Chapters Chapter 1: Lonely
It was a bright sunny day at Ponyville. The sun was shining as glorious as it could and the townsponies were happy. Well, not all of them.
Pinkie Pie was sitting back on the balcony of Sugarcube Corner, the expression of boredomness written in her face. She sighed, wishing that she could feel something that day. Sure, it was a slow day of business, but, c'mon now, she's the Element of Laughter for pony's sake! How could she feel so sad if everypony in town was happy? She loved happy ponies!
But she noticed something. The ponies were smiling because they had company. Pinkie Pie was completely alone. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were out of town delivering a special order, and they brought the twins with them since they wanted Pinkie to take care of the place while they were gone. She had nopony with her.
Pinkie waited a few hours before she decided to leave.She didn't want to at first, since she thought it would disappoint the sweet couple, but nopony, not one single breathing creature entered the bakery since Pinkie was put in charge. Not to mention that there was no way that they would find out she closed the place early, since nopony would even notice that the place was closed in the first place.
"Well, maybe I should go to the market," she said in a happy tone. "Nothing like fresh air! Also, I do need to buy some missing ingredients for the Cakes, anyway!"
She packed an ingredients list and some bits into her saddlebag and hopped to the town.
Fluttershy walked down to the first level of her cottage to greet her little - and big - animal friends. "Good morning, everyone!" she said, happily. She wasn't feeling very happy, though. As she trotted to the front door, she was greeted by lots of different critters, but it still wasn't enough.
Stepping outside, she noticed the ponies walking to town, happy as ever. She wondered, why? Well, sure, the day was wonderful, but she couldn't help but feel sad. She knew that her sadness came from the fact the she was feeling lonely. She had her animal friends, but, sometimes, she wanted to talk with a pony, a real pony, that would answer her questions and talk to her about her day, or either her favourite songs.
Although she knew that would be hard. She was a very shy and socially awkward pony, thanks to her anxiety disorder. She never had much courage to talk with somepony else.
Suddenly, Angel Bunny snapped her out of her thoughts, with a angry expression.
"Oh, Angel, dear, what do you want?" she asked her little bunny companion.
He violently squeaked various words that only she could understand. He did lots of gestures too, conveying his desires. He was hungry, and Fluttershy had forgotten to buy more food for him.
"Oh my goodness Angel!" she loudly squeaked in an attempt to scream. "I completely forgot! I'm so, so sorry! Is there anything else you want?"
He rapidly shook his head and started to pat his paw to the ground, while making a nervous expression that was very familiar to Fluttershy
"Alright, alright," she sighed "I'll go get your food. I'll be back in a minute, don't worry."
She packed a list of ingredients and some bits into her saddlebag and walked to the market.
"P-P-Pinkie?!" Fluttershy screamed nervously, as she tried to get herself out of Pinkie Pie. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I-I'm so so sorry, Pinkie! I-I was just-"
"Teeheehee!" Pinkie laughed "Don't worry Flutters! I wasn't looking either! Well, sort of, I mean, I'm pretty sure I was looking where I was going, but, I don't know, apparently we had to bump into each other for the convenience of the plot..." she stated, while giving a questioning expression.
Fluttershy had no idea what she was talking about. She knew Pinkie was random, but, that was just too random... Right, Pinkie?
"Hahaha, sure, sure, I'll stop now!" she playfully said to the poor narrator who had to deal with her sudden fourth wall breaks. It isn't easy writing Pinkie Pie's character, ya know?
"Uh... Pinkie Pie?..." whispered Fluttershy.
"HEY, it's not my fault!!!" she shouted. "You 'bronies' are the ones who think I'm so random that I would be capable of doing such thing!"
"Uh... P-Pinkie Pie?..." Fluttershy said, finally getting Pinkie’s attention "W-Who you were talking to? There's nopony else here with us! And... what are those 'brownies' that you mentioned...?"
Nah, nevermind that!" Pinkie said while petting her pegasus friend. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, well, uh, I came here to buy Angel's food," Fluttershy said in her soft, whispering voice "I needed some carrots and, well, when I saw the carrot stand empty, I thought that I might come already before it gets too full or closes..."
"What a crazy coincidence! Me too !" the party pony announced. "I was very bored at Sugarcube Corner, and we needed some ingredients, so I came by! I needed carrots too, so when I saw the carrot stand empty, I went to it!"
"That's wonderful, Pinkie!" Fluttershy blushed "So, uh, d-do you want to come shopping the rest of the stuff I need?" she bashfully asked while giving some bits to the vendor in the stand. "All I need now is some grains, anyway..."
"Of course, silly-filly! I need to buy the rest of my stuff, too!" Pinkie admitted as she gave some bits to the carrot vendor. "C'mon, let's get going!"
Pinkie began to hop through the crowd as usual. She definitely was feeling better now! All she needed was some fresh air, after all! Or was it Fluttershy? Oh sure, seeing her friends always made her feel better, but, for some reason, she was feeling way better than usual. She was feeling alone back there.
Fluttershy followed her energetic friend around the crowd. Pinkie Pie was always so happy! She was feeling very happy too! But, why? She wasn't feeling like that a second ago! Well, Pinkie wasn't around with her a second ago, and her happiness was contagious. But, she was feeling happier than she would normally feel. She was feeling alone back there.
They walked down the market, laughing the whole time. Every time Fluttershy felt uneasy around other ponies, Pinkie was there to support her. Whenever Fluttershy laughed at her jokes, Pinkie felt like that was exactly where she was supposed to be. Something about being in one another’s company made all their worries feel distant. And eventually, they realized what they were missing.
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy continued to walk down the market, their saddlebags already full with the things they needed. They talked, and talked. Even Fluttershy, known best for being introverted and quiet, was more talkative than usual. They talked about having Angel and Gummy to play together, and how it would be great to have more time to be around each other. Neither of them wanted to be a burden by telling how alone they were feeling, so they both avoided the subject.
Once they reached Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie stood still by the doorstep, as if there was something in her path, not letting her go in.
"So, yeah, that's the end of the road for me... I guess," she finally mumbled. "It was really nice that we found each other there" 'AND PRETTY CONVENIENT TOO, HUH, MISS AUTHOR?!' she thought directly to the poor narrator, who had nothing to do with any of this mess.
"Uh... Yeah, sure it was." Fluttershy said in a whispering tone. "To be honest, I really enjoyed having you around back there. I was feeling kinda... lonely these days. Not even my little critter friends aren't helping." she looked at the ground sadly.
The pink pony blushed so hard that it was easy to notice that she was.
"Really...?" she mumbled quietly, which felt kinda odd coming from the usually energetic pony "Well, if you're gonna spill the beans like that, I might as well do it too."
["W-What do you mean?"
"I've been feeling pretty down lately, too.” Pinkie glanced down but turned back and smiled. “It felt nice having you around to talk to, Flutters! HEY! I know what we should do! We should go to a picnic together! What do you think?" Pinkie asked her, hoping that she would answer with a nice 'Of course'
"YES!!" Fluttershy shouted out loud. Well, in her way of loud, which kinda sounded like a cute, happy squeak "Oh my, uh, I mean, uh... Of course!" she said quietly.
"Well, then meet me tomorrow at... Uh, at..." Pinkie tapped a hoof in her chin as she tried to figure out a nice place to hang around and have picnics.
"Well, if it's not too much, what about my backyard?" Fluttershy asked. "There's plenty of space there."
"That's wonderful, Flutters! That place's amazing! Sign me up!"
"Great! See you tomorrow!" Fluttershy said as she walked towards her cottage.
[Pinkie Pie stepped in the the way of her path, anxious to tell Fluttershy something.
"WAIT!!" she yelled.
"W-What is it, Pinkie?"
"Could you please not mention this to the girls?" she asked, blushing more than usual once again. "I... I kinda want to stick with you this time around. Only the two of us. Please?"
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Fluttershy recited, while giving a nice, warm blush in her cheeks, too.
"Great! See ya, Flutters!" Pinkie gleefully said as she entered the shop and closed the front doors.
"Bye!" Fluttershy waved.
The two of them had a date together. As Fluttershy entered her cottage and Pinkie began storing the groceries, they each caught themselves thinking the same thing ‘Tomorrow, I’ll tell her everything.’
The sun was shining bright in the sky, and Fluttershy was outside in her cottage's backyard. She usually used it as a place where her fluffy friends could play, eat and sleep. But she had a special occasion to use it for another kind of activity; a picnic. A nice, relaxing picnic with a friend. Well, it would be nice and relaxing, if Fluttershy wasn't so nervous.
"Oh, ponyfeathers!" she quietly cursed. "I can't believe I agreed to this! I can't do it! I JUST CAN'T!!"
She already had everything arranged for the picnic to start. The pink crossed towel she had was on the floor, with a flower pot, full of pink roses, decorating it. And why pink? It was Pinkie's favourite color, obviously, and Fluttershy wanted to make everything perfect for her best friend.
Angel was standing next her, consoling her, trying to make her feel a bit better.
"Oh Angel, aren't you the sweetest?" she said while petting him back. "It's just that... I-I don't know what to do when she arrives!... O-O-Or what to say when we start the picnic! I mean, what if she doesn't feel the same way?"
Angel Bunny just shook his head in disagreement.
"Yes, sure, she said that she was feeling very lonely too, but, let's face it, she's the embodiment of happiness itself! Maybe she just said that to make me feel better..."
Angel shook his head again.
"Yeah, it felt pretty sincere to me..." Fluttershy stopped talking, turning to her thoughts. Before long, the silence was interrupted by someone screaming.
"FLUTTERSHY? FLUTTERSHY!" Pinkie Pie shouted loudly. "Are you there, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy let a tiny 'Eeep!' come out and zipped out to her cottage's front door. She took a little breath, and finally opened it.
"There you are!" Pinkie smiled. "I thought you weren't home since it's been a while since I called you."
"Oh, uh, sorry about that!" She blushed. "I was in the backyard getting my stuff ready. I was concentrating on finishing it, so I didn't hear you..."
"That's fine, Flutters. So... May I come in?" Pinkie asked.
"Of course. Follow me."
When they got to the backyard, Pinkie couldn't help but gasp at its beauty. The sun, shining as strong as ever, thanks to Celestia, stuck its lights on the beautiful, ever-green grass, which was made a playground for the tiny insect friends that Fluttershy had. Ladybugs, butterflies and crickets all played hide-and-seek together, hiding in the tall grass. The birds were chirping and singing the most beautiful tunes as they returned home in the threes' branches. Pinkie wondered why there was no other animals in it, but she realized that it wouldn't be really nice to have a 'relaxing picnic' with a bear hanging around them. Aside from that, it was a breath-taking scene.
"Wow, Fluttershy!" she said "This place is amazing! Why have you never asked anyone to come here before?"
"Well, I normally use here as a home for my animal friends that can't stay at my cottage. "Fluttershy explained.
"Oh, cool!” Pinkie said “Wait, don't they mind us using the place they live in to make a picnic?”
“Not at all,” Fluttershy answered “They’re out in the woods playing with their friends.”
“Oooh! OK! So, where do I put the treats?”
"Oh, right here, under this three!" Fluttershy pointed at the pink towel with the pink roses.
"Wow, Fluttershy! You must have worked very hard on this all morning!"
"Oh, it wasn't that hard! All I had to do was think about you a lot- " Fluttershy realized what she said. Both of them were blushing already.
"I-I mean... uh... L-Let's start the picnic!..." Fluttershy said as she sat on the ground. Pinkie Pie did the same. "How about we set the food over here?"
Pinkie started to unpack the food from her saddlebag: lots of delicious treats like cakes, candies and pies. Fluttershy was amazed.
"Oh my, Pinkie! You must have worked really hard to make all those treats!"
"Nah, easy-peasy! All I did was think that you would love it as much as I love you- " Pinkie Pie immediately stopped talking and noticed that they were both blushing. Real hard this time.
Suddenly, they were both silenced. They stared at each other's eyes and saw the courage they needed to talk those feelings out of them.
"Do you know the reason why I really like pink that much?" Pinkie Pie asked, with a hint of confidence in her voice.
"U-Uh... Because you're pink?" Fluttershy asked, somewhat confused.
"Sure, but... Since I met you, and I noticed your pink, smooth mane, I loved it," she admitted. "Just like everything else on you!"
Fluttershy blushed once again. It was difficult to not blush at such moments of revelations. If Pinkie had the courage to openly admit her feelings for her, so could she.
"Oh Pinkie! I think the same! The moment I saw your energetic smile, and your devotion to make other ponies happy because it makes you happy... Well, it made me happy too!" Fluttershy spit it out "I've always been lonely. I could never simply make friends with anypony like you do! I-I... I wish I was like you. Always happy."
"Now, now, wait a minute!" Pinkie said. "What made you think that? Just because I like seeing ponies happy and being happy myself, that doesn't mean I can be smiling all the time."
Fluttershy began to pay more attention to Pinkie, with a worried expression in her face.
"Remember when I said I was feeling alone? I wasn't kidding. I hate being alone." Pinkie stopped, as an idea occurred to her. "You hate being alone, too. What about we always stay together? That way we'll never be alone again!" she said in a confident tone, while giving a huge smile.
Fluttershy gave a warm smile back, her cheeks as red as ever. She then reached up to Pinkie to hug her as hard as she could, with Pinkie giving a big hug back.
Then they started to laugh. They learned that day that it's always better to laugh in an act of kindness than to cry in a act of brutal force.
Fluttershy was on the balcony of Sugarcube Corner, waiting for Pinkie Pie to arrive. After that wonderful talk they had with each other at the picnic, they decided to stay together forever, and–
"Uh... M-Miss narrator?" Fluttershy said to me. Wait, what?
"I don't wanna be rude, but, uh, I think it was clear that we decided to start a serious relationship in the last chapter. You don't need to recap that."
Uh... Fluttershy? H-How do you know about me?! A few chapters ago and you didn't even know how to spell 'bronies'!
"Well, Pinkie told me about you. I don't know how I couldn't hear you before, but she taught me!"
Sorry, but... You weren't supposed to know that I existed in the first place. This is the exact reason why you couldn't hear me.
"Oh my, I-I'm sorry... I'm going to pretend I didn't talk with you, okay?" she asked in a nervous tone.
Great. Remember, not even a word to Pinkie. She's the worst when it comes to fourth wall breaks... Speaking of the devil, she's coming right now. Bye!
"Well, the cake's finished baking, so I'm ready to tell the girls!" Pinkie said, super enthusiastic.
"Oh, that's great! I can't wait to tell them about the good news! Though, I have to say I’m a bit nervous..." Fluttershy admitted.
"Aw, c'mon now, Flutters. We've been through this already!" Pinkie said.
"I know, I know! But, what if they don't like the idea of us being a couple now? What if someone else liked one of us? What if-"
"Now, now, Flutters, calm down," Pinkie said while petting Fluttershy. "They're our friends! They'll give us support, no matter what! Remember, friendship is magic!"
"So is love!" Fluttershy said quietly.
"There's the Fluttershy I know and love!" Pinkie gave her a bear hug. "C'mon! We need to go to the jewelers to get our ornaments! Follow aunt Pinkie!"
Fluttershy sighed.
"I'm a year older than you..."
"Twilight, darling, have they told you the exact reason why they got us here?" Rarity asked. The rest of the group was kept waiting at the center of the town on the request of Pinkie and Fluttershy. They told the group that they had an important announcement to give them, but, by the looks of it, they weren't coming anymore. Well, at least in Rarity's and Rainbow's points of view.
"Yeah, Twi! We've been waiting for them for a long time now! I'm hungry!!" Rainbow complained.
"Can't y’all just shut up?" Applejack said, growing annoyed at the complaining ponies "It hasn't even been ten minutes!"
"Applejack's right," Twilight said. "Also, no Rarity, they didn't say anything about it other than it's something really important."
Twilight then noticed a yellow and pink figure next to an entirely pink one approaching them.
"Besides, they're already here!" Twilight pointed them out to the other girls.
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie came into view, wearing some kind of earrings only on one ear each. Fluttershy's one was shaped like three balloons, two blue ones in the corners and one yellow in the center, with strings of opposite colors. Pinkie's one was shaped like three, pink butterflies, with aqua-colored bodies and antennas. There was a yellow feather hanging from Pinkie's earring, too.
The girls couldn't say anything; only stare at those pieces in their ears.
"Oh my sweet Celestia!" Rarity gasped. "These earrings are beautiful! Where did you get them?"
"Uh, why are they shaped like your cutie marks?" Rainbow Dash asked, completely confused.
"Well, uh... we... we kinda... uh..." Fluttershy tried to say something.
"Sorry for the whole waiting, we kinda got late to get our special somepony ornaments!" Pinkie answered.
"SPECIAL SOMEPONY ORNAMENTS?!" the other four girls shouted.
Pinkie Pie smiled and winked to Fluttershy. It was her turn to talk.
"Uh... Yeah! We're dating now!" she admitted. "Isn't it... great?"
The other girls didn't say a word. They were still processing the image of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as a couple.
Fluttershy lowered her head, sadly.
"Oh, I knew you wouldn't like it..." Fluttershy sighed.
"Are you kidding me?" Twilight finally spoke it out. "This is some of the best news ever!"
"REALLY?!" Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy shouted in unison."
"Of course, sugarcube!" Applejack said. "We're mighty happy for ya!"
"You two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen! And those special somepony ornaments of yours are simply divine!" Rarity confessed.
"Whoa, is that your real feather Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked in curiosity, pointing at Pinkie's ornament.
"But of course!" Fluttershy answered. "It's tradition for pegasi to give one of their own feathers to their special somepony as an expression of loyalty and devotion to their partners."
"You know, I wish I had wings so I could give a feather to you, Flutters..." Pinkie said, while giving a sad look at her back.
"You don't have to, Pinkie! That's what the ornaments are for!" Twilight explained.
"She's right, Pinks!" Fluttershy said, with a hint of confidence in her voice as she said her marefriend's just invented nickname ,I love you the way you are!"
The other girls couldn't help but let out a big "Aaaw!"... All except Rainbow.
"Look, I don't wanna break the whole 'emotional vibe' going on, but, I'm getting more hungry..." Rainbow complained. "PLEASE tell me that you're thinking of celebrating at Sugarcube Corner."
"Exactly!" Pinkie answered. "We already have everything ready there. We only came here to share the big news and invite you to the party!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's party!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"YEAH, WOOHOO!" everypony cheered.
"Are you ready for the time of your life, Flutters?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I've always been!" Fluttershy answered.
And with that, the six girls trotted to Sugarcube Corner, to celebrate a unity of eternal happiness.
Pinkie Pie stopped by the entrance of the local market. She looked around to find that the place was completely crowded. 'Geez, I wonder if everypony in town had the same idea of coming here today' , she thought. It was almost impossible to walk around.
"Well, let me see..." the pink pony said, while searching for the list she prepared in her saddlebag. "I'm gonna need a lot of stuff! I just hope that there's still something left!"
She looked around to see if there was an empty vending stand. With much effort to look through the ponies walking in front of her, she found the carrot stand with no customers.
"Great! It's just what I need it!" she gleefully shouted. "Mrs. Cake said that she needed carrots urgently; she'll be so glad that I got that done for her!"
Pinkie began to run through the crowd, rushing forward to get to the stand as quickly as possible, hoping that she would be the first to get there.
But as soon as she got closer-
BAM!
She found herself in the top of a yellow-coated pegasus.
Fluttershy struggled to get through the huge crowd of ponies that crossed her path. She hated crowded places, and she hated stumbling across other ponies, so going through the market was like walking on a nightmare.
'Great. Just great.' she nervously thought. 'Of all the days I could forget to buy Angel's food, it just had to be today? How could I forget such thing? How?'
It took some time, but she finally managed to find a clear, empty spot to stand peacefully. She started to breathe in and out, hoping that her anxiety attack would pass quickly. After a few breaths, she took a shopping list out of her saddlebag, wondering what to buy next.
She sighed in relief. She already got the lettuce. All she needed was some grains and carrots.
She looked around, only to find the carrot stand completely empty.
"Thank Celestia!" she prayed. "I can't stand being around this mess anymore..."
Fluttershy began to run through the crowd, rushing forward to get to the stand as quickly as possible, hoping that she would be the first to get there.
But as soon as she got closer-
BAM!
She found herself underneath a pink-coated earth pony.
