. "How are you three doing today...~?".
"We're all doin' pretty good, Fluttershy!" the yellow one with the country accent said. Fluttershy gave them all a happy smile. The three fillies smiled back. "Ooh, how rude of me. Corn, these are the three Cutie Mark Crusaders..." she told him. Corn looked at the three of them. "Hello there, Cutie Mark Crusaders," he said, introducing himself to them. "My name is Corn. A pleasure to meet you.". "Hello~" the three of them replied in choir. "I'm Sweety Bell." the white one said. "And I'm Scootaloo~" the orange said right afterwards. "And Ah'm Applebloom!" the yellow one said proudly.
Corn looked up at Applebloom for a moment. "So you're Applejack's sister then?" he asked. "Yes, yes A'h am." she said, sounding a little suprised. "How do you know mah name?". Fluttershy spoke up. "We were going to visitApplejack today..," she explained. "I promised him...".
The three fillies looked at Corn for a moment. "So, how do you know Fluttershy then?" Sweety Bell asked. Corn and Fluttershy looked at eachother for a moment. "We met eachother last night, after Pinkie Pie's party." they both replied at the same time. The fillies looked at eachother and giggled. "Awww~" they aw'd in choir. Both looked up in suprise, looked at eachother for a moment and turned away blushing. "W-we are n-not..." Corn tried to say, stumbling over his own words. Fluttershy just looked down, blushing under the giggling of the three fillies. "Fluttershy found a very special somepony~" the three fillies sang, dancing a little under their own made song.
"Sweety Bell! Scootaloo! Applebloom! Go to class, before I lose my patience!". All of them saw a purple pony walking towards them, looking quite angry. "Y-yes, Miss Cherilee!" the Cutie Mark Crusader apologised. They quickly galloped past their teacher to the school, but before they got in, they exclaimed: "Special Somepony~".
Cherilee sighed. "Sorry for the problems those three may have caused." she apologised. Corn quickly shook his head. "N-no, it's just a... misunderstanding, is all.". "Y-yes, there is nothing to worry about, Miss Cherilee..." Fluttershy said, still looking down and blushing. Cherilee nodded. "Okay then, I'll let you two be then. Good day to you two~" she said, sounding a little teasing.
After Cherilee left, both ponies stood there for a moment, stunned and shocked about what just happened. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy..." Corn sighed. "It's my fault they thought we were-". But Fluttershy interrupted him. "No no no, it's alright..." she assured, still sounding a little taken aback. "You sure?". She quickly nodded, finally looking back up again, but still blushing a little.
They both continued to walk again, but not much was said. They still looked around though, seeing all the ponies in Ponyville starting the day. Eventually, they saw a flower shop. Corn bought some Butter Cups and Roses, his favorite flowers. The cashier giggled as he saw him walking with them to Fluttershy. They didn't hear it though, and they continued their walk towards Sweet Apple Acres.
They arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Corn's eyes grew wide at how large it all was. The trees were huge, the plants grew wildly and some flowers grew on the sides of the trees. And as a finishing touch, the sun made everything shine brightly.
"It's so... beautiful..." he said, having tears in his eyes from amazement. "It sure is..." she replied, giving him a shy smile. Both walked around the appletree field, looking for Applejack. "So, who is this 'Applejack', Fluttershy?". Fluttershy looked at him. "She looks like Applebloom, except she had a blonde mane and she wears a cowboy hat..." she explained. "My my, that's a nice way to describe one of your friends, sugarcube~" a voice laughed behind them. They quickly turned around. "Ooh, hi Applejack..," Fluttershy said, sounding like her usual kind self again. "How are you doing today...?". Applejack looked at Fluttershy with a wide smile. "Mighty splendid! Work is goin' really well, this mornin'.". She quickly looked at Corn, inspecting him. Corn felt a little uneasy as Applejack's eyes began to look curious.
"An' who'se this fella? I've never seen you aroun' here..." she asked, sounding a little distrustful. "Ooh, this is Corn, he stays in Ponyville for a little while..." Fluttershy told her. "Y-yes," he quickly said. "It's nice to meet you, miss Applejack.". She looked at him for a little longer, than smiled at him. "Okay then, nice to meat ya, sugarcube~" Applejack said, holding out a hoof. Corn stuck out his hoof to shake hers, and was suprised by how wild this one was. His body shook a little. After the handshake, he explained how he and Fluttershy met. Applejack listened with interest, and galloped away, getting a basket with some freshly bucked apples.
"Here ya go, Corn. Don't eat them all though, Ah'm still gonna need them." she said, sounding a lot more friendly now.Corn quickly grabbed an apple and took a bite from it. For a moment, he could sense the tree where the apple came from, so full of life and energy. "Wow! This tastes amazing!" he laughed, taking another bite. "I could never believe this if I never ate this delicious piece of gold!". Both Applejack and Fluttershy laughed as Corn continued to ramble on.
After more talking, and helping Applejack with her work, both ponies were ready to say goodbye. "It was great havin' ya all aroun' to help me, but Ah I have to do some other things now." Applejack said. "That's alright, Applejack, thanks for sharing your apples with us, they were amazing!" Corn said, sounding a little obsessed again. "Thank you, Applejack..," Fluttershy said. "We will see you soon again..~". As Applejack waved, she whispered to herself: "Ooh, Fluttershy, you lucky mare~".
After waving, Fluttershy and Corn walked back to Ponyville. After arriving, both looked at eachother. "Well, I have to go work now. It's gonna be pretty late, so I won't be able to see you again today." Corn said, sounding a little disappointed. "I have to go too..," Fluttershy said with the same emotions. They gave eachother a quickly muzzle and they both walked away. "Bye, Fluttershy! I enjoyed this day with you!" Corn exclaimed, waving wildly at her. "Bye Corn...!" she exclaimed back softly. "Good luck today!".
Both kept waving at eachother, until both of them couldn't see eachother anymore. Then it was quiet once again. All that was there, were the busy streets of Ponyville, filled with ponies, but also animals and flowers, colouring the streets with nature.
To be continued.
