Umm, okay. Fluttershy stared at the rectangular slab on the table. When she had mentioned to the hotel manager that she wanted to send an apology letter to Rainbow Dash, she didn't imagine he'd bring her this. Fluttershy hadn't had the slightest idea what the device was or how to use it, but had smiled politely nonetheless, thanking the man as he left it in her room.
It seems harmless, she thought, gently tapping it on the side. It didn't look like any type of mail Fluttershy had ever seen. It rather resembled a window made of black crystal, or possibly a mirror.
"Oh, why is this world so complicated?" The pegasus huddled in the corner of the sofa. A nice piece of paper and a quill would have been so useful right now. Yet, somehow there were none in the entire suite. That hotel manager himself had said, with some pride, that the hotel was 'paper free', which was strange since Fluttershy could clearly see a whole shelf of books on the wall across her.
No matter! Paper or not, I must do this! Fluttershy moved back to the middle of the sofa then pulled the black slab to the edge of the table. Unlike the other devices she had seen, this one looked deceptively simple: it had one single button, as far as she could tell, and if Fluttershy had learned anything of the human world it was that everything was started by buttons. Taking a deep breath, she pressed it with the tip of her hoof. Hardly had she done so when the slab changed colour, it's surface starting to glow in a bright white light.
"Eeek!" Fluttershy flapped back, eyes shut, ears flat on the sides of her head. For several seconds she stood still braced for any terror that might follow, hooves and wings in front of her face. Finally, she cracked an eye open.
The slab remained on the table, calm and motionless, its surface completely white. Maybe it's supposed to be like that? The pony inched back to it.
A large Hello! appeared in the center of the slab.
"Umm, hello?" Fluttershy asked.
Welcome!
"Err, thank you." She smiled. For once she had come across a polite human device. "I'm very sorry to disturb you, but there's a teensy little favor I wanted to—"
Tap to start your personalized tour!
"Oh." Fluttershy blushed. "That's very kind of you, but, umm, I don't want you to go through all that trouble just for me."
The slab didn't react.
"Umm, I mean it's very kind of you, but I just want to send a letter to my friend Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy flashed a large smile. "Please?" Drops of sweat appeared on her face. No reaction followed.
Oh dear, I upset him! Fluttershy bit her lip, then moved closer to the glowing surface.
"I didn't mean to upset you," she said softly. "And I'd love to go on a tour."
The device ignored her, firmly, yet kindly it kept the message on its surface. Fluttershy's expression changed from smiling to worried. Her hoof moved over the slab and tapped it gently. No change. The pegasus tapped again, this time with a bit of force. She could feel the surface—smooth and hard as crystal—yet couldn't get it to respond.
I really upset him. Her ears drooped. Right now she was happy none of her friends were here to see her. The first polite human contraption and she had treated it so badly that it no longer wished to talk to her.
"Sorry," Fluttershy whispered, leaning closer. I'm a terrible pony. Her muzzle brushed against the slab.
Thank you! The message changed, causing Fluttershy to pull back again. Enjoy your tablet experience!
"Thank you!" Fluttershy's ears perked up. She opened her mouth, but before she could add anything, images appeared on the slab. Rectangles, circles, and triangles of various sizes and colors moved about, transforming the surface into a picturesque seaside scene.
The pony's eyes opened wide. Two neatly arranged rows of squares danced on the picture like candies on the carpet. In a way it looked like the cutie mark map in Equestria, only smaller, and flatter, and not as magical.
Umm, what do I do now? Fluttershy wondered. Tapping on the rectangles didn't work, neither did asking the device for help.
Maybe it wants me to be more clear? Fluttershy took a better look. There were small lettering under each square, almost like signs under a postbox: "Notes", "Pages", "Maps", and many others she couldn't make sense of.
"Could I have a page please?" she whispered, moving her muzzle to the surface. Her nostrils brushed against the cold glass, yet this time nothing happened. "Pretty please?" Fluttershy repeated, then out of habit slid her muzzle to the side. The rows of squares briskly moved to the left, replaced by an entirely new set.
Eeep! Fluttershy's head shot back up. The change made her rethink her attitude of the device. Either it was being too friendly, or there was something she wasn't seeing. A device that responded to nuzzling didn't make sense even for the human world. Still, in the spirit of experimentation the pegasus pressed her muzzle against the slab's surface and slid it to the right. The squares moved again.
"Oh!" said, beaming with joy. "I'm so silly." She did the action a few more times. It was just like moving the pages of a book, only using her muzzle instead of wings or hooves. Slightly less comfortable than she was used to, but everything considered, maybe a bit more hygienic. After all, her parents always told her to wash her hooves before reading books. The people to this world had simply taken it to the next level—books could only be read with muzzles.
Fluttershy dragged back the square with "Pages" written underneath. For several moments she stared at it, considering her next action, then stuck out her tongue and licked it. The slab's surface changed again, transforming into a sheet of paper.
Yay! Fluttershy clopped her forehooves. It's like writing back home! Only without a quill. Blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes, the pegasus started her letter.
Dear Rainbow Dash, she moved her tongue across the surface. A belt of letters appeared on the lower half, yet Fluttershy promptly ignored them focusing on her calligraphy. To her shame it had been a while since she had written a formal letter and the letters were more crooked than she would have liked.
I am sorry for behaving the way I did. You are my closest friend and I never intended being rude. Finely crafted letters covered the page to the point there was no more space. In any other circumstance Fluttershy would have panicked, but she was a changed pony now—one who had confronted several human devices and learned from her encounters. With absolute calm and complete certainty she put the tip of her muzzle on the bottom of the slab and flicked up. The surface changed again, yet instead of a blank page a picture of dancing fruit appeared.
"Welcome to Fruit Commando!" a cheerful voice announced, making her mane stand on end. "Tap to start!"
No, no, no! Fluttershy frantically starting moving her muzzle all over the screen. The picture didn't change. Instead, fruits started flying all over it.
"Well done!" the device said. "Triple score!"
"Oooh!" Fluttershy kept flicking. Seeing that the her muzzle had little effect she resorted to using her tongue. Maybe if I remove all the pieces of fruit off, I can return to my letter?
"Super combo!" Stars burst on the slab, causing her to wince.
"No!" Fluttershy screamed. Her hoof frantically tapped on the button in the hopes that it would save her from the chaos. The fruits disappeared, shrinking into nothingness. In their stead the familiar seaside image appeared. Fluttershy's tongue, used to slice fruits until recently, ended up on a square with the picture of a compass on it. Before she could lift her head the screen changed again. Fluttershy's eyes widened in terror. Her wings puffed open on reflex, trembling slightly. Eeep! This isn't what I wanted!
Right then, there was a knock on the door. Fluttershy looked up only to see it creak open and a somewhat cautious Rainbow Dash peer at her.
"Umm, Shy, I was passing by and—" Dash began, then stopped. Her eyes moved from Fluttershy—staring at her tongue sticking out, wings extended—to the picture of a horse on the table in front of her. "Err." The blue pegasus swallowed. "I'll be back later."
"No, wait!" Fluttershy squeaked. "I was writing you a let—" the door slammed shut "—ter." Fluttershy's ears flopped down. Her lower lip trembled. "Why does this always happen to me?" Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"Do you want to place a bet?" the device before her asked in an annoyingly cheerful voice.
Fluttershy glared at it. Calmly, she pressed the single button with the tip of her hoof, then turned the slab upside down, putting it face down on the table.
"No, Mister Slab, I do not want to place a bet," she said. "I want to do what I should have done in the first place!" Taking a deep breath, the pegasus then hopped off the sofa, took a final look at the room, then opened the door and left.
