The Second Visit

“No, Angel, I told you no!” said Fluttershy, trying to raise her voice. “I told you I’m not going back!”

Fluttershy’s companion, a white rabbit named Angel, simply shook his head and folded his arms. He said something in rabbit-speak, and then darted off, obviously searching for something.

Fluttershy understood his squeaks, and responded, “No, it would not be good for me! Don’t you remember what happened last time?” She was trying to be assertive, something she had been taught a while back. It wasn’t working; Angel was a tough negotiator.

A fluffy white tail was seen poking out of one of Fluttershy’s few closets. A few more squeaks escaped his mouth, and once again, Fluttershy deciphered.

“Yes, I remember what Twilight told me...” How could she forget? It was only a few days ago...

“Oh, hey Fluttershy!” Twilight called in a cheery voice.

Fluttershy greeted her with a smile, “Hey Twilight! What’s up?”

“Well, ACTUALLY,” Twilight started, causing Fluttershy to let out a quiet sigh. She knew that whatever Twilight would answer with would involve a long lecture, “you’re just the pony I wanted to see!”

Fluttershy’s head rose slightly. “Really? Why?”

Twilight leaned in closer and handed her a small envelope. She did this as if whatever was in the envelope was top secret. “Don’t tell the other ponies,” she whispered, “but I got a ticket to the next Gala, and I thought you might want to go and make some new friends!”

Fluttershy jumped back, her eyes growing wide, “What? Twilight I-I couldn’t!”

“Oh, c’mon Fluttershy! You could really use the day off! And hey, who knows, you might make some new friends!”

“But last time, the animals hated me...” Her voice grew more quiet with every word, and she shuddered as she remembered her episode from a few years back.

“Well, I’m sure they’ve forgotten about that,” Twilight told her, trying her hardest to reassure her, “but you’ll never know if you don’t try!”

“I-I guess you’re right...”

Twilight replied with a smile and said, “Great! Tell me how it goes, OK?”

“Y-yeah, OK...”

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be the best night ever!” Twilight said, trotting off back to the Library.

“I know I told her I’d go, Angel, but...but...” Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, “I’m just so...nervous!”

Angel’s head poked out from behind the closet door. He held up a long green gown, decorated with flowers and butterflies. It was her old Gala dress. Fluttershy stared at it for what seemed like a long time. Finally, she spoke in a barely audible voice, “Fine, I’ll do it...”

Angel jumped in happiness, then shoved the dress into her hooves and continued his search in the closet. Fluttershy looked down at the gown, unmoving. She remembered what her first- and last- Gala had been like. She remembered how she tried to make friends with all of the animals in Princess Celestia’s garden. She remembered her failure, and the rage that had engulfed her.

“You're. Going. To. LOVE ME!”

She quickly shook her head back and forth. “Get a hold of yourself, Fluttershy,” she told herself “It’s all in the past now...”

Angel tossed the matching shoes out toward her, and she went into her room to get dressed. When she came out, she looked just as she had a few years before. The green gown extended down past her tail, making the dress look long and breezy. Her hair was decorated with flowers of various sizes and colors. She wore a large butterfly earpiece that matched an even larger silk butterfly that was displayed on her chest. Her shoes wrapped around her legs, giving them the appearance of small vines. She spun around a few times, giving Angel a view of her from all angles. “How do I look?”

Angel simply gave her a thumbs up, and Fluttershy smiled. “I guess I’m ready, then!”

The Grand Galloping Gala was just that- grand. It seemed that wherever Fluttershy looked, she saw lights, happy ponies talking to one another, food, EVERYTHING! This brought a slight smile to her face as she walked through the large archway that served as the entrance to the greatest event in all of Equestria. Upon her entrance, Fluttershy noticed that there were a lot of tables filled with various fancy-looking delicacies. This made her hungry, so she decided to have a small salad. It was topped with berries of all kinds- some of which she didn’t recognize. She carried her small meal to one of the many tables set up throughout the courtyard and began to eat.

A few minutes into her meal, Fluttershy noticed that she had picked a table that directly overlooked the castle garden. She instantly stopped eating, and memories of the past overflowed her mind. She thought of the frightened look on the animals’ faces, the number of failed attempts to capture them, the shame and regret that she felt after it was all over...

It took a few minutes, but Fluttershy finally snapped back into reality. She glanced down at her half-eaten salad, suddenly not feeling very hungry. This gave her an idea...

Fluttershy found an open grove in the middle of the beautiful garden and set down her bowl. She glanced nervously from side to side, looking for the eyes of any creature that might be stirring. After seeing nothing, she began to speak in her usual, soft voice, “Hi- um- everyone....I know I kind of scared you the last time I was here, but I just wanted to tell you that I-I’m sorry...” She looked down at the bowl, and began to address the animals again, “I brought you a little snack, to show you that I mean no harm...”

At these words, a dozen little furry heads poked out from the bushes surrounding the opening. They cautiously crept out, keeping a close eye on Fluttershy. Slowly, they edged toward the salad. They sniffed the green leaves and poked the berries, as if testing them for something. Fluttershy felt a spark of hope, and she started to grin. Please, please, PLEASE! She thought to herself.

Without warning, a few squirrels lashed out at Fluttershy, causing her to yelp and step back. “Now, now, there’s no need for-”

She ducked as a few birds tried to attack her from above, cutting off her words. There was only one thing she could do now. Run.

Her dress wasn’t exactly made for the sort of thing, and Fluttershy found herself running much slower than she knew she was capable of. The animals were close on her tail. The tip of her gown was being scratched by the animals’ claws, giving Fluttershy even more of a reason to run.

The entrance to the garden was in her sight. The horde was growing closer by the second. Fluttershy felt as if she was about to pass out from exhaustion. She had been running so much, and she wasn’t used to it. Regardless, she kept running. The entrance was growing ever so closer. She was going to make it...

With one last spring of energy, Fluttershy dove through the entrance to her safety. She cheered in her mind, glad that she had outrun the mass of animals that had now disappeared back into the trees. The only problem was her landing. Before she could realize what was going on, Fluttershy had crashed into an innocent stallion that had just happened to be passing by.

Fluttershy instantly sprang up and panicked. “Oh my, ohmyohmyohmy, are you OK?” She helped him up to his hooves, and he dusted off his suit- a James Bondish type jacket with a black bow tie. He was a silver stallion with a deep blue mane, and eyes almost as blue as the ocean.

“No no no, I’M sorry. I shouldn’t have been in your way in the first place...” he said, in a soft voice that sounded almost as shy as Fluttershy’s.

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide. This wasn’t the response she expected. What to do now? What do I say? Her mind was racing. Her panic was calmed when the stallion started to speak again.

“S-so...why were you in such a rush, anyway?” He said, sounding a bit more confident.

“Oh....it’s....kind of a long story...” Fluttershy answered him. She found herself staring at her hooves, poking at the ground. She noticed his cutie mark: a simple heart. “How did you get your...” she motioned to the image on his flank.

“Oh, it’s...kind of a long story....” Fluttershy found herself smiling at this response and how similar it sounded to hers. She couldn’t help but think about how they were alike.

“S-so what brings you to the Gala?” Fluttershy spoke, hoping that it was an appropriate question.

“Well, a friend and I-” He was cut off when another stallion came out of the blue and covered the silver stallion’s mouth with his hoof. The newcomer had a pale gold coat and a green mane that shared the color of the grass. He was wearing an identical coat to the silver stallion’s, with the addition of sunglasses. She thought she could see the hilt of a knife, peeking out of his pocket, but she wasn’t one to get on uncomfortable topics.

“Silver, be careful, we’re on business here...” the newcomer said urgently.

“Oh, right...” the first stallion turned his head to Fluttershy. “Maybe I should introduce myself. This is Gold Chronicle,” he gestured to the pale gold stallion to his left, “and I’m Silver Herald.”

“I-I’m Fluttershy...” The words came out of her mouth so quietly that Fluttershy doubted you could pick them up with a hearing aid.

“Come again?” the pony named Chronicle asked, but Silver stepped in.

“She said her name was Fluttershy,” he answered for her, and Fluttershy could’ve sworn she saw him glance at her and smile. Fluttershy felt herself start to smile as well. This was the first time in her life when she didn’t have to repeat her name.

“Ah. Well,  I have some important business that I need to attend to,” Chronicle announced, glancing at Silver, “Carry on.”

Chronicle trotted off, leaving Silver and Fluttershy alone. Silver turned and said, “So...can...can I get you a cider or something?”

“Yeah...yeah, that would be great!” Fluttershy told him.

And off they went. Silver bought ciders, and they sat down at the same table Fluttershy had used before. They introduced themselves further, told stories and jokes, and had a blast.

Twilight was right, Fluttershy thought, this really IS the best night ever.