3: Arson's Burnin' with Secrets
"SURPRISE!"
Of course, Pinkie knew there weren't words to describe the noise that was made. It must have at least passed four thousand dellabels.
Streamers, pink and blue, coated the air in a bright, warm, welcoming surprise beginning. Noise, noise, noise boomed through the room so loud that Pinkie Pie was almost sure it could be heard throughout all of Equestria. All of the ponies raised their right hoof in the air after letting out the simultaneous surprise greeting.
Finally, with all the loudness still resonating in the air, Pinkie Pie blasted of her party cannon.
The face of the new stallion known as 'Arson Ganon' forced her to hold her breath in order to not let any laughter leave her especially eager mouth.
His eyes were open wide, his right pupil twitching slightly. His mouth opened slightly at the right and left corners, almost in a sense of disbelief. Of course, the funniest part was on top of his head. His mane stuck up in the air as if Rainbow Dash had just struck him with lightning. It coupled for quite a hilarious combination.
After five seconds, the greeting's newfound silence was starting to get stale. Pinkie Pie started to worry whether the new pony actually enjoyed her wild greeting.
"Um… Hello."
Well, he didn't seem displeased. Just in shock. "Better than nothing, right?"
A steady applause filled the room with noise once again as Pinkie Pie approached the newcomer. "Welcome to your crazy awesome 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!"
"Thanks a lot. I'm excited to be here." His confidence seemed to grow a little bit, but he still seemed shaky. He was probably just unsure about meeting so many ponies. Of course, Pinkie Pie knew she was going to change that.
"So, would you like to eat cake, drink punch, get straight to the surprise present, or all of the above?!" Her enthusiasm dripped profusely out of her mouth like a speedy limerick, but not, she felt, in an overbearing manner.
"That would be hard to do all at once." She noticed his flatter, less shy remarks, were the ones he felt the most confidant at saying.
"Definitely. But, ya know, I always find a way when it comes to parties." A goofy grin lit up her face. "So, seriously, which one?"
"Well, I am kinda thirsty…"
"Okay, let's get the punch over here!"
Two ponies decided to take her order, bringing the guest not one, but two cups of punch. "Thanks." He delicately, hesitantly sipped the punch as Pinkie Pie continued to talk.
"Oh, I can't wait to show you the cake, its super awesome!"
"Is that a super hero?"
"Hm…" Pinkie Pie pondered that for a little while. "Nope, never heard of him."
"Okay. Just checking."
Overtime, Pinkie Pie showed him the various décor, introduced him to various ponies, and simultaneously tried to prepare for the Cake's reveal.
"… And this is Fluttershy,"
She casually looked over to her. A plain ol' red streak crossed over her face. Pinkie Pie wasn't the least surprised; even gaining new assertiveness, she wasn't the most comfortable meeting new ponies.
"Pleased to meet you," Fluttersy greeted the pony.
"Pleased to meet you," Arson repeated to the mare, a larger sense of confidence revealing itself through his response. Although, Pinkie determined anyone could look assertive compared to Fluttershy sometimes.
"Are you having a good time?"
"Absolutely," He gave another smile. "You?"
"Oh, yes. I'm having a very nice time." She gave a tiny, yet joyful expression that Pinkie knew wasn't fake.
"That's good. 'Course, it'd be hard not to," He chuckled slightly, but his words looked odd to Pinkie Pie; forced. She knew it was going to take some time to break the ice.
"I know, right? Pinkie Pie really does know how to throw the best parties…"
"You tell 'em, sister!" She interjected in a completely natural way. "Alright, ready to see your cake?"
"Sure,"
"Oh, of course you'll be ready for the cake," Rarity said, walking up to the group. Although many ponies hadn't even bothered to dress, Rarity had decided to show off one of her fancier ensembles. Pinkie had to admit, she did look amazing. "If you knew what I did, it would be hard not to gorge yourself in it."
"I know, right?"
Rarity glared at her playfully. "Yes, you would know, wouldn't you?"
Streaks of red crossed her face. Yesterday hadn't been the first time, but she didn't have to give away such private information! Pinkie's face took on an angry inclination.
"Oh, that's a good new color for you, darling," She laughed. "Too bad I haven't made a red gown recently."
Reverting to her more humorous phase, Pinkie giggled. "Yeah, pink's more my color anyways."
"You sure it wasn't blue?" Arson commented, Rarity bursting out into an uncontrollable bout of laughter shortly afterwards, though Pinkie had no idea why. His comment sounded like an honest question to her.
"Nope, it's pink." She closely peered into a strand of her mane. "Yep, just checking."
Mrs. Cake walked close up to Pinkie Pie from behind as the conversation continued. "You think we should bring out the cake yet?"
"Sure," Her whisper reduced to almost inponyly hushed levels. "Any time now,"
"Wait, is 'inponyly' a word..?"
Mrs. Cake left, leaving the ponies to their talk.
"…Honestly, Areson, you are quite the charmer." Rarity smiled, clearly delighted with the new guest. "Quite handsome as well."
"Thanks for the compliment," He chuckled. "But I'm pretty scruffy, especially for a Canterlot pony."
"You're as attractive as one, though. You just haven't had the time to dress well." She winked at Pinkie Pie. "Don't be so humble."
"If you say so. But trust me, seeing Areson Gaeon in a fashion magazine would be like seeing your friend Rainbow Dash in one."
"Wait, Areson Gaeon?" Pinkie was sure that wasn't his name. He must have just misspoke. With that in mind, she responded to Rarity's statement as if nothing had just been said. "No it wouldn't, silly. She's a mare, you're a stallion. Seeing you in one would be way weirder."
"I think, darling, you're missing his point."
Fluttershy had tuned out of the conversation, now conversing with Applejack and the aforementioned Rainbow Dash near one of the punch tables. She appeared less averse, and more casual. Disappointment grew inside her, but Pinkie was just glad she was happy.
"No, she does have a point." Areson admitted.
"Even so, Rarity's right. You are a pretty handsome guy, Arson."
Both ponies stared at her, Rarity holding back more laughter.
"Did I talk with my mouth full? Spew out juice on someone?" Although she took it for granted she'd done something strange, she never remembered doing things like that subconsciously. Then again, if she did do them subconsciously…
"No… Crime really isn't handsome." Arson's voice was flat, without an obvious tone or pitch. Immediately, Pinkie's left eyebrow rose. "Or a guy,"
"No… it isn't." Rarity followed his tone.
"I don't remember setting anything on fire."
"Huh, whatd'ya mean?"
"Pinkie, his name is Areson Gaeon. Not 'Arson',"
Steam flew out of her ears, and her whole face burst red. As she did this, her feet started skidding at a rapid pace. Very, very rarely did she ever forget any pony's name.
"Oh, I'm so, so sorry. I must not have heard you right."
"Don't worry, i-it's fine. "His uneasiness promptly returned to his voice, and Pinkie had no idea why.
"Oh look, they're rolling out the cake." Rarity showed him towards the newly unveiled cake. Mr. and Mrs. Cake stood at both sides, waiting for Pinkie's cue to pull off the red velvet curtain.
She gave the signal.
A collective gasp consumed any and every pony in the room at that moment.
The cake was a thing of beauty. 6 feet tall, 7 creamy, super delicious chocolately yummilicious layers, pink vanilla swirls on each one, Pinkie felt that temptation from her chest, right up to her noggin, her eyes lighting up like a rainbow in a dark, stormy sky.
She couldn't stop it.
Full speed, she lunged at the maddening, extremely desirable source of her affection.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer…
Tug.
A firm right hoof, pulled her back. Innocently, she gazed back at Applejack who was shaking her head in a scolding manner.
"Aw, come on, it would have been just one little lick…"
That's what she wanted to say. 'Course, she knew AJ would never buy it.
The rest of the night was so awesome; Pinkie Pie played each event over and over again in her head at least a bajillion times. The party games were fun, the cake was super fun, and when he opened the present, it was super duper ooper fun.
"Thanks you guys," He shyly gave out his thanks to the crowd before him. "I'll never forget this."
A few 'aaws' rose up from the crowd. Pinkie's face exploded into a grin.
"So, hurry up and try it on!"
Nodding, he slipped on his suit, and the crowd cheered rampantly.
He offered personal thanks to Rarity, and spent the rest of the night how the rest of the ponies did; eating cake, drinking punch, dancing at the surprise disco ball Pinkie had planted in the ceiling. She wished all of life could be like this; a nourishing dream her mind could suspend itself in, and never, ever look back.
Soon, ponies started leaving. One, two, three, soon almost everypony had left Areson's super awesome party. Pinkie wasn't bothered too much by the fact Fluttershy was one of the first who'd left; she usually needed reset after so much excitement. Besides, in her dazed state, she would never have noticed even if she was upset.
"Thanks for the party."
He told her after every other pony had left.
"Aw, it was nothing. You've probably had much better parties at Canterlot."
"Well, no, actually…" He got kinda quiet. Inside, her heart started to twirl in a strange direction that made her feel very uncomfortable.
"Aw, come on. What was it like living in Canterlot? Probably the best, right? Living near Celestia, getting to go to the gala every year…"
She noticed himself distancing. A melancholic, pervasive cloud covered his mane, darkening him blacker than night. His mane shadowed over his eyes, and his mouth narrowed itself downward.
"It… Wasn't that great, really. You know how Canterlot is."
Outwardly, her enthusiasm stayed. Inside, she'd felt she made a grave mistake.
"No, I don't… Well, I know Rarity loves it, that's all."
"Well, just don't talk about it, okay?" The only pony she'd ever seen so angry about something before was Cranky. And with him, she could barely tell when he was crankier than usual. After all, he was always cranky. But this was deeper; sadness she'd only felt glimpses of in Cranky after she broke his special book. A deep feeling he wasn't letting out; something he wished he could; something he really, really, really wanted to let somepony know, but for some reason, couldn't tell her.
Something he was afraid somepony else would find out about.
"O-okay." For the first time that evening, she was the one who didn't know what to say. "Did something happen there?"
"Long story. Let's just say, it's changed me. Don't talk about it. You wouldn't wanna hear it." She'd never seen this tone in him before; now, he looked cold, abrasive, mean…
Lost.
"In that case…" She bounced in place. "We just won't talk about it."
He glanced back her way. He still looked upset. All he offered her was a small, sentimental chuckle.
"Yeah, let's not. See ya later,"
The black abyss grabbed his form, leaving Pinkie Pie alone in the darkness again. No one to hide it from now, she let her emotions take form.
She remembered Fluttershy now. She remembered Areson's shyness. She rememberd his awkwardness whenever they talked about things close to home.
Despite all that, her optimism never let her forget his happy moments.
A small, cheerful light glistened through the window, diverting Pinkie's attention.
"Pinkie Pie?"
Mr. Cake's tired, perplexed face woke her out of her trance.
"Yup?"
"You comin' to bed?"
"Sure, I'm just gonna stay out here and think for a little bit."
He glanced curiously at her. While he stood there, the dark threatening to take hold of him, his mouth cut himself from saying anything more that he wanted to say. Instead, he left.
"Alright, don't stay out too long."
She shook her head. He closed the door.
Now she was back to square one.
Feelings of hurt and confusion grasped her heart with an impenetrable hold she couldn't escape. Her mind found it hard to think, found it hard to know what to think about.
What she was supposed to think about.
But most of all, she felt one thing that made her other problems look teeny weeny in comparison.
Lost.
Fluttershy never thought of herself as a good judge of character. In fact, personally, she saw herself as bad at it. But something inside her knew one thing for certain.
Areson was not what he wanted other ponies to think he was.
As she walked back home, the stars in the black, yet blue void of twilight being her only guide, she knew for absolute certain.
It wasn't obvious at first. No, one could argue he was just kind of shy.
Later was when Fluttershy knew he was starting to lose his guard.
It was after their initial introduction; sometime after the present had been shown. Rarity and Rainbow Dash had been talking with him, while Fluttershy overheard the conversation, examining the well-done fabric in a banner on the wall.
"I do say, Areson, you look absolutely dashing."
"Yeah, I have to admit, you do look snappy. 'Course, I'm not one to judge fashion, that's for sure."
"I'm just glad you thought of me enough to do this. But actually, Rainbow Dash, I think your attitude perfectly fits the mind of a fashion critic."
"Hehe, yeah, good one."
The sarcasm popped into Fluttershy's mind quite fervently. For a pony who carried himself as shy, his sarcasm found its way into conversations often. She guessed it must be his way of trying to relate to others. She'd never liked It when other ponies snarked, but she could understand the gesture.
"Of course, this is merely a welcoming present. You've probably received much fancier presents in Canterlot."
The thought of Rarity humbling her work irked Fluttershy. She faced the conversation members, noticing Areson's sudden nervousness.
"Well… It's not that great, really…"
"Not that great?! Oh, most of Equestria's top fashion designers live there! How could you say such a thing?"
Rainbow Dash leaned her head back against her table, boredom crossing her face. "'Can't exactly blame him."
"Well, th-they pander to the royals. Very few of them are free-thinkers."
That was the comment that disturbed Fluttershy. The one that made her think that this pony was keeping something secret that he wanted nopony to know. Her eyes looked towards the conversation more curiously. Had she not been a part of this conversation up until she'd decided to grab a quick drink, she would have considered this eavesdropping.
"That may be so, but that's just good-natured advertising, is it not? Now, don't get me wrong, some of them are undesirable, but there are bad apples in every bunch, right?"
"Yes… I do," He tried to find something to rest his eyes on, anything to avoid Rarity's curious glance.
"Well, not everyone is interested in fashion I suppose. That's completely fine with me." A happy smile covered her face, her mind starting to shift to other topics. "So, what did your parents do for a living?"
"I have to commend you on these curtains. They look amazing,"
Bashfulness crept back into his voice. Rarity, noticing the abruptness of his change of subject, put on a queer look for a second before returning to her previous demeanor. "Why, thank you, good sir…"
In addition, Fluttershy could tell Rainbow Dash shared a similar cluelessness to his strange behavior, but shrugged it off. Fluttershy assumed she hadn't been interested in the conversation anyways.
"And it wasn't just that,"
She orally began to talk to herself, kicking stones here and there as she embarked on the lonely walk back to her cottage. "He always looked like he was hiding something. I wonder what it could be…"
"Who might you be speaking of?"
She recognized the voice, but only vaguely. Turning to the sound, her eyes faced the stallion who'd sold her oranges earlier that day.
"Oh, just the pony who was at the center of the 'Welcome Party' earlier today."
"I… See," His eyes became suspicious. "I can understand that. He did seem kinda worried about something or another."
"If it's just some mistake in his past, I hope he knows we wouldn't judge him by those things. Do you think that could be it?"
"Could be," His face was ominous; drawn to an inclination in his heart Fluttershy couldn't decipher. "But, I've been feeling strange ever since I heard about that ceremony. Almost as if anythin' can happen now."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"You haven't heard?" He looked flabbergasted. Perplexed, Fluttershy began to speak before he cut her off. "I suppose it ain't suprising; the paper's just depressing these days, ya know?"
"Yeah, I think so too."
"If ya want me to tell ya, I will. But it's kinda sad, you may not wanna hear about it."
Fluttershy had had her feel of sorrowful feelings for the day, but her curiosity burst at the seams.
"No, I'm curious. What happened?"
"Well, there was this ceremony held for this royal guard. Apparently, he'd been promoted, and all of these Canterlot royal big wigs came to commemorate the event. He'd become captain of a squadron in Canterlot or something. But then, the strangest thing happened."
"What?"
"Well, after he accepted his invitation, he suddenly…" A gust of wind stroked his mane, and his words stopped. Fluttershy attempted to deduce an explanation, but couldn't find one. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this. I don't think the Princess wants lots of ponies to know about this."
"Huh..?"
"Don't worry about it. It's probably one of those one in a million things anyways." Fluttershy wanted to believe those words. She truly did. But the stallion she talked to didn't believe them.
And neither did she.
"Like I said, weird things have been happenin'. This guy could be a troll in disguise, or something like that. See ya," With a curt final word, he vanished without a trace. Inside, Fluttershy's heart did cartwheels.
She probably wouldn't get sleep tonight.
When she made her way back to the cottage, she spent time watering her plants, feeding the animals, and sitting on her couch, letting her true feelings wash out of her.
Angel, noticing the confusion, walked up to her side, placing a comforting paw on her hoof.
"Oh, I just don't know Angel."
He stared at her quizzically.
"Nothing seems to be going right. It's as if Twilight leaving has made me so bothered lately. I'm looking into every little suspicious thing I see, examining every piece of gossip, and…"
The bunny crawled up to her neck, cuddling her gently, concern emanating through his eyes. Although Fluttershy knew about his rather inconsistent behavior, he had always been one of her close friends among her animals.
"I can't believe I feel so worried about him. I mean, I know not everypony likes telling the world about the past. I know I don't sometimes."
Angel only nodded.
"Still, things would only be easier if Twilight…" A breath tinted with humidity left her as she lay down on her comfy couch cushion. Angel kept patting her head.
Although Twilight hadn't been her friend for as long as the others, she came to know her like she did every other friend she had. She could relate to her awkwardness, even if she didn't seem as shy as she was perplexed about well-known social norms. Gradually though, Fluttershy began to rely on her for help as much as she did everypony else.
"But, Rarity is my best friend, isn't she?"
Shaking her head, Fluttershy rerouted her thought patterns. She didn't want to confuse how important her friends were to her because of something that seemed so frivolous. Rarity was her best friend; the one she was the closest to. But even so, all of her friends were just as important to her as the other. She knew that.
"Alright, one worry down, three more to go."
For a second, she giggled at how silly her statement sounded. But the feeling passed almost instantly. Already, her body felt exhausted from the long day, and this exhaustion passed on to her mind as well. Slowly, sleepiness took control, and she fell into a long, deep slumber.
The next morning, she made up her mind to have a day that was purely relazing.
Making herself a grass sandwich, crushed olives inside, she took her time feeding her animal friends and giving her plants more water as she ate. Although her mind still wandered to yesterday's thinking patterns, she felt content.
And for her, that was a major success.
By 11:00 AM, however, she was already feeling bored. Not sure precisely what to do, she watched Angel eat a specially made carrot ice cream dish.
She remembered the stallion. The one who'd seemed so odd last night. Even with her shyness, Fluttershy knew it would be rude to just leave her feelings about him as they were.
"Alright, I'm heading over to Areson's house. Angel?"
No response.
"Angel…"
Still nothing. The bunny was obviously absorbed in his eating habits.
"Okay, just checking,"
As she entered town, she suddenly recalled something important. How exactly was she going to find his house? She didn't know his address, after all.
But Pinkie Pie probably would.
A lively bell chimed above as she walked through the doors of Sugar Cube Corner.
"Oh, good morning Fluttershy," Mr. Cake offered the first greeting.
"Yes, how do you do?" Mrs. Cake followed up.
"Very well, thank you. Is Pinkie Pie up yet?"
"Yes, she is. But, she's not here." Mr. Cake frowned at his own answer.
"She went to visit the pony they held the party for yesterday."
How ironic.
"Oh, that's okay. Would you happen to know his address?"
Mr. Cake stroked his mane. "I'm afraid not. I never thought of asking."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll find it somehow."
"Why don't you ask the Mayor?" Mr. Cake suggested. "She probably knows what his address is."
With Mr Cake's invitation, Fluttershy made her way to the Mayor's office.
"Good morning Fluttershy," The mayor politely, courteously greeted her. "Is there something I can help you with."
"Yes, actually. Were you at the party at Sugar Cube Corners yesterday?"
"Yes, I was. Delightful party, indeed, wasn't it?"
"Oh, absolutely. But, would you happen to know of the address of the pony the party was for?"
"Hm," She pulled out a large book, and fished through it with her right hoof, while her mouth jotted down the pony's name on a piece of paper.
"Yes, it's right here."
Fluttershy peered over into the book, reading the address.
"I'm surprised he lives near the center of town."
"It is a bit surprising, considering his personality, but he seemed like a fine stallion. If a bit mysterious. Of course, Princess Twilight did let me know about that, but even so, it feels more real when I see it for myself."
"Hehe, I know what you mean. Thank you, mayor,"
Following the address, the gossip she'd heard yesterday had returned. Only this time, she didn't pay attention. She wasn't interested.
Three knocks on the door, and she heard a yell.
"COMING!"
Pinkie Pie.
Opening the door wide, Pinkie Pie gasped wildly.
"Oh wow, it's you Fluttershy. I didn't know you'd come to visit him to!"
"I felt like making him feel welcome."
Fluttershy took a moment to glimpse over the pony's house. It was small, but comforting; a table sat in the center, a rocking chair in the room's upper right corner, while a bed sat in the upper left corner. Next to the bed was a desk drawer, a family photo Fluttershy couldn't see clearly on top of it. A small oven, and a variety of kitchen supplies were on the right, and various pictures on the wall helped illuminate the dusty, somewhat empty looking house.
Presumably hearing the conversation, Areson trotted next to Pinkie Pie, giving a shy yet friendly smile.
"How have you been?"
"Okay," He chuckled thoughtfully. "But, I am in a bit of a muddle."
"No relation to a puddle," Pinkie Pie whispered over to Fluttershy.
"What would that be?"
"The one thing I hadn't really thought of when moving over here was where to find a job." He sighed. "I'm pretty good at keeping track of information, but I'm not any good at manual labor. I'm not sure what kinda job I'd be good at."
"Any other qualifications?" Fluttershy persisted.
"Well, I know how to bake some things, I guess. And well, I, well…"
"What kinda job did you have back in Canterlot?"
"Well, I was an assistant of sorts. Like I said, keeping things in order, making sure things stayed where they should be, that sort of thing."
Fluttershy pondered these qualifications, but she could feel Pinkie Pie vibrating at sonic speeds. For a moment, she wondered why she was keeping silent.
"I know who you could work for!" Pinkie Pie's answer was surprisingly calm, and collected.
"Okay," He said. "Who's the pony?"
"Well, you met her last night, and I think she could use that type of help."
"Did I ever meet a pony named 'her'?"
"Um, no. I don't know any hers in Ponyville. That would sure be a strange name."
"But anyways," Areson moved past Pinkie's attempt at reasoning his joke. "Who is it for?"
Pinkie grinned, laughing as she exited his abode.
"I'll show you when we get there."