The Surprise

by Silver Herald

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 2843

After Silver's heroics, rumors spread that Fluttershy plans to repay Silver in some big way.

After the events of "Loyalty" (see my other short stories), rumors spread that Fluttershy plans to do something special in return for Silver's heroics.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy hears about the same rumor and panics. She doesn't have anything planned for Silver! Should she? Would it be the right thing to do?

However, things take a surprising turn, causing an event so unexpected, it leaves the two ponies speechless.

~NOTE~ Basic background knowledge is required to read this story. See my profile for the first two fics in the series.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-02 08:22:36 UTC

A Simple "Thank You"

Ding, ding! The sound of bells filled the main room of Rarity’s boutique, signaling the arrival of a customer. Rarity, who was working on her latest line of dresses, looked up from her work to greet the guest.

“Oh, hello Silver!” she said in a cheery voice.

“Hey Rarity,” spoke a quiet voice, only a bit louder than Fluttershy’s. It had come from Silver Herald, who happened to be a frequent visitor from Cloudsdale. He had a light silver coat, complete with a deep blue mane and a heart-shaped cutie mark. Unfortunately, this gave him trouble when he was just a young colt. The others used to laugh and tease him, for he was the only male pony they had ever seen who had a heart imprinted on his flank. Only Silver’s friends knew what it stood for.

Loyalty.

He had proven himself worthy of his cutie mark only last week, when he had saved Fluttershy from the captivity of the diamond dogs. After the rescue, Silver had given Fluttershy a pink, butterfly-shaped diamond. It had been her birthday, after all.

Silver cleared his throat and continued, “I just came to thank you for selling me that diamond the other week.”

“Oh, it was no problem, darling. Did she like it?” Rarity had paused her work and was now facing Silver, looking eager to hear an answer.

“Oh, she- wait. How did you know-”

“Oh please, dear, it looked like a butterfly! Who else in Equestria would you have given that to?” Rarity half smiled. It was obvious that she was proud of herself for taking a good guess.

Silver could feel his face growing red as he replied, “Oh- well- she loved it....”

“That’s great!” Rarity’s face lit up. There was a hint of amusement in her voice when she continued to question him, “So is it official?”

“I-is what official?”

“Are you two...you know....”

Silver drew circles in the carpet with his hoof. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he decided that it would be easier to play stupid. “A-are we...”

“Oh, for heaven’s sakes, are you two together?”

Her last word hung in the air, beginning a lengthy silence. Rarity extended her neck forward, begging for Silver to answer. He took his time, however, stalling for time to gather his thoughts. He could feel his cheeks growing hotter as he replied:

“N-no....”

To Silver’s relief, Rarity backed down. “Oh, well, that’s a shame. I heard she was planning something rather big to repay you for your deeds-”

“She’s what?” This time, Silver was the one extended forward. Planning something? For him? Did he hear Rarity correctly?

“Well, I don’t know what it is she’s planning, but I do know that it’s just going to be simply wonderful!”

It came to Silver’s attention that his jaw had dropped, and he quickly brought it back to it’s normal position. “For-for me?”

“Well of course, dear, you saved her from those-” Rarity cringed as she spat her next words, “those filthy ruffians!”

But Silver was hardly listening. It was true that he had gone to great lengths for her, but he didn’t expect anything in return! Seeing her happy was a reward enough...

By this time, Rarity had taken up her work again. Silver turned to leave, and said behind his shoulder, “Well, thanks again for that great deal on the diamond.”

“Oh, you’re quite welcome,” Rarity replied. “Anything to spark up a little romance!”

Silver thought about Rarity’s last words as he walked toward the exit. He turned around as if to say something, but was interrupted when Rarity caught his eye and winked. Silver turned back around and walked outside of the boutique. He took a few steps before taking off towards Cloudsdale. On his way up, he couldn’t help but glance down at Fluttershy’s cabin. He smiled, remembering their dinner from a week before. This thought remained with him until he reached his home back in Cloudsdale.

An Unexpected Visitor

Ah, peace and quiet. Just the way Fluttershy liked it. She could hear the birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees, and the soothing flow of water that come from the fountain outside. Fluttershy had taken advantage of this perfect day to do a little cleaning up around the place. It had been a while since she last cleaned, and Angel had been slacking off of his work.

No problem, she could do it herself. If anything, Fluttershy thought she worked Angel a little too much. Maybe he deserved a nice little break.

She decided to start by dusting the furniture. Before her feather duster could even touch the coffee table, a loud knock came from the front door. Fluttershy gave a small sigh. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long; she had a lot of cleaning to do!

The door opened with a soft creek, and Fluttershy was surprised to see the pony that had shown up at her door. “Oh, hello, Pinkie Pie,” she said.

“Hi!” Pinkie greeted in her usual cheery voice. “Do you mind if I come in for a second? I have something I need to ask you about!”

“Oh- well- I’m kind of busy at the moment but I guess-”

“GREAT!” Pinkie bounced through the entrance and plopped onto the couch. Fluttershy closed the door slowly, then made her way over to one of the few chairs that she had in her living room.

“So, what is it that you wanted to ask me?” she asked.

“I just wanted to know what you’re doing for Silver!” Pinkie replied, almost bouncing in her seat.

“P-pardon?”

“Ya know, that thing you had planned to thank Silver for saving you and stuff?”

Fluttershy had no clue what she was talking about. “Who told you about this...?” she questioned her, hoping that it was all just a joke.

But Pinkie Pie just tilted her head in confusion. “Everypony knows, of course! It’s all over Ponyville!”

All over Ponyville? Fluttershy’s stomach did a backflip. Everybody knew about this “event?” Should she do something for Silver?

“I just really wanted to help you out! It could be like a party, or maybe just a small gathering, or maybe- OOH!- a romantic dinner for two!”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide. Is that what everypony thought? Then again, the thought of Silver made her heart race. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.... “Does Silver know about everything?” she asked, her voice starting to fade.

“Duh! Of course not! It’s supposed to be a surprise, silly!” Pinkie looked as if she was ready to start bouncing off the walls at any second.

“Oh yeah, right...” Fluttershy had so many questions, but no time to ask them all. As long as Pinkie had her mind on the party, she knew she wasn’t going to cooperate. Thinking quickly, she told Pinkie, “Actually, I haven’t given it much thought. I’ll think about it for a while and come back to you when I come up with something!”

“Okie dokie lokie, that sounds great!” Pinkie said, hopping off of the couch. Fluttershy sighed again, but this time out of relief. Fluttershy opened the door for Pinkie, who bounced outside in her normal manner. “See ya later, alligator!” she called over her shoulder as she left.

Fluttershy simply smiled and said, “Bye!” she closed the door and lied down on the couch. She closed her eyes and thought about what she had just found out. Should she plan something for Silver, or would that be overdoing it? After all, she knew Silver wouldn’t expect a reward or anything for what he did. She groaned and buried her face in one of the cushions.

What was a pony to do?

It All Comes Together

Knock, knock.

The sound echoed throughout Fluttershy’s living room. It was a sound that she had dreaded ever since the day that Pinkie had showed up at the door, the day she’d learned of the horrible rumor that had spread throughout Ponyville. Fluttershy’s head poked out from behind a chair, and she asked, “W-who is it?” Her voice shook, and she hoped that silence would follow her question.

“It’s Pinkie! I’ve got great news! Open up, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy nearly fainted. More news? That was the LAST thing she needed! But, being the kind pony that she was, Fluttershy opened the door. She couldn’t just let Pinkie stand outside...

Bad mistake.

“OOOOHHH! FLUTTERSHY! Come on, you’ve gotta see this, it’s just great! You’re going to love it!” Pinkie said joyfully as she grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof and started to drag her away from her house. Fluttershy had to admit, Pinkie had a good grip. She looked behind her shoulder at her cottage, and after realizing that there was no escape, she relaxed and let Pinkie take her away, wondering what it was that had made her so excited.

“Silver, dear, wait up!”

Silver looked behind him, wondering what in Equestria had made Rarity so excited. He stopped and waited, and when Rarity had caught up, he asked, “Um, hey Rarity...what’s up?”

“Silver, I’ve got the most wonderful thing to show you, come with me!”

Silver just stared at her. “Er- actually- I’m a little busy...”

“Silver, this is IMPORTANT! This could decide your entire future!” Rarity turned Silver around and tried to push him forward. “Please!”

“Well, I-I guess I could...”

“Perfect! Let’s go then!” Rarity started to dash forward, showing him the way to whatever it was he was supposed to see. As he sprinted to catch up with her, Silver couldn’t help but wonder what it was that had made her so excited.

“Come on, darling, it’s just up this hill!”

“Hurry up, Fluttershy, we’re almost here!”

Pinkie and Rarity reached the top of the hill at the same time. Shortly after, Silver and Fluttershy arrived, tired and out of breath. They looked up and saw each other, beginning a long silence. Pinkie and Rarity slowly backed off, leaving Fluttershy and Silver alone at the top of the hill.

“Oh...hey Fluttershy. I-I didn’t expect to see you here...” Silver stuttered, scratching the back of his neck with his hoof.

“Yeah...same here...” Fluttershy replied as she stared down at her hooves.

Silver looked to his right and saw the blanket and picnic basket. He instantly realized what was going on. “Was this the surprise you had planned...?”

Fluttershy looked up in alarm. “What? No, no, I-” she stopped, thinking of the consequences of her next words, “I didn’t have anything planned...”

“Oh, that’s fine. I didn’t really expect anything.”

“Ok, good. I got a little worried there...” Fluttershy gave a hint of a smile, which was quickly returned by Silver.

He gazed back at the setup. “You know, as long as we’re here, would you maybe like to-”

“Oh, yes, that would be great!” Fluttershy slowly made her way over to the blanket, settling down in front of the basket. Silver followed shortly after and sat next to her. He opened the basket, which contained a wide assortment of berries of all kinds of different colors. He took one and gave it to Fluttershy, who accepted it and brought it to her mouth, chewing it slowly.

“How is it?”

“It’s great, thanks!” Fluttershy looked up into the now dark sky. Millions of shining stars were shining across the night sky, illuminating their spot as they ate.

“I’m getting kind of full,” announced Silver, after eating a small, purple berry. He looked over at Fluttershy, who nodded as if she agreed with him. They both fell backward, lying on their backs as they gazed up at the stars.

“It’s a beautiful night,” said Fluttershy softly.

“Yeah,” Silver agreed. They sat there for a while in a peaceful silence, taking in the beauty of the night sky, as well as the cool, crisp air that came with it. After what seemed like ten minutes, Silver sat up. Fluttershy did the same. Silver looked to his left at Fluttershy, making sure to make eye contact.

             Fluttershy glanced over and their eyes connected. They stared at each other for a moment, communicating without words. They didn’t need them. Fluttershy could tell exactly how Silver felt, just by looking into those deep blue eyes. Before she knew it, his wing was around her shoulders, warming and shielding her from the chilly breeze that had settled in. His presence was reassuring, telling her that as long as he was around, she would be safe.

And she believed it.

She let her head fall onto his shoulder and they continued to look up at the clear night sky. The scene was so quiet, so peaceful, so perfect, that Fluttershy couldn’t think of the words to describe how she felt.

To her right, Silver felt the same way. He kept her close, sending her the message that he would protect her, that he would be there for her, no matter what happened.

And he could tell that she believed him.

He didn’t need some big party to tell him that Fluttershy appreciated him. It was enough that she was here with him now. That’s all that mattered.

The more he repeated it in his head, the more he believed it. Fluttershy was everything to him. There was no denying it.

The same could be said for Fluttershy. Silver was his hero. She couldn’t show him how much she appreciated him with some small party! They would have to throw a hundred parties to express Fluttershy’s gratitude.

But, then again, that might only cover half of it.

She hoped that being here tonight was enough of a reward for him. However, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a little bit spoiled. Silver had gone through extreme conditions to save her, and now he was here with her tonight? What more could a pony ask for?

Silver pulled Fluttershy in a little bit closer. They watched as a shooting star flew through the purple night sky.

“Make a wish,” Silver whispered to Fluttershy, nudging her with his hoof.

“I would, but my wish just came true,” she paused, “If-if that’s alright with you, of course...”

Silver nodded slowly, causing Fluttershy to sigh in relief. It was official, then.

They were together, and nothing could tear them apart.

Nothing.

The Plan

    “Pinkie! Pinkie, darling!” Rarity called out, quickening her pace to catch up with Pinkie Pie. She had been out shopping, and was carrying a few bags that were filled to the top with fabrics and other materials.

    Pinkie turned around upon hearing Rarity’s voice. “Oh, hey there Rarity!” she said, beaming. “How’s it goin?”

    “Oh, everything is swell. I was just wondering whether you talked with  Fluttershy or not.” Rarity’s voice dropped when she mentioned the meeting with Fluttershy.

    Pinkie caught on to her sudden urgency to keep things secret, and dipped her head. She answered her in a soft murmur, “Yeah, but she looked like she didn’t know what I was talking about! Can you believe that?”

    “Oh dear, this isn’t good...” Rarity said, biting her lip.

    “Why?” Pinkie asked, “What’s not good about a cute little surprise for Silver?”

    “You see, Pinkie,” Rarity began, “I heard about the plans from some other ponies down at the spa. I appears as if it was all just a rumor...”

    Pinkies jaw dropped in horror. “So there won’t be a party?”

    “I‘m afraid not, dear...” Rarity looked down at the path that they were walking along. She spent a few minutes deep in thought, then suddenly looked up. “Unless...unless we do something about it!”

    Pinkie’s face lit up. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

    “I believe I am!”

    “Well then what are we waiting for?” Pinkie shouted, bursting into a run. “C’mon, we’ve got a party to set up!”

    “Smooth out the blanket a little more...perfect!” Rarity coached Pinkie as she smoothed out a large plaid blanket that rested on the peak of a large hill. Rarity looked up toward the horizon. “This should be the perfect spot...”

    “Yeah, perfect for them to be all smoochie woochie and adorable and-” Pinkie halted her thought when she saw the look of disapproval on Rarity’s face. “I mean...it’ll be so romantic and wonderful!”

    Rarity’s expression cleared, and Pinkie brought out a large woven basket. It was the color of a tree’s bark, and was filled to the top with all sorts of delicious-looking food. She placed in the center of the blanket. The two stood back, admiring their work.

    “Well, dear, I think this will work perfectly!” Rarity said, walking around to view the setup from every possible angle.

    “I couldn’t agree more!” Pinkie agreed, barely able to contain her excitement.

    “Well, the only thing left to do now is to bring them here.”

    “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie dashed off; she didn’t need to be told twice. Rarity half-smiled.

    “So much energy in that one; whatevershall we do with her?” She then made her way down the hill, on a mission to deliver Silver the news.