Hesitantly I reach out with a hoof, knocking on the door of the small cottage. My sister Pinkie Pie recommended I spend Nightmare Night here with Fluttershy, somepony who I met while visiting in Ponyville. She and I bonded rather quickly; ever since, we've been spending a lot of time together. She tells me about her animals, I tell her about life on the rock farm. Sometimes we'd get together for tea, or just take a walk together. It's nice having somepony to open up to.
With a creak, the pink-maned pegasus opens the door, dressed as a bat pony. "Oh," she says in her usual soft-spoken voice. "Hi, Marble! I like your costume!"
I nod in reply. She motions for me to come in with a hoof, closing and locking the door behind us. "This is your first Nightmare Night here in Ponyville, isn't it?"
"Mhm." I stand in the living room quietly, glancing around from time to time, awaiting further instructions. Even though I've opened up to the yellow pegasus on more than one occasion, I still am no good at social interaction.
"Oh," she continues, "It can get pretty frightening sometimes." She laughs a little bit, then notices me standing there. "Marble, you know you can sit if you want to, right? You're always welcome at my home."
"Mhm.." Hesitantly I oblige my friend, taking a seat on the sofa.
A sudden knock on the door makes me jump. Was she expecting somepony else? She certainly hadn't told me. Oh, no. If she had been, I knew I would be viewed as the outcast. I couldn't talk with somepony else; they'd shun me! A million thoughts run through my mind, only quelled by the touch of Fluttershy's downy wing. I unintentionally seize up, relaxing once I realise it's her.
"A-are you okay?" she asks, her teal eyes full of concern.
"Mhm..." I turn away, blushing a little. Slowly I begin to ease up, going so far as to talk a little. "I'm... I'm sorry, Fluttershy."
"For what?"
"I'm sorry for being so awkward. On the rock farm, I don't have much interaction with other ponies. You're the only friend I have..."
"It's okay," she replies, folding her wing. "I still can be awkward sometimes. It's just part of who you are. And besides, don't worry about them. They're just the foals going door to door for candy."
"What? Is that legal?"
"Of course it's legal," she says with a giggle. "Like us, they're all dressed up in costumes. It's called trick-or-treating; it's part of the tradition. Speaking of costumes, I do like your witch outfit."
I smile. The brim of my hat falls to my face. I reach up with a hoof and push it up, back where it belongs. At this we laugh, finding something silly about the randomness of the situation.
I decide to change the subject of the conversation. "Uhm, have you read any good books lately?"
"Glad you asked." She trots over to the bookshelf, removing a book and placing it in front of me. I glance down at the object, noting its title. "This is the book Jekyll and Hyde. It was really frightening."
"What is it about?"
"It's about one stallion with two very different personalities, fighting for control of his body," she explains as I began to nose through it.
"Sounds scary..."
"It was, definitely." I saw her shudder a bit. An awkward silence followed during which I began to read the first page, finding the book to be incredibly well-written. Apparently, it starts with an incident leading to the introduction of Jekyll, who was a doctor. A few moments pass with several more knocks on the door from the trick-or-treating foals, Fluttershy all the while watching me with interest. Her blue eyes met mine as I glanced over at her, and I felt something strange shoot through me.
It was a surge of feeling. A feeling that just felt right for some reason. Truth be told, this friend and I have had a feeling of something special for a while now, something that lie beneath the surface. Neither of us had confessed it, but I could feel it was there, and I was positive she could too.
She looks at me, blushes, and begins to talk. "Uh, Marble, there's... something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Mhmm?" I ask, my heartbeat increasing. Could this be? Were my thoughts in the right?
"Remember when we first started getting together? When you were gradually starting to open up?"
"Mhmm."
"Uh, that night we were stargazing on the hill, I felt something special..." She glances down and away from me, as if hiding a secret.
"Mhmm?"
"You fell asleep, and I put my wing around you," she continues. "Then I realised how I felt."
"H-how did you feel?"
"I knew that I couldn't deny it. I knew I..." She gulps, her voice dropping to a whisper as she curls a wing around me once more. "I l-love you, Marble Pie."
I'm so surprised, I don't know how to react. Instead, I feel my face grow hot, and I too glance away before coming up with my response. "I love you too, Fluttershy."
She pulls me in close, our eyes meeting. She smiles. I smile. Then, the third surprise of the night. She kisses me on the cheek. I return the favour, hearing her giggle quietly. Slowly she leans me back, wrapping me in her wings as we lay together on the sofa. I wrap my hooves around her in return, not daring to let go. Our smiles continue to last; all is right with the world.
I snuggle into her chest fluff, letting her hold me tightly while I close my eyes. I want the moment to last forever; never have I seen her so happy. While we lay here, there comes another knock on the door. I tense up unintentionally; I don't want anypony to see us this way.
She senses this, whispering into my ear. "It's okay, Marble. They won't take you from me. That probably will be the last group; it is getting late after all. Uh, speaking of..." She trails off, lost in consideration on what to say next.
"Mhmm?"
"Do you want to stay with me tonight?"
I manage a smile, followed by a yawn. "Mhmm... Thank you, Fluttershy..."
"I love you," she says as she rests her head on mine.
I smile once more, for all is right with my world.
Author's Note
It's an awkward story, I know. It's designed to be; they're both socially anxious introverts like yours truly.
Also, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in my opinion is nowhere near frightening, but from the perspective of Fluttershy it probably would be.
