Pinkie bounced through the woods. Her eyes raced between the flowers and the animals and the trees and the sky, thinking just how wonderful they all are.
She continued her little walk until she reached the end of the trail, where she saw a cozy cottage nestled upon a rolling hill.
"This should be the place," Pinkie said to herself before trotting up to the front door. Upon reaching it, she knocked several times and waited. She heard some soft rustling from behind the door and it swung open, revealing an older pink stallion.
"Hi!" she exclaimed, waving her hoof back and forth. The stallion couldn't help but smile at her exuberance.
"Well hi, there," he answered, "You must be Fluttershy's new friend."
Pinkie nodded, "Yep!"
He then moved over to the side, "Feel free to come inside."
She bounced through the doorway and into the living room. It was a small yet cozy little space; two doorways, a chimney, and a staircase were in plain sight. As for furniture, there was a plush green couch, a red rug, and some picture frames hanging from the walls. She took a good walk around it, looking at all the different nooks and crannies. What really interested, though, were the family pictures. Her favorite one had Fluttershy and her parents in a room filled with clouds. They were all smiling and laughing, which made Pinkie smile.
"Fluttershy, your friend is here to see you."
Her head jerked from the frame and saw Fluttershy's father standing on the foot of the stairs. She trotted over to him, all while keeping her eyes glued on the steps. Several moments later, she saw the yellow filly wooble her tall legs down each step. She always planted all four of her hooves on each one before moving to the next one.
"Hi, Fluttershy," she said. She started to wave her hoof again, only not as fast or rough.
Fluttershy stopped on the plank and saw her anticipated grin.
"Oh..." she said, "...hi Pinkie Pie..." She shakily rose her hoof and moved it back and forth. She kept on doing it even after Pinkie stopped.
"What are you waiting for, silly?" Pinkie asked, "come down here!"
Her hoof lost momentum and she awkwardly lowered down to the step. She looked at Pinkie again before moving down the rest of the stairs. Upon reaching the floor, she was face to face with Pinkie.
"Huggie time," Pinkie said, smiling. She slowly wrapped her hooves around her and nudged her in, "I'm really glad to see you," she said to Fluttershy, who couldn't help but grin at the warm embrace.
"Um...thank you..." she answered.
Pinkie pulled back and looked her in the face, "So," she said, "what do you want to do today?"
"Um..." she said, starting to think. All Pinkie could do was anticipate her response, "...I don't know..."
"You don't know? How could you not know what you want?" she asked.
Fluttershy winced back, causing her eyes to lose contact with her. She stood in silence while looking at a point on the floor off in the distance. She then felt a jolt on her shoulder, causing her to jump up.
"Why don't we go outside and see some cuddly critters?" Pinkie asked.
"That's a good idea," her father said, "you love animals."
Fluttershy stood there for a moment before nodding her head.
"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed before walking to the door. She briefly looked at her father before going over to her friend. Pinkie opened the door and held it open for her to walk out but she stopped upon seeing the gesture.
"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Oh...it's just that..." she said. Her voice briefly faded out before returning, "you can go first..."
Pinkie, however, kept her hoof on the door, "No, thanks. I want you to go out first. It's the least I could do for my friend."
Her eyes moved from the door to Pinkie's smile and stare. She felt a tenderness that she only had around her parents. She felt a weight being lifted from her body; it was replaced with a sense of comfort and openness. And then, she found herself walking out the door. Upon doing so, she breathed in the familiar fresh air and saw that familiar front lawn.
"You have a very nice house," she heard. She turned to Pinkie right behind her, "You have flowers and trees and critters all around here. You must be really happy here. And when you're happy, I'm happy."
Fluttershy wrapped one of her forelegs around the other and stroked it up and down.
"So where are they?" Pinkie asked, "I promise to be very gentle with them."
She raised her hoof toward some trees, "They live in the forest but sometimes they like to come out here to visit."
Pinkie started to bounce in that direction.
"Oh goody!" she cheered.
But then she froze.
"Oh right," she whispered, casting a tiny grin, "gentle."
The two of them trotted through the grass, making their way to the forest. Before they made it to the first tree, though, they saw a chipmunk skitter across the ground, prompting them to stop.
"Good morning, Mr. Puffy Cheeks," Fluttershy said.
He turned to see the yellow filly before him and waved.
"Hi," Pinkie said, softly waving her hoof. Mr. Puffy Cheeks turned to her and waved as well. She then got closer to him and lowered herself on the ground.
"You're so adorable," she said staring at his smiling furry face, "You're puffy and you're fluffy and you're teeny weeny," she continued as he pressed his cheeks against her. She couldn't help but giggle.
Fluttershy looked on at the two before she heard some chirping coming from Mr. Puffy Cheeks, "What was that?" she asked. He repeated his message; it was loud enough for Pinkie to hear, causing her ears to perk up, "Oh," she said, "Okay," she turned to Pinkie, "he likes you very much."
"He does?" she replied. She jerked back to Puffy Cheeks and let out a squee. Fluttershy smiled at the sight and continued to watch them. She picked up the critter and held him up to her face,"Who is my cutie, puffy friend?" she said pressed her muzzle against his nose, "You are!"
The two started to roll around on the ground. Pinkie's laughter and Puffy Cheeks's chirps filled the scene with fun and bliss. Fluttershy didn't mind with just standing there— seeing her friends smile seemed to naturally plant one on her face.
Eventually, the two settled down. Pinkie sat on the ground, holding Puffy Cheeks in her hooves. Her smile was dangerously large as she pulled him in again, "I love you," she said, "if it weren't for my special friend Fluttershy, I wouldn't have gotten to see how cuddly you are," She squeezed him tighter and tighter.
But then she heard a squeak. Not one of glee or joy. But of pain and fear. Her hooves immediately opened up, allowing Puffy Cheeks to fall on her legs and dash away, into the bushes.
Her eyes widened and she jumped up, "Wait! Don't go away! I'm sorry!"
But he was already gone.
She stared at the bushes, unmoving. Fluttershy timidly walked up to her and slowly placed a hoof on her shoulder, "He...uh," she started, unsure of what to say, "It's okay, Pinkie..."
But she didn't respond. Her legs became impossible to hold up and she dropped to her haunches. Fluttershy's hoof was left the air for a moment before she lowered it to the shoulder's new position. All the while, she struggled to find something else to say— anything to make her feel better.
"I was trying to be gentle," Pinkie said, her eyes never leaving the bushes, "I really didn't want to scare him," Her head lowered and faced the ground.
Fluttershy heard a sniffle, "I'm sorry..." she heard her breaking voice say. She was completely tense, unsure how to help her. She stood there for a moment, trying to muster the courage to take action. It wasn't easy for her, but she eventually managed to get down on her haunches and hug her friend. She immediately felt a wave of warmness rush through her like the sun on a summer day. But even with this fuzzy sensation, she froze up in that position.
She had found a new obstacle even taller than the previous one. As if by magic, a lump formed in her throat and a new nervousness swamped the hug's coziness. At first, it blanketed her to the point where she couldn't move. But then, she heard whimpering and the dark, spooky walls trapping her fell.
"It's okay," she said, tightening the embrace. She then saw her head nestling itself on Pinkie's shoulder and her hoof rubbing her foreleg. And she rested there beside her, letting her cry away her sadness.
Eventually, it softened down to sniffles. She never parted way with her, even as Pinkie turned to her with her teary eyes and painful smile.
"Thanks, Fluttershy," she said weakly. She paused, "...but I still feel really bad for scaring him."
She turned her head back at the bushes Puffy Cheeks ran through. She then faced Fluttershy again, her lips having fallen into a frown.
"What if I never see him again?" she asked, her voice croaking, "What if he doesn't forgive me?"
She buried her head in Fluttershy's chest. She brushed one of her hoof through her mane, which had lost some of its poofiness, and used her other one to pull her entire body into her's.
"He'll come back," she whispered into her ear, "And he's a very nice chipmunk. He'll take your apology and everything will be better."
Pinkie inhaled in an attempt to speak, but she was halted by a hiccup. She tried again, moving slower and more carefully through it, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, "I'm sure."
She let her friend's words sink in. Her sadness was fading, but she didn't have the energy to jump back up. Instead, she curled her forelegs around Fluttershy. Her hooves nudged her back, but nothing came out of this.
"Fluttershy..." she said.
A pause.
"Could you hug me again?"
She used her locked hooves to move slightly down Pinkie's back. She then pulled them in, moving her in as well.
The two of them were now together, seated on the edge of the forest. Pinkie felt her smile coming back, growing like a daisy in a beautiful garden. Fluttershy held a calm grin of her, happy to know her friend is too.
