Somepony knocked on Fluttershy’s door. She put down the kettle she was holding and flew to check it out. Opening the door, she was met with the face of her always-smiling pink friend. “Oh, thank you for coming, Pinkie.”
Pinkie Pie bounced into Fluttershy’s cottage. “Sure thing! I can’t say no to a friend.”
“Please, take a seat.” Fluttershy motioned to a chair next to the table. They sat down and Fluttershy poured some tea for both of them. Pinkie Pie asked for something extra sweet—as always—and Fluttershy gladly offered her the prepared sugar bowl.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Pinkie asked between two slurps.
Inhaling the calming aroma of her jasmine tea, Fluttershy wondered for a moment and looked into Pinkie’s blue eyes. “How should I start? Pinkie, when I think about befriending ponies, you’re the first one who comes to my mind.”
Pinkie nodded. “Yup, I’m everypony’s friend!”
“And uhm… I wondered if you could help me with that.”
“Help you with what?” Pinkie asked with a tilt of her head.
She swiveled her mug back and forth. “To… be more kind to ponies.”
Pinkie’s eyes went wide, then she burst into laughter. “Help you?! You’re the kindest pony I’ve ever known!” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Good joke, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy blushed. “Thank you, Pinkie, but I wasn’t joking. You see… I want to be kind to everypony, not just my friends like you.”
“What do you mean by that?” Pinkie asked, frowning. “I’ve seen you being kind to other ponies.”
“Well, when I’m not with my friends or my animals I… I can barely talk. I mean… I can talk, but even if it seems I talk normally… I…” She closed her eyes and clenched her eyebrows.
After a few seconds of silence, Pinkie said with a motion of her hoof, “Go on, what happens then?”
“It’s hard!” Fluttershy blurted out. “I have to force myself to speak, and it...” She sighed. “I really want to love other ponies, but I can’t tell them because I can’t speak properly.” She hung her head. “Even if I try to, I end up struggling to keep my speech straight.” Eyelids half-closed, she looked back at her friend. “Oh, Pinkie, what should I do?”
“But why are you trying to tell them?”
It was now Fluttershy’s time to tilt her head. “What do you mean?”
“Well, telling someone that you appreciate them is just one way to love a pony. There are other types of love: for example, going to a party with another pony is something that can show that you care for them.” The opportunity to talk about parties made Pinkie so excited that she almost jumped out of her chair.
The idea made Fluttershy remember when she had gotten Pinkie’s cutie mark before Twilight’s coronation. A shudder went through her spine. “I’m really not good at throwing parties. Even going to parties makes me nervous. You know… too many ponies.”
“You can also give them gifts! Like a birthday present!”
“That would be great, but I can’t talk to them. And if I can’t talk to them, how will I get them a present they like?”
Pinkie glanced at her now-empty mug. “You can do favors for them, like doing the washing, or cleaning their room.”
With a shake of her head, Fluttershy dismissed the idea. “Same problem.”
“Hm…” Pinkie rubbed her chin. “Then there is one last thing that you can do.” She raised both of her hooves. “Hugs!”
“Hugs?” Fluttershy asked with rapid blinks.
“Yeah, hugs! And other stuff like caressing, tickling, or simply touching!” She scratched the top of her mane. “Of course not everypony likes to be touched, but I guess with you they’ll make an exception.”
“You… think so?”
“Of course! You’re the bestest, nicest pony ever! Everypony would want a hug from you.”
Fluttershy gazed down at her mug, and after a few seconds, a smile appeared on her face. “That… That could actually work!”
“Of course it could!” Pinkie laughed. “It was my idea after all.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Thank you, Pinkie. I’ll try it out someday.”
“Someday?!” Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no no no no no! Not someday, today!” She stood up. “I’ll teach you the basics.”
“Pinkie, I know how to hug.”
“You know how to hug, but do you really know? I’ve hugged thousands of ponies! I know a few tricks or two and will also let you practice on me. Come on!” She pulled Fluttershy off her chair.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened at the sudden pull, but she didn't resist. Pinkie made her stand a few feet away from to the table.
“So, the first one, which is the simplest, is the neck-hug.” Pinkie stepped forward and put a hoof around Fluttershy’s neck and her head on her shoulder. “Come on, hug me back! You need to practice.”
Fluttershy sighed but repeated the move with a smile. It was never a bad time to hug her joyful friend. Her mane smelled like jasmine.
They released each other. “Like I said, this is the simplest. It’s so simple that some ponies use it to welcome each other, like Twilight and Princess Celestia. However, you can make it more feel-y if you hug the other pony longer.”
Fluttershy nodded. Nothing new so far.
“The next one will be the two-hoof-neck-hug.” She jumped on Fluttershy, wrapping both of her hooves around her neck.
Fluttershy was not famous for her physical strength. She squeaked. “Pinkie…”
Pinkie got off her. “The two-hoof-neck-hug brings you closer to the other pony. However, it has two disadvantages: one, the other pony can’t hug you back or you will both collapse; two, if the other pony is not strong enough, she won’t like it.”
“I… noticed.”
“That’s why usually mares hug stallions like that, or foals their parents. Wanna try?” Pinkie spread her legs a little to provide more stability.
She looked at Pinkie, then at her belly. “I would… rather not.”
Pinkie frowned. “Oh come on, you’re not fat. I can carry you with one hoof!”
Fluttershy sighed, then jumped on Pinkie, embracing her with both of her hooves. Pinkie hadn’t lied, she could hold her easily.
“Actually,” Pinkie said, “I’ve just remembered something I can do while you’re hugging me.” She nuzzled Fluttershy’s neck.
It was ticklish, making Fluttershy giggle. “Pinkie, stop.” She flapped her wings to separate herself and landed a step away.
Pinkie moved back to her usual standing position. “Okay, now we’ve come to the two-hoof-chest-hug! It’s a little bit complex and needs some cooperation, but it’s really fun!” She stood up on her two hind legs. “Do the same.”
With a flutter of her wings, Fluttershy stood up on her hind legs. Pinkie embraced her with both front hooves, pressing her chest to Fluttershy’s and slightly making her lean back. Fluttershy used her wings to stabilise herself and wrapped her legs around Pinkie’s back. It was the warmest embrace she had ever experienced.
Pinkie slowly released her and they both fell on all fours. “This hug is great, because your whole body touches, as opposed to the neck-hugs. It’s also the most caring hug a friend can give to a friend. The more intimate hugs are lovers only.”
Fluttershy nodded. “It was really… nice. Is this all?”
“Nope. There are a lot more hugs, even race specific ones like wing-hugs, but this is a crash course. I’ll show you a final one, my favorite. It’s called ‘filly-hug’. Now, the problem is that this should be done between a foal and an adult, and we’re both adults, but we can fix that.” Pinkie collected a few pillows from the sofas and chairs of the room and stacked them on each other. She sat down on the top of them, making the pillows squeeze. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then she looked at Fluttershy with a smile and spoke in a soothing voice, “Sit down in front of me, please.”
Fluttershy obeyed. The top of her mane was at the same level as Pinkie’s shoulders. Pinkie wrapped one hoof around Fluttershy’s head and gently pressed Fluttershy’s cheek to her chest, while wrapping her other hoof around her neck. Fluttershy instinctively moved her own hooves around Pinkie’s body. She could hear her friend’s heart beating, her chest rise and fall. It was so relaxing, so peaceful; she thought she could fall asleep.
“This is a great hug for foals,” Pinkie whispered into her ears. “Letting them hear your heartbeat and feel your even breathing calms them down.” She slowly released her. “Just make sure you’re calm too, otherwise it won’t work.”
She jumped off the pillows and switched back to her normal voice, “And that was Pinkie’s Crash Course on Hugs!”
Fluttershy tittered at Pinkie’s sudden mood change. “Thank you, Pinkie. I really enjoyed it.”
They sat back at the table, and Fluttershy filled up their mugs. They continued talking about various topics, like Fluttershy’s animals and Pinkie’s next planned party. When they finished the tea, Pinkie decided that it was time to leave. After giving each other thank yous and goodbyes, Pinkie bounced out of the cottage, but turned back to say one final thing, “Hugs. Today. Don’t forget it!”
Fluttershy nodded, and Pinkie hopped away with her everlasting smile on her face.
Hugs… Fluttershy felt nervous about the idea of embracing ponies who were not close friends, but she still wanted to do it. She was the Spirit of Kindness and she couldn’t deny herself. But she could wait a little bit, right?
After closing the door, she collected the mugs and the kettle and went into the kitchen to clean them. Then she fed the animals, making a special salad for Angel. When she realized that she couldn’t find any other activity to delay the inevitable, she sighed and walked to the main entrance. “Okay, no more waiting.” She took a deep breath. “Hugs, here I come.” She stepped out of the cottage. It was afternoon already, but there were still a few hours before sunset. Where should she go? Well, the ponies were in Ponyville, so that should be her destination.
As she looked at the town, she noticed somepony descending from the air. Derpy landed next to her postbox and began fumbling in her saddlebag.
She seemed like a perfect first try for a simple neck-hug. She wasn’t Fluttershy’s close friend, but they saw each other almost every day. The grey pegasus was also known for her kind nature, thanks to the gentleness she usually received from ponies as a response to her disability. Hopefully she would understand Fluttershy if things went wrong.
“Hi, Fluttershy.” Derpy waved at her, then began searching her bag with a hoof.
Fluttershy appreciated Derpy for her hard work, even if she sometimes wasn’t that reliable. She stepped closer.
Derpy noticed her approach with one of her eyes. “What’s up? Need something?”
Fluttershy also remembered how hard Derpy’s life was; not just because she was handicapped, but also because her husband repeatedly had to be away for long periods, leaving her and Dinky alone. Fluttershy opened her mouth to tell her something nice, to cheer her up, but she felt as her will to speak wavered. So instead she smiled, then hugged Derpy.
She felt Derpy flinch a little bit at her unexpected contact, but then the mailmare wrapped her own hoof around Fluttershy’s neck. Fluttershy wanted to hug her for a longer time, but she knew that Derpy was very busy, so she released her.
“Thanks, Fluttershy. I really needed that.”
“Oh. Are you okay?”
Derpy gazed at the ground. “I accidentally broke Caramel’s postbox when I landed on it. He was really angry and even yelled at me.” She looked back at Fluttershy with a smile. “But I’m better now, thanks to you.”
Fluttershy blushed. “I’m happy I could help. If you need a hug anytime, just ask.”
“Thank you.” Derpy searched her bag once more and pulled out a letter that Fluttershy accepted with thanks. “Well, I gotta go now, letters can’t wait. Bye, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy waved after Derpy. It was then when she realized that she had talked without any faltering, and she didn’t feel pressure at all! From the moment she had hugged Derpy, it felt like she had become a friend. Her heart filled up with joy and courage as she looked at Ponyville. She would not hold back, not any more.
Fluttershy began walking towards the town, humming a happy song and swaying her head back and forth. The first pony she came across was Carrot Top. The cream-colored earth pony was trotting across the bridge with an empty cart hitched to her back, probably going home to resupply. Or did she just finish early? Fluttershy wondered as she got closer. Angel simply loved the farmer’s juicy carrots.
“Oh, Good evening, Fluttershy. Sorry but I—”
Fluttershy pulled her into a hug, the mare’s bouncy orange mane sliding down on her neck.
“Oh dear,” Carrot Top said, putting her hoof around Fluttershy. “Is everything okay?”
Fluttershy released her and looked into her green eyes. “Better than it has ever been.” She continued her walk into the town.
Carrot Top shook her head, but she couldn’t shake away the smile from her face, and she pulled the cart away again.
The next target was a blue stallion standing next to a lamp post. He looked lonely, so Fluttershy decided to cheer him up... with a two-leg neck-hug!
Noteworthy flinched at the sudden movement, but didn’t step away. “Hi, Fluttershy,” he said, trying to remain standing firm so he could hold the pegasus who brushed her cheek on his neck. “Does this mean you will come on a date with me?”
Eyes flaring, Fluttershy jumped into the air. “What… No! I… just a hug… Uh…” With blushing cheeks, she shot away, disappearing behind a house.
She heard a noise like a rock being kicked and Noteworthy mumble something, then he shouted after her, “Thanks for the hug!”
Heart beating fast, Fluttershy slid down against the wall. No more two-leg-neck-hugs on stallions. She knew how much it could hurt to get rejected, and she didn’t want to risk causing the same pain to any stallion. She peeked around the corner and saw Noteworthy walking into his house. He was smiling, which made Fluttershy sigh in relief. No hearts broken today.
She walked back to the street. There were so many more ponies to hug! Lyra and Bon Bon were talking next to the fountain. It was time to give the two-leg-neck-hug another try, with some pegasus boost! She didn’t even think about a reason to hug them, all that she wanted is to brighten up their day. They were much too deep into the conversation to even notice her approaching.
“I swear I saw it!”
“A… human?” Bon Bon asked with a deadpan face.
“Ah, why are you looking at me like—”
Their sight was suddenly obscured when Fluttershy scooped both of them up into a group hug, reducing her own weight with her wings.
“Oh, hello, Fluttershy. We love you too,” Lyra said.
“Yeah, but please, could you let me go?” Bon Bon added.
Fluttershy released Bon Bon and put her other hoof on Lyra.
Lyra blinked. “Tell me, please tell me that you believe me. I saw a human, I swear I saw it!”
Fluttershy released her and gently stroke her mane, looking into her golden eyes. “Never give up on your dreams, Lyra, and you will find what you’re looking for.”
Lyra grinned at her. “Thanks.”
“Hey, don’t encourage her!” Bon Bon yelled from behind, but Fluttershy was already on the move.
She met with an exhausted-looking Cheerilee, whom she gave a long one-hoof embrace, that the teacher gladly returned. After saying her thanks, Cheerilee continued on her way in a much brighter mood.
Looking for the next pony to hug, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of a certain silver-colored filly in the alley she had just passed. She decided to check it out and found Silver Spoon sitting next to a garbage can. Her eyes were bleary and her eyeglasses were lying on the ground next to her. Should she filly-hug her? Fluttershy knew it would be perfect for this situation, but thinking back on how she’d felt with Pinkie… Was it maybe a ‘mother-only’ type of hug? Pinkie Pie was famous for ignoring things like that.
Leaving Silver Spoon in her current state was not an option either, so Fluttershy decided to walk up to her and maybe say something. When she arrived next to the her, the sniffling filly looked up.
Then wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy.
Forgetting her fears, Fluttershy sat down and slowly brought her into a full embrace, the filly’s head resting on her chest. Silver Spoon’s tears began flowing again, wetting her yellow coat. “They… They all hate me… Everypony hates me.”
Fluttershy was slowly caressing her mane, feeling her trembling from her sobs. “It’s okay. I’m here; I don’t hate you,” she said in a soothing voice.
“They… They hate me because I’m a bad pony… And when I told this to Diamond… that we are bad ponies… she said she hates me too.” She sniffled. “When… when we mocked Scootaloo… it was so horrible…I couldn’t take it anymore...”
Fluttershy just kept caressing her, letting her pour out her little heart. She knew Silver Spoon was—or apparently, used to be—one of the bullies in the school. And now, there she was, broken and lost. “You are not a bad pony, Silver Spoon. Do you know what you are?”
Silver Spoon looked up at her with her purple eyes. “Horrible?”
“You are brave. You told your bully friend that what you were doing is wrong.” Fluttershy stroked her cheek. “And that needs an unbelievable amount of courage.”
“But Diamond Tiara hates me now. I knew she would, but...” She looked away.
“And that’s what makes you even more brave, Silver Spoon.” Fluttershy put a hoof under Silver Spoon’s chin and slowly turned her face back. “You knew she might decide to hate you for it, but you still stood up for what is right.”
Silver Spoon’s eyelids lowered. “But what do I do now? All the school fillies know who I am. They hate me.”
Fluttershy wiped the filly’s tears away. “The first step is to say sorry. It won’t be easy, but if you show them who you are truly in here”—She touched Silver’s chest—”I’m sure they’ll forgive you.”
Silver Spoon sighed, then nodded. “I’ll do that.”
Fluttershy slowly released her, then reached out for her eyeglasses and gave them to Silver Spoon.
Looking at the eyeglasses on her own hoof, Silver Spoon smiled. “I don’t need them.”
Fluttershy tilted her eyebrow. “Aren’t you short-sighted?”
She shook her head and moved her hoof around the frame. “It was only part of my mask. None of the lenses give any real function, they're only for cosmetic purpose.” She stood up and tossed them into the garbage can. “I don’t want to hide. Not anymore.” She knit her eyebrows.
Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. “Now, go and make things right. I know you can do it.”
She turned back to Fluttershy. “Thank you, Fluttershy, for everything.” She gave her one last smile before trotting away.
Fluttershy felt like she was in a dream. All she had to do was just start hugging ponies, and if they needed words after that, she somehow always found them. They smiled at her, they loved her, and she could love them even more! The sun was going down, but that didn’t stop Fluttershy from hugging every pony she met on the way back home.
When she finally went inside her cottage, she felt so tired that she collapsed on the sofa. She sighed in contentment and slowly drifted to sleep with one single thought in her head:
This day has been the best day of my life.
THE END
Author's Note
Special thanks to my awesome editors: bobdat, MrMinimii, OkemosBrony, and
Tranquil Serenity.
