“Oooooh, this is gonna be so fun!”
Pinkie skipped energetically down the little dirt path leading into her family’s rock farm, followed closely by Fluttershy. Tied around Pinkie’s waist was a bundle of balloons shaped into letters spelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY, although after all of Pinkie’s hopping about and jostling them she was about to wish her sister a hpapy brihtdya. Fluttershy was carrying a messily wrapped present under one wing.
“I just hope they like me,” Fluttershy said.
“Are you kidding? It’ll be like you’ve always been there! Plus, I mean, you and Marble aren’t really that similar, but you’re close enough that everypony else won’t have trouble liking you.” Pinkie hopped over and gave Fluttershy a quick hug, nearly knocking her over. “Okay, well,” she added as an afterthought, “maybe not Limestone. I’ll try to get her to tone it down a bit for you, though.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Pinkie, there’s no way your sisters are harder to handle than you, and I’ve been doing that for months now.”
Pinkie grinned and nuzzled up against Fluttershy. “You sure have. I mean, I’ve been tryin super hard to be obnoxious, and I don’t think I’ve annoyed you once!”
“Well, let’s not get carried away,” Fluttershy said with a sly grin. “I only said I can handle it.”
“Uh-huh,” Pinkie said, “sure. You know you love me too much to get annoyed.”
“You see right through me.”
“Ooh!” Pinkie pointed frantically down the path. “They decorated!”
Ahead of them was the rickety little house that Pinkie’s family called home. The dusty gray wood was masked against the barren landscape around it, only standing out where it rose into the blue sky above. Near the front door sat a crooked mailbox, on which was tied a single white balloon.
“You must be rubbing off on them,” Fluttershy said.
Pinkie grinned and knocked on the door, rocking back and forth impatiently until it creaked open. Then she leapt into the air, flailing her legs. “Happy birt— Oh.” She landed back on the ground and smiled at her grumpy-looking sister. “Hiya Limestone! I was expecting Marble to answer the door.”
“You don’t have to knock, you know,” Limestone said dryly. She leaned past Pinkie to eye Fluttershy suspiciously. “You the girlfriend?”
Fluttershy gulped and smiled nervously. “Mm-hm!” she answered. “Um, I’m Fluttershy. It’s wonderful to meet you!”
“Hmmm,” Limestone hummed. She pushed past Pinkie Pie and pressed her nose up against Fluttershy’s as she narrowed her eyes. “Why should I trust you?”
“Umm,” Fluttershy mumbled as she tried to lean back away from Limestone’s hard stare. Limestone pressed forward with every inch that Fluttershy retreated back, not letting her escape. “I-I don’t really know…”
“Aw, c’mon Limey.” Pinkie poked her sister in the side. “Give her a break. Can’t you just give her a chance cuz I like her?”
Limestone stared daggers at both ponies for a moment, but eventually her gaze softened a bit and she nodded to Fluttershy. “Don’t hurt my sister. Now get in here, you’re letting the bugs in.”
Pinkie leaned over to whisper in Fluttershy’s ear after Limestone walked away. “She likes you! Probably. I hope...” She let out a nervous laugh which quickly became an anxious sigh. "We'll see."
With that, Pinkie led Fluttershy inside and into the living room, where they found the rest of the family. Her parents sat in chairs on one side of the room, while her three sisters were seated on the floor nearby. Limestone had sat down right next to Marble, and Maud rested across from them, separated by a small pile of presents in the middle of the room.
“Happy birthday Marble!” Pinkie shouted, jumping across the room to grab her sister in a tight hug. Marble flinched, but gave a tiny smile and hugged back. “We brought you a present and balloons and candy and me and Fluttershy! Today’s gonna be great!”
Pinkie hopped back and untied her balloons, letting them float up to the ceiling. Then she gave her sister another quick hug before zipping back over to Fluttershy’s side. She grinned wide, waiting like she was expecting somepony else to speak up.
After a moment of awkward silence, Limestone did. “So, uh, where’s the candy?”
“It’s in the balloons, silly!” Pinkie explained. “Where else would it be?”
Pinkie plopped down in the unoccupied side of the room, and Fluttershy placed their gift in the pile before joining her. Fluttershy was hesitant to be too affectionate, but Pinkie made up for it by pulling her close right away, a gesture that made Fluttershy squeak in surprise.
After another awkward moment, Limestone groaned. “Pinkie. Introduce us.”
“Oh, right!” Pinkie said. “Okay, everypony, this is Fluttershy!” She gave Fluttershy an affirmative squeeze. “Fluttershy, this is everypony! That’s Maud, you know her. That one’s Limestone, you just met her in the doorway. Marble’s the birthday girl, and that’s Ma and Pa! Ma’s my mom, and Pa’s my dad.”
Fluttershy smiled and waved to them all. Marble was the only one to wave back, with the rest of the family falling somewhere between a smile and a polite nod. “It’s, um, very nice to meet you all,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie has told me a lot about you.”
“My name is Igneous Rock Pie,” Pa said.
“I am Cloudy Quartz,” Ma followed. “It is an honor to meet the mare who has captivated Pinkamena so.”
Fluttershy let out an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, well, I don’t know if I’d say I’ve captivated her. We just… Fit well together.”
“We’re all very happy to see that Pinkie found somepony,” Maud said. “Her love life was always a big source of stress for her.”
“Maud!” Pinkie said, blushing. “You don’t have to bring that up!”
Fluttershy giggled. “Well, it really is wonderful to meet you all. Please, though, don’t let me hog the spotlight all day. It’s Marble’s birthday, right?”
“Aw, don’t worry about that,” Pinkie said. “Marble hates having that much attention. That’s why I brought you today, I knew Marble would be happy to be able to relax at her party!” Marble nodded in agreement.
“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy said. “Well, feel free to ask me anything you’d like to know. I should be able to handle being the center of attention if Pinkie’s here with me.”
“So what do you do?” Limestone wasted no time with smalltalk. “You got a future?”
“Limestone!” Pinkie objected. “Can’t you ask something nice?”
“I am being nice!” Limestone argued.
“It’s okay, Pinkie,” Fluttershy assured her. “I take care of the wild animals around Ponyville, as well as in the forest nearby. It’s very fun! It’s a shame I can’t take Pinkie out with me more often, but it usually needs, um… quiet.”
Limestone laughed. “Well, you don’t mince words, huh?” Marble leaned over and whispered something into her ear. “Huh?” Limestone said. “Oh, yeah. Isn’t the forest near Ponyville the Everfree? You go in there?”
“Not very far,” Fluttershy told her. “It isn’t that scary on the outskirts.”
“Dang, Pinkie,” Limestone said, “I thought you told us your girlfriend was a scaredy cat.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Did she now? What else has she told you about me?”
Pinkie blushed. “Uhh, hey, is that rock casserole I smell? It must be dinner time!” She laughed awkwardly and got up, beckoning the family along.
“Rock casserole?” Fluttershy asked.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Pinkie told her in a hushed voice. “It’s not as good as it sounds.”
The Pie dining room nearly looked more humble than the rest of the house. The table was small, surely crowded even when only the four ponies who live on the farm are home, so with three guests there was hardly room to move. Fluttershy found herself squished between Pinkie and Marble, and the proximity left her with a blush plastered on her face for the entire dinner.
Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the rock casserole was more casserole than rock. It was still bland, but it was far more edible than what Fluttershy had expected from the stories she heard from Applejack. Still, she only ate the little bit that she got at first. Fluttershy never had the biggest appetite anyway.
“Done already?” Limestone asked. “You’re gonna need to be able to eat a lot of food if you’re dating Pinkie.”
“Oh, she’s always eaten my leftovers,” Fluttershy said. “Even before we were together.”
Pinkie gulped down a huge bite of food so she could speak up. “Plus, dating means I get to make her way more cakes and stuff than before, cuz then I can just go to her house and eat ‘em for her!”
“Please remember to watch your health, Pinkamena,” Ma told her.
“Pfft.” Pinkie dismissed her concerns with a wave of her hoof. “I’m fine. I don’t think I’ve ever even been sick!”
“Pinkie, you just got over something a week ago,” Fluttershy said.
“Magic diseases don’t count!” Pinkie declared. “I mean, how was I supposed to know the stuff in Zecora’s house isn’t safe to eat?”
Fluttershy laughed. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Pie, I’m taking care of her. Other than the things she bakes, I only keep healthy snacks at home anyway. You just kind of get into the habit of eating them when you have to have them for animals anyway.”
“I’m really glad that she found somepony like you,” Marble said. Fluttershy jumped at her tiny voice, not expecting it, and Marble giggled.
“Oh, well, I—” Fluttershy stuttered. “Um… Thank You. I’m glad you all like me.”
“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Limestone told her. “I’ve still got my eye on you.”
“Aw, c’mon, give her a break,” Pinkie said. “Everypony else likes her.”
“It’s okay, Pinkie,” Fluttershy interjected. “She’s just looking out for you, I understand.”
“Yeah, you get me,” Limestone said. “Alright, ponies, I wanna see the presents. Let’s get a move on.”
“Yes, let’s,” Pa agreed. “Fluttershy, you may wait in the living room while we clean.”
“Oh, are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “I can help!”
“No, no,” Pa said. “Not on your first visit.”
“Wait until Limestone trusts you, and then you’ll be part of the family and can help us clean,” Maud added.
“That seems reasonable,” Fluttershy said. “Well, thank you for the food.” With that, everypony got up, and Fluttershy went to take a seat in the living room.
She sat in front of the fireplace and let out a deep sigh. Now that nopony else was around, she was finally able to let out some of the exhaustion that had set in. She closed her eyes, taking deep, measured breaths. All this attention was draining, and she silently thanked Pa for giving her this moment of respite.
“‘Ey, Fluttershy!” Limestone’s harsh voice made Fluttershy leap up, her fur standing on end. “That’s Marble’s seat, find somewhere else!”
“Oh, s-sorry!” Fluttershy said, scrambling to a different spot on the floor. “I didn’t know.”
“And now you do,” Limestone told her.
“Hey!” Pinkie said from behind Limestone. “Don’t yell at her like that! She doesn’t know about how we do things.”
“I didn’t say she did know!” Limestone shouted back. “That’s why I told her!”
“Wait, Pinkie,” Fluttershy muttered, but she was cut off.
“But you didn’t have to yell!” Pinkie argued. “You wouldn’t talk to Marble like that.”
“I talk to Marble like that all the time!” Limestone told her. “I talk to all of you like that, and if Fluttershy’s gonna be part of the family I’m gonna talk to her like that too!”
“Pinkie…” Fluttershy tried again.
Pinkie’s cheeks were flushed red. “Would it kill you to be nice for once in your—”
“Pinkie!” Fluttershy shouted. Silence fell upon the room as the other two stared at her. “She wasn’t angry,” Fluttershy continued. “I know that that’s how she is, and that’s fine. I don’t want any of your family to feel like they have to be somepony they’re not around me. I’m not upset.”
“Oh.” Pinkie’s ears drooped as a frown crossed her face. “I didn’t… I’m sorry, Limestone. I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m gonna go… Get some air.” Before anypony could stop her, she had walked away and stepped out the front door.
Limestone turned to Fluttershy. “You didn’t have to step in. She’s gotten mad at me before, I can handle it.”
“You shouldn’t have to bear something like that over a misunderstanding,” Fluttershy said. Then she flashed Limestone a toothy grin. “Besides, we’re family. I have to stick up for you.”
Limestone laughed quietly. “Yeah, alright. Go talk to Pinkie before she starts to think we’re gonna disown her or something.”
“You’re right,” Fluttershy said. “Um, could you get everypony to wait a few minutes before opening presents? Pinkie would be so upset with herself if she missed it because she got in a fight.” Limestone nodded, and Fluttershy went off to find Pinkie Pie.
She stepped out the front door into a cold and windy dusk. Pinkie was laying in the dirt nearby, staring off into the distance. Fluttershy walked over and laid down next to her, not saying anything.
“I’m sorry,” Pinkie said after a minute.
“I know,” Fluttershy told her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I was just so worried,” Pinkie continued.
“I know.”
“I thought, what if she thinks you’re not good enough, or you get scared of her, or, or—”
“I know, Pinkie.”
“Did I mess things up?”
“Not at all,” Fluttershy assured her. She wrapped a wing around Pinkie and held her close.
“And you like my family?”
“I love them. I meant what I said. Limestone doesn’t need to be nicer, Marble doesn’t need to talk more, Maud doesn’t need to be more energetic, just like you don’t need to hold back around me. I love every part of you, and that includes all of them.”
Pinkie sniffed and pressed herself against Fluttershy. “Did I miss the presents?”
Fluttershy giggled. “I asked Limestone to stall them. Aren’t you lucky you have me?”
Pinkie laughed. “I really am. I really, really am.”
They nuzzled each other and sat there for a minute, enjoying the quiet, before they got up and went back inside. There, they found the family quietly chatting in the living room. The conversation died down when they walked in and took a seat in an empty space.
“‘Ey,” Limestone said as Fluttershy sat down, “wrong spot!”
Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “W-what?”
“You’re sittin next to Marble.”
When Fluttershy’s look of confusion didn’t change, Maud explained for her. “Limestone said you’re part of the family. So, we decided that since it’s your first day, you should sit in the birthday spot with Marble.”
A huge smile slowly broke across Fluttershy’s face as she processed it all. Then she let out an excited squeal and skipped over to sit by Marble. Marble gave her a friendly hug as she sat down, and Fluttershy squealed again.
“Open my present first,” Maud said. “You’ll never guess what it is. Here’s a hint: it’s a rock.”