Fluttershy had always been a solitary sort of pony. She never had many friends and rarely had confidence enough to even interact with many other ponies. However her one close friend had given her the confidence she needed to move out of her parent’s home and to an entirely different town.
After three weeks filled with terror at living alone the young yellow pegasus was finally coming to realize how much she enjoyed not having other ponies to disappoint with her shortcomings.
Though her dearest friend had never looked down on her. It seemed strange that the most impressive flier of their generation would have no reservations about being close to one of the worst. Even her parents had shown their disappointment in her chosen profession.
Rainbow had always told her to have more confidence, but such things were easier said than done. Especially when it came to the pink pony.
Certainly there were plenty of ponies with pink coats. She herself had a pink mane, but Fluttershy had never seen such a glaringly pink tornado of destructive behavior. She had even taken to referring to the pony simply as Pink.
Pinkie, of course, viewed that as a term of endearment not realizing the chaos she caused with her loud voice and explosions. Birds took flight while the smallest of animals and Fluttershy took to hiding under the timid pony’s bed at the pink pony’s boisterous approach.
It was that very reaction that led Fluttershy to inviting her oldest and quite literally only friend to tea. Rainbow Dash couldn’t care less about the tea, but if her friend needed her then she would endure the bitter beverage.
“I- um I could put honey in it if you want.” Fluttershy timidly offered when she noticed the slight grimace on her friend’s face.
“No, no you don’t have to trouble yourself. I’ll just have it like this.”
“Oh... um alright.”
While most ponies would see this as simply how Fluttershy was, Rainbow, knew her friend was never this nervous around her, at least not any more. “Alright Flutters, what’s wrong?” Rather than receive a proper answer, Dash watched as her friend descended further into her fearful shell. Rolling her eyes, she pressed further. “Come on Shy, you know I’m always here for you.”
“You promise you won’t laugh?” Hope glimmered in the yellow mare’s eyes when Rainbow suddenly smiled proudly.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” The recitation was quick, but sincerity dripped from the rather confusing poem.
“Ah... what was that?”
“Oh it’s just something a friend taught me for when you make a promise that you’ll never break. Trust me, it’s important,” Dash replied quickly brimming with confidence.
It was that confidence that eased Fluttershy’s fears. “It... well it has been really noisy lately, and um... the animals get scared and hide under my bed... so um... I have to calm them and I’m afraid I might get stuck, so... um...”
“You want me to check on you from time to time?”
“Yes! Um, I mean yes... if you don’t mind.”
Fluttershy cringed the moment she saw a smile creeping onto Rainbow’s face, quickly bracing herself for her friend’s laughter at her expense. Laughter that came in the form of a friendly hug and a confident reply, “Absolutely, you know I’d never leave you high and dry.”
Happily returning the hug Fluttershy thanked her friend and returned to her daily tasks, now, with her best friend’s help for the day.
As the weeks flew past, Fluttershy found a new friend. Quiet and considerate, Rarity was just the kind of friend she needed. Yet after one of their weekly trips to the spa, the now solitary Fluttershy was staring down the barrel of a loaded party cannon. A pink maned party cannon that would throw streamers around a room as quickly as it would explode in a pony’s face.
“P-p-p-p-ink?” Fluttershy stammered as she realized that she was now closer to the pink pony than she had ever been before. She was even close enough to smell cake frosting coming from Pinkie’s mane.
A mane that shook with excitement as the party pony replied with a giggle, a snort and then a joke, “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” Pinkie then found herself deep in thought for only a moment before continuing, “Well actually my name is Pinkamena Diane Rutherford Hopscotch Balloon Animals Marie Pie the fifth, but my friends call me Pinkie... also my sisters... and my parents... I imagine my enemies would also call me Pinkie. Do I even have enemies?” Pinkie continued for quite some time, not realizing when Fluttershy slipped away and only stopping when she was interrupted by a member of the gathering crowd of observers.
“Pinkie, are you alright?”
Pinkie quickly grasped the earth pony who had spoken with her forehooves and replied in the most deadpan tone she could muster, “Don’t worry, Bon Bon. Lyra wrote you a song.”
Bon Bon quietly stared for a moment before smiling softly and shaking her head as Pinkie began to seek out the only pony she knew who might be able to help her.
“What do you mean you can’t help me?” Pinkie almost assaulted Applejack in her disappointment, but managed to keep her hooves to herself as she continued, “I mean you’re the expert when it comes to quiet ponies. Just tell me what you did to get Big Mac out of his shell.”
Suddenly a hearty crack signaled the young apple farmer’s hooves striking the tree behind her. When the buckets surrounding the tree were filled she turned to pinkie and replied, “Well sugarcube, Macky ain’t like that Butter-Fly pony—“
“Fluttershy!” Pinkie quickly interrupted to correct Applejack’s mistake.
“Wait what?”
“Her name is Fluttershy.”
“Alright fine, ah’m just sayin that Macky ain’t quiet cause he’s shy. He’s quiet cause he only talks when something needs sayin. Even then, he don’t say any more than what needs ta be said. Ain’t that right brother?”
Big Macintosh smiled and gave a firm nod and a heartfelt, “Eeyup.” Then without further word he returned to his work.
“So ah think y’all really should just take some time and get ta know her before y’all just force yer craziness inta her world. Ah mean do ya even know what she likes?”
Pinkie pondered this for a while as the two other ponies continued their work. She considered it through the day and into the night before deciding that sleep and a hearty meal would be required for further thought. However, even a familiar walk home can be difficult in the dark of night.
Still, Pinkie moved confidently along the dirt path between Sweet Apple Acres and Sugar Cube Corner until she heard a rather strangled gurgling squeal. Immediately stopping, the pink pony looked left and right and up and down as she listened for more.
When nothing came into her field of vision, she spoke softly hoping to not scare away a potential friend, “Hello? Is somepony there?” She was immediately answered with a now more pained squeak, but this time she was ready and easily discerned the direction of the source.
She crept slowly making sure to keep searching for here quarry, listening intently as she moved. She eventually found something her mind simply couldn’t comprehend. Her ordinarily fluffy mane fell flat and tears blurred her vision.
Fluttershy had eventually managed to calm down with the help of Rainbow and Angel after her run in with the pink pony. She even smiled as she began to ready herself and her non-nocturnal critter friends for bed.
She was about to turn off the last of her lights when she heard a panicked rapping on her front door. She turned to investigate when her heart froze as she heard the shrill tones of the true source of her nightmares.
The pink pony’s voice caught as she attempted to cry out, “Flu-f-f-fluttershy! Help, please I need help!”
The icy chill quickly thawed when Fluttershy realized that this was not the pony of her nightmares, but instead it was a pony as terrified as she often found herself. As she slowly opened her door the yellow pony saw a whimpering mess.
Pinkie’s mane was flattened and her cheeks stained with tears while she clutched something small to her chest. Seeing the light of Fluttershy’s cottage silhouetting the yellow mare, Pinkie spoke, “p-p-p-please, you have to help him. I know you don’t like me, but please help. He never hurt anypony.” Pinkie lifted her hooves revealing a tiny green alligator with a broken tail and two broken legs.
Without a word Fluttershy took the injured creature in her gentle hooves and flew back into her home calling out, “Angel! I need my bag!” She then turned back to the front door to see Pinkie still sitting as a quivering mess on her front porch. Now in her element she spoke with confidence and strength. “Pinkie Pie, please come inside and shut the door. I’m going to need as much help as I can get and this little one needs you too.”
Looking up, Pinkie saw Fluttershy’s solemn stare for only a moment before the yellow pony turned to take her tool bag from the white rabbit beside her. Pinkie swallowed her fear and grief when she saw Fluttershy’s strength and immediately began following every instruction she was given.
Pinkie danced playfully with her newest friends, the small green alligator she had named Gummy and the yellow pegasus she had named Flappy. Or she might have if it were not considered a party foul to rename ponies without their knowledge. Instead the trio shared cake and punch, played games, and told stories.
All in all she was happy to conclude that it had been the third best dream party she ever hosted. The second best involved riding a flying hippopotamus into space and the first had more cake and more friends, including a silly purple unicorn she never met before.
Fluttershy danced happily with Rainbow and Pinkie. Cakes and party balloons did not fill her vision, instead she saw all her animal friends playing and dancing with them in a meadow of flowers. In Fluttershy’s mind it was perfect.
Hours passed and sunrise found two ponies collapsed over a makeshift surgical table, sleeping soundly while the alligator quietly rested between them. Opening one eye Pinkie saw the smile on Fluttershy’s face and felt overwhelming joy in her heart. So with a smile of her own she closed her eyes and continued to dream of the alligator and Fluttershy celebrating the reptile’s recovery with her.
Unbeknownst to Pinkie, Fluttershy, strangely enough, dreamt of the same thing. Fluttershy realized as she woke that no pony capable of such an act of compassion would ever seek to harm her. Perhaps she could find the confidence to make the pink pony her friend after all.
