Just because there was nopony else around to judge or mock her for doing so, Fluttershy revelled in the girlish giggle that escaped her throat as she ascended the rolling hill; it was early enough in Spring that the grass hadn't yet been mown down to size by armies of rampaging cattle, and each blade seemed to delight in brushing against and tickling her hooves. She fully understood now Rainbow Dash's reticence to allow anypony else near her own: they were darned sensitive.
Speaking of her erstwhile co-Element of Harmony and friend: the pegasi that comprised Ponyville's own Weather Team had done a sterling job in clearing the skies of the last of the bilious clouds left over from Winter Wrap-Up. It gave her the opportunity to get her straw hat and sunglasses out of storage; as ridiculous a feeling as it was, Fluttershy always felt vaguely bad when she had to put things away in the closet for any length of time. It was like abandoning old friends.
She shook these negative thoughts aside quickly; following the harsh winter, it was invigorating to the feel warmth on her back once more, and a jolt of that same feeling of renewal and optimism that had spread throughout all of Equestria's flora and fauna. After a few more steps that led to a promontory just shy of the peak, Fluttershy turned to her companion and asked, “What d'you think? Does this seem like a good enough spot to you?”
Though he made a show of scrutinising the location thoroughly, it was clear to Fluttershy that Angel Bunny was as entranced by this place as she was; the bluff had a panoramic view of Ponyville, with the sun's gentle rays kissing the gleaming spires of the Castle of Friendship, lending a warm amber glow to the surrounding village. Ponies, unaware that they were being silently observed, went to and fro, living their lives, doing their jobs, laughing, loving, and just occasionally learning important lessons about something or other. Soon enough, the bunny's façade of imperiousness melted away into a smile and he gave his friend a curt nod.
It was the work of but a few moments for Fluttershy to set her bulging saddlebags down on the ground and retrieve the necessary items from them; despite Angel's show of impatience, the picnic was assembled in double-quick time and Fluttershy even had time to shoot the grouchy rabbit a benevolent smile as he made a show of checking an imaginary watch on his fluffy wrist. She unfurled a chequered blanket – made by Rarity, of course – whose medium-sized squares matched her own pink-and-yellow colouring, and set down a small basket, followed by a metal container that was roughly the size of one of her legs.
“Afternoon, Fluttershy,” said a too-cheerful voice, “watcha doin'?”
It was only through an insane effort of will, coupled with the tiny part of her that had been expecting this very scenario, that Fluttershy was able to prevent herself from unscrewing the lid of the container and throwing the very, very hot contents of it – a blend of minty hot chocolate and coffee that Rainbow Dash claimed to be the best thing ever – over the interloper's smiling face. Instead, she merely settled for dropping it, jumping backwards several feet, letting out a startled yelp, and covering her eyes with her hooves, then covering her hooves with her wings.
“Oh,” Pinkie Pie said, looking around quickly at the scene, “I've caught you at a bad time, haven't I?”
Fluttershy estimated that it was about thirty or forty moons before she'd finally recovered enough of her flailing, fleeing wits to address Pinkie Pie, but in reality it was only a matter of seconds. Time, she'd noticed, worked differently when she was startled and full of adrenaline. Heart still juddering in her chest, she took several breaths to calm herself down before speaking. “Hello, Pinkie Pie. What are you doing out here? So far away from Ponyville, where nopony ever goes?” She wondered idly if she'd overdone the stress on that last sentence.
“You're out here, silly,” Pinkie Pie said, seemingly oblivious to Fluttershy's tone. “I was looking for you, of course. I knew that you'd want to be alone today, and I tried to think of all the places that you'd go to be alone, and this one came in at about one-thousand-seven-hundred-and-one on the list, so-”
“-All right, all right,” Fluttershy said, waving a hoof in the air, hoping to avoid more of Pinkie Pie's mad babbling. There were times when it was fun, times when it was adorable, but also there were times when it was just plain unwelcome. “Why were you looking for me?” A look of alarm formed on her muzzle. “Is there … trouble in Ponyville? Or elsewhere?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Pinkie Pie said quickly, fishing around in her bouffant mane with a look of concentration on her face, tongue waggling around like a dog's tail. “I wanted to tell you something, but more importantly, I wanted to-” she finally found what she was rooting around for “-give you something.”
Eyeing the item curiously, Fluttershy wondered just what in Equestria Pinkie Pie was offering her. She took it apprehensively, undoing the gift-wrapping carefully until she revealed a … jewellery box? It was a handsome, velvet box, and memories of being pressed up against windows whilst looking at items with obnoxious numbers of zeroes in the prices came flooding to mind. “What is it?” she asked.
With a bright, eager expression turning her blue eyes even bluer, Pinkie Pie replied, “Open it! Look inside!”
Fluttershy did so, if only out of a sense of responsibility toward her friend; she looked as though she was about to pass out or explode from excitement, and poor Fluttershy did not need that on her conscience. With a delicate flick of her hoof, she lifted the lid of the box to reveal, perched on a dainty film of purple silk, a small butterfly brooch. Its green body and white wings shimmered iridescently in the sunlight. “Pinkie Pie, it must've cost a-”
“-Don't.”
“Don't what?”
“When somepony buys you a gift, the absolute worst thing that you can do is complain about how much it must've cost.” Pinkie Pie favoured her friend with a smile. “If it makes you feel better, the shop-owner is a friend of mine, and I got it at a discount in exchange for catering their next few events.”
On impulse, Fluttershy hugged Pinkie Pie, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you. I don't know what to say.”
“I do,” Pinkie Pie said, putting her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders and pushing her away slightly. Their eyes met. “Happy Birthday, my friend. I know you come up here to get away from everypony because you don't like a big fuss being made of you, but … well, I can't let an important one like this slip by unnoticed, can I? See, parties and celebrations are my way of showing how much each friendship means to me, to let everypony know that I value them, but valuing a friend also means respecting their wishes and not pushing them into situations in which they are not comfortable.”
“I appreciate your understanding, Pinkie. Sometimes, I forget just how well you know all of us.” With every ounce of her meagre strength, she embraced Pinkie Pie again. “What did I do to deserve a friend like you, anyway?”
“Without ever asking for anything in return, you offered me and everypony you encounter the greatest gift one could ever receive,” Pinkie Pie said, her own forelegs entwining themselves around Fluttershy's neck of their own accord, “your kindness. Rain or shine, dragon or manticore, you're there for us when we need you.”
Hastily disentangling herself from Pinkie, Fluttershy walked over to the picnic basket and retrieved one more item. “This is for you.”
Looking at the cupcake, decorated with a bright pink frosting, Pinkie Pie expression turned to bewilderment. “How did you even know that I'd be here?”
It was Fluttershy's turn to smile. “Because I know you, too.”
Gleefully, Pinkie Pie shovelled the cupcake into her mouth.
