Slipping

by InsanityCorps

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Sad, Romance
Length: 10814

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are happy together. At one point however, a crisis may not be averted.

Pinkie and Fluttershy have been the shining couple of Ponyville for about a year now. But after a tragic event none could foresee, their relationship, friendships, and their own mental health are all jeopardized. Will they be able to survive it all? Who knows… maybe they'll just end up braindead and rot away underneath Sugarcube Corner.

((Note: The cover is the only one I could find the would come close to what I wanted for a cover… so until a miracle happens, I'll use that one.))

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-22 17:13:31 UTC

Prolougue

     Two particular ponies were walking through Ponyville, hoof in hoof. Everyone who saw them walking knew they were going to Sugarcube Corner for a very special occasion. The completely pink earth pony and yellow pegasus, known locally as Pinkie Pie and Flutters, were both on their way to a party being thrown for their one year anniversary. The anniversary being of when they first got together. Lots of ponies had been invited and, as of a couple months ago, Fluttershy had lost the last two letters of her name... signifying her almost complete loss of shyness, so she didn't mind. She would never be at Pinkie levels but considering her state a year before, it was a dramatic improvement.

     As the two neared the bakery of Ponyville, they gathered a little following of five or so ponies who also wanted to see the happy couple celebrate. When they reached the bakery, a few hushes could be heard from outside which made them giggle. Pinkie pushed open the door to be greeted with a chorus of the word,"SURPRISE!" It of course wasn't that much of a surprise but Pinkie and Flutters feigned shock and showed their true happiness at once to keep up the illusion of surprise. "How are you two lovebirds doing on this most magnificent day?" Rarity asked.

     In unison, the couple replied,"Couldn't be better." Another giggle was shared and the two walked into the main room towards their friends. Twilight was next to speak up,"I want to say that I am still extremely happy for the two of you and have my own little surprise for you two!" A squee of hushed proportions escaped her throat. When Twilight was about to rush to the back, she was stopped with a couple annoyed glances from Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She nervously turned her head back at the guests of honor and said,"Actually from Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and I." Nervous chuckles escaped as well before Twilight darted into the kitchen. When she came back, a guitar, bass, two set of enchanted claws for a pony to play the instrument, a set of drums, and another pony of green coat and red spiky mane with a microphone cutie mark. Looking puzzled, Flutters spoke up first and said,"I'm not sure I get what you're doing Twili..." said unicorn cut her off with the setting down of said instruments,"I better go get the speakers while they set up."

     The flyer and farmer relocated themselves, Rainbow to the guitar and AJ to the drums. When they noticed the happy couple looking at them, they simple shrugged. "Its nice ta learn a new skill every now and then sugarcubes. Ah jus' happened ta wanna do the drums."

     "Same go's for me and my guitar. When I leaned I could have the claws to make it a thousand times easier, how could I resist!?" Rainbow added.

     Pinkie finally let go of her marefriend's hoof and bounce over to her friend saying, "Because you're Dashie! If it's cool, you'll be all over it." The three shared a laugh that lasted for a solid minute. Shortly afterwards, Twilight came in with the speakers and began plugging the instruments and mic into their respective slots. Vinyl scratch, who came to see her old party-buddy again, tuned the speakers perfectly for the setup given.

     Pinkie took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her less-seen friend. "Hi there Scratchy!"

     Vinyl turned her head,"Hey there ol' buddy ol' pal! What have ya been up to lately?" All Pinkie had to do to answer was turn her head slightly towards Flutters to elicit a,"Ho-ho-ho! Lucky mare you!"

     "We only do that on special occasions Vinyl..."

     A refined voice that carried a Canterlot accent then said, "You mean whenever the opportunity arises." The two friends laughed incoherently, rolling on the floor for another minute or two than before. A yellow pegasus could be seen blushing slightly across the room, rolling her eyes. When the two calmed down, a madly giggling Octavia was seen standing above the two.

     "Who's this Vinyl? A friend? Roommate? Special Somepony?"

     Not wanting to question Pinkie's all knowing mind, especially since the mare got all three right, Vinyl simply replied,"Pinks, this is Octavia, and to answer your questions: yes, yes, and has been for about three months."

     A loud gasp was heard followed by Pinkie issuing forth a cement-crushing hug."I'M SO GLAD YOU FOUND SOMEPONY SCRATCHY!" Both were being crushed and could barely breathe in the grip of this pink death machine! Thankfully, Flutters came over and whispered in her marefriend's ear,"I think they want to breathe sweetie." Pinkie looked at the mares she was strangling and their faces were changing colors. "Woopsies." She released her death grip on the two unlucky mares. "Guess I just have a lot of pent up energy that needs to get out."

     Once she could breathe again, Octavia thought it right to question her marefriend, "Scratchy? Vinyl, why does this mare call you that?" Vinyl, taking a moment longer than Octavia to recover, looked up for a second, only to have her head fall again and gasp a little more. "Be... cause, I used to DJ for her all the time. She was always throwing parties and it got me a few bits." Both then got up from their positions on their knees and walked into the main party scene, ending the conversation.

     By the end of that little fiasco, AJ, RD, and the singer and bassist were all set up and ready to play. The singer leaned towards the mic and said, "A surprise cover of one of Pinks' songs for her very special sompony, all for you two." Everyone stopped their activities and turned to view the little band setup. Then, with no instrumental accompaniment, the red stallion began.

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you,

Tomorrow I'll miss you; and remember I'll always be true.

And then while I'm away, I'll write home every day,

And I'll send all my lovin'... to you.

     After those lyrics were sung, the drums and bass jumped in and played an upbeat tune to match the lyrics. The song they were playing was very special to the two ponies. Pinkie recorded it three months into her and Fluttershy's relationship because she was going away for a two or three weeks for business. Of course it was for the bakery, but it she treated it like business; she put on a suit and everything before heading out. She left the recording of her singing it on a ukulele by Fluttershy's bedside with the first letter she would send. It was the most romantic thing Pinkie ever did for Fluttershy and neither of them have forgotten... so to hear that old song brought to new life by their friends was a great feeling.

     Since it was a relatively short song, it was over before they anybody could truely appreciate the new style and life put into the ol' diddy. "Now, one that Twi over there gave us that was written by both of the lovebirds. First, however, we seem to be lacking cello accompaniment." the stallion said in a rather accusing, yet nonchalant tone. With that said, Octavia rushed out of the crowd and almost shouted,"One second!", flying off behind the counter. A few seconds later, she came back with her cello in hoof. "I'm terribly sorry, I forgot my part in this for a moment. I was just having a tad to much fun with the others."

     "It's alright Octavia, I almost forgot too... then I remembered a flyer tacked to my wall," he leaned closer to Octavia and away from the mic,"and the bits are a nice reminder as well." The mare agreed, shaking her head with a small smile on her lips, readied her cello, and began to pull the first notes across the strings. This beautiful sound was followed up by Rainbow Dash on a more acoustic sounding guitar which played the proper notes to add the omniscient feel the cello was producing. The stallion started shortly after;

Words are flowing out like

endless rain into a paper cup;

they slither wildly as they slip away, across the universe.

Pools of sorrow waves of joy

are drifting through my opened mind

possessing and caressing me.

Jai guru deva. Om...

     The phase sung in Malay, which few to none in the bakery actually knew the meaning of(the few being Twilight, Twilight,Pinkie, Flutters, and Applejack). It meant "I give thanks to Guru Dev (heavenly teacher) om."  Om just being the supposed sound of the universe. The couple went to the rare grounded pegasus state of Pegasyndia[pega-sin-dia], for some spiritual guidance. They mainly went to see the sights, however.

     Pinkie and Flutters decided to dance to their song, wrapping their arms around each other and leaning against each other for balance. In-between the repeated lyric 'nothin's gonna change my world' the couple whispered to each other. "Hey, Flutters?"

"Yes Pinkie?"

"I love you." More than you'll ever know.

"I love you too." For as long as I'll live.

     The two stopped dancing near the end of the song and looked into each other's eyes... the eyes each had such a strong attraction towards. They leaned in simultaneously and pressed their lips together in a soft, yet passionate, embrace. After a couple seconds of said embrace, Pinkie decided to allow space for Flutters' tongue to investigate her mouth. This investigation would not come about easily however, as Pinkie fought the incoming tongue for a chance to start an investigation of her own. The mini battle wages for a small while until Flutters made her last push and won, winning the right to explore Pinkie's mouth as she saw fit. The kiss lasted long after the song ended and gathered quite a bit of attention, not that the two ponies cared, for they were lost in their own little world. Once Flutters finally broke the kiss, the couple looked around and noticed several pairs of soft, happy eyes looking at them.

     While the two gained a redness in their cheeks, they wondered exactly how long that kiss lasted after the song ended. Thankfully, Vinyl came over and interrupted that thought process with a tap on their shoulders. They turned and saw that the unicorn had removed her glasses and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "May I spin?" Knowing very well what she meant both ponies said in stereo,"Vinyl, spin that shit." A gleeful squee escaped Vinyl's throat ans she disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke that almost looked unreal. Knowing what would follow with the DJ's return, Twilight quickly gathered up all ponies and equipment from the area and moved them into the kitchen, leaving her visibly exhausted. A couple moments later, Vinyl reappeared in an explosion of the ethereal blue smoke that was specifically attributed to Vinyl's teleportaion spell. Once it cleared, a full modern DJ set was there along with custom speakers and a white mare behind the station. "I hear there's a request for me to SPIN THIS SHIT!"

     The DJ was about to start when a pink hoof came out of nowhere and stopped her,"Sorry Scratchy, but I want to do something first." The DJ nodded and waited patiently for Pinkie to do whatever she needed. The pink pony walked over to Flutters and sat on her haunches. "Hold on..." Pinkie looked down until her hair fell flat and everyone gasped. "Don't worry everyone, that's supposed to happen. I want to look serious when I say this." No one heard the thud of a small, fuzzy black box hit the ground nor saw it as it was quickly hidden under her now flat tail. She grasped one of Flutters' hooves with hers and said,"Flutters, I love you so much. You make me even happier than I could ever be... and words cannot describe how beautiful you are." Flutters thought her heart was going to burst, and it did when Pinkie pulled out the box from under her tail, opened it to reveal two pendants of gold with their cutie marks being the symbols attached to the chains, and said,"Will you make me the happiest mare in Equestri... no, the whole world, and marry me?"

     Flutters' mouth opened to say something but words couldn't come out no matter how hard she tried. So, she gave up trying and answered with a kiss that brought Pinkie down to the floor. When she broke it with a loud smack, she practically cheered,"Yes you wonderful mare! Yes!" A cheer came from all the ponies in the bakery, including the band who came out of the kitchen just in time to see this. Once Pinkie was up to her hooves, she gave her fiance a quick peck on the lips and rushed over to Vinyl, excitedly yelled,"What are you waiting for? SPIN IT!" The DJ mare than lifted her glasses back down to her eyes and begun to play her set while every single pony began to dance the night way.

Surprise Stalker-ish Visit

     As the last few beats came from the speakers, DJ PON-3 was not even close to being tired through the adrenaline she usually got from performing. The rest of the bakery, however, was now fighting to hold onto consciousness. The couple the party was thrown for, even Pinkie, just wanted to go home and pass out when they walked inside.

    As each guest left, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash thanked them for coming. Once the last happily sleepy face left Sugarcube Corner, Applejack let out a yawn and said,"Hoowee! What a night. Ah better get back to the arm and grab some shut-eye so that I can get them apples out of the trees properly." She yawned through a goodbye as she left the premises, followed by Rarity, with a similar goodbye.

     Rainbow Dash didn't just say goodbye. She walked over to the newly engaged couple and hugged both of them at once. "I'm happy for you two," she whispered in their ears,"I know you two will be happier than ever to have each other... forever." A melancholy tone escaped with that last word. Rainbow then released them and walked to the door, taking off the instant she had a clear shot to the open sky.

     The only ones in the building were now Twilight, Pinkie, and Flutters. Twilight looked at the two of them with a strange look on her face. Almost like she was trying to mix concern and agitation with calm and happy... and Flutters didn't really feel comfortable with it. "Twilight? Is something wrong?"

     "Yeah," Pinkie added," you look all happy and downsy-wownsy at the same time."

     "That's... a good enough way to put it Pinkie." Looking at two now concerned faces, Twilight continued. "Its just that... at one point you two will have problems, like you've in the past. I guess its just me being worried about the elements in case of a disaster. We also have no idea how you're marriage will effect their abilities in any way."

     Pinkie trotted over and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and with her now usually calm manner of speaking, tried to comfort her. "Twilight, I'm sure that our love will only make them stronger." Twilight grew a small smile at that comment and nodded before teleporting out of there. Now there was a small dilemma to deal with: where would the remaining love-birds sleep? The bakery was the prime option, but the heater broke a day or two ago and left the place freezing around this time of year. The cottage was a bit of a walk away, but with the exorcise and adding healthy foods into her diet, Pinkie could easily carry her fiance at any point.

     "Why don't we go to your cottage, where it'll be nice and warm?" Flutters looked at Pinkie with that 'are you sure you can' look.

     "Yes, I'm sure we can make it. I still have enough energy left for the both of us if need be." Once more there was that look, followed by a smile. Flutters moved her hooves and head in a fashion that told the earth pony to kneel down and make room. So Pinkie did as implied and let Flutters onto her back. She got up to a normal stance and asked,"Bounce or walk?" Some giggling occurred before before the answer came. "Walk."

     "Okie dokie lokie!" And so began the walk to the cottage near the Everfree Forrest where the yellow pegasus resided. The walk was nice and took about thirty-five minutes to get to the destination. Halfway into the walk, Flutters had wrapped all of her legs around Pinkie and given her a kiss on the back-right part of her her jaw. The action put a little spring into step that shortened the trip a little bit. Once they were in Flutters' place, Pinkie let her precious cargo off and walked flank-to-flank with her up the stairs to the bedroom. Pinkie opened the door and looked around. She took in every nook and cranny, looking over what would be "Our room..."

     "Huh?" Flutters asked.

     "I want this to be our room."

     "Why not live closer to town? There are more ponies around to feed your special talent, and we'd be closer to the stores... wouldn't you be happier ther..." If there was more to that sentence it was cut off by a kiss. It was broken for a long enough moment for Pinkie to say,"You are the only pony I need, so this'll be perfect." The pegasus' heart was sent a flutter by that statement. It was just said that she was all that Pinkie needed to be happy. Just her! Flutters wrapped both of her her forearms around Pinkie and assaulted her mouth with her tongue. They walked the passionate embrace over to the bed and lied down, both not missing a beat.

     "You know," Flutters said between kisses,"I'm not so tired yet... and it is our anniversary." They took a second to look into each other's eyes, and continued their late-night foolery. The longer the kiss they shared lasted, the more their hooves got curious... looking for something new in areas that have been well explored. This curiosity was cut short by Pinkie rolling over onto Flutters and looking into her eyes with a look of what can be best described as loving lust. Then, the pink pony slowly headed south, leaving a trail of kisses on her way down. When she had reached right above Flutter's special area, she looked up and said,"I love you." Flutters replied with a,"I love you too," before Pinkie dug her face into the treasure between those thin, yellow legs, eliciting a pleasured groan from the pegasus. They enjoyed each other as such throughout the rest of Luna's sacred night.

________________________________________________________________________________

     Celestia's sun was shining bright enough at the right angle to shine upon two ponies who had practically fallen asleep in each others mouths. Flutters was the first to open her eyes and be greeted with that light. She quickly shut them again, eyes not even close to being properly adjusted to process the intensity of the light. The second time around, she opened her eyes slowly to let them adjust properly. When her eyes had adjusted and her consciousness come into full bloom, she retracted her tongue from on top of Pinkie's, which was on the pillow. A couple smacks to get her tongue moist again brought back the flavors of the previous nights activities.

     Tasting that oddly sweet mixture of Pinkie and herself, Flutters simply laid there and enjoyed it for a few minutes. The savoring of that sweet, sweet taste was interrupted by a low gurgling sound which brought a feeling of emptiness with it. This told her that it was time for breakfast, so she decided it was a good idea to go make some breakfast. A yawn was heard with the same smacking and a groggy Pinkie said,"Good morning Flutters." Make that breakfast for two. "Good morning sweetie pie." Flutters always found that pet name amusing for reasons that are quite obvious. "I'm gonna go make us some breakfast, okay?" Pinkie simple nodded her head and closed her eyes again, knowing it would take a minute for the food to be ready.

     Flutters finally got up and headed for the stairs the lead down to her living room. When she was got down there, all her animal friends were there waiting for breakfast as well. In fact,they had been waiting for a while, as the clock on the wall opposite her read 10:24, about an hour past when she usually fed them. Obviously the one most perturbed by this was Angel. He had come to terms with the fact that she would have some... late nights, shall we say? Yet he had never been forced to wait almost a full hour for a meal. When he caught sight of the pegasus, he bounded his way over to her and slammed his right foot on the ground repeatedly. "Sorry Angel, last night went on a little later than I'm used to." Angel just stared back at Flutters, still angry and unamused with her excuse. "But, since I'm the one who messed up here, I'm going to make you a very special breakfast to make up for it... your choice." His ears perked up at the mentioning of a special breakfast he could pick.

     The bunny ran into the kitchen and came back with a cookbook that was always on the counter by the stove. Angel flipped through the pages and stopped on a very familiar item. He turned the book around so Flutters could see it. What she saw was an item that had caused her some trouble a couple years ago. However, she had everything she needed this time, even the cherry on top. "Alright Angel, I'll be back in a moment." Before she got to Angel's food. Flutters attended to the larger group of animals in the room with bags of green pellets that she poured into several bowls. She then moved outside to fill the bird feeders with seed and water.

     Once those tasks were done and she came inside to find a irritated looking Angel with his arms crossed. "Three cherries." That simple statement put him back into his normal bunny mood. Making good on her promise, she grabbed the ingredients needed for Angel's little breakfast sundae and started constructing it. Luckily, AJ had decided (quite reluctantly) to add a few orange trees into the Acres to make a few more bits, so she got a couple every now and then. The rest of the ingredients had been bought, in high quantity, recently because of Pinkies recent fascination with eating at her cottage rather than at Sugarcube Corner. About five minutes is what it took for the meal to be constructed and set down on the table. "Angel Bunny," Flutters called out,"its ready!" A small bunny head rounded the corner and his eyes lit up with joy. He bounded up to the chair that was behind the meal, grabbed a fork from beside the delicacy, and dug straight into it.

     A content look on both the faces of Flutters and Angel, Flutters turned to her stove and turned on the front left burner of her enchanted four-corner stove. She set a small pan on said burner and pour a little water in, followed by a few hoof-fulls of sweet grass. Once the grass was about done, hoofsteps could could be heard. "Its almost ready Pinkie."

     "Good, cause I am starving!" Pinkie said in an overly dramatic way. Flutters rolled her eyes with a grin. A minute and a few more herbs later, two steaming plates of sauteed sweet grass lay on the table where Angel was finishing his big breakfast. Pinkie sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table from the stove. Flutters balanced each plate on a hoof and hovered to the table, placing one in front of her fiance and the other next to that. She pulled the chair from the opposite side of the table and set it down next to where Pinkie sat. This is where the pegasus and earth pony sat and had breakfast, loving each bite of the dish. I swear this mare can cook better than me most of the time, Pinkie thought to herself as she ate.

     The two finished in a comfortable silence. Pinkie grabbed the plates and put them in the sink to be washed later. With absolutely nothing on either pony's schedule for today, the two thought it fitting to just snuggle on the couch for a little while. Pinkie sat down and Flutters wedged herself under the mare's left foreleg. The two sat there for what felt like a lifetime... just enjoying the fact that they were there and they were there together. A soft knock on the door pulled the two of out eternity and looked to the door. A few more rapid knocks came. Flutters found it necessary that she open the door, with the cottage being her place of residence. She un-wedged herself from under her love, got up, walked to the door, and opened it to reveal a nervous looking Octavia Philiharmonica and Vinyl Scratch. "Who is it?" Pinkie asked from across the room. "Its Vinyl and her marefriend."

     Pinkie shot up to her hooves in a fashion that seemed impossible and bounced off the couch and to the door. "Hiya Scratchy! Wait... where are you shades?" Vinyl looked at the ground and nervously said,"'Tavi here said I looked better without them."

     "We can't tell if you look down..." Flutters put a hoof under Vinyl's jaw and pushed upward," let me see." What was originally hidden behind the glasses made both Pinkie and Flutters gasp: eyes of the purest red gleaming up at them. "Your eyes... their,"

     "Really pretty!" Pinkie's interruption was a good enough explanation so Flutters simply nodded. Vinyl stopped shying away then and said,"Thanks you two... can we come in?" Flutters thought for a moment before asking,"How do either of you know where I live? Me nor Pinkie ever told you two." Octavia took a second to slowly lift a hoof and point to Vinyl. "After Vinyl left, she came back to see if anything small got left behind from her station. When she came back she saw you two leaving and followed you."

     "All the way to my house?"

     "Nah, just to the beginning of the trail that lead up here... then 'Tavi caught me."

     Flutters thought for a moment, and come to the conclusion that no real harm was done."Sure come on in."

     The four found their way to the couch a few feet away. Pinkie looked at the company and said,"Do you two want a some chairs to sit in?" The other couple silently sat on their haunches across from the couch and shook their heads. "Okay." The engaged couple took a seat on the couch next to each other. "So, how has your career been Scratchy? You look like you still do good, you even have a new sound!"

     Vinyl chuckled. "Yeah, I do. As for my DJ'ing, I hit a rough spot for a few months: I couldn't come up with new tracks, ponies were getting tired of the same performance over and over, and clubs were more reluctant to hire me." Pinkie and Flutters both grew a frown at that sad news. "But after I met Octavia, she raged on and on about my music not being music at all... which strangely got me an idea for a remix of an old symphony."

     "I was of coarse against this decision," Octavia interrupted, "but once I heard the way she kept the instrumental parts and just simply added to it and moved parts around... put simply: she kept the essence of the composition while making it new." Octavia started to blush a little bit. "I guess that listening is what started my interest in Vinyl Scratch."

     "Yeah, and I kinda liked 'Tavi a little before that." The DJ regained her composure and finished her story quickly. "Then some things happened, it was awkward for a moment, and she kissed me. That's how that happened." Octavia wanted to cut in but the pink mare was softly clapping her hooves together like she understood completely, a single tear of happiness leaking down her cheek.

     Flutters looked at the other couple and smiled, a little confused but she understood enough. "Well then, I guess we should tell how me and beautiful here got together." Giggling came from all four ponies. After another moment she cleared her throat, indicating that she was about to start. Pinkie coughed twice to get Flutters to look at her. The pegasus complied and saw a straight face, which asked,"Can they hear both sides?"

     "Of course Pinkie." Pinkie bounced in her seat a little bit and started off the story...

._____________________________._____________________________.

     Pinkie was serving a customer at Sugarcube Corner who had ordered a cake a few days previous and came in to get said cake. "Is it done exactly as I asked?" She gave her usual high-pitched, happy giggle and nodded her head. "Yeserie Bob! It was a little confusing at first but I got it." She bounced into the kitchen and came out with a one level cake, made with fresh, all-natural ingredients. It was a little hard for her to make the icing from scratch but the rest was a piece of cake . "Here you go sir! Have a nice day." The colt looked at Pinkie,then the cake, then back at Pinkie, and to the cake again.

    "Looks good, here you go." He pulled out a hoof-ful of bits and placed them on the counter. He grabbed the cake in an aura of magenta and left the bakery. With that being the last customer for the day, she wondered what she would do for the rest of it. After a moment of thinking, she decided to go visit Fluttershy, as she rarely visited her at her cottage. "I'm off! Have a good day!" Mrs. Cake could be barely made out from the sound of the twins and the walls separating the two floors,"Bye Pinkie! Be safe now!" The pink earth pony bounced out of Sugarcube Corner and was on her way to Fluttershy's house.

     Once she was close enough to see the cottage and its owner, who was outside feeding the animals and humming a tune to herself, Pinkie thought it would be fun to surprise her friend. She crept into some nearby bushes and waited for the perfect moment to surprise, not startle, the pegasus. Fluttershy heard the action but quickly dismissed it as one of the animals.

     As Pinkie watched... well lets be honest, she wasn't really watching, she was admiring every action Fluttershy did. She couldn't explain it, she just felt lighter and more complete when the shy pony was even in her sight. There was also a tugging at her heart that felt really weird. With those feelings building up the longer she tried to hide, it just became unbearable to wait. She slowly came out of the brush and got a little closer to the pony that caused these confusing emotions. When she deemed she was close enough, Pinkie said, in a soft and calm fashion,"Hi Fluttershy."

     Being easily started, Fluttershy froze and let out a small "Eep!" that Pinkie found straight up adorable. "Oh, hi Pinkie Pie. What brings you here?"

    "I just wanted to visit."

     "Okay, wanna help me with my animals a little... that is, if you want to." Another thing Pinkie found almost irresistible about the pegasus: her shyness. Pinkie didn't know why, but that trait just made Fluttershy the most adorable pony on the planet. She agreed and helped the yellow pegasus for an hour or so. Idle conversations came and went, not really having much weight to them. When they were about done, a question that Pinkie NEEDED answered came to mind. "Fluttershy?"

     "Yes Pinkie?"

     "What's you opinion on... mares being together?"

     "What!?" Why would she ask me that? Fluttershy thought to herself as she turned to face the random pink one. "Well, I just believe that ponies should be able to live as they want. Whether it be two mares, two colts, or a straight couple, everypony has the right to be happy."

     That statement gave Pinkie a little more hope when she asked in a more normal tone,"What do you think of me being a lesbian then?"

     A wave of shock washed over Fluttershy. She had never thought that one of her friends would be... like that!  "P-Pinkie... you are... oh my." Pinkies heart was slowly breaking now. She didn't expect a response like that, especially because of what was said previously. This breaking was shown in her more sad and weak tone,"W-w-what F-Fluttershy?"

     Hearing that her message came across all wrong, Fluttershy felt horrible. She didn't want to make her friends (particularly Pinkie) depressed for any reason and wanted to fix her words before they hurt her further. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I was just surprised that you're a lesbian."

     "So... you don't hate me?"

     Fluttershy was shocked, and a little appalled, at that question. Element of Kindness hates another pony for what gender they are attracted to? Does that even make sense?! "No! Of course not." Fluttershy hovered over to Pinkie and gave her a hug. "I could never hate you Pinkie Pie." That statement flooded happiness back into Pinkie's system and she gave Fluttershy her special bone-crushing hug that she used to show true happiness. Fluttershy knew this, and was happy for the mare, but she was currently suffocating, Once Pinkie let go of her, she took in a deep breath or two to replenish what was lost a moment ago.

      "Sorry about that but I'm just so happy!" With this new knowledge of Pinkie, and with Rarity rubbing off on her a little bit, Fluttershy just had to know if she was into anyone in particular. "So, Pinkie, you into any mares in particular? You don't have to tell me, I just wanna know." This question gave a new ability to Pinkie: the ability to turn red enough to show clearly through her coat.

     "Yeah. There's this one mare that makes me feel all strange inside. One that makes me feel lighter and more confident in whatever I do... and makes me happier than ever." Aaawwww.

     "Um... could I know who it is?" This made Pinkie uncharacteristically freeze up. She swallowed a hard lump that appeared in her throat.

     "Yes. You can Fluttershy, but I can't tell you. I'd have to show you." The pegasus simply nodded. Pinkie walked up to her and, in a move that used up all of her confidence, put her lips to Fluttershy's. This lasted for a good ten seconds... with no form of resistance occurring. At the end of the ten seconds, Pinkie pulled away. "Surprise," Pinkie said to Fluttershy, who was now surprised and confused.

     What Pinkie did was straight forward. No more or less than one way to take in what the kiss meant. All Fluttershy had to do was take it in. I have no idea how to react to that... she is attracted to me. I'm not even sure if I like mares! I mean, I haven't ever felt that way about any colts, so maybe I am gay. That thought expanded about twenty times over, until she came to her conclusion. "I... don't really know if I'm into mares, but I think I can give it a try." A large smile spread across Pinkie's face and she bounced up and down several times, getting faster and faster, until she just stopped and tackled Fluttershy, peppering her face with kisses.

._____________________________._____________________________.

    "Aaaawwwwww!" Octavia, and even Vinyl Scratch, exclaimed once the story was over. Octavia took a second to keep the look going, then straightened up to ask,"How did your friends react to the news? That you two were dating?"

     Flutters took the reigns and replied,"They were a little taken back at first, but they warmed up to the idea. Our friends are really understanding." From that moment until the end of the visit, the four ponies sat around learning of each other, catching up, talking music, or playing a game. A few hours later, at around two 'o clock, the company thanked Flutters and Pinkie for letting them stay and left.

     "They're nice. We should have them over more often."

     "Yeah! I'd love to have Scratchy over some more." The way Pinkie said that made it sound like she was in the past for a moment. "Well, what do we do now?" She scratched her chin with a hoof, her eyes darting left and right. "Back to snuggling?"

     "Back to snuggling."

     And the two did just that for the rest of the night. Nothing special, just them holding each other in the silence. For these two... nothing could top this moment. That is, until their wedding.

Bells

     Pinkie has always had something to be excited about. She was always either excited for any chance to throw a party to rear its head or to see Flutters' beautiful face after a day of work. However, today was a whole other reason to be excited and quite nervous at the same time... for today was the day of her wedding. She was to be found in a room of Canterlot castle, offered by Celestia, trotting around with the occasional bounce mixed in. Giggling and mumbled phrases of happiness was all that Applejack and Twilight, who were sitting in the far corner of the room, heard from the lucky pink pony.

     After a few moments, Applejack got curious enough to ask,"Hey Pinkie Pie, ya nervous?" Pinkie slowed to a halt and responded. "Yeah, of course I'm a little nervous. I want this to be great! With nothing... going... wrong." The last word was almost silent enough to not be heard. Her colors darkened slightly and her mane lost some volume as all possible wedding-ruining scenarios played through her mind. One after another, seeing every way this day could be lost to a realm of horrid words and dark memories. The other two mares in the room, seeing a way to stop depressed Pinkie from emerging, hurried to her and enveloped her in a tight hug.

     "It'll be okay Pinkie. It'll be okay... nothing will ruin your very special day." Twilight tried to comfort the pony on the verge of depression, and felt relieved when a hoof wrapped around her. Same with AJ, but on a much higher degree, for she had seen full-blown depression with Pinkie... and that was not a fun experience. Pinkie sniffled and said,"Thank you girls," in a half-quiet voice. A moment of hugging later, her colors returned in a flash, along with any lost volume, and she bounced out of the hug. "I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it!" The song that Pinkie was singing now made the two giggle furiously. "That's Pinkie Pie for ya, mood swingin' in the blink of an eye! Haha!"

     In a room quite a bit away, Flutters was having the same last minute problems. However, she was deeply analyzing them. This caused her to revert to her older self due to worry and was breathing into a paper bag. Her voice was sheepish again as she quickly said,"What if the local invites hate us for being lesbians? What If they stop the wedding? Would they hurt me? Would they hurt Pinkie?" That last question put a fire in her belly. The thought of anypony hurting her wife-to-be was an enraging one. Rainbow Dash and Rarity noticed this and changed their tactics from encouragement to a simple tight hug and soothing words. "It'll be fine Darling... if Celestia herself approves of, and even arranges, a... whats the term? 'Gay marriage'? I'll use that, than the citizens of Canterlot will have no choice other than to approve." What Rarity said drained the fire from Flutter's eyes and put her in a normal state.

     "Yeah, what she said." Rainbows added comment made bride straight-up laugh. This was quite the comforting sight compared to the emotions of earlier. "Besides," she continued,"if they even tried to stop the wedding, I'd personally escort them out. A little 'buck' to my bite, you could say." Some ego-boosting rambling emulated from Rainbow after that, with rarity constantly rolling her eyes. Flutters, however, didn't even know a world existed out of her own at the moment. She was too busy concentrating on what wonderful friends she has and how life will be when she's married to the most perfect mare in Equestria. Her life would be perfect. She saw the two of them in that little cottage a few years from now, a little foal in her arms.... how that would come to be was beyond her, but it would happen one way or another. Then all other types of stereotypical features of the 'perfect family' raced through her mind... bringing a soft smile to her face.

     The two mares came to a slow halt long ago and just stared happily at Flutters. They pulled her out of her own reality with a tight hug. "I'm going to love today girls... no matter what happens, because Pinkie and me will be together forever. Happy as can be." This hug continued for a long moment until Rarity pulled herself away and said,"We should get that dress on you darling... we want Pinkie to practically drool at the sight of you."

     Rainbow giggled a little and nodded her head. The imagining of Pinkie being so love-struck that she was drooling was actually quite funny to her. Flutters decided to say, to nopony in particular,"I wonder how Pinkie's gonna look..."

________________________________________________________________________________

     Pinkie Pie was standing right where Shining stood on the day of his wedding with Princess Cadence. The decor was a brilliant mixture of Pinkie's regular party furnishings and nature, with the ribbons and banners of multiple different colors hanging from nearly everything and fauna growing up the walls and even around the ribbons and such. She wore a tuxedo of pure black with white frill extending from the cuffs, a tie with a psychedelic mixture of colors standing out from the tux. On her head was a top hat that was half the size of what was normal in the current age... yet it was of normal standards about a hundred or so years ago. Next to her was Applejack, Twilight, Inkie, Blinkie, and the Cakes. Her parents weren't there on the account of their death about 4 years ago, leaving the rock farm to the remaining Pie sisters. From what they told Pinkie, it was doing quite well.

     A piano and organ started to play in unison to alert everyone in the room, which was about a hundred or so ponies from all over Equestria, mainly Ponyville, to sit down. The wedding was now underway and Pinkie couldn't wait to see her bride. She would be bouncing through the ceiling if it were anything else... but since it was her wedding, she felt a need for maturity. She still felt like doing so, more than most would believe. The doors on the opposite side of the room slowly opened to reveal the cutie mark crusaders, again being the flower girls, who began their trek forward, leaving a trail of rose pedals for what was now undoubtedly the most beautiful mare in all of existence.

     Flutters was in a dress that had fabric that faded from an elegant purple to a solid pink. It was long enough to trail behind her, but not enough to drag. Her hair was done up a a style that Pinkie was sure didn't have a name but it looked good on her bride, and it was held together by thin, colorful straps of fabric with a flower like piece holding them at the ear. For a split moment... Pinkie saw nothing but her. Just Flutters. The perfect bride.

     Once she snapped out of it, she noticed Flutters' father next to the recent occupant of her little world. He was a tall, built up stallion with a dark yellow coat and dark red mane, both of which were slightly faded due to age. He held himself high and proudly walked next to his daughter. That is way better than when we told him... On that mental note, the pink earth pony noted that the Canterlot citizens were either looking confused or whispering to others. Flutters took a mental note of that as well when she stood next to her father, Dash, and Rarity. Not a second after Flutters' stopped moving, Celestia flew up from under the balcony beyond the steps that was the stage for the wedding, landing just one step away from almost between the two mares she was to wed.

     "To all in attendance, thank you dearly for coming to this grand occasion. For this is the wedding of two of the Elements of Harmony!" Clapping was heard as well as a couple disgruntled mumbles. "Let me make this very clear, if anypony here has an aversion to what will happen here this day, please exit the room. One of my personal guards will escort you out." With that said, a elderly-looking Canterlot couple got up and left the room. Celestia, as well as the two elements to be wed, were glad that was handled as well as it was. "Now, onto the more happy part..." A quick laugh was shared among the ponies in attendance before quickly quieting down to let the princess continue. The princess then levitated the engagement pendants above both ponies and draped them around their necks.

     "We have all been gathered to witness the union of two souls that wish to be forever intertwined in the bond of matrimony. May this bond be forever strong, and still hold meaning decades from now." The two mares wrapped a hoof around the other's and simply starred into each other's eyes. "Pinkamena Pie, Element of Laughter, do you take Flutters to be your beloved wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, in good times and in harsh, for as long as you two shall live?"

     "I do."

     "And do you Flutters, Element of Kindness, take Pinkamena to be your beloved wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, in good times and in harsh, for as long as you two shall live?"

     "I do."

     Celestia smiled softly, leaned her head forward and said,"Then I, Princess Celestia, hereby pronounce you wife... and wife." She looked over to Pinkie. "You may now kiss the bride." All of Pinkie's excitement was let out in a single burst forward that had her and Flutters' lips locked in the most passionate embrace either had experienced up to this point. A symphony of clapping hooves were heard as they continued the kiss.They parted at the same time to turn to the happy crowd and waved to everyone.

     Afterwards, everybody head to a larger room, similar to the Gala room, that was decorated very similar to the wedding room... but more like a forest without trees. Everything from the banners to the tablecloths looked and felt to be made of fresh dark-green vines. In a far corner of the rectangular room was a DJ set with speakers that were twice the height of said set. Behind this tech was Octavia Philiharmonica, looking over (apparently) her little section of this oasis. "Wait," a confused Pinkie began to ask,"where's Scratchy? She usually DJ's everything... you play the... oh I can't remember. Violin? Viola? Flute? Double Bass? Triangle? Piano? Bassoon? Cello?"

     "Correct! I play the cello Ms.Pie. It may be constructed to look more like a bass, but hey... what can you do?" Octavia cut in to what she was sure was a list of every musical instrument known to the equine race. Vinyl then, in a rather surprising move, lept out from under one of the tables and grabbed Pinkie by a hind leg, screaming like a mad-mare the whole time. This was quite startling to Pinkie, as she jumped up to the ceiling and held onto a support that come out near the top of a column. "Pinkie!" Said mare looked down to see Vinyl hanging from her hoof. "How in the wide world of Equestria did you jump up here!"

     Pinkie giggled a little and said, rather calmly,"You startled me Scratchy... hehe!" Vinyl started to chuckle softly when she remembered where she was.

     "Would somepony be so kind as to get me and her back down to planet BUCKING EARTH!?" Twilight chuckled as she levitated the two mares back onto solid ground.

     After that little escapade was over and done, attention was turned back to Octavia, who was wiping a tear of laughter off her cheek. After a moment of thought and glancing between the cellist and DJ, Pinkie remembered her original conversation and asked,"Why are you behind the set?"

     "That is an interesting point darling, why are you where Vinyl here usually is?" Rarity chimed in.

     Octavia blushed a little,"Well... with my cello performances being few and far between, I asked Vinyl to teach me how to use this infernal contraption." Vinyl grew an annoyed look on her face.

    "I swear, she couldn't tell me that the thing was made of metal at first! Imagine how hard it was to teach 'Tavi how to make music!" Vinyl shivered at the memories.

     Octavia glared at her marefriend,"HEY! I LEARNED," she yelled,"I even got pretty good." She looked over to the brides and noticed that everypony was now in the room as well. "Would you two like to hear what I have made for this occasion? I'm still a bit new to actually playing it so if I mess up.... just give me some leeway okay?" Seeing the vehemently nodding heads of the brides, she put on a pair of headphones that were set to a lower volume and bass than the speakers, for she was not completely used to that type of assault yet. She turned on the station and began to play a little something she made herself. This was instantly greeted with praise and was a great starter to a great reception where the presents were plenty, the cake was more delicious than the 'Mmmmh' that was made a few years back, and merriment was rampant.

     ...The two lovebirds known as Pinkie Pie and Flutters couldn't have asked for a better wedding day.

Flashback Part 1: The Start

     Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and the happily wedded couple of Pinkie Pie and Flutters were now back in Ponyville. The carriage ride back for the couple was a nice silent one with words of love and kisses spread throughout, while the others simply had random conversations and laughed until they reached their town of residence. All six met in front of Twilight's residence, which is, was, and will most likely always be the Ponyville library. The six formed a little circle just outside Twilight's door, and with all of them gathered there, Flutters decided to be the one to say it. "We would like to thank you girls for coming to our wedding. It means so much to us that you were there."

         "And fer the hundredth time, yer welcome sugarcube." Applejack let a warm bemused smile play across her face.

        "Yeah, it really wasn't that hard of a decision..." Twilight added. The two silent friends and Applejack nodded in

        "Yeah... its just that... considering some of your reactions at first, and some of what you still probably think..." Flutters began to sink into herself a little and her friends all wore awkward expressions. "I just had my doubts," she quickly finished her thought.

         At this point, everypony present was practically swimming in a thick air of awkwardness. All their gazes shifted between Pinkie and each other. Each had their own version of "Will somepony please break the silence?" running through their minds. Eventually, it was Pinkie who decided to break the wretched silence.    "Hey! You four also never even told us about that! You Pinkie Promised!" That's not what I expected, this thought occurred simultaneously in each of the four friends and Flutters. Everypony other than Pinkie and her wife shuddered when the potential for breaking a Pinkie Promise arose and what their ancient promises were. All four friends indicated with a lean of their heads that they wanted to tell this story inside. Pinkie and Flutters nodded in recognition and followed their friends inside the library. Once inside and surrounded by her friends, Twilight came to a realization. "Wow, we never brought this up for almost a year." Everypony froze for a moment, as if time itself had stopped, to absorb the actual stupidity of that fact.        "Well, anyways," Rainbow Dash began, desperate not to linger in the silence,"You two start off and we'll fill in the blanks, alright?" The couple nodded their heads and began the story...

._____________________________._____________________________.

        Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had been seeing each other for over two weeks now. Everypony was quite oblivious to the fact and both were relatively glad. Fluttershy was especially so. The thought of her friends finding out about her dating Pinkie was one that would literally make her cringe in fear. Even from day one, these different scenarios of how her friends would take the news played out in her mind... and a great portion had very negative outcomes. Same goes for Pinkie, but with a greater sense of hope for a happy ending.        The pink mare was finishing up her work at the bakery by cleaning the main area when one more customer came in. This was a mare of relatively normal build with wings stretching out for a moment. Her coat was the color of a setting sun and her mane and tail were short, being a green-ish red color. Her eyes were the color of rubies. "Um... are you still open? The sign outside says you are."        "Yes indeedy," Pinkie said with her usual beaming attitude. Although, she inwardly cursed this mare for prolonging how long she would inevitably remain where her shy marefriend was not. "What'cha need Ms..."        "Ruby Skies, but you can just call me Sky."        "Ooh, that's a nice name! So what do need Sky?" Pinkie said, disappearing for a moment before rising behind the counter, still giving her huge Pinkie grin.        Not wanting to question why this happened, Ruby just rolled her eyes and said,"Well, the first anniversary of me and my coltfriend's relationship is in two weeks so I wanna order a simple cake."        Mr. Cake peered out from the kitchen and loudly asked,"Could you please specify 'simple'? We only want the best for our customers, so you’ll need to give us more details!" This earned a confused look from the mare... until the obvious dawned on her.        "I had no idea I had to get into the specifics of a simple cake, uuummmm..." The pegasus scratched her chin with a hoof, thinking of the best way to specify her order. Would you mind HURRYING UP!? I wanna go and be with Fluttershy, like, RIGHT NOW!Pinkie thought to herself, wanting to get out of there more every second the pegasus stood there contemplating. After a couple more moments, which seemed like an hour to Pinkie, said pony was about ready to smack Ruby right upside her...         "I guess I would like a one layer chocolate cake with nice creamy frosting that says, 'Happy anniversary Violet Clouds'." Thank the gods!Wait... her coltfriend’s name is Violet? Pinkie looked at Ruby in confusion, wondering what kind of parent named their colt Violet. There was a moment of hesitation before the pegasus responded sheepishly, "Hey, I didn't name him. If I did, it'd be something MUCH more stallion-like. Kind of like... um..."NOT THIS AGAIN! Pinkie raged in her mind. Seeing the twitching of Pinkie’s left eye, the shrinking of her pupils, the strange movement of her hair - almost like a balloon was slowly losing its air - she decided to end that thought. “Hehe, I’m not good with names so I’ll just stop before I eat up any more of your time.” More nervous chuckles escaped as Pinkie cooled off a little.         With the concept of Ruby sitting there, keeping her in Sugarcube Corner gone from mind and reality, Pinkie grabbed a nearby quill from the counter in her hoof, dipped it in the ink a few times, and quickly jotted down the order. "Will there be anything else you need from us?" Pinkie beamed. Ruby shook her head and thanked Pinkie for her time before leaving Sugarcube Corner faster than intended. Pinkie sighed, picked up the small parchment, and pinned it to the wall of the kitchen as she normally did.         After doing her remaining duties fast enough to get it over with but slow enough to get them done right, she said her goodbyes to the Cakes and headed off towards Fluttershy's cottage. Her boundless energy, mixed with her intense desire to see Fluttershy again, got Pinkie there faster than Applejack could have on a dead sprint. She slowed down and calmly knocked on the door... with her face. On the inside, a certain yellow pegasus was being roused from a nap by the knocking. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a yawn before going to open the door, inevitably knowing who was on the other side.         As she opened it, she merely awaited the pink mane and fur to come into her vision. Once the pink mare of her affection was fully presented, she leaned forward and nuzzled up to her. "Hi Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said in a tired voice.         "Hi Fluttershy. Were you sleeping?" Her voice was still upbeat but with a bit of a hush to it, as to not disturb the state Fluttershy was in or the animals she noticed that were snoozing away in the cottage.         "Um, yes, I was taking a quick nap on the couch. I love my animal friends, but sometimes helping them can really take it out of me." Pinkie merely giggled in response and showed herself in. Wow... I just noticed how cute Fluttershy is when she's tired, which is a lot! In fact, when isn't this perfect little mare being cute? Pinkie thought to herself. "Ya mind if I joined you? I'm pretty spent from... well, being me. Work was pretty hard too. Just an onslaught of ponies coming in and leaving by the BUSHEL!" Pinkie noticed how loud that last word came out and quickly apologized to any animals she disturbed. “And then for a while, I was being held up by pony after pony after pony after pony... and I was afraid that they would never stop, and I wouldn’t be able to see you today!”     “How are we gonna tell our f-f-f-friends ab-bout our realtionsh-ship? How Pinkie?” The mare of infinite answers, even though most were straight up nonsensical, literally had nothing. Not a single thing in her mind. “I... I don’t know. I want to tell them, I know that, but I don’t know how!”     Pinkie then brought a hoof to her head with such a great velocity that it knocked her straight to the ground. Fluttershy saw out of the corner of her eye, and was immediately snapped out of her haze. “OH GODS! Pinkie are you alright!?” The earth pony then sprung up with a huge smile on her face. “I know EXACTLY what to do now!”     Fluttershy was now thoroughly confused. “What... just happened?”    Pinkie looked at Fluttershy like she was disregarding the obvious and, with a roll of her eyes, said, ”I was forcing the answer into my head. Duh!” Fluttershy wisely abandoned that thought and instead insisted that her marefriend not abuse herself, at least in front of her. Pinkie agreed.     “Now, anyways,” Fluttershy began, ”what did you have in mind for telling our friends?” There was still hints of fear and anxiety in her voice.     Fluttershy’s marefriend took that into account and said, “I think that if we tell them one by one, starting with our closest of close friends, it would be a lot easier for the both of us. Like I would start with Rainbow Dash, since we always go pull super-duper-extra funny pranks on everypony, and you would start with Rarity! With all the spa trips you two go on, I’m sure she’d be shocked if she didn't hear of our relationship first.” Fluttershy couldn't believe it, but her marefriend wasactually making sense.     “That’s... actually brilliant Pinkie!” Fluttershy was so astounded by how ingenious this simple idea was that she pulled Pinkie into passionate kiss. This lasted for a few long moments before Pinkie gently pushed away, a gentle smile on her lips. The same could be said for Fluttershy, as she had gained quite a bit of confidence from both the information and the kiss. She had no idea how those two things had given her courage, but she decided that wasn’t important...

     “Hey, why did that make her more confidant IC?”Pinkie, you need to stay in the story now. If you come out... bad things will happen. Besides, I was just about to get to it.     “When?”Right now! Now don’t interrupt me again, alright? Its hard enough to write this without the characters popping out to chat.    “Okay Mr. IC, I’ll be a good little pony!”Hehe, thanks Pinkie.

     Fluttershy was completely confused at this point. No turning back. “Pinkie...” the timid mare began cautiously, ”who are you talking to?”     “The author!”     Fluttershy was a little concerned about Pinkie Pie sometimes, what with her random outbursts about a ‘fourth wall,’ that she would always attempt to break. She would even start talking to ponies who weren’t there and claimed them to be authors or animators or even musicians! Her worry was quelled the instant she remembered who Pinkie was, as well as the timeless phrase, ‘it’s Pinkie Pie... don’t question it’.    Fluttershy shook her head a bit and laughed under her breath. Best to forget about it Fluttershy...     “Hey, Fluttershy?” The pegasus’ attention was now focused back onto her marefriend, ”I thought you would be really super-duper-extra worried... even after what I said had come out of my mouth.”     She pondered her answer for a moment before responding with, ”I guess its because I can handle telling them one at a time... rather than being judged by a... group... eep.” That thought alone made Fluttershy sink into herself. She took a moment to calm herself and got back into the normal standing position. “It just feels better to talk to them one by one.”     “Thats what I thought! Wouldn't wanna stress you out too much Shy.” Pinkie grinned her trademark grin and hugged the pegasus.     “Um, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked quietly.     “Yeah Fluttershy?”     “Shouldn’t we, um, go tell them now? I should be leaving for my spa date with Rarity in a few minutes, and aren’t you actually going pranking with Rainbow Dash today?”     Pinkie Pie gasped in her usual overly dramatic way and exclaimed, “I AM going pranking with her today! This. Is just.PERFECT!” She enveloped Fluttershy in a tight hug, which the pegasus just melted into.     Much to either pony’s chagrin, the embrace needed to end so that both could get ready for their day. Pinkie gave Fluttershy one last peck on the lips as well as some parting words before setting off towards her room in Sugarcube Corner to gather her usual pranking supplies. Fluttershy just headed off to the spa where Rarity would be waiting... and she felt strangely good at the moment so she decided to fly there, and rather fast by her standards.     They were now both on a mission, and phase one was now underway, with hope being their one true ally!