What my Cutie Mark was Telling Me

by Quillery

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie
Length: 10850

After the events of Magical Mystery Cure, Fluttershy discovers that everypony needs a hobby.

Destiny is a funny thing.

Sometimes, at the drop of a hat, our destiny can change. Sometimes, we don't even notice it, and what we end up with is something that doesn't belong. Even after our true friends step in to right what was wrong, a false destiny can leave something behind, and all you can do is ignore it... or embrace it.

Set shortly after the end of Magical Mystery Cure

Cover Art by Ambris

Published 2014-06-28 15:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-28 15:20:02 UTC

The Kindest Laughter

What my Cutie Mark was Telling Me

by Quillery

Fluttershy rose with the morning sun. She cleaned her chicken coops and bird houses, and refilled them with seeds. She dusted the wooden nooks in and around her home for her mice, her rabbits, and more. She gathered all of her little animal friends together for lunch in her garden, and sang them to sleep in the evening. A sigh, just before she went to sleep.

Another morning, another new set of chores for her to complete. Finding fresh worms for the birds, fresh fish for the ferrets. Nursing sick animals to health, and scolding mischievous ones to obedience. Another sigh, just before bed, repeat.

A third morning started in all the usual ways. Fluttershy rose from her bed and moved through her home. Another sigh passed her lips as she examined the state of it. The feeders were full and clean. The animals were still waiting for the roosters to cry out the morning. Everything was as it was, every single day, and to her, it was no longer enough.

Her mind was longing, yearning, for change. These tasks that she did to care for her home and it’s many denizens felt more like tiresome chores, and no longer filled her with joy as it once did. And so, on this third morning, she found herself standing on her front step, staring at the rising sun over Ponyville below.

She glanced down, and at her hooves was a small white rabbit, frowning while tugging at her legs. “Oh, Angel. You’re up already.”

Angel let go of Fluttershy’s leg and pointed back inside the house, rubbing his belly.

“Don’t worry, Angel. I’ve left plenty of food for everyone. It should last until I get back. I won’t be gone long, I promise.”

Angel scratched his head. He took a moment to glance inside the house, and nodded. Hopping to the edge of the door, he glanced up at Fluttershy with a questioning look as he nodded his head towards the road.

“Oh, you know why I need to go, Angel. I need to talk to her. She’ll understand what’s been going on.”

Angel bobbed his head.

“I know you don’t think she’ll be able to help, but I have to at least try.”

Angel shrugged and hopped to Fluttershy's hind legs, and began to push against them.

Fluttershy sighed. "I know I should do this... but I'm scared it wont amount to anything."

He outstretched his legs, and made a shooing motion, and gave her a dismissive shake of his head.

She sighed. It was a silly thing to worry about. It was fairly clear in her mind who she needed to go to for answers, but her own doubts fought against her at every step. Even bringing herself to take the first step towards town and find the solution she sought was a challenge.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m not going to learn anything by staying here and ignoring it. These feelings aren’t going to stop on their own.” Angel smiled, and nodded.

She had kept these feelings to herself for so long, but it was clear that keeping them silent was taking its toll on her. It was time to put aside her fears and seek out those answers to finally understand why. With her resolve, weak but growing, she set off for Ponyville.

*****

Fluttershy’s mind wavered between worry and peace as she wandered through the tiny square. The smell of something sweet drifted past her nose, and she turned her head towards its source. In the middle of the market was a tall building with festive colors. The roof was lined with ripples of white surrounding large slabs of golden brown. A tower poked out of the roof, shaped like a cupcake with large plastic candles jutting out of its top. Candy canes and other colorful sweets were strewn about the roof to complete the saccharine design of the village’s resident bakery.

Fluttershy walked directly towards the edible-looking building, trotting past the front door and continuing around the side towards the back. Hidden from the street was a small wooden door, colored a bright pink with a small window shaped like a heart.

She stopped in front of the door and stared at it. Her stomach twisted into knots as she stood there, her mind racing. She slowly lifted a hoof to the door, but froze just before reaching it.

She shook her head. No. I’ve come this far, I need to see it through. I need to put my hoof down and get answers. She accompanied the thought with a quiet stomp of her raised hoof. She looked down at her legs and tilted her head. Just maybe not too hard.

She lifted the hoof again, took in a deep breath and knocked. A moment of silence followed. Followed by another, and another. After a minute, she sighed, and tried again, a little louder than before.

Again, there was nothing but silence. She tried a third time, even louder.

Bam, bam, bam!

Her ears wilted. Oh my, that wasn’t too loud, was it? Did I wake up the whole house? Oh dear, the Cakes will be so upset with me if I woke their children up this early. Maybe I should just go.

Fluttershy spun around and started to leave, when the sound of hinges creaking behind her froze her mid-step. There was a loud yawn and the sound of lips smacking, accompanied by quiet mumbling.

“Hooze knockin’ at this hour…” a groggy voice asked. A moment later, the voice brightened. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here so early?”

Fluttershy slowly turned her head towards the voice. Behind her was a bright pink mare with and equally bright mane. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned again, blinking quickly.

“Oh! Um… well. I wanted to… ask you something, Pinkie.”

Pinkie’s eyes brightened. “Ooh, and it must be super important if you came so early, right? It is, isn’t it?” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. “Hmm... Is there another dragon and you needed my help? Or has Angel finally taken over the warren and you need my help with the revolution?”

Pinkie moved in closer as Fluttershy shied away from her friend’s energetic advance. “Um… no. It’s nothing like that.” She rubbed a hoof against her leg. “W-well, I originally considered to talk to Twilight about this, but she isn’t back yet and—”

“She isn’t?! But I had huge plans for her welcome back party!” Pinkie fell to her haunches and crossed her forelegs. “Now what am I going to do with all my streamers and cake?”

“U-um, Pinkie?”

“Oh. Right.” Pinkie withdrew back to her door, smiling. “Then what do you want to ask me?”

Fluttershy’s gaze fell. She scuffed the ground with her hoof. You know what you want to ask, just ask her!

“Um, well… I was wondering if… you could…”

Pinkie tilted her head as Fluttershy’s voice dwindled to an inaudible squeak. “Sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear that last part.”

Fluttershy swallowed a lump in her throat. “Sorry. I meant to say…”

Pinkie shook her head. “Still didn’t catch that.”

“I want you to teach me how to make ponies smile!”

Pinkie’s expression became unreadable. Her face seemed like etched stone as she stared forward at Fluttershy. The silence magnified the hammering of her heart as her nerves started to wrap themselves around her throat. Her breathing quickened as one of Pinkie’s eyebrows slowly started to climb.

Pinkie let out another yawn, and turned back towards the door, motioning Fluttershy to follow. “First… I think I need some coffee.”

*****

In Fluttershy’s opinion, Pinkie Pie’s room was probably the cleanest and tidiest in all of Ponyville, even more so than Rarity’s. The bed sheets were crisp and pressed, the floor washed and polished, and the windows were nearly invisible.

A large bookshelf sat against the side, laden with brightly colored books. Their titles were along the lines of ‘Cakemaker’s Digest’, ‘The Goods and Bads of Baking’ and other similar materials. Each and every one was personally catalogued and organized, just like any library would have it.

Beside the bookshelf was a separate series of shelves filled with boxes of streamers, balloons, confetti, and other decorations, arranged by color, type, and size. Beside that was a counter filled with personalized baking tools arranged in an order only known to Pinkie Pie.

In the center of the room sat a rectangular table covered by a pink tablecloth. Fluttershy and Pinkie sat across from each other, each with a plate of biscuits in front of them. Pinkie had a steaming pot within reach and occasionally poured a dark brown liquid into a large mug.

“So…” Pinkie said, taking a sip of her coffee. “Is something wrong, Fluttershy?”

“N-no…” Fluttershy said, poking at the biscuits on her plate. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, it isn’t often somepony comes by and asks me to teach them how to make ponies smile.”

Fluttershy withdrew in her chair. “W-well, I was… um…” She pressed her hooves together and twiddled them. “Do you remember much of what happened two weeks ago? Before Twilight was coronated?”

“You mean when Twilight said we were all cutie loopy? No, not really. I remember dreaming about apples.” Pinkie smiled. “A whole bunch of apples! I was trying to kick them down from the trees, like Applejack, but it wasn’t really working. Then I woke up and I was in the middle of town, and everypony was singing. So I just joined in. That was a really weird day!”

“O-oh, yes. I suppose it was a strange day. I don’t remember much either.”

Pinkie’s smile faded. “Is that what you’re worrying about?”

Fluttershy didn’t look up. “I wouldn’t say worrying, just… well, maybe worrying, but not like you think.”

Pinkie nodded, but said nothing.

Fluttershy sighed. “I’ve been having strange dreams since that day.”

“Are they about apples?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no. It’s about ponies. All the ponies of Ponyville, and they’re smiling.”

Pinkie grinned. “I’m good. Even in dreams I’m making ponies smile!”

“I-it wasn’t you making them smile.”

Pinkie blinked. “Huh?”

“You weren’t the one making them smile, Pinkie. It was… me.”

Pinkie was silent while Fluttershy continued. “It’s usually here at Sugarcube Corner, and all around me are ponies smiling, grinning and laughing. And it’s all because of me. I don’t know what I did, or why they enjoy it so much, but all of them are applauding me, cheering me. Me! And I just can’t help but… enjoy it.”

“H-uh…” Pinkie said, her smile returning. “Well, making ponies smile always makes me smile. Of course you would enjoy it too.”

“But I don’t understand it! Why am I having these dreams? Making ponies smile isn’t my talent. It’s yours. I just take care of animals. I’m not responsible for making ponies happy or throwing parties or—”

“Hang on a second, you silly filly. You do too make ponies smile! You take care of their pets when they’re sick and make them all better! You’re always super duper nice to everypony you meet, no matter who they are. You even made Discord not such a meany-pants anymore! You make tons of ponies smile!”

“But not like you. It feels so different when I do it now from the dreams.”

Pinkie finished her coffee and poured herself another. “So that’s why you came to me? You want me to teach you how to make ponies smile like I do?”

“Y-yes. I mean, if you don’t think it’s too much trouble. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll understand.”

“Well… I don’t know, Fluttershy…” Pinkie scratched her head. “It’s a lot of work to do what I do, and you gotta be ready to be around so many different ponies all the time. Is that something you can handle?”

“U-um… Well…” Fluttershy fidgeted in her seat. The doubt was already washing over her, but she shook her head. “I… I want to at least try. I know it’s going to be hard, but I need to at least try for myself.”

“Well…” Pinkie stood up and wandered over to her shelves and prodded at their contents. “I guess it could be fun. I could show you a few things that I learned myself and see where we end up. You’ll be like my… Pinkieprentice!” She giggled as she rummaged through the shelves and picked out odds and ends. She walked back to the table, carrying a tower of her supplies and dropped them onto the table.

“So… Where should we start?”

*****

A few hours and a few pounds of party supplies later, Pinkie and Fluttershy were once again seated at the table. The plate of biscuits had been replaced by a tray of small cakes and cookies, and a pitcher of juice.

“So, with what we learned,” Pinkie said, gesturing with a device held in her hooves, “what is this, and how would you use it?”

“Um… well…” Fluttershy said, shuffling her hooves.

She eyed the object Pinkie was holding. In the past few hours, they had gone over a variety of decorations. She learned to identify the difference between tinsel, confetti and streamers, and their uses. Pinkie covered the varieties of bells and whistles she used to draw attention to her parties and events.

Then she moved on to different types of music and how a good party relied on having the right kind of music. Practicing the use of horns, trumpets, trombones, drums took most of the morning. Pinkie demonstrated how each one could have a different effect on a party, and how to use them together.

After that, they moved on to food. Fluttershy was no stranger to home cooking, thanks to years fixing meals for herself, her friends, and her critters. Baking cakes, on the other hoof, was something she had never spent time mastering. Pinkie walked her through the simplest recipes and some more complex, spending the afternoon making cupcakes, normal cakes, pies, fried pastries, regular pastries, and regular old cookies.

Fluttershy couldn’t comprehend how Pinkie was able to so naturally recite each and every aspect of making an amazing party. Not just a good party, that was far beneath what Pinkie Pie could accomplish.

“It’s a party popper,” she said. “You pull on the string and it makes a loud bang and spits confetti. You would use it to start a surprise party.”

Pinkie smiled and tugged on the string attached to the object in her hooves. The bottom popped off, and true to Fluttershy’s description, let out a loud bang and exploded a small cloud of confetti over the table. She shied away from the noise, letting out a quiet “eep!”

“Correct!” Pinkie said. “You’re a natural at this, Fluttershy. All you needed was somepony to teach you how.”

Fluttershy sat up. “R-really? You really mean that?”

Pinkie nodded for a second, and quickly tapped her chin. “Well, besides the mix up you had with the cake batter and the muffin batter.” Pinkie rubbed her head and frowned. “And how you didn’t pass the whoopie cushion test. Or the party games section, and the music set up, or,” Pinkie added with a flourish of her hoof, “the all important ‘surprise!’ shout.” Pinkie’s smile returned. “But besides all of that, you learned everything I taught you pretty well!”

Fluttershy winced. “W-well, I had a good teacher, b-but I guess I still have a lot to learn.” She glanced at the pile of party favors they had spent the morning working through. It leaned over the table, bobbing but never falling. “So now what? Is there anything else you might be able to show me?”

Pinkie scratched her chin. “Well… there’s oodles of stuff I can teach you, but it won’t do you any good if you don’t practice it!”

“P-practice it? With who?”

Pinkie winked. “Oh, don’t you worry. I got the best party critics this side of Ponyville to evaluate you.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and she swallowed loudly. “E-evaluate? Like a t-test?”

Pinkie stood from the table, waving a hoof. “Oh don’t you worry. It’s an easy test. If I can do it, so can you.” She walked away from the table and left the room.

Fluttershy pressed her hooves together on the table. She felt her heartbeat quickening and sweat beading on her head. Her legs kicked the chair, tapping against the legs.

Don’t worry so much. This isn’t the same thing as flight camp, or tornado season. It’s just Pinkie Pie. I can handle this. She swallowed again. I think I can, anyway.

“Who’s ready for a party?” Pinkie asked, reentering the room. She skipped as she approached the table, and Fluttershy heard babbling and cooing emitting from Pinkie’s back.

Pinkie stopped at the table and turned sideways. On her back, Fluttershy saw the bright-eyed faces of Pumpkin and Pound Cake looking up at her. They gurgled and shrieked, reaching out their tiny hooves towards Fluttershy.

Her ears sprang up as she backed away from the children, casting a wary look at Pinkie. “Pinkie, what is this?”

Pinkie grinned. “Your test, you silly filly! There’s no better party critics than these two wittle bitty foals! Isn’t that right?” Pinkie turned her head back and nuzzled the foals, who squealed in delight and wrapped their hooves around her.

“Paw-tee!” Pound said.

“Pinkie!” Pumpkin said.

“Aww, you two are so cute!” Pinkie said. She slowly sat down, allowing the two foals to climb off her back. When they disembarked, they began crawling towards Fluttershy. She stood perfectly still, her eyes trained on them as they stopped at her hooves, reaching up with their tiny legs.

Pumpkin’s horn glowed a brief moment, snagging Fluttershy’s mane. She yelped as the little unicorn tugged it down towards her and bit into it. Fluttershy recoiled her head, bringing the gnawing foal up to eye level. She stared back at her, drool dripping from her lips as she clung to the hair.

“Pumpkin!” Pinkie said, walking towards her. “That’s not very nice! Your mommy said no chewing on ponies anymore.”

At the same time, Pound waddled over to Fluttershy’s right foreleg. He latched onto it with his legs and proceeded to flap his wings. They buzzed loudly, and Fluttershy felt herself wobbling as the little Pound successfully lifted her leg, only to cease his flapping and let it fall back to the floor with a thump.

“And Pound! Your daddy said no hitting things with other ponies’ legs!” Pinkie reached out and snatched up the two foals off of Fluttershy. They cried out as she carried them to the center of the room and laid them on a cushion big enough for the both of them. “Now, you two sit still, okay? We’re gonna have loads of fun, just you wait.”

The foals babbled agreeably, or at least that was what Fluttershy assumed. She shook her head and sighed. When she looked up, she saw Pinkie and the two foals staring at her expectantly.

“Um… Pinkie? What are you staring at?”

Pinkie tilted her head, when her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh right! I didn’t say go! How silly of me!”

“Go? Go, what?”

“Well… go! Make us smile!”

Her heart tripped over a few beats in her chest. “All b-by myself?”

Pinkie nodded. “I know we had some rough spots when I was showing you the ropes—” Pinkie paused a moment and giggled. “Which is funny, cause I don’t remember showing you any ropes. Unless streamers count as a kind of rope.” She blinked. “But anyway… I totally believe you can make these two smile. And if you can do that, you can make anypony smile.”

Fluttershy felt a surge of hope flow through her. “R-really?”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yepper! All you have to do is try!”

“R-right… try…” She scratched her head. “Well… maybe we can start with a joke?” She forced a smile.

Pinkie leaned forward with a tiny grin.

Fluttershy cleared her throat, her mind racing to put together words. Everything Pinkie had taught her over the day was scattered in her head, mismatched and distant, as she desperately reached out for something, anything to use. She felt small and alone in her own thoughts. All the answers she wanted, no, needed to succeed were hiding from her in the dark.

She coughed again and closed her eyes. “A p-pony walks into a bar and asks for a drink. The bartender asks the pony to speak up, so she does. Again the bartender says she needs to speak louder, or else he will not serve her. The pony says, ‘I’m sorry, I’m just a little hoarse.”

Silence. Fluttershy squinted through an eye. Pinkie and the twins were staring up at her. Pinkie’s mouth was hanging open, while Pound and Pumpkin were babbling.

Pinkie tipped backward on her cushion and hit the floor laughing. She rolled around the floor, giggling and snorting. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her friend, but she frowned when she saw that the twins showed no reaction at all.

Pinkie stopped laughing long enough to prop herself back onto her legs. She wiped a tear from her eyes as she stifled the last of her giggles and looked at Fluttershy, beaming. “That was hilarious, Fluttershy! I’m a little hoarse, hah!”

“T-thank you, Pinkie. But what about them?” She pointed at the foals.

Pinkie glanced at them, her eyebrow arching. She scratched her chin. “Hmm… Well, it might be because they are so itty bitty. They’re still only foals, and might not understand jokes all that well.” She nodded her head sharply. “So, since the purpose of this was to make them smile, I might have to call this a fail.”

Fluttershy tensed. “W-what? A f-f-fail?!”

Pinkie lifted a hoof. “Now hold on. I didn’t mean a fail-fail. Just a itty bitty little, try again in five or so years fail. I enjoyed it, but you need to make them smile. So all you need to do is try something else.” Pinkie pointed to the pile of gadgets. “Try a couple props, I know there has to be something in there that will make them smile.”

Fluttershy glanced at the pile. She moved slowly towards it, her eyes searching for something of use. Her eyes fell on a pair of square rimmed glasses and a fake mustache, which she promptly shook her head at. That didn’t work before, why would it now? She did the same with a package of balloons and a rubber chicken.

Digging deeper, she found a brass horn, painted with bright colors and dressed with a rainbow of tassels and ribbons. She brushed a hoof against it, smiling softly at the beautiful device. She took it from the pile and held it up for Pinkie and the twins to see. They shrieked happily at the horn and lifted their hooves towards it. Pinkie nodded with a grin. “That’s a good choice, Fluttershy, and I think they agree. Why don’t you give it a toot?”

Fluttershy nodded, and brought the horn to her mouth. She blew into it, but her cheeks inflated in response. She frowned at the instrument and tried again. Nothing still. She let out a quiet huff as she lifted the horn a third time and blew it as hard as she could.

A piercing blast exploded from the horn. Fluttershy jerked the horn away and dropped it. She backed away from it as it landed on the ground with a clatter. Her eyes slowly trained up from it to her audience. Pinkie was blinking quickly, but the twins were still.

Pumpkin’s lip was quivering, and was making a quiet stuttering noise. Alarm appeared in Pinkie’s face as she wrapped her hooves around the little foal and began making soothing noises. The baby unicorn sniffed loudly, and her eyes began to water.

Fluttershy couldn’t move as Pumpkin let out short little sputtering noises, before she broke out into a loud, deafening bawl. Tears poured down her face as she wailed, despite Pinkie’s attempts to calm her. She scooped up Pumpkin in her forelegs and cradled her back and forth while whispering.

Her head spun to Fluttershy. “Try something else, quick!”

Fluttershy drew in a sharp breath and turned to the pile. She rummaged through it, her breathing quickening with each passing second of Pumpkin’s crying. She found a pair of bright blue dolls, shaped like unicorns with big, purple bows tied around their heads. She went to grab it, but when she did, she felt the pile shift.

Her eyes shot up just in time to see a pair of large brass cymbals crash to the floor. They let out a terrible racket, which was followed quickly by silence. Fluttershy turned around and saw that Pumpkin had stopped crying. She let out a loud hiccup, as beads of tears quivered around her eyes.

Fluttershy felt her heartbeat slow and sighed, when another hiccup prompted her to look at Pound. His hooves were over his ears, and his face was twisted in pain. He let out a few sniffles himself, and Fluttershy felt her heart dropping again, just in time for Pound to break out into cries of his own.

Pinkie quickly scooped him up beside his sister, her eyes wild and darting. As she did, Pumpkin shied away from her screaming brother in Pinkie’s legs. She squirmed and pushed, but found no escape, and just as quickly as she had stopped, her tears returned in force as she joined her brother in loud, shrieking wails.

Fluttershy stared at the two crying foals, her mind frozen in panic. She glanced up to Pinkie who was staring at her in desperation. “Fluttershy… do something! I don’t think I can stop them!”

Fluttershy felt dampness forming on the corners of her eyes.“Do w-what? I just keep making it w-worse!”

“I know you can do it. I believe in you! Just pick something! Anything!”

Fluttershy scanned the pile. She tugged at it, tearing away objects in her way as she searched for something that would calm the children. Many items on the pile rang like bells, or whistled sharply as she jostled them around. It bobbed and weaved as she dug through, ringing like a chorus of instruments with lives of their own.

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie shouted. “Look out!”

Fluttershy paused, and turned to look at Pinkie. She was looking behind her at the pile, her eyes wide.

When she turned back, Fluttershy saw that the pile was leaning precariously in her direction. It creaked under the weight of the massive amount of toys and devices that Pinkie had added to it throughout the day, and with a final snap, gave way and fell over.

Fluttershy let out a cry of panic before she was engulfed in a torrent of party favors, streamers, and other odds and ends. She shouted in pain as the sharper objects struck her, as she desperately fought her way out of the avalanche.

Everything became still, and Fluttershy only saw darkness. Pain lanced all over her body as she tried to move. She struggled against the mess she had been buried in, lifting her body up out of it. She felt a pair of hooves reaching through the debris, and when they touched her, they wrapped themselves around her and pulled as hard as they could.

Fluttershy felt herself yanked from the pile. Her heart was still racing, especially since her vision had not been restored. The crack of light from the bottom of her vision widened suddenly as she felt something being removed from her head. Pinkie stood in front of her, her eyes trembling as she tossed the bucket aside and threw her hooves around Fluttershy.

“Oh, Fluttershy! Are you alright? I’m so sorry!”

Fluttershy collected herself with a breath. “I-I’m okay, Pinkie.” Her voice was shaking, as was Pinkie’s head.

“I don’t think you are. You aren’t hurt too badly, are you?”

Fluttershy let out her held breath. Before she could respond, her ears twitched at a sound, the sound of nothing.

She craned her head to peer behind Pinkie. The twins were staring up at her with wide eyes. They sniffled quietly, but otherwise made no noise. As she stared, she noticed that they weren’t staring at her, but rather, behind her, high above.

She turned around, and noted that Pinkie’s pile of supplies was still standing, although much shorter. It was still as tall as two ponies, but was no longer rocking and swaying as it had been.

There was a flash of light at the top as a bright blue glow tugged at it. Fluttershy’s heart began to race again as the pile was pulled towards her. She took a step back, but too late as more items hopped off the top and landed on her head in a row.

“Ow!” she squealed as each one struck. She scratched her head to chase away the pain, as Pinkie wheeled around.

“Pumpkin!” she shouted. “That is not very nice! We don’t use magic to hurt ponies!”

What Fluttershy heard next surprised her. It was a slow squeak at first, but grew louder, and before long, erupted into a gale of childish laughter. She turned around and saw that both Pumpkin and Pound were rolling in their cushion, squealing in delight.

Fluttershy stood stock-still as she watched the two infants laughing. But as their joy permeated the room, she only felt a sickening twisting in her chest.

They aren’t laughing with me. They’re laughing at me!

Her eyes felt wet, and she sniffled. Pinkie spun around and gasped.

“Fluttershy! Are you okay?”

Fluttershy felt her whole body trembling as she fought back against the tears. Her voice quavered in her throat as she shook her head. “N-no, Pinkie. I-I’m n-not okay.”

She took a step away from the laughing foals, away from Pinkie and her party supplies, away from everything. “I-it wasn’t supposed to b-be like th-this. N-not in the d-dreams. N-not like th-this.”

Before she knew it, Fluttershy was flying towards the door, tears streaming from her eyes. She thought she heard Pinkie shouting something, but it all washed away in her mind as she flew away from the laughter, as far and as fast as she could.

*****

Pinkie felt her chest burning as she raced through the streets, chasing after Fluttershy. Her distraught friend was already out of sight, which only gave her incentive to push even harder, harder than she remembered. She knew Fluttershy wasn’t a weak flier, even though the pegasus was constantly hard on herself over her natural abilities, but when she was scared, or angry, or sad, she could rival even Rainbow Dash for speed.

Pinkie gulped in another breath as her hooves dug into the dirt and skidded around a bend towards the path up to Fluttershy’s cottage. Her mind was filled with thoughts of apology, or desperation as she pieced together something to help calm Fluttershy down when she found her. Silly Pinkie! she mentally scolded. You knew this was a bad idea. And you just had to push her too far. She glanced at the home at the top of the hill as she approached with worry. Oh, Fluttershy. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me!

Pinkie slowed her gallop as she came to the final steps across the bridge to Fluttershy’s door. It was late afternoon by now, but the sun was still bathing the valley with radiant light. This only brought more worry to Pinkie’s mind as she stared at the state of Fluttershy’s home

Fluttershy’s cottage was rarely dark during the day. Pinkie knew that even in the midst of winter she would have her shutters wide open to let the daylight in. It kept her animals happy, and in turn, her happy. Her home was almost alive in the presence of the sun, and it made it a cozy and welcome environment for any creature that dwelled within.

Today, however, the sun would not grace her home. The curtains were drawn, the shutters were sealed. Pinkie stepped slowly up the steps to the door, listening carefully for what was on the other side. She heard crying and sniffling, and her heart tightened.

“Oh, Angel,” Fluttershy said through the door. “It’s ok. I’m f-fine.”

There was a moment of silence, followed by another sniffle. “Oh, you’re right, Angel. You were right all along. I shouldn’t have left. I should have just stayed in bed this morning.” She sniffled again. “It was awful, Angel. The laughing, it just wasn’t the same. It just hurt.”

Pinkie’s ears drooped as she leaned in closer to the door, still listening.

“I-I’m just not cut out for entertaining like Pinkie is. I should just stick to my animals like I’m supposed to.”

Pinkie’s fur bristled. Thats not true! I think Fluttershy could be a great entertainer! Pinkie lifted her hoof to announce her presence, when a new voice drifted through the door caused her to pause. “Now, darling. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Pinkie blinked. Is that..?

“Oh, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “It was horrible. I’ve never felt so bad from hearing laughter before. I don’t think I could face it ever again.”

“Oh come now. You mustn't think like that, dear. One failure hardly means future ones. I would think you know the value of hard work. It yields a great reward when one is determined.”

“I-I don’t think I’m the determined type, Rarity. I’m just a scaredy pony who takes care of animals.”

Pinkie frowned as she continued listening, and gasped as a yet another voice drifted in.

“Now that’s not the Fluttershy I know! If it wasn’t for you helping out with tornado season, we would have never gotten it done. If that isn’t determination, I don’t know what is!”

“Y-you really think so, Rainbow Dash?”

“I know so! I wouldn’t have stuck with you since flight school if I thought you weren’t up for anything. I know it’s hard sometimes, but I was always there for you, wasn’t I? You just need to buck up and try again. I know Pinkie would do anything to help you pull through this, just like I would!”

Pinkie could hear a shudder in Fluttershy’s voice. “B-but it just seems so hard. I don’t know if she can help me do it.”

Pinkie snapped away from the door, her brows arching. She went to open her mouth to finally intervene, when a fourth familiar voice emerged from inside Fluttershy’s home.“That don’t sound like the Pinkie Ah know,” it said. “Iffin’ Ah know Pinkie, she’d do any and everything possible to make you smile, and to help you do the same for others. Ya know how she gets when she feels a friend is in trouble.”

“I-I guess that’s true…”

“Sure as sugar it’s true! Ah bet she feels right upset that you went and ran off on her. Ah bet if you went back to her, she’d do anything to help.”

“Oh, I know that, Applejack. I just feel so bad for running away. She probably feels so awful for seeing me cry.”

“She might, darling,” Rarity said. “But she’s your friend. We all are. If you just explain how you feel, she will understand.”

“Heh,” Rainbow Dash said. “She’s probably thinking up all kinds of new things she can try to help you out. I know I’d be pretty excited to see what she’s got goin’ on.”

“An’ she’d feel awfully excited to help you git there, Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “You just gotta give her another chance, and try yer best. Ah know you can do it.”

There was another muffled sob, followed by more sniffling.“Th-thank you, girls. This means a lot.”

“What are friends for, dear?” Rarity said. “We’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

“No matter what!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Absolutely!” Applejack said.

“I just h-have to t-try again!”

“That’s the spirit!”

“I’m gonna go back to Pinkie’s, and I’m gonna get th-this right.”

Pinkie blinked as she heard hoofsteps crossing the wooden floor on the other side. Her mind was spinning in circles as the confusion of what she had listened to coiled around her. She shook her head in an effort to stop the spinning. Intent on finding out what the hay was going on, she finally lifted her hoof to knock.

*****

Fluttershy got about halfway to the door handle when somepony started knocking from the other side. She yelped in fright and backed away from the door, falling to her rump.

A voice called from the other side. “Fluttershy! Are you alright?”

“P-Pinkie?” Fluttershy said.

The door opened, revealing Pinkie Pie on the other side. She peered in, before her eyes fell on Fluttershy sitting on the floor. “What are you doing down there, Fluttershy?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t scare you by knocking too loudly, did I? I’ve made everything even worse, didn’t I?” Pinkie slapped herself on the head. “Silly Pinkie Pie. No scaring Fluttershy, that’s rule one!”

“I-I’m fine, Pinkie Pie. You just startled me a bit. I was on my way back to Sugarcube Corner.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Yeah…. I… kinda over heard that.”

Fluttershy nodded and slumped her head. “I felt so bad for running away. I just wanted to come back and say that it wasn’t your fault.”

Pinkie frowned. “But, you just ran away like ten minutes ago. I chased you all the way here. You got over it that fast?”

“Well, I…”

“And who were you talking to? I heard voices when I got to your door.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “W-well… I was talking to… myself.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. “But I heard Applejack, and Rarity, and Rainbow Dash!”

“N-no, you couldn’t have. They’re all still in town.”

Pinkie’s glare held before it snapped into a grin. “Oh… I get it! We’re playing hide and seek! I love this game! Come out, come out wherever you are!” Pinkie bounced into the cottage and hopped around the room.

Fluttershy’s eyes darted as she watched Pinkie searching the room, looking under the chairs and tables. “Pinkie, w-what are you doing?”

“Looking for the girls, of course. It’s not a game of hide and seek if you don’t find everypony. And these hiding places are good. I don’t see them anywhere!”

“B-but, they aren’t here! Really!”

Pinkie stopped bouncing. “But I heard them. I know the sound of my friends’ voices when I hear them, Fluttershy. So—” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed again, her head tilting. “Fluttershy, what’s that?”

Fluttershy reared her head. “What’s what?”

Pinkie pointed at Fluttershy’s left side. “That, sticking out of your wing.”

Fluttershy looked down, and she gasped at the little fleck of purple that stuck out from her feathers. She twiddled the wing quickly, and the purple disappeared. She looked up at Pinkie. “Oh, n-nothing!”

But Pinkie wasn’t there. She looked around the room for her, when she felt something prodding at her wing. She turned again, and Pinkie was standing right beside her, staring at her sides.

Fluttershy cried out as Pinkie poked her with a hoof in the feathers. “I know I saw something. What are you hiding from me?” She gasped. “Don’t tell me the girls are hiding in your wings!” Pinkie giggled. “I know you have big wings for a pegasus, Fluttershy, but they aren’t that big!” Pinkie reached underneath Fluttershy’s wing.

“N-no! Don’t!” Fluttershy tried to get away, but her wings instead sprung open on their own as Pinkie’s efforts tickled her. She tried to stifle the involuntary laughter, when she heard three soft objects hit the floor. Oh no!

“Are those… hoof puppets?” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy slowly turned her head in time to see Pinkie scoop up three plush dolls from the floor. They had small slots cut in their bottoms to allow a hoof to fit within them, and they were all differently colored, just like her friends.

The Rarity doll had real sapphires for eyes that glistened just like their counterpart. The Rainbow Dash doll had been carefully dyed to ensure the proper color scheme. The Applejack doll had a real leather hat to match its owner’s, only one eighth the size.

Pinkie held the puppets close to her as she stared at them, her eyes wobbling with wonder. “These are so adorable!” she squealed. “They’re so soft and cuddly and real looking and oh my Celestia can I have a set!?” She squeezed the dolls tightly, and sprang forward, getting nose to nose with Fluttershy. “Where did you get these!?”

Fluttershy swallowed. “I, um… made them.”

Pinkie blinked. “Really?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Wow… I knew you were good with sewing, Fluttershy, but this is amazing!”

“Th-thank you, Pinkie. I worked a long time on them.”

“Are there more?”

“Well, yes. There’s one of Angel, a few ponies from Ponyville, Celestia and Luna, and of course you and Twilight.”

“Oh my gosh can I see mine!?”

“W-well, of course, Pinkie.” Fluttershy went over to her ottoman and pulled aside the cushion. Inside was a pile of other dolls. There was indeed a set of various citizens of Ponyville, as well as the princesses as she described. On top of the pile were the look-a-likes of Twilight and Pinkie, smiling up at her.

Pinkie rushed to the box. “Oh my gosh, Fluttershy! These are amazing! Why do you have so many of these cuddly things?”

“W-well, I find sewing comforting. So when I would feel sad or worried, I would just make another one.”

“Aw, that’s so beautiful! I never knew you needed something like that, Fluttershy. You could have always come to me. I woulda helped you feel happy!”

Fluttershy smiled. “I know Pinkie. But I had some of these before you even moved to Ponyville. I only made these recently. I haven’t even added the wings to Twilight yet…”

“Oh, I don’t think she’ll mind. Some of these are so good, I don’t think even Rarity could make them this nice!”

“Well, I’m not so certain of that, darling,” the Rarity doll said.

Pinkie yelped and shot into the air, letting the dolls drop to the ground.

“Pinkie! Are you alright?!” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie clung to a bird feeder mounted on the ceiling. She glanced down with panic in her eyes. “Did you hear that!? That doll spoke!”

Fluttershy giggled. “Don’t be silly, Pinkie Pie. Dolls can’t speak.”

“You can’t tell me you didn’t hear that! It even sounded exactly like her! Just like… before.” Pinkie’s panic faded to confusion. She let go of the feeder and dropped to the ground. She reached down and grabbed the Rarity doll in her hooves. She peered at it, before she glanced at Fluttershy. “You did that, didn’t you?”

“Did what?”

“You threw your voice! I didn’t know you could do that, Fluttershy! You sounded just like Rarity! Do it again!”

“U-um…”

“C’mon, Fluttershy. I know it was you. You don’t have to hide it from me.”

“W-well, I don’t think I can, not with you staring at me like that.”

Pinkie frowned. “But it’s just me.”

“I-I know, but… “ She rubbed a hoof against her leg. “I can’t really explain it. You know how I am with public performance. Even one pony staring at me is enough.”

“Well…” Pinkie said, scratching her chin. “How about this?” Pinkie jumped over the couch and out of view. “Pretend I’m not even here.”

Fluttershy sighed. “But I know you’re there, Pinkie.” She trotted over to the chair. “So it won’t matter if you hide behind the—” She peeked over the other side of the couch, and Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.

“Pinkie? Where are you?”

She heard a rustling behind her. Turning, she saw the pile of dolls laying in a heap where Pinkie left them. Fluttershy sighed and approached the dolls, scooping up a pair and putting them on.

“Well,” the Rarity doll said. “I suppose she’s really gone, then.”

”I doubt it,” the Rainbow Dash doll said. “Pinkie loves to play hide and seek. I bet she’s waiting for the right moment to—”

“That’s it!” Pinkie shouted, jumping out of the ottoman.

Fluttershy screamed and fell backward into the dolls on the floor. She wiggled her way out of them, peering up at Pinkie. “What’s it?”

“I know how you can make other ponies smile!”

Fluttershy’s mouth fell open. “R-really?”

Pinkie nodded. “Yepper! I hope you have some coffee, Fluttershy. Because we have a lot of planning to do, and not much time to do it!”

*****

Another new morning rose in Ponyville, and once again, Fluttershy found herself trotting into the sleeping village. She was followed by a wagon attached to her, rolling gently on the dirt path into Ponyville. The wagon’s bright red roof almost glowed in the light of the rising sun, and the heart shaped shutters battered softly against their frames. A splintered sign stuck out from the wagon’s front, painted mostly white, with specks of blue and purple underneath.

Fluttershy occasionally let out a grunt of effort as she pulled. The wagon was not as ponderous as she assumed, but it was still big enough to delay her. Oh dear. I hope Pinkie won’t be too mad.

“Mornin’, Fluttershy!” a voice called.

Fluttershy paused and turned to see Applejack, the real Applejack, approaching her. She wore a bright smile as she trotted up, tipping her hat. “Ah never saw you up this early before, Fluttershy. What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, um. Well… I’m helping Pinkie Pie with something this morning.”

“Is that right? What with?”

“Sh-she’s putting on a show in the town square today, and asked for my help setting things up.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie? Puttin’ on a show and not tellin’ anypony? That don’t seem like her.”

“Well, she wanted it to be a surprise.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, Ah guess that does sound a bit like Pinkie. But, what are you doin’ with that?” She pointed at the cart Fluttershy was pulling. “Ain’t that Trixie’s old wagon?”

“Well, yes. Pinkie found it after the ursa broke it, and she fixed it. She said she never had a portable stage before, so…”

“Heh, Ah guess Ah can see why she’d want somethin’ like that. I’m just surprised Trixie didn’t take it back is all.”

“Y-yes. Perhaps she wasn’t interested. She did seem like she wanted to start over after she left again. Maybe she’ll come back for it one day.”

“Maybe. Ah’m sure she’ll want some time to think about what she did. She ain’t all that bad, Ah guess.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Well, I better get this to the town square. I’m sure Pinkie is waiting for me.”

“Ah bet. Tell her Ah said hello. Ah’ll try to swing by and see the show. Maybe I’ll bring Apple Bloom and her friends along. Ah’m sure they’d love to see it.”

“Oh, I-I’m sure they would. I know Pinkie’s put a lot of thought into this. E-everypony will love it.”

Applejack nodded at Fluttershy and waved goodbye as she continued on her way. Fluttershy watched her leave, and once she was out of earshot, let out a relieved sigh. I need to stop dawdling. Pinkie is waiting for me!

Fluttershy kept going with the wagon until she finally reached the village center. There wasn’t a pony in sight, and a chill breeze wafted through. The shadows cast from the buildings were creeping away as the sun climbed higher in the sky. Soon, there would be dozens of ponies getting up and ready for their day.

Fluttershy stopped in the middle of the street and unhitched the cart from herself. She glanced around with a raised eyebrow. “Where is Pinkie?” she said. “She should be here already.”

“I’m over here, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy turned to see Pinkie rushing up to her. She had her saddlebags on, and they flailed around against her sides as she ran. She ground to a halt, digging grooves in the dirt and stopped just before Fluttershy, sporting a grin. “Sorry I’m late! I had to make sure I had everything.”

“You were late?” Fluttershy said. “I thought I was.”

Pinkie frowned. She glanced around the square and shook her head. “I… don’t think that matters. Nopony is here yet, so we have time.” Pinkie stepped forward and grabbed one of Fluttershy’s hooves in her own. Her brows were arched as she peered into Fluttershy’s eyes. “Now Fluttershy…” she began. “We did all the practicing we could last night. I know you’re ready, but if you have any second thoughts, we can stop now. I won’t force you to do this.”

Fluttershy stared at Pinkie. A million thoughts ran through her mind, all of them bordering on commands like run home, or hide! She gulped and shook her head, finding the one suggestion she wanted: You can do this!

“No, Pinkie Pie. I don’t. I’m r-ready. As long as we do it the way we practiced, I know I can do it.”

Pinkie smiled and brushed Fluttershy’s chin. “Atta’ girl.” She broke away from Fluttershy and trotted over to the wagon. “Now we just need to get the stage set up, and we’ll be good to go!”

Pinkie spun on her hooves and kicked the wagon with her rear legs. “Hit the deck!” Pinkie said, diving away. The sound of grinding gears and splintering wood filled the air as the wagon split in half and folded open. Metal poles shot up from inside, attached with long, flowing curtains. Wooden panels spread out and formed a rough platform overtop the wheels of the wagon, groaning in protest. A pair of fireworks cannons popped up from the depths of the display, but only spat out clouds of dust as the unpacking was complete.

Fluttershy looked up at the opened stage cart, her mouth hanging open. A whistle from beside her broke her from her awe. “Wowie!” Pinkie said. “Trixie sure built a funneriffic cart! I can’t believe she didn’t take it with her.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Let’s get you inside and ready before ponies start noticing what we did.”

Fluttershy nodded and followed her onto the stage behind the curtain. She sneezed immediately on entering, spitting up dust.

“Huh, I guess I should have dusted!” Pinkie said.

“M-maybe just a little…” Fluttershy said.

“Now where did I see that… aha!”

Pinkie skipped ahead and tugged a small string that hung from the darkened ceiling of the backstage. A small lantern ignited and lit up a back corner of the room, revealing a large rectangular box. It was nearly two ponies high, and had a small opening on its front, draped with curtains, just like the stage outside.

“This is perfect!” Pinkie said. “Do you think so, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy walked up and examined the wooden box. She tapped it with her hoof, and it replied with a resounding thunk. She saw no cracks or holes in the wood, and upon peering inside, felt that it would be big enough for her purposes. “I suppose so.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll move this just in front of the curtain, so they can’t see what we’re doing. After that, I’ll do my part, and then it’s all up to you!”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. She looked at Pinkie Pie and nodded. “Right!”

Pinkie smiled and skipped over to the curtain. She poked her head out, and returned soon after.

“Ponies are already starting to wake up, it won’t be long until they start gathering. Do you wanna practice one more time?”

Fluttershy glanced to the box, then to Pinkie, and finally her eyes fell on the floor. “N-no. I’m ready. I just need a moment to myself. You can get ready if you want.”

Pinkie tilted her head and nodded. “Okie dokie. I’ll get everypony warmed up, then its all yours!”

Pinkie moved over to the box and started moving it towards the curtain. Fluttershy settled herself in the corner and unpacked her bags. She took out all her hoofpuppets, and lined them on a small shelf. She held the Pinkie one close to her chest. “You’ve learned everything you can,” it said. “You practiced all night long. I know you’re ready. You know you’re ready!”

“A-are you sure?”

“Absolutely!”

Fluttershy sighed and stared at her dolls on the shelf. They all stared back with the bright smiles she had crafted. Their joyful visages filled her with renewing hope as her trembling heart washed with calm.

Her ears perked at a sound from beyond the curtains. “Ponies of Ponyville!” Pinkie shouted. “I hope you are all ready for a super treat I have in store for you! Come one, come all for the first ever, Pinkie Pie Puppet Party!”

Fluttershy heard the cheering of dozens of ponies from the other side of the the curtain. Her skin prickled as a shiver worked itself through her body.

Pinkie sprung back through the curtain. “Hoo boy, it’s quite the crowd already. I guess they heard I was putting on a show already.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I may have mentioned something to Applejack…”

Pinkie giggled. “Well, a little advertising never hurt.” Pinkie walked back to the curtain and pulled it aside to reveal the inside of the box on the other side. “Now, its your turn.”

Fluttershy steeled herself with one final breath. She glanced down to the Pinkie doll in her hooves. “Now all you gotta do is go out there and make them smile!”

*****

Saying Pinkie Pie loved hide and seek was one of the largest understatements a pony could make. After years of her living in Ponyville, she had every hiding place mapped in her mind and every route memorized, in case of an emergency game of hide and seek. With Pinkie Pie in town, those happened more often than one would think.

Sneaking out of the backdoor of the stage was the easy part. With everypony in town focused on the front, she trotted across the empty side of the village and hid behind a stack of boxes beside the marketplace.

She glanced back at the stage, making sure she wasn’t spotted. Everything that she and Fluttershy had planned the previous day hinged on her not being seen, and when she wanted to, she was the best at not being seen. Especially with her new sneaking suit that Twilight had given her the previous year.

She zipped across the open streets in a blur of pink and black, casting quick glances behind her at every stop. Getting out of the stage was easy, getting back with a better view was the hard part.

She ducked in and out of hiding places as she trekked a long, winding path to leave the center square from one direction, and re-enter it from another so she could see the fruits of her long night’s labor in action.

As she approached the square, she spotted a lonely cloud hovering above, with a rainbow colored tail hanging down from it. Pinkie grinned and dashed over to the nearest building and climbed to the top. She was a jump away from the cloud on the roof, and heard a bout of laughter emit from it as she approached.

Nearing the roof edge, she heard an even louder chorus of laughter from the square below. Pinkie scanned the enormous crowd, her eyes bulging. Wowie! That crowd’s twice as big now! And I was only gone for a few minutes!

The laughter from the cloud piqued her interest again. She craned her head to peer over it and caught a glimpse of its occupant. Rainbow Dash was looking down towards the stage, chuckling to herself.

Hee hee! Dashie hasn’t even seen me, I wonder how long I can fool her! She pulled down her hood and cleared her throat quietly.

“Enjoying the show?” she asked in a low, growly voice.

Rainbow Dash turned her head slightly, remarking Pinkie with a brief glance. She shrugged. “Yeah, I never knew Pinkie was so good with hoofpuppets, but the crowd is eating it up!”

“What makes you think it’s Pinkie Pie?”

Dash turned back again with a longer stare. “Uhh, because Pinkie was the one who announced the show?”

Pinkie chuckled in her low voice. “Anypony can announce a show, silly. You can’t think of anypony in town who’d be good with puppets?”

Dash tilted her head and tapped her chin. “Well, I bet Pinkie knows some ponies who are good with puppets. She knows a lot of ponies.”

“Maybe it’s one of her friends.”

Dash laughed. “Pinkie has a lot of friends.” She paused. “Unless you mean her close friends.” She scratched her head, peering down at the crowd. “I can see Applejack down there with her sister, so it can’t be her.” She pointed. “And there’s Rarity and Sweetie Belle with Scoots. Besides, she’s probably too proper for a hoofpuppet show, anyways. I’m too awesome to put on a hoofpuppet show, but I don’t mind watching one every so often. And Fluttershy…” Dash broke out into a snicker. “That pony’s afraid of her own shadow. But putting on a performance? It would take a lot of guts for her to… wait a minute.”

Dash turned back to Pinkie, frowning. She hopped off of her cloud to the rooftop right in front of her. Pinkie tried to back away, but Dash quickly grabbed her hood and flipped it aside. Her eyes sprang open. “P-Pinkie?”

Pinkie grinned. “Guilty!” she said in her normal voice.

“But… if you’re here. Then who’s…” Dash glanced back to the stage. Another chorus of laughter erupted from the square as the show continued.

Her head snapped back to Pinkie. “You can’t be serious!”

Pinkie tilted her head. “When am I not serious?”

“B-but, she’s a scaredy pony. Tornado season was hard enough for her, but putting on a show like this? There’s no way! This has to be a trick! You actually got one of your party planning friends, didn’t you?”

“Nope.”

“Your sisters?”

“Nope.”

“Twilight’s actually back, and she’s putting on a show before she reveals herself.”

“Nope, nope, nope!”

Dash’s posture wilted and she plopped down to her haunches on the roof. She glanced back. “Wow, I knew she had the potential to break out of her shell a bit, but this is way out there. Tornado season was just all the pegasi in town. This is pretty much the entire town. That’s like three times the amount of ponies!”

“She’s stronger now. She just needed the right push.”

Dash said nothing. Pinkie giggled as she stepped towards the edge. The crowd broke into laughter one final time, before it began a rhythm of steady stomping and cheering. Pinkie’s ear’s sprang up. “Oop! There’s my cue! Time for the grande finale.”

Dash frowned. “But the show’s over, what else is there to do?”

“They need to know, Dashie. That was the whole point of this. To show Ponyville that Fluttershy could do this.”

Dash winced. “Are you sure she’s ready for that?”

Pinkie glanced into the cheering crowd. “I know she is.” She smiled. “Can I get a lift, Dashie? It’ll be more dramatic that way.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Sure, I guess.” Her wings buzzed as she took the air again. Hoving over to Pinkie, she grabbed her around the barrel and hoisted her up. With an incline of her wings, she started into a slow glide towards the stage, while Pinkie hooted and hollered underneath her.

“Woopie! Incoming aerial Pinkie Pie!”

She grinned as ponies from below craned their heads upwards. Many of their expressions faded from joy to confusion as they looked up, causing Pinkie to giggle. Dash neared the stage and widened her wings, slowing her descent.

“Alright, Dashie. Here’s a good spot!”

“Alright, Pinkie. Good luck.” Dash released her grip around Pinkie, and she began her dive towards the stage. She leaned forward into a frontflip, spinning numerous times. After a final spin, she leveled out and landed hind leg first on the stage, her fore legs high above her. “Tada!” she shouted. She clapped her hooves together in her own applause, as the stomping of the crowd descended into confused whispering.

“Wowie, that was a good show, wasn’t it? I’m glad you all enjoyed it!” she said, still smiling.

The crowd fell silent. After a moment, a hoof shot up in the group. “Um, Miss Pinkie Pie. If you weren’t behind the curtain this whole time, then who was?”

“I’m glad you asked, random citizen! And I’d be very happy to answer!” Pinkie trotted over to the puppet theater and leaned against it. “We happen to be blessed by the most skilled ventriloquist I have ever seen in Ponyville. It is my great honor to introduce to you, one of my best friends, and your entertainer this afternoon, the one, the only, Fluttershy!”

Pinkie stomped on the floor of the stage, and the front of the box slid over, revealing the compartment. Pinkie leaned forward to peek inside, and there, kneeling with her eyes covered by her hooves, was Fluttershy.

“C'mon out, Fluttershy. Your fans await.”

Fluttershy peeked out from her hooves at Pinkie, who offered a hoof. Slowly, she reached for it and took it in her own. Pinkie tugged gently to help her up and out of the box, and stood beside her while she looked down over the crowd, whose confused muttering only increased as they walked towards the edge.

“You’re pulling our leg, Pinkie!” someone shouted. “There’s no way Fluttershy could have been that funny!”

A few agreeing murmurs floated through the crowd. Pinkie saw Fluttershy flinch and withdraw behind her mane. Pinkie shook her head, tapped the stage with her hoof, then crossed her heart with a sweep of her leg, where it finally rested over her eye. “I solemnly swear under the oath of the Pinkie Promise that Fluttershy was the pony behind the curtain today.” Her hoof shot out towards the crowd. “Ponies of Ponyville! Are you not entertained!? Was this not the reason you are here!? To be entertained!? What difference does it make that was not I, Pinkie Pie, who provided you with this entertainment! Any pony has the potential to make others smile, and I believe Fluttershy has proven that to you today!”

“Yeah!” shouted Rainbow Dash, floating above the crowd. “I thought 'Shy was hilarious!”

“It was a most amusing spectacle, dear!” Rarity said. “I would watch it again and enjoy it all the better knowing it was you behind the curtain.”

“I know Ah’d love to see another one, Fluttershy!” Applejack said. “Ah know Apple Bloom an’ Ah enjoyed it.”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said. “It gave me a new idea for gettin’ mah cutie mark too! Cutie Mark Crusader: Ventr… Ventro… Ventro-somethin’!”

As Pinkie’s friends spoke, the ambience of the crowd began to change. The low grumbling of confusion burned away into genuine remarks of agreement and praise. Pinkie smiled as the crowd was swayed by her friends. She turned to Fluttershy, and gasped at what she saw.

Tears were forming at the corners of Fluttershy’s eyes. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, quivering as she stared at the crowd. Her lips moved, but only the tiniest sound was heard.

“Fluttershy! Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

Fluttershy sniffed and wiped her eyes, turning to Pinkie with a smile. She shook her head. “No, Pinkie. Nothing’s wrong.” She sniffed again. “I did it… I really did it, all because of you. I made ponies smile.”

Her legs wobbled and she stumbled into Pinkie Pie. She threw her legs around her and began sobbing, but for Pinkie, it was the happiest sobbing she had ever heard. She patted Fluttershy on the back, comforting her friend the best way she knew how. The crowd behind them began to applaud again, whistling and cheering and stomping.

Pinkie pulled away for a brief moment and stared at her friend. Fluttershy’s face was wet with tears, her fur matted and wrinkled, her snout red and runny, but the most important thing to Pinkie Pie was her smile. It was the tiniest thing, a small thin line etched into her quivering lips.

Pinkie mirrored the expression and pulled Fluttershy back into the hug, her mind soaring. There are so many kinds of smiles in the world, but the most important ones are the ones we craft ourselves. It is only when you know how to make the perfect smile that you can share its magic with others. That is the magic of laughter, and the bestest magic of friendship!

THE END

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