It was a fresh and school-free Saturday morning in Neo Domino City. After having her usual biannual medical check, Fluttershy was in the local Evergreen Forest Park near her home. She was feeding the squirrels and other little creatures that lived in the park and she watched them eat the nuts peacefully under the shadow of the trees.

Other critters gathered around her and rested their soft furs near the Maiden of the Forest, transmitting their desire to nap to the fair maiden. She slept for a good amount of two hours, and gently, she was being awakened by a friendly intimate.

“…Alex-san.”

“Sorry for being late. Slept well, Andrea?”

“Yes.”

“Want to go to the mall like you wanted to or do you want to stay like this a bit more?”

“Let me sleep on your lap…”

The critters made some space for Applejack to sit, and Fluttershy put herself comfortable on the grass and rested her face on her legs. As the Dairy Farmer brushed her friend’s silky pink hair tenderly, the Maiden of the Forest went back to sleep.

“I want to feel your warm and safety until the end…”

“Sleep for a while longer, Sugarcube.”

…. ….

Inside a lively mall, with hundreds of colorful stores in the surroundings.

“Look, Alex-san! There is a new booster pack for sale!”

“Legends of Dragons The Ultimate Unleashed 2? What a fancy name we have here, y’all.”

“Half of the cards in the whole collection are reprints of the older booster packs released fifty years ago. The nostalgia factor makes the Dark Magician Girl The Dragon Knight an invaluable collectors’ card. Legend says that this card was born in the sea during a titanic dueling in Atlantis!”

“Atlantis? The mythical city of legend and progress?”

“Yes. This card was born when Dark Magician Girl united her power with a powerful dragon, Timaeus. But as I said, it’s an old legend that Grandfather told me. This card began being printed fifty years ago. There are so many few copies in the world from the first edition. Like 100 if what my Grandfather says is true.”

“And now with this one?”

“500 hundred copies from this second edition.”

“So it’s still super rare.”

“That’s right.”

“Is it any good in a real duel?”

“If you have an Eye of Timaeus, enough card support and avoid a One Turn Kill or banishing cards, yes, it’s pretty good. Otherwise, Ritual Sanctuary and other cards in the pack are far better for a ritual deck archetype. Unless they come up with a mechanic that lets you spam power monsters with search engines and leaves ritual summoning a complete waste of time and resources, its good.”

“I have no idea what the hay you are talking about.” Applejack then smirked. “This is where Rainbow would come and say, ‘It’s easy, peasy, yo! You just don’t play enough!’”

Fluttershy giggled while covering her mouth. “You are so mean, Alex-san!”

“Hey, you know that is true, Sugarcube!”

“In any case, is easy to do once you understand the mechanic.”

“Personally, you know that I prefer Spherium. It’s like chess, only with monsters and needles and some extra rules that are easy to understand, even for me!”

“You are no fool, Alex-san, it’s just that Duel Monsters isn’t your thing… But I too like Spherium, remember? If it wasn’t because Duel Monsters is more known to the world, and faster, my Grandfather’s and Seto Kaiba-san’s creation would be a massive hit instead. This store sell pieces of Spherium and if we buy three packs of Legends of Dragons, you could win a random piece.”

“Why don’t we buy some? I give you my packs but you give me the piece!”

Fluttershy gave her a wide smile, and both got inside the store. As she opened the three packs, she was a little disappointed with her luck. The most useful and ultra-rare cards she got was a Soul Charge, which she already had like five, a Goddess Bow fusion monster, which it has no place in her deck archetypes.

Finally, she got the fabled Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, which she already had once. Applejack on the other hand got the latter monster but in piece form. Her effects on Spherium were useful for her wall strategies and she was happy for it. Fluttershy gave her the Dragon Knight card, a super-secret rare, as a lucky charm, from friend to friend.

Applejack would treasure it for the rest of her life.

…. ….

In a cutesy table, inside of a lively café.

“ANDREA!!! ALEX!!!” A darker pink and puffy haired girl with enchanting light blue eyes hugged the duo. “WELCOME BACK TO MY CANDY DOMAIN! You should have told me that you were coming!”

Fluttershy’s cheeks became bluer each passing second. “D-D-D-D-Diane-san, w-w-we didn’t… ugh… know you w-w-worked today as well!”

“S-s-stop… crushing u-us, P-Pinkie!”

Pinkie stopped her gruesome love hug. “Oops.”

“In any case, Diane-san, where is Tabitha-san?”

“Yooohooo!” A gorgeous, well-dressed girl was coming her way to the trio. Her soft, curly purple hair and blue sapphire eyes were like a work of art on its own. In her left hand, she was carrying a heavy looking bag with a glimpse of cotton fabrics and such while waving her free hand happily.

“Great, she is in the zone again.” Applejack facepalmed.

“I’ll ignore what you said just because I love you so much, Darling.” Tabitha said with a calm and smiley face.

“What the hay are you wearing now, y’all?”

“The latest trend from Paris! Ah! The fashion show was a marvel to behold, Darling! So many prestigious designers and hosts from the world praising my work!” Her eyes became like enormous diamonds.

“So did you manage to win the Best Designer Award for young talents?”

“Better than that! I was giving a name for my unrivaled designs! I have been christened as Rarity!” She made an over-the-top fashion pose. “Behold the future power of fashion trends made flesh!”

“That is amazing, Tabitha-san!” Fluttershy clapped several times with a big smile.

“Thank you, Andrea! You are always so kind, and kindness must be rewarded!” She took from her bag a pretty and tidy box. On the inside, there were seven colorful pendants with gold finishes on their edges. “A beautiful butterfly for you!”

“This looks really expensive!”

“It is, and I don’t care! It’s yours! Here, let me put it in your neck!” Rarity put on her the pendant, softly maneuvering Fluttershy’s silky and graceful hair to do the task. The pendant shined very vibrantly, putting a small grin on her face. “It suits you.” Rarity expressed radiantly.

“Thank you…” Fluttershy’s expression was tender as she held the pendant in her hand.

“Now, there is one for Diane as well! Three hand-crafted balloons!”

“AHHH! It looks so amazing!”

“And an apple pendant for fair Alex!”

“Hmm, it looks nice, I’ll admit.”

“Finally, something I give you is of your liking!”

“I bet that thunder is for Dash!”

“And the purple diamond is for me!” She put it on her neck. “Marvelous!”

“But for whom is the star and the dual-colored sun?”

“Oh, these? One is for a girl I met last year which I talk to from time to time! She and I don’t share the same tastes in topics but she is really nice to talk with anyway! So the star is for her next time I see her… But the sun, I don’t know what to do with it. The man who gave it to me said that these seven will connect my friends and me to the great Ties of Friendships!”

“Ties of Friendship?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Indeed! He said that true friendships are unbreakable and can perform miracles during fated situations! I don’t believe that much in mystical things but I do believe in you, girls!”

“Aww, that’s so sweet, y’all! If only you were like this when you offer me to change my attires!”

“If only you were more open to more lady garments!”

“Your dresses are too fancy for me. I’m a farmer, not a model.”

“Agh! You are impossible! …Where is Ashleigh? She usually helps Pinkie when she is free.”

“Perhaps she is slacking off in her home.” Applejack arranged her hat.

“Or perhaps she is practicing soccer or duel monsters on the streets.”

“She is in fact working on a part time job right now! She told me that she will take random jobs on Saturdays as well to save enough money for the shirt Tabitha-san got for her.”

Rarity sighed a little annoyed while rubbing her temples. “I told that girl it was a gift like ten times.”

“How much it cost, Tabitha?”

“500 dollars, Alex.”

“HOLY MOLY! Just for a shirt!?”

“It’s a limited edition shirt of the Wonderbolts. During the event, I managed to get the signs of all their team members.”

“But those kind of shirts are expensive like that!” Pinkie said a bit baffled. “I would feel bad for receiving something that big for free!”

“Really, now? Since I don’t care a lot about soccer, well, you know. I only told her the price of the t-shirt, I could care less about the collector’s value if it is a gift for a friend. Business on the other hand…” She giggled with a darkened expression. “I learned a lot in Paris.”

“Great! What we needed from you now! More tyrannical fashion charisma speeches to your future customers!”

“Hush with you, Alex!”

“In any case, let me get us some snacks to eat! It’s my break and I want to spend time with you, girls!”

A few moments later, Pinkie brought some delicious and refreshing lemonades with a bow of salad for them to enjoy. Each of them talked about their most entertaining events they experienced that week. Applejack said that her little sister, Michelle, finally got the hang of how to take care of the cows during the milking process. It was hard for her but well worth it. She felt like it was an Apple finally Blooming at her pace.

Pinkie, one of the few students in the school with a special permit to work underage, had a busy week after school hours. The family that ran the show, which she called The Cakes for some reason, had their babies sick and she had to work extra to cover for them. They paid well, but it was harsh. Rarity commented about her trip with further detail and was still amazed that she won. She plans to open a full-fledged boutique once she finishes college.

Fluttershy, omitting her dangerous life as the Pink-Haired Stranger and another few things, told them that it was great for her too. The critters she helped the other day now can fly high and mighty again through the skies and she has gotten better on school tests. She also mentioned about asking her friend Sunset out. Rarity had something to say.

“Andrea, Darling, you can’t go out with online strangers like that! From where do you know her?”

“Oh, don’t worry! Sunset is a really nice girl! I know her from this dueling online program where I can duel people online. Sometimes I play with random players… but they always lose. Sunset is the only one who has beat me there.”

“Her name is Sunset?”

“Well, no. I don’t know her real name and she doesn’t know mine either. I use a pseudonym online… Fluttershy…” She mumbled with reddened cheeks.

“Excuse me?”

“Fluttershy…!” She whined.

Rarity sighed with a tender look. “You are so shy sometimes, Andrea. I hope one day I can see you being strong willed in public.”

“Being shy runs in the family.” She said still embarrassed. “Mom was really shy in her younger days, and Grandmother once told me that Grandfather was shy in his younger days as well.”

“You need a change of look that empowers you!”

“You need a big cake and a big party to put a smile on you!”

“She just needs to open her wings at her own pace, y’all! So how do you plan to meet her, Sugarcube?”

“If she says yes, she will tell me where to meet. I’m sure of it.” Suddenly, her watch lightened with a green light. “Oh!” She pressed a button and a small hologram notification appeared before her. She had a message on her dueling mail and when she read it, “SHE SAID YES!” She exploded with energy. “SHE WANTS TO MEET ME TOMORROW IN A PLACE OF MY CHOOSING!!! YAAAY!” Fluttershy jumped from her chair and jumped repeatedly with the tip of her feet, arms joyfully pressed on her chest.

Applejack smirked happily. “Woah! Calm down, Sugarcube! Bad for your system!”

“Since she is willing to let you choose any place you want, I suggest you do it here! That way, we can be sure to help you in the event that anything goes south!”

“Tabitha-san, I don’t think anything wrong will happen with her!”

“It’s just a precaution. But if all goes right, you need a good dress! Comfy and elegant for you!”

“I will make you some special cupcakes tomorrow just for the two of you if you come here!”

“And I’ll finish my work on the farm to help these two supervise your date tomorrow! You could say we are your private bodyguards and police, Sugarcube!” She winked at her.

“I-I don’t think all of that is necessary… But thank you for worrying about me!”

“Let’s go, then, Darling! To my house!”

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack paid their snacks and went their separate way. The farmer went back home to double her efforts and free some time tomorrow during her friend’s date. Rarity went with Fluttershy to her house, not without making a short deviation to the spa and relax on a hot bath. The Maiden of the Forest was giggling to herself from the excitement and cheer happiness while Rarity washed her hair.

Fluttershy… couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s date.

Author's Note

Tabitha is the name of the voice actress of Rarity and Diane is Pinkie’s second name. It wasn’t mentioned but Pinkie’s full human name is Diane Libman, the surname of the woman who gives life to the voices of Fluttershy and Pinkie.

As always, thanks for reading.