Fluttershy had never been to a real party before.
Well, Fluttershy's parents did throw her birthday parties before, but those didn't count. They were low-key affairs, a small gathering with a small cake and a few friends to share it. Always chocolate cake, with butter-cream icing.
She was aware of larger parties. They were, in her mind, mythical constructs, fragments of perfection unattainable by such a timid pony as her. In secondary school, nopony had invited her to those legendary events, and, based on what she'd heard of them, she didn't much mind that. But to be the kind of pony who was habitually invited--that would have been nice.
So Fluttershy was quite delighted to find that, almost immediately after moving into her little cottage, somepony invited her to a party. Apparently, this pony--Pinkie Pie, she called herself--decided to throw a party for Fluttershy, because she was new to Ponyville.
Fluttershy was going. It wasn't like she had any option--what kind of party happens without the guest of honor?--and besides, Fluttershy wanted to try something new without being cajoled into it for once in her life.
But what exactly was she getting into? Would it even be fun? Hopefully it wouldn't be one of those, um, wild parties, the ones with bad behavior. That pink pony seemed nice, though, and not the kind of pony who did those sorts of things.
The party was going to be at the bakery--an odd place, sure, but Ponyville wasn't nearly big enough to have a specialized party hall. Because Fluttershy lived a good distance from town, she'd have to get ready to leave well before the party was to start.
She was ready. Nervous, but ready. The party was to start at six, and the clock just chirped five. Better early than late, Fluttershy always thought.
"Goodbye, Angel Bunny! Be good while I'm gone, or you won't get any carrots."
Angel threw his paws up at such an unjust bargain. Yet Fluttershy knew he'd be a responsible bunny. He always was--eventually.
As she walked to town, Fluttershy became even more anxious. It was, at least, born from anticipation, not terror. This was the good kind of anxiety, and she actually enjoyed it.
Now, Fluttershy, the new arrival to Ponyville, knew the basics of the town layout--but not where the bakery was. She wandered around the town, looking to no avail. There were a few ponies on the streets who looked far less lost than her; perhaps it would be good to ask them.
She asked one. "Um, excuse me--" but he didn't seem to hear her.
"Please, do you either of you know--" but the twins didn't even notice.
"Um, I hate to be a burden, but--" the mare didn't respond.
Fluttershy never felt bad about being shy and quiet--unless she needed something. Embarrassed, she wandered aimlessly in search of the bakery.
Time passed, but she didn't notice until a loud whisper struck her ears.
"Psst! Fluttershy!"
She looked around; did somepony speak her name, or did she imagine it?
"Fluttershy, over here!"
Where was the whisperer?
"Seriously?" Pinkie Pie stepped in front of her. "I was right next to you!"
"Oh, hello there, Pinkie. Thank goodness I found you; I don't have a clue where the bakery is."
Pinkie gasped slightly. "Oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you. Follow me. I know where it is. I mean, of course I know where Sugarcube Corner is, because I work there, and it would be really ridiculous if I didn't know where I worked because, come on..."
Pinkie rambled, yet she led Fluttershy as promised. She literally bounced rather than walk, which intrigued Fluttershy. If she were to try moving like that, she'd be tired in a minute. Yet Pinkie was almost spring-loaded, as if she couldn't move any other way.
"And here we are!" said Pinkie. "Ponyville's party palace! It also doubles as the best bakery in town." She pointed to the cupcake-shaped sign hanging above the doorway. "Seriously, the cupcakes are the best."
Pinkie Pie entered, and Fluttershy followed. A few ponies were already there, dancing or sipping punch. The music was upbeat, but not overly loud.
"Everypony!" Pinkie Pie addressed the tiny crowd boisterously, as if it were an entire herd. "Fluttershy's here!"
Fluttershy's first instinct was to hide in the corner, but she didn't come here to do that. She looked the ponies straight in the eye--or at least in the general direction of their faces--and bid them "Hello."
"Hello!" the ponies replied. One by one, they introduced themselves: Berry Punch, Bon-bon, Flitter, Cloudchaser, Daisy, Lily, Roseluck.
Flitter and Cloudchaser were pegasi, and were the first to approach Fluttershy. She soon discovered the twins were, well, typical cloud-born pegasi, steeped in competitive Cloudsdale culture, obsessed with sports and weather work. Nice enough ponies, but not Fluttershy's type. For her, Rainbow Dash was quite enough.
Bon-bon, an earth pony, was much more easygoing, content to just chat about daily life in Ponyville.
"Yeah, Ponyville's a good place. You made a great decision moving out here. It's usually quiet here, and some of the younger ponies hate that, but you seem like you'd be fine with it."
Fluttershy nodded. "That sounds lovely. A nice, peaceful town where I can go to the market every morning..."
"Yeah." Bon-bon smiled and stared off wistfully. "Everypony knows your name, you know who they are in return, and it's all just a comfortable little niche. There's the occasional party, and that's plenty for someone like me. All I need is my candy shop and my friends."
Fluttershy was feeling warm and peaceful, the way Bon-bon just described her new home. Everything was going to be lovely.
"Oh, there's Lyra!" Bon-bon waved to a green unicorn, whose eyes lit up as she hurried to meet the two. "Lyra! Glad you could make it! Fluttershy, this is Lyra; Lyra, Fluttershy."
"Hello!" Lyra greeted Fluttershy with glittering enthusiasm, and Fluttershy responded. Yet, though Lyra and Bon-bon did make token attempts to include Fluttershy, the two chatted as close friends, and Fluttershy found herself drifting away.
At some point--Fluttershy didn't notice exactly when--enough ponies had arrived for the atmosphere to change from "a gathering of ponies" to "an actual crowd." The phonograph had been turned up accordingly; a dense, steady beat forced Fluttershy as far away from the record player as possible.
The din of the crowd certainly didn't help. Dozens of voices chattered about anything and everything, or possibly about nothing--Fluttershy couldn't tell. She didn't want to follow any conversation in particular, yet they all crashed down and began to squeeze her, a dry, overgrown brush of affected interjections and curious questions, an undifferentiated roar that left her weak and drained in its majesty.
Go out and mingle! cried a feeble voice in her head. With whom? Everypony knew everypony else so well. Nopony was alone, not long enough for her to notice. Would she impose herself and interrupt a conversation? No! That would be incredibly rude, wouldn't it?
Somepony asked where the guest of honor was; Fluttershy reverted to old habits and hid under a table. She bumped into a hoof, which was apparently fishing under the table for a dropped cookie. She flinched.
Rainbow Dash's familiar face peeked under the table. "Fluttershy? You okay?" Fluttershy's friend knelt down and slid under the tablecloth.
Fluttershy just sat there. Even in the shadow of the table, the party bounced around the two ponies. It took only a few thumps of the bass for Rainbow Dash to realize what was the matter.
"You could always leave," she said. "I'll just tell Pinkie that things got a little too busy for you. She'll understand, I'll make sure of it."
"But I don't want to leave!"
"Fluttershy, you're hiding under a table. I'm pretty sure that means you really don't want to be here."
She wanted to leave, that was true. But she didn't want to be the sort of pony who'd leave her own welcome party.
"But, I...I--"
"It'll be fine. Trust me."
For all her life, Fluttershy had been the demure, delicate, shy pony, fearful even for a filly and scared of her own shadow--sometimes literally. Her family noticed, and kept her swaddled and safe for not to terrify her. When she was grown, she built herself a soft, rounded life of fluffy bunnies and pleasant conversation with birds and butterflies.
Would she be that kind of pony forever?
She peeked out, only to meet a raucous bass drop and a jubilant crowd that cheered at exactly the wrong time. Naturally, she flinched back into the table gap.
Yes, she would; she was condemned forever to be that kind of pony.
"All right, Rainbow Dash. See you..."
Fluttershy left Sugarcube Corner without a further word, not bothering to say goodbye to anypony she'd met. Looking back at the party-house, she saw dozens of ponies having a great time. The party was for her, yet she was the the only one not to love it.
It was cool, and smoke floated from the chimney; Pinkie Pie must have lit a fire for warmth. There was nothing more for Fluttershy here, so she went home without a single sob or tear--she'd take that victory, at least.
Angel Bunny hadn't destroyed the house, so he got his ration of carrots. When he was done eating, Fluttershy put him to bed early, just so she herself could get straight to bed. Drained from the party, she flopped on her bed and dug into the covers, without even starting a fire.
Author's Note
Written for One-Shotober.
My first [Sad] fic. I don't think I'm quite talented enough to wring tears from your heart of stone, but I guess this is alright for a first attempt.