Shuffle

Today had been a rough day for the pink-maned, light-yellow pegasus.

In addition to having to take the census of the baby bunnies that had been born in the season, (which had been exponentially more than in previous seasons, and thus took much longer) Fluttershy had to deal with an extremely stubborn Angel, who refused to eat his dinner, regardless of the fact Fluttershy even used The Stare on him, which never happened before. She was going to have to send that rabbit to discipline school, one of these days.

The pegasus lay nestled on her couch next to a small fire in the fireplace, reading a book as the twilight crept upon the outside world. As punishment for not eating, Fluttershy sent Angel to bed early without dinner. It was a decision that stood out of her nature, something that she thought she'd never do, even to him, but she simply did not have the patience for disobedience today. For the rest of the evening, the light-yellow pony wanted nothing but piece and quiet as she relaxed in her stories.

Luckily for her, for the first several hours, she received her wished, hearing nothing but the sound of her breathing, or the fire crackling in the little cottage, or the mechanical turning of the page. The rest of the woodland creatures that inhabited her house had chosen, perhaps wisely, to retreat to an early slumber, deciding that Fluttershy preferred not to be disturbed. And Fluttershy was thankful for that.

Around nine at night, just as Fluttershy had decided to turn in, a knock rapped her front door. If this knock had come earlier, Fluttershy would've been adamant to see who it was, instead just staying where she was and continue reading. But the pegasus had diluted her irritation down considerably, and resigned to see who had came to visit her in such a late hour. As she opened the door to see who was there, an unoccupied space was what greeted her outside, save for a little cardboard box.

Looking confused, the pink-maned mare gently picked up the small object off the ground and took one last scan of the area.

"Hello?" Fluttershy called softly. No one responded, excepet for the crickets that sang their perpetual tune. Shrugging, the mare turned around and closed the door behind her.

Fluttershy returned to the couch and examined the box curiously. Some of the critters that she harbored in her home had awoken and scurried over to where she sat, believing that the pegasus wouldn't snap at them or become annoyed by their presence as they previously thought.

It was a plain, cardboard box, she determined, not very large, no indications from who it was from. Not even a postage stamp, so it couldn't have been sent through Ponyville Postal Service. She shook the mysterious little box, and heard something rustling within. Further examination made her notice one side that flapped open. Fluttershy flipped open this side, and tilted the box so that the light coming off the still-roaring fireplace could reflect off the insides. The pony's brows furrowed. Most of the view was blocked by what seemed like a white card. Fluttershy then tilted the entire box upside-down and shook it a bit, letting the contents fall onto the the couch.

All that came out where three things: the white card, a small, light-yellow rectangular prism-thin object, and a white cord that had three ends. Some of the animals got a little too close, sniffing the objects like potential late-night snacks. Fluttershy shooed them away with a light beat of her wing. Returning her attention to what was in front of her, the pegasus held the white card in her forehooves and read what was on it.

Plug the pole end of the white cord into the hole on your iPod Shuffle. Then insert the corresponding ear-buds into your ears to listen to the music. In order to play and pause the music, lightly press the center of the white ring. Press the "+" and "-" symbols to increase and decrease the volume, respectively. If you would like to skip a song, then gently press the double arrow symbol pointing to the right. But if you would like to replay a previous song, then simply press the pair of arrows pointing in the opposite direction.

Enjoy!

Now Fluttershy's curiosity was really on end. This little device can play music? It looked like she could take it anywhere with her, something that hasn't even been thought of yet by anyone else in Equestria. This excited her, but she wondered what kind of music this alien object possessed. Determined to get answers, Fluttershy followed the instructions on the card until she was ready to hit "Play", or the center of the white ring. Whatever.

Fluttershy's ears where met with the melodious drumbeat of what sounded like neigh-gae. In the more foreground of the tune was the calming flow of an electric sound, yet blended with the drums perfectly. Fluttershy slowly closed her eyes and enveloped herself in this lovely little song. Whatever irritation was left by the day's hardship completely melted away as the lyrics began, accompanied by an untroubled-sounding voice.

"Don't worry about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be alright.

Singin': 'Don't worry about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be alright!'

Rise up this mornin',

Smile with the risin' sun,

Three little birds

Each by my doorstep

Singin' sweet songs

Of melodies pure and true,

Sayin': 'This is my message to you-ou-ou:'

Singin': 'Don't worry about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.'

Singin': 'Don't worry (don't worry) about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!'"

This amazing tone made Fluttershy sway her head back in forth from left to right. In time, by the end of the song, she sang along to the chorus, even though she couldn't hear herself, but she trusted mouth to form the correct lyrics. After almost three minutes, the song echoed away, leaving a slightly despondent, though very much relaxed Fluttershy to wait for the next song.

This next one was somewhat like the first, its beginning similar, though in a different pattern, with what sounded like a tiny piano playing the background for the chorus. It was just as soothing as the first, if not more. The animals around the peaceful pegasus mimicked her swaying motion with smiles on each of their furry faces, seeing that their caretaker was her old-self once again, and then some. But Fluttershy didn't take note of this. Rather, she focused on the lyrics, her voluminous light-pink mane swaying in keep with her head.

"One Love! One Heart!

Let's get together and feel all right.

Hear the children cryin' (One Love!)

Hear the children cryin' (One Heart!)

Sayin': Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right!

Sayin': Let's get together and feel all right!

Wo~wo wo~wo!"

Fluttershy lightly pressed the "+" button on the top curve of the white ring on the iPod Shuffle, drowning herself deeper into the intoxicating melody.

"One Love! What about the one heart? One Heart!

What about --? Let's get together and feel all right!

As it was in the beginning (One Love!)

So shall it be in the end (One Heart!)

All right!

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right!

Let's get together and feel all right!

One more thing!"

The song ended, Fluttershy estimated, at about the same time as the first. She felt completely at peace with herself, all of the troubles and anxieties of the day drained away by this singer's wondrous voice. She also felt extremely sleepy, due to the music's sleep-inducing tendencies. Pressing the center of the white ring as instructed, she removed the ear-buds and opened her eyes to see the animals that had gathered to watch her. Her face reddened.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. Did I wake all of you up?" The little animals shook their heads, not wanting their loving caretaker to become distressed like she had. "Oh, okay, well, um, you should all go back to sleep now. Go on, off you go." She gently encouraged the creatures away with a slight sweep of her wing, though sweetly and not authoritatively. They all complied without question, scurrying off to holes in the walls or miniature houses hanging from the ceiling.

Yawning, she hovered up the stairs with the yellow iPod tucked away in her wing, entered her bedroom, and slipped into her inviting bed, thinking about what other wonders this musical device held, letting her thoughts coo her into sleep.