Eye of the Beholder

Chapter 2: Who is Silver?

Fluttershy was still being pulled by Rainbow Dash, she had asked where she was taking her but Rainbow had just told her she was getting her help. Soon enough they reached their destination, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy into sugar cube corner and finally let her go. Tending to the counter was Mr. Cake who was setting up an order.

“Hello girls, what brings you here?” said Mr. Cake with a wave when he noticed the two mares walking up to him.

“Hey Mr. Cake, is it alright if we see Pinkie Pie for a moment?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Oh sure, she’s up in her room getting ready” said Mr. Cake as he pointed towards the stairs showing that they could do upstairs.

“Thanks!” said Rainbow as she and Fluttershy took the stairs to the second floor of the building so that they could see Pinkie. When they reached her room they saw it was open, a quick peek to make sure she was decent and they knocked on the door.

“Come in!” said Pinkie happily as she normally sounds, Rainbow and Fluttershy stepped inside her room about a second later.

“Sup Pinkie” greeted Rainbow.

“Hello Pinkie” said Fluttershy right after. Pinkie turned around from the mirror she was using while she combed her hair and quickly gave them both a hug.

“Hey girls, how’s it going?” said Pinkie before taking a step back. She was wearing a baby blue blouse with a while apron and a short yellow skirt. She had on white knee socks tied to a bow knot and a pair of light blue shoes. In her hair were three clips, each of them looked like a party balloon.

“We came to ask you something Pinkie” said Rainbow Dash; afterword’s Pinkie tilted her head in wonder as she waited for what it was they wanted to ask her.

Dash explained the situation Fluttershy was under; she told Pinkie about the hiding and the colt who works in the flower shop. Pinkie had made it clear several times in the past that she makes an effort to know every pony in Ponyville. If this colt was new to the town then it was likely that Pinkie knew something about him.

“So that’s pretty much the situation” said Rainbow who was now sitting on Pinkies bed. Fluttershy was leaning against the wall slightly red-faced from embarrassment. Pinkie on the other hand felt overjoyed after being told about Fluttershy’s little crush.

“Oh that’s so cute Fluttershy!” said Pinkie as she gave the meek Pegasus a warm hug. Fluttershy only wished she could be as happy as Pinkie was about this.

“So seeing as you seem to know everypony in town, do you know anything about this unicorn?” ask Rainbow. Pinkie let go of Fluttershy and gave a confirming nod to Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, he moved into town a few weeks ago with another unicorn colt” said Pinkie as she thought back to the day she first saw them. “They were both walking side by side holding suit cases, they looked like they were friends” she added. It sounded innocent from Pinkies point of view, but Rainbow Dash’s mind thought up something else.

“Two unicorns move into town at the same time…” Dash began to think to herself as she tried to piece something together. “I could just be over thinking this…” she continued not wanting to go further into the thought in her head.

“D…did you throw them a party?” Fluttershy asked not remembering Pinkie mentioning any party she may have thrown for the two unicorns.

“I tried to, but they said they had something they had things to take care of now that they were in town” Pinkie answered.

“Well it’s not the first time somepony turned down a party” said Rainbow. “Do you know anything else about him, like where he’s from?” she proceeded to ask.

“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to ask them, they seemed like they were in a rush” she answered. Finding out where they two unicorns were from wasn’t so much necessary, but a pony’s personality can sometimes be figured out based on where they are from. If Pinkie didn’t know then the only other way to find out was to ask one of them directly, but if Fluttershy had the guts to do that then they wouldn’t be in Pinkies room in the first place.

“So Fluttershy, are you going to ask him out?” Pinkie randomly asked, small question to most but to Fluttershy it was like striking her with a log.

“I-I don’t know, maybe, or not….” Fluttershy began to ramble to herself not quite sure on how to answer. “I mean…I haven’t even talked to him before…” Fluttershy said bringing up the underline problem.

“I was hoping that if we find something out about him then Fluttershy would have a bit of an easier time mustering up the courage to talk to him” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well sorry…but that’s all I know about him” said Pinkie as she went back to her thoughts to see if she forgot anything. “Oh if I think I’ve seen them go to the library a few times” Pinkie said finally recalling haven seen the two unicorns after that.

“Library huh? Maybe Twilight can tell us where they’re from” said the rainbow haired pegasus. If somepony went to the library to check out a book then she would have to know their names or something. “Thanks for the help Pinkie, come on shy’” said Rainbow as she got up from Pinkies bed and made her way out of the room.

“Good luck!” said Pinkie as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash left the shop so they could make their way to the library.

Inside the library, the Unicorn Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a good book as she normally does. As usual she was wearing her white blouse with a purple vest over it and a black skirt. On the left bosom of the vest was a custom stich of her cutie mark. This was how she normally spends her days if she can, most ponies would be driven crazy spending all day every day reading, but she found it relaxing.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Can you get that Spike?” Twilight said not taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. There was only silence after that, Twilight was going to call for dragon assistant again when it she recollected something. “Oh that’s right, Spikes with Rarity today” she said finally remembering. She let out a sigh and placed a book mark before closing the book.

“Always at the good parts…” said Twilight as she got up from her chair and began to move to move towards the door. When Twilight opened the door saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy waiting outside, the latter looking uncomfortable, probably more than usual. “Hey girls, what brings you here?” she asked, Rainbow did not usually visit the library if it didn’t involve her crashing into it.

“Hey Twi’, we need to ask you something” said Rainbow Dash as she waved her hand. Twilight raised a brow as she backed up and opened the door so she could let them inside.

“What was it you wanted to ask me?” asked Twilight as she closed the door behind her. Rainbow Dash looked like was going to say something, but then she turned to Fluttershy and tapped her side with her shoulder. It was clear to her that Rainbow wanted her to tell Twilight what they were doing, but she was having a hard doing so.

“Um…Twilight, do you know A unicorn named Silver?” Fluttershy finally said after having difficulty saying what she had to say.

“Blue fur, white hair, and wears sunglasses?” Twilight said describing the unicorn that Fluttershy was talking about.

“Y-you’ve met him?” asked Fluttershy sounding a little more upbeat but not by much.

“Yeah, he and another unicorn visited the library before” said Twilight as she walked up to her table and picked up a journal.

“What did they want?” asked Rainbow as Twilight flipped through the pages of the journal. She continued to search through it until she finally found what she was searching for.

“They came here twice, the first time looking for a map and the second time to check out a book” said Twilight as she turned the journal so that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could see it. “Although the book is under his friend’s name, his name’s Azure”

“Okay so we know who the other unicorn is, but do you know where they’re from?” Asked Rainbow Dash as she checked to see if the journal said it or not.

“Oh, they’re from Canterlot like me” Twilight said with a little smile. A far as she knew she used to be the only pony from there, she was a little glad to know that wasn’t the case anymore. “Azure seemed okay, though Silver was a little…odd” Twilight added. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at Twilight as they wondered what it was that she meant by ‘odd’.

“Odd? Odd how?” asked Rainbow Dash, she started to wonder if the unicorn Fluttershy was a weirdo.

“Well, both times he and his friend visited the library…he did the same thing” Twilight said as she thought back to that day.

“Which was?” asked Rainbow wanting Twilight to continue with the story.

“Well while Azure searched the library for what they needed, he sort of just…stood there” Twilight said not quite sure how else to say it. Standing in itself wasn’t strange so they waited to see if there was something more to it. “I mean sure it doesn’t sound strange…but he just stared off into space, he didn’t look around or anything” said Twilight.

“Maybe he just doesn’t like to read like reading books” said Rainbow “Remember how I used to be before I started reading the Daring Do series” she added. Although Twilight couldn’t understand why some ponies didn’t like reading, it made sense to her.

“Maybe…wait why are we talking about him again?” Twilight said figuring out that they never did tell her why they were searching for information about them.

“Oh, Fluttershy has a crush on him” said Rainbow Dash as she placed an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy forced a smile, at the very least Rainbow Dash was trying to make this easier for her by getting her friends to help.

“That’s great Fluttershy! Have you talked to him?” she asked, it was looking like this question would continue to haunt Fluttershy for a while.

“She tried, but backed out at the last second” said Rainbow Dash “you know how she gets when around somepony she doesn’t know” she added. Twilight didn’t know Fluttershy for as long as Rainbow Dash has, but she’s known her long enough to know how she gets sometimes.

“I’m sorry to hear that, what do you intend to do?” asked Twilight wondering if they were planning something.

“Right now I’m just trying to keep her from giving up before even giving it a fighting chance” answered Rainbow. It was a commendable gesture of friendship from Rainbow Dash, but a lot harder said than done. She knows that Fluttershy is capable of doing almost anything when she sets her mind to it. Like when Fluttershy trained herself so she could help the other pegasi create the tornado so they could give Cloudsdale the water needed for the raining season.

Although she wasn’t able to match the other pegasi in terms of speed, she was able to greatly increase her flying strength in a short amount of time. Even though they didn’t beat the record, Rainbow was still proud of her friend for having her back. And it wasn’t the first time Fluttershy helped her friends when they needed her. Now it was Rainbows turn to be the rock Fluttershy needs.

“Well if it’s romantic advice you’re looking for I’d tell you to ask Rarity, but she and spike are out gathering jewels again. And I’m not sure anypony else knows much when it comes to this kind of thing” said Twilight. Of all of her friends only Rarity has ever dated anypony before, and she had no experience herself.

“Ah come on, you spend all day reading books. Have you ever read a romance novel or something?” asked Rainbow. Twilight looked away for a moment as she thought back to all the books she’s read.

“Well, I have read a few…” she said a little ashamed to admit “I’ll admit there was a time where I got curious, but not sure how a fictional story can apply here” she continued.

“Not like we have a lot of options, how do they go?” asked Rainbow who was taking any advice she could get her hands on if it would help Fluttershy.

“Well in one story I read there was a rich mare that falls in love with her father’s gardener” Twilight started as she thought back to what happened in the book she read. It was starting to sound promising, the rich part may not fit but Fluttershy was definitely too shy for her own good and the unicorn she like works in a flower shop.

“That sounds almost exactly the same! He works in a flower shop, this might be easier than I thought” said Rainbow with a smile. But she should know that nothing is ever that easy.

“Not exactly…” said Twilight with a half-smile which just read that it was not what they thought it was. The two pegasi stared at Twilight waiting for her to tell them what happened to the mare of the story. “You see after almost a month of trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings…” she continued now sounding a little awkward.

“He turned her down…didn’t he…” said Fluttershy now sounding a little depressed from thinking this.

“Well yes…but not because he didn’t like her or already had a lover…” Twilight said before clearing her throat. “You see, it turned out he didn’t go that way…” she finally said now regretting bringing up the story in the first place.

“How is that supposed to help us!” yelled Rainbow Dash as she took a step closer to Twilight.

“Sorry! I didn’t remember that part till now” apologized Twilight as she placed her hand behind her head. “Look I can say for sure that it won’t be as dramatic as the books I’ve read, all I know is one of the mistakes the mare makes is waiting too long” Twilight said to rebound from the bad first attempt at helping.

“See, if you wait too long then it will end up being a repeat of the other times you’ve had a crush on somepony” said Rainbow as she turned to Fluttershy.

“B-but what if he rejects me?” asked Fluttershy as she rubbed her shoulder. Of the many things she feared, rejection was definitely close to the top of that list. It’s the main reason she had a hard time making friends or asking a colt out.

“Come on shy’, you can’t let what if’s run your life” said Rainbow as she place her hands on her friend’s shoulder. “Every now and then you have to take a chance!” she continued, but the look of defeat was still on the meek Pegasus face.

“She has a point Fluttershy” said Twilight as she took a step closer to the two pegasi. “Hey, what if Rainbow and I go with you to talk to him?” suggested Twilight. Rainbow turned to Twilight with an open smile.

“That’s perfect! If we all go with you then you won’t feel as nervous!” she said as she turned to Fluttershy again. “Come on let’s go!” she continued as she began to push Fluttershy from behind towards the door.

“W-wait! His shift should be over by now…”said Fluttershy as she dug in her heels to prevent Dash from pushing her. Rainbow stopped pushing at this time and removed her hands from her friends back. With no more support behind her Fluttershy fell back on the ground with a light squeak.

“Then I guess we have to try tomorrow…” said Rainbow as she helped Fluttershy up from the ground.

“Sounds like a plan, maybe we can ask the others if they can spare some time to help” said Twilight. “Surly if all of us are around then maybe you’ll feel a little bit more at ease” she explained.

“See Fluttershy, we got your back” said Rainbow with a thumb’s up. Ordinarily this might work with anypony else, but this was Fluttershy they were talking to.

“Oh but I don’t have time tomorrow, I have to make sure all the animals are okay so I will be busy. And some of the birds have new eggs that could be born any day now so I need to prepare for when they do. So maybe we should reschedule for another time, next month works just fine.” said Fluttershy as she began to inch her way towards the door. Before she could get any further she felt two arms wrap around her and lift her from the ground.

“Oh no you don’t, if you don’t agree to this then I’m going to lock both of you in a room until you talk to him!” threatened Rainbow Dash as Fluttershy struggled to get free.

“You wouldn’t dare!” said Fluttershy with a gasp as she turned her head so she could look at Rainbow.

“Oh yes I would, in fact I’m taking you to his boss so we can find out here he lives” responded Rainbow as she began to walk towards the door. Fluttershy is very light for somepony her age so lifting her was in no way difficult for Rainbow who was more athletic.

“No, no, no, no!” pled Fluttershy as Rainbow continued to walk while carrying her off the ground. Twilight was going to interject and tell Rainbow that this approach was taking it a little too far, but she didn’t get the chance to. “I…said…NO!” Fluttershy finally yelled with more determination in her voice than she had all day. The next thing she knew it, Rainbow found herself looking up to the ceiling from the library floor.

“Uh…what just happened?” asked Rainbow as she sat up from the ground rubbing her head.

“Fluttershy, flipped you, and then ran off…” said Twilight still shocked from the sight of the meek Pegasus overpowering Rainbow.

“Jeeze, she always seems to amaze me with the things she can do” said Rainbow as she got up from the ground and dusted herself off. The meek Pegasus has done some amazing things before from staring a dragon to submission, to now flipping Rainbow who was a black belt. Fluttershy could do anything with the right motivation, if only they could find a way to make it work when they needed it to.

“So what do we do now?” wondered Twilight.

“Leave her for now…” said Rainbow as she took a few steps towards the door and looked to see if she could spot Fluttershy. “If we’re going to help her than we to gather the others, I am not going to let it end like this” said Rainbow confidently.

“This is great; I might even learn a lesson on friendship that I can send to the princess!” said Twilight.

“Worry about you’re lessons later, we need to focus on Fluttershy’s problem first” said Rainbow as she crossed her arms.

“Right, sorry” said Twilight as she gave an apologetic smile. Now that they had a plan, all that was left was for them to tell the others and meet at the same place the next day. Rainbow Dash agreed to tell Pinkie Pie and Applejack while Twilight said she’d tell Rarity. All that they could do was hope that combined they could give Fluttershy the courage to talk to Silver. But when it comes to making Fluttershy do something she doesn’t want to, it’s always easier said than done.