Celestia's beaming sun ascended into the sky to begin a new day. Pinkie woke within the morning's first minute. After all, an extra minute spent in bed was a minute taken away from the day.
"Good morning, Ponyville!" her young voice cried as the filly jumped from her bed.
The colorful door to her vibrant bedroom swung open and she bounced down the hallway. She moved so quickly and ecstatically that she nearly crashed into the door leading into Mr. and Mrs. Cakes' bedroom. They were already awake, however they remained lying under their covers, hoping to enjoy the comfort they brought.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie cheered as she landed on the bedspread.
Mrs. Cake— a plump blue mare— lifted her head to see Pinkie's glowing smile. Seeing the small filly allowed a small grin of her own to be painted on her face.
"Good morning, Pinkie Pie" she said warmly.
Mrs. Cake hoisted herself from her slumped position and sat upright against the wall.
Shortly afterward, the sheets rustled a bit as the other figure found himself waking up as well. A skinnier yellow stallion emerged from the blankets and saw Pinkie.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" the pink filly replied.
Mr. Cake fell for Pinkie's contagious smiles, causing his lips to rush upward.
"And good morning to you too," he said to the filly. He then turned to his wife, "and Happy Hearts and Hooves Day."
Those five words hooked Pinkie. She had heard of them used before, but never put together like that. Her attempt at making sense of the combination was shown by her furrowed eyebrows and a question.
"Hearts and Hooves Day? What's that?"
This caught the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who turned to face the younger pony.
"You've never heard of Hearts and Hooves Day?" Mrs. Cake asked.
Pinkie quickly shook her head.
"No. Back on the rock farm, we never even knew about special days. The only days we knew about were regular days and birthdays. But even birthdays weren't special days."
The answer sent a small shock throughout Mrs. Cake. Although she had felt plenty of jolts before from other stories about the rock farm, each new bit of information continued to surprise her.
"Well Hearts and Hooves Day is a pretty special day, Pinkie."
Pinkie jumped on the mattress as her smile grew.
"Please tell me about it!"
Mrs. Cake giggled at the energetic bounce before continuing.
"Okay. On Hearts and Hooves Day, some ponies spend the day doing special things with their Special Someponies— one pony that they care about very much."
"You mean like friends?" Pinkie asked.
"Well yes, but it's one that is especially dear to them— even more than their other friends."
"So like a super best friend?"
"Yes." Mrs. Cake answered.
The thought alone was enough to boost Pinkie's spirits even higher— higher than the sun.
"I want a Special Somepony!" she cheered.
And just like that, Pinkie bounced off the bed like a trampoline and raced down the stairs. The front door to Sugarcube Corner was in her sight and got closer with every galloping step. She then opened the door and exited.
Pinkie hopped through the morning roads of Ponyville. Although there were many ponies already about, she was more than happy to greet everyone with an impeccable smile. And with each pony that saw it, another one trickled its way up their own face. In turn, the joyful expression grew Pinkie's smile even more. And so the cycle continued.
One of Pinkie's favorite places in Ponyville— aside from Sugarcube Corner and any sweets shop— was the local park. It's beautiful trees and fields were definitely a sight for anypony to see— especially someone like Pinkie. So naturally, she turned to enter it.
She trotted on the park's ground, causing the soft grass to bounce. The trees above her swayed with the gentle breeze. But overall, the gleaming sun radiated the good feelings surrounding Hearts and Hooves Day.
As she continued to hop, Pinkie noticed a filly sitting on one of the plush hills— a yellow Pegasus roughly her age. She sat on the grass surrounded by several animals— a bunny, squirrel, and a family of ducks.
Instantaneously, Pinkie jerked her entire direction towards the filly as her already-wide smile expanded to astronomical levels.
"Hi!"
The filly jumped—causing her to nearly fall— as a squeak wheezed its way out of her. Even the animals were shivering at the sudden outburst.
"I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen you here before! What's your name?"
The yellow filly was still shaking and her expression was difficult to see with her face covered by her pretty pink mane. Despite this, Pinkie stood there and waited.
Eventually, a sound gently flowed its way through the air.
"I'm....um....Fluttershy....."
"Um...what was that?"
It was another while before Pinkie heard something resembling an answer.
"I'm.......Fluttershy...."
Pinkie had her ear pressed really close to the filly, close enough to hear her.
"Fluttershy, huh? Well since I've never seen you before, that must mean you're new to Ponyville! And since you're new, you need to have a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!"
Pinkie pulled Fluttershy with one of her hooves— causing another squeak— and dragged her out of the park.
"It'll be so much fun! Sugarcube Corner has tasty sweets that you'll love! Plus I'll invite everyone in Ponyville so you'll have a bunch of new friends!"
Pinkie went on telling her new friend about the ponies she'll meet— their name, their birthday, what they like, and anything else they worth noting. Fluttershy did what she could to listen but was scared by the filly's loud voice.
Eventually, the two arrived at Sugarcube Corner. It was packed— ponies crowded the store, forming an impenetrable sea.
"Hm...well I guess we're going to have to go in through the back," Pinkie said as she saw the mess.
Taking Fluttershy's hoof, Pinkie pulled her around the outside of the colorful building.
"You'll love the Cakes! They're very nice! Did I tell you how yummy their treats are?"
Pinkie heard a soft, mumbled response— too jumbled for her to make out.
"You don't talk much, do you?" Pinkie said. She turned back to see the silent, unresponsive Fluttershy. The pink filly, however gave her a reassuring grin, "That's okay! As long as a friend is nice to other ponies, then that's all that matters! And you seem pretty nice!"
The two reached the back door to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie happily turned the knob and entered the kitchen. Inside, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake running around with baking supplies. One second they would be in the cabinets and the very next in the oven.
"Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie greeted.
The blue mare halted in her tracks— with a bowl balanced on her head— and laid eyes on Pinkie and the new filly.
"Hello Pinkie," Mrs. Cake answered warmly amidst the chaos.
"This is Fluttershy!" Pinkie said as she pointed at the yellow pony, "I met her in the park and she was all alone! I knew that when I saw here that I've never seen her before! So that must have meant that she was new to Ponyville! And I knew that when I saw her alone that she must have no friends! So that must also mean that she's new to Ponyville! And when there's someone new in Ponyville, they need to have a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party so that they can be happy and make new friends in Ponyville! So we need to have a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party now!"
Mrs. Cake was glad to see Fluttershy— as shown by her warm-looking face— however it quickly fell into disappointment.
"Oh...I'm sorry Pinkie. I would love you to have a party here, but the store is really busy right now," she said.
"But Mrs. Cake, Fluttershy needs to make new friends!" Pinkie replied as she rapidly used her hooves to point at Fluttershy.
"Tell you what, once the store clears up, you can invite everypony to the party. Until then, you can show Fluttershy around Ponyville," Mrs. Cake said as she warmed up again. This reassurance flashed over to Pinkie.
"Okay!"
Before she could take another look at Mrs. Cake, Fluttershy was yanked out the door. She was dragged along for several seconds before Pinkie halted. Her mind flashed and then she spoke.
"Wait a minute! Mr. And Mrs. Cake said that today is Hearts and Hooves Day! And when its Hearts and Hooves Day, everypony needs somepony to be their Special Somepony!"
Pinkie turned back to see her friend's face.
"Fluttershy, do you want to be my special somepony?" she asked with her gleaming smile.
Upon hearing those words, Fluttershy's face went blank. Her blue eyes rested on Pinkie's as she thought. But time went on and she was unable to say an answer. Eventually, she looked at Pinkie.
"Um...what is a...'Special Somepony'?"
Pinkie gasped, causing her friend to recoil.
"You've never heard of a Special Somepony?"
Fluttershy looked at the ground first before slowly raising her eyes back to Pinkie. In a final nervous gesture, she shook her head.
Pinkie pulled Fluttershy into a tight embrace— causing the latter to squeak.
"A Special Somepony is someone you care about a lot! They're kinda like a super-friend!"
Fluttershy was silent, unsure of what to say. It wasn't that she was angry or annoyed— merely confused and uncomfortable.
Pinkie pulled back— creating some difference between herself and Fluttershy— and stared into her eyes.
"So what do you say? Do you want to be my Special Somepony?"
She gave Pinkie another timid look before she slowly brought her head upward— so slow that her mane didn't move— and back down in a similar way.
"Okay..."
Pinkie gasped.
"You will!" she exclaimed before squeezing Fluttershy tighter, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Although she heard no words in return, Pinkie didn't mind. After all, her 'Special Somepony' was a little quiet.
Eventually, she backed away and allowed herself to see the small smile she had left on Fluttershy's face— causing her own to explode.
"Um....Pinkie Pie...."
"Yay! She's speaking by herself!" Pinkie thought.
"Yes, Fluttershy?"
The yellow filly lowered her head as she stared at the pink one.
"Did you...um....want to meet.....my animal friends?"
Pinkie gasped again before bouncing in the air.
"Animal friends? Why didn't you tell me? Let's go see them!"
She leaned in and pressed her muzzle against Fluttershy's.
"Where are they?" she asked.
Fluttershy winced back and allowed her rosy mane to fall over her face.
"Come on, Fluttershy! Don't be shy!" Pinkie said before giggling.
Everything was silent for a moment before Fluttershy's pink mane swayed a bit.
"Um.....okay....."
The yellow filly nearly stumbled over her long legs as she turned herself in a different direction. She then took her front leg and wobbled it forward. And then the next.
Fluttershy continued to move forward. All the while Pinkie was hopping alongside her.
"So what kind of animals are you friends with? Squirrels? Chipmunks? Elephants?"
Sadly, Fluttershy was once again too nervous to speak. Instead, she continued moving at a slow, unsure pace towards the forest.
Eventually, they reached the forest's entrance and Fluttershy raised her head.
"Mr. Squirrel," Fluttershy said. Her friend's confident remark caused Pinkie to smile.
A bush beside one of the trees rustled before revealing a puffy squirrel. It raced over to Fluttershy and hugged her skinny leg. The yellow filly then faced Pinkie.
"Pinkie, this is Mr. Squirrel," Fluttershy said with a smile of her own.
Amazed at the sight, Pinkie stared at the squirrel with stars in her eyes. An audible cheer burst out through her toothy grin.
"He's so cute! I wanna hug him so much!"
She bounced towards Mr. Squirrel with all the energy in the world. But despite her intentions, the critter bolted from his spot and climbed up Fluttershy's leg. Upon landing on the ground, the shock produced another squeak from the timid filly.
Pinkie looked down and noticed the squirrel was nowhere to be found. She jerked her head up and around. Eventually, she saw Mr. Squirrel shivering on Fluttershy's back. The look in the critter's eyes got through to her quite quickly.
"Why is he now on your back? And why does he looked scared?" Pinkie asked, clearly curious at what she was seeing.
Fluttershy crunched herself up and allowed her mane to once again to collapse over her face.
"I'm not a meanie pony, Mr. Squirrely! I just wanna give you a hug!"
With determination, Pinkie stood up and leapt closer to catch the squirrel, only for it to scatter once more before pressing its back against Fluttershy's neck.
"There's no need to be scared!"
Pinkie then heard a soft sound. It didn't take long for her to find out that it was coming from Fluttershy, but any word she said was mumbled and hard to make out.
"What was that, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked.
Said mumbling was heard again, but it was still unclear.
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I can't hear you. Can you please talk louder?"
There was a very, very long pause. No mumbling, no sound, no anything. But Pinkie knew that was a habit of her new friend, and she was more than willing to respect Fluttershy's choices.
"Um.....I think......you may......have......um......"
Another pause. But Fluttershy didn't seem to linger on that 'um'. Instead, she let herself fall into absolute silence.
"I may have what?" Pinkie asked.
The following period of quietness was accompanied by Fluttershy completely freezing— not even allowing a rose strand of her mane to move.
"You may......have......um...........startled........him........Mr.Squirrel........"
Pinkie pondered at her friend's response. It didn't make sense that something as friendly as a hug would scare somepony— or somesquirrel. And no amount of thinking could get her to understand.
"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked.
Fluttershy crunched herself even more, practically turning her into a pony ball with legs.
".......Um......small.......critters like.......Mr.Squirrel........get........um........."
Fluttershy was trembling, struggling to keep her balance. Such shaking was becoming noticeable to Pinkie— causing her to rest one of her hooves on her shoulder.
"No need to be shy, Flutters! Tell me!" Pinkie said encouragingly.
But even with those nice words, the barrier that kept Fluttershy from talking won and its product came in the form of silence. After another minute of shivering, Pinkie spoke up again.
"Well, that's alright. I'll just try not to startle the squirrely."
Upon hearing that, Fluttershy relaxed and exposed her face— which despite the small remaining fragments of fear— had calmed as well.
"So, are there any other cuddly, wuddly critter friends that you have?" Pinkie asked with keen interest.
"Um......yes.......b-"
"Show me! I want to see them!"
"..........."
Pinkie leaned herself closer to Fluttershy's face, causing the latter to crunch back.
"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."
Fluttershy's lips curled inward as her blue eyes darted downward.
"Well......um......."
There was a brief pause before she continued.
"All the animals......are busy......right now.......the ducks are taking care of the ducklings......the chipmunks are cuddling with their babies.......it would be awfully rude to disturb them......"
Pinkie nodded.
"Okay! It wouldn't be nice to startle them!" she responded.
She then looked back on the way the two of them had came, causing some gears to turn.
"You know, you are the bestest Specialest Somepony ever!" Pinkie said, "but I'm starting to wonder what Special Someponies do? Mr. and Mrs. Cake said they do special things with each other on Hearts and Hooves Day, but they didn't tell me what those things were."
She then turned to Fluttershy and asked:
"Do you know?"
The yellow filly slowly shook her head.
"Oh...well....oh!"
Pinkie temporarily froze before resuming her motion.
" I have an idea! How about we go around Ponyville and see what special someponies do?" she suggested.
"Ok-"
Without any delay, Pinkie took Fluttershy's hoof and dragged it out of the forest and towards the town.
Before the unfamiliar filly knew it, she was back on Ponyville's roads— which have since filled with with townsponies. Some were going about their normal business while others were tending to their holiday plans. As Pinkie walked through the street, she noticed ponies filling up restaurants— sitting at the tables in pairs. The reason for this craziness was unknown to her and she continued to walk with Fluttershy.
Pinkie then passed by Petunia's Flora, which was also chaotic— as shown from the crowd on the other side of the windows. But what really grasped her attention was the big red sign that read in fancy white letters: "For that Special Somepony". Those words halted her entire body as her eyes glued themselves toward them.
"Do you see that, Fluttershy?" Pinkie said, "this must be what Special Someponies do!"
She then faced the double wooden doors that led into the shop. Grabbing her friend's hoof once more, Pinkie raced through them, only to find herself unable to break through the sea of ponies. Barely several centimeters in front of them was the next pony waiting to make his purchase. Rather than attempting to get through it, the two decided to wait.
Luckily, the line moved quickly— thanks to the rushing pace of the customers' words and Petunia's work. Within several minutes, they were at the front. Pinkie bounced and reached for the counter— her hooves gaining hold of the ledge. She pulled her head up to greet Petunia with her smile.
"Hi, Petunia!" Pinkie cheered.
"Well hello, Pinkie. Are you here to get some flowers for your Special Somepony?"
"You bet!"
Petunia placed her hooves on the counter with a look of wonder.
"Well who's the lucky colt?" Petunia asked.
The phrase at the end sparked laughter from the pink filly.
"Oh no, silly! I don't have a Special Some-colt!" Pinkie said before looking down at Fluttershy, "Come on silly filly! Use your wings to fly up here!"
The young pegasus squirmed once more and shakily opened her mouth.
"Um....I'm......not a good flier........"
"That's okay!" Pinkie said before hoisting up Fluttershy. Petunia's smile grew and even chuckled at the sight.
"Aw, aren't you two so cute together!" she said.
"Yep!" Pinkie replied as she returned the grin.
"So, what can I get for you two?"
"The flowers that Special Someponies get for their Special Someponies!"
Petunia laughed.
"Well there are different flowers that Special Someponies get for each other. There's roses, daisies, posies, and so many others."
It didn't take very long for Pinkie to make a decision.
"I'll get roses then!"
The flower pony gave the fillies a smile before grabbing a small bouquet of roses and resting it on the counter.
"That'll be seven bits."
"Absolutely!" Pinkie cheered as she tossed the coins on the counter, "Have a nice Heart's and Hooves Day, Petunia!"
"You too."
The pink filly pulled herself up in order to grab the bouquet with her mouth. With the gift in her possession, she dropped back down. The two then moved their way through the crowd of ponies before escaping the store. Pinkie released the bouquet from the grip of her teeth and into her hooves. Turning to Fluttershy, she handed it to her.
"To my Special Somepony!" Pinkie said.
Fluttershy feebly raised one of her hooves to accept the gift. Her eyes laid on the elegant gift her friend had given her. Almost instinctively, she took one of the roses out and offered it to the pink filly.
"Aw! You couldn't have!" Pinkie replied at the gesture.
"Um.....to my.....um......Special Somepony......"
Pinkie happily accepted the rose and wrapped Fluttershy into a tight embrace.
"You're the nicest, kindest, bestest Special Somepony I've ever had! And also my first!" Pinkie said.
She remained in that hug for several moments— insuring that her friend understood how much she appreciated the gift— before separating.
"Now what else do Special Someponies do for each other?" Pinkie asked. She thought about it for several moments before coming to a conclusion.
"Oh yeah! They show each other their friends! Well I'm friends with everypony in Ponyville!"
But then another thought came across her.
"But....they're all probably doing things for their Special Someponies too....."
And then another.
"I could go to Sugarcube Corner,"
But then another.
", but the Cakes are too busy."
Pinkie looked around to see what the other ponies were doing. While some were still inside the stores, she checked that off. Some of them were walking down the streets, but they had already done some of that. Plus it's something ponies do every day. But there was nothing in her immediate sight that could be helpful.
"Let's head down the street!" Pinkie said before taking Fluttershy along.
They continued to walk through the various stores, seeing if there was anything special for them to do. Luckily, they stumbled upon the same restaurant they walked by earlier. It was still crowded— just like every other business— however there was something very, very interesting that caught Pinkie's attention— something she didn't bother to see the first time. Two of the ponies near the restaurant's window were kissing each other. Although Pinkie had seen Mr. and Mrs. Cake kiss each other, this was unique and had the words "Special Someponies" written all over her mind.
Pinkie dug for her bags for money, but she couldn't find anything— not even a single bit. She sighed in resignation.
"Well....I wanted to take you into that restaurant, but I don't have any money," Pinkie said in an uncharacteristically dampened tone. For the first time today, that smile had shrunk away. She then looked up and stared at Fluttershy with her pleading blue eyes, "I-Is that alright?"
The pink filly never broke eye contact as she awaited her friend's response, which came surprisingly quick.
"Yes," Fluttershy said before pausing, "I mean.....um....you don't need to worry.......everything's fine...."
"Okay then!" Pinkie said, having regain her joy, "how would you like a kiss?"
Almost instantly, Pinkie bounced towards Fluttershy. With her lips puckered, she kissed Fluttershy's cheek. The act didn't last long, however, as Fluttershy scrambled backwards with a panicked squeal— the loudest noise to come from her today. Her blue eyes widened to size of saucers and her legs were shaking.
Pinkie raced forward and tried to kiss her again. Her lips briefly met that cheek— which had burnt red— before being separated by Fluttershy's terrified whimper and desperate attempt to back away.
"Come on, Fluttershy! Don't you wanna give me a kiss?"
Pinkie continued to approached Fluttershy with her lips puckered and her eyes shut.
"Pinkie, what are you doing?" a passing pony asked. Unfortunately, the pink filly didn't notice.
Eventually, Fluttershy trembling legs gave in, causing her to fall onto the sidewalk. Pinkie leaned down to kiss her, when one last squeal stopped her. Tears escaped Fluttershy as she sobbed on the ground.
Several ponies passed by during the ordeal. Some tried telling Pinkie to stop while other scurried through.
Upon hearing the terrified whimpering, Pinkie snapped out of her trance. Her eyes flickered open to reveal Fluttershy. Her body was shivering a most of her face— which revealed her streaming tears— was covered by her mane.
"Oh my gosh! What's wrong?"
Pinkie quickly dropped down and enveloped Fluttershy in a comforting hug.
"Why are you crying?" she asked urgently.
Fluttershy was too overwhelmed by the powerful sobs to say anything. For a while, she allowed her body to force them out as she rested on Pinkie. Every two seconds her body would thrust as another one escaped her throat. In the time in between, all she could do was tremble. Her body depended on Pinkie to be held up. All the while, Pinkie was anxious as she waited for her friend to say something.
"I don't want to be kissed..." was the first thing she could manage to get out.
"But why not?" Pinkie asked, "Special Someponies do it to show that they're their Special Someponies."
Her friend cried for another minute. Luckily, it started to die down— an indication of hope for Pinkie. The strong, yet mean sobs were weakened down to hiccups.
Pinkie heard a sniffle.
"I'm sorry," Fluttershy struggled to make out. She clamped her mouth shut to suppress any further cries, "it's just....I was scared..."
"By a kiss?"
"Yes," she replied, accompanied by another sniffle, "I'm a scaredy pony....and it doesn't take much to frighten me....or to make me cry...."
"I'm so sorry!" Pinkie said as she tightened her grip around her friend, "I never want to make anypony cry! Crying is never fun! Smiles are much better!"
The pink filly then squeezed her eyes shut.
"All I wanted to do was to have a Special Somepony. I wanted someone to be my super best friend for Hearts and Hooves Day. But I guess I'm the worst Special Somepony in the world..."
"No you're not....." Fluttershy said. She then tapped Pinkie's shoulder and gently pulled away, "I may get scared at a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I don't like you. You're a very happy pony with a warm heart. And I think anypony would be blessed to have a friend like you..."
Fluttershy wiped away her remaining tears before looking up at her friend with a smile.
"Okay....." Pinkie said before re-opening her eyes, "...from now on, I'll do my best not to scare you like that. It's just......I get a lot of energy...especially when I'm happy....."
She then saw Fluttershy's grin and replicated it as such.
"....And my friends like it when I make them happy and they see me happy.....And......I guess I got a little carried away......"
The yellow filly retained her smile and placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
"It's okay....you should never stop making other ponies happy.....just be sure to know that other ponies can have different ideas on what is fun......"
Pinkie's smile returned to the beaming glow it had been all day.
"Okie dokie lokie!" she cheered, "So! What do you want to do?"
Fluttershy blushed at the direct address. She wasn't a pony that appreciated the spotlight, but there were times where she loved being noticed by her friends.
Remembering the question, she thought through the different activities she perceived as "fun". It took a minute for her to lock on one to do first, but she pulled herself together.
"Um.....let's start with.....a walk through the forest......"
Pinkie looked forward to see the tranquil forest out in the distance. It looked fine enough for a walk— especially between two ponies. She then turned back to face Fluttershy.
"Sure thing, Special Somepony!"
Turning back to the forest, the two walked side-by-side at the same pace— holding each other's hooves along the way.
