The weather was absolutely perfect today, with clear blue skies and a bright beaming sun all accompanied by a gentle cool breeze. Many of Canterlot's citizens were out and about today, enjoying this wonderful day, and most of them were congregating around the central markets that came to town every once in a while. This wide open space had stalls trying to sell every type of foods, goods and knick-knacks one could hope to find during their day, and as such, there were many admiring stares and smiles from everyone who passed them by. Among those smiling was Fluttershy, who walked down the main walkway of that market with her new girlfriend, Pinkie Pie. Of course, the fact that they were a couple would have been no surprise to anybody, given that they walked together while holding hands, not to mention the giddy-looking grin Pinkie was wearing right now. In fact, so happy was she right now that she seemed just about ready to burst, which was reflected in her tone.
"This is so great! I can't believe I'm going on my very first date! And with my very first girlfriend too!"
Fluttershy giggled to this.
"I know, it's wonderful. And it's such a nice day for it too."
Giving a laugh of her own, Pinkie turned to her, stopping for a short while to give her companion a surprise hug.
"Oh, Fluttershy! I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to do this with you!"
Fluttershy, though a little taken aback by the impromptu hug, nevertheless smiled back, returning the embrace.
"Me too, Pinkie."
As they parted, the animal lover had a knowing smile to her.
"Actually...I've got a little surprise for you."
Naturally, Pinkie let out a gasp to that, clasping her hands together.
"Ooooh! Is it some extra confetti for my party cannon?"
Fluttershy shook her head.
"No."
"Is it some ice cream?"
"No."
"Is it an ancient mystical Equestrian whatever that can turn my plushie Gummy into a real little crocodile?!"
"Um...no."
Though a little disappointed at that last one, Pinkie soon regained her prior excitement.
"Well...what is it?"
Smiling again, Fluttershy gestured to the side.
"It's over there."
Pinkie glanced over to where she was pointing, only to see a stall at the end of the market, utterly covered with delicious-looking confectionaries and cakes and all manner of sweet-looking things. So Pinkie, being Pinkie, immediately burst into a starry-eyed look.
"Oooooooh!"
Fluttershy giggled, taking her hand again and leading her over.
"I found that the owner makes these adorable little cupcakes with little balloons on them, and I just knew I had to get one for you!"
Before long, they were there, and Fluttershy leaned over to try and find the cupcake she'd described. However, as she looked, she discovered, to her slight concern, that she couldn't actually see it. Hesitation came to her, and she instead looked up to the owner of the stall, an older man, who was, at this very moment, sleeping soundly in his chair. Of course, Fluttershy didn't like the idea of waking someone up like that, but given the situation, she felt she had no choice.
"Um...Sir?"
No response.
"Sir?" she tried again.
Again, no response. This time, Fluttershy narrowed her eyes slightly, reaching forward and giving the man a gentle poke. That did the trick, and he awoke immediately.
"Who?! What?! Where?!"
Then, after squinting slightly, he finally saw Fluttershy, and a smile came to his lips.
"Oh! Miss Fluttershy! I'm sorry, I was just resting my eyes."
Fluttershy regained her earlier smile.
"Oh, it's no bother. But I was wondering, do you still have that cupcake with the little balloons on it? Because I can't seem to find it."
Slowly, the man placed his hand up to his ear, turning his head slightly.
"Eh? What was that, dear?"
Fluttershy leaned forward, speaking slower.
"Do...you...know...where...the...cupcake...with...the...balloons...on...is?"
Understanding came to the man.
"Ah! Oh! Right...um...I'm afraid I may have sold it already."
Fluttershy seemed aghast to this.
"Sold it?!"
He nodded.
"Yes, I truly am sorry, but, I think it was a gentleman who went...um....oh, there he is!"
Fluttershy and Pinkie turned, just in time to see a man just a few years older than them cross the road nearby. Pinkie, seeing him go, turned to her girlfriend with understanding.
"It's okay, Fluttershy, we can just..."
But, she was stopped by a finger to her lips from Fluttershy.
"No! This is our first date, and I said I was going to get you that cupcake!"
Her eyes narrowed.
"So that cupcake...you...shall...have!"
Pinkie blinked.
"Er...what?"
Then, before she could say anything, she watched as Fluttershy began to run off in the direction of the other customer.
"Wait there!" she called back.
Pinkie opened her mouth to call out to her, only to be struck with the realisation that, even if she had, Fluttershy wouldn't have stopped. So, instead, she just shrugged her shoulders, looking to the stall's owner, chuckling nervously before speaking up.
"So...um...nice weather, right?"
Trouble began almost immediately, as the green light that would have allowed Fluttershy to cross the road came to an end the moment she reached it. So, frustrated, she stood where she was, watching the cars go by, all while her quarry got further and father away. What’s more, the light took even longer than usual to go green again, and when it finally did so, she upped the ante, charging forward, much to the surprise of those around her who also needed to cross. On and on she ran, with her target right in her sights. But, just as it looked as if she was about to reach him, she was halted yet again. This time, it was by the suddenly-opening door of a nearby store, out of which came several Mothers and their children, all of whom were in prams, naturally. Of course, the animal lover couldn't help but face-palm at this latest delay the universe had thrown at her, mumbling under her breath as she considered it.
“I...oh...really?!”
But, she did her best to stay calm, and so remained where she was until the aforementioned parents had moved along. However, to her horror, she discovered that the man she’d been chasing was now no longer in sight at all. Squinting, she looked all around, only to finally catch sight of him as he turned a corner at the end of the sidewalk. Sadly, this corner was, yet again, on the other side of the road from where she was, leading to a grumble on her part. But, she didn't let this get her down, and so she began to rush forward yet again, dodging and weaving her way past every single pedestrian who came her way. This went on for some time, with her crossing the road as soon as she was able, then going around that same corner she’d seen earlier. And it was after having done this, and spotting the guy from afar again, that she started to smile.
“Got you!”
She could see a small alleyway just ahead of where he was walking, wherein there were a number of cats. Looking around, Fluttershy then saw a few small birds flying overhead, and so, after touching her magic pendant, she whistled up to them, gaining their attention immediately, They swooped down, and once they were close enough, Fluttershy whispered to them. The birds nodded, and began to fly off towards that alleyway further ahead. As for Fluttershy herself, she too began to move forward, at an even faster pace than before. The man she was chasing, who had been oblivious to all of this, suddenly found, to his dismay, that he was halted from going any further, as the path was blocked by a dozen or so stray cats, all lined up in formation like some fuzzy wall. The birds had sent their message, and now the troops had gathered, barring his path.
“What the...?”
Then, he turned, for he had heard the distinct sound of somebody trying to catch their breath. There, he saw Fluttershy, who, after panting a great deal, started to speak softly to him.
“I’m terribly sorry, Sir, but...I was wondering...do you still have that cupcake with the little balloons on it?”
The man blinked, then nodded.
“Well...I did, but...I ate it already.”
Slowly, Fluttershy's smile faded.
“...Pardon?”
The man took on a more nervous look.
“I...I’m sorry, but I ate it straight away.”
Naturally, Fluttershy was not pleased at this information, and so took a single menacing step forward, only to stop when something began to buzz in her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she saw that it was Pinkie trying to call her, and so she placed it to her ear.
“Hello?”
The high-pitched voice of her girlfriend spoke form the other side.
“Um...Fluttershy? Yeah, got a bit of news here. Turns out the old guy had another cupcake like that all along. He just forgot about it. You know, old age and all that?”
Fluttershy blinked slowly, and then again, and then again, before looking to the gentleman whom she’d cornered.
“Um...there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding, Sir. I’ll just be going now.”
So the man watched as Fluttershy walked off, looking utterly mortified as she did so. He turned, seeing that the animals too had gone away somewhere, leaving him all alone.
“...Okay...what on Earth did I eat this morning?!”
It had taken some time, but eventually, Fluttershy had made it back, and when she had, she found Pinkie already sitting on a nearby bench with the desired cupcake in hand. She waved to her girlfriend, and Fluttershy, in turn, smiled back. She walked over, sitting beside her party-loving beau, and looked at the completely joyous look on her face as she took that first sweet bite of her promised confectionary.
“Fluttershy...this...is...great!”
Fluttershy giggled.
“I’m glad you like it, Pinkie. I wanted our first date to start off well, and I couldn't think of a better way to do it.”
Gulping that first bite down, Pinkie giggled, then nodded to her.
“I’ll say! Although...”
Curiosity came to her.
“...what ever happened to that guy you were chasing?”
Fluttershy coughed nervously to that.
“Oh...nothing much. We just...had a little chat.”
Pinkie nodded, looking like she wasn’t quite sure if she believed her.
“Riiiiiiiiight. Well, just as long as you didn't go crazy on him or anything.”
Fluttershy forced a laugh.
“Ha...ha...yeah, that...that would just be over the top, wouldn’t it?”
