“Lunch time!” Fluttershy announced softly to her animals. She had been preparing special meals for every one of them since she had given them something to eat for breakfast. The poor pegasus read in a newspaper that every animal should get specially prepared food, not just any food a pony could buy in a store.
When she was giving carrots in sesame to his favorite bunny Angel, she squealed and dropped the plate. “Oh my gosh! I’m supposed to be meeting Pinkie Pie right now!” She immediately flew (yes!) out of her house. Angel was angry not because he had to eat his dinner from the floor but because Fluttershy totally ignored his anger.
Fluttershy stormed into Sugar Cube Corner. “Pinkie, I’m so sorry I’m late,” she excused herself. The pink pony looked at her worried face and asked: “Late for what?”
The question surprised Fluttershy. “Pinkie, you asked me to come here at 1 p.m. It’s 3 p.m. already.”
Pinkie stared blankly at her friend for a while. “Oh, silly,” she said, “we were to meet yesterday!” She smiled and took a candy from the jar that was on the table.
“Oh, looks like I’ve been too busy with cooking. Please, forgive me,” Fluttershy apologized her friend.
“No problem! You are here after all.” Pinkie grinned what calmed Fluttershy a bit.
“Well, Pinkie, I was wondering why you have asked me to come over.”
Pinkie stopped putting icing on the cupcake. She frowned.
“Is everything all right, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked politely.
“No!” Pinkie shouted what made Fluttershy go a few steps back. “Because I have no idea why I needed you here!”
“Oh, that’s okay Pinkie,” the pegasus assured her friend. “I will come back later. I’m sure it’ll come to your mind sooner or later.”
Pinkie sighed. “I’ve never been so forgetful, Fluttershy. And I have these weird dreams.”
“I think that’s normal, Pinkie. Many ponies have strange dreams when they sleep.” Fluttershy tried to comfort Pinkie.
“But I’m not sleeping! I am dreaming and I am not sleeping! How normal is that!?” Pinkie was getting irritated by Fluttershy’s calmness. She seemingly had a really serious problem and the pegasus pretended not to see that.
“Uh, yeah, that sounds weird. Maybe you should visit a doctor?” Fluttershy said uncertainly.
“Nah! I’m never gonna visit that old rip again!” Pinkie said angrily and added before Flutershy could ask why: “I don’t wanna talk why!”
“Okay...”
“Oh, don’t be sad, Fluttershy. I didn’t want to upset you. It’s just I have some issues,” Pinkie tried to explain her behaviour.
“It’s really not a problem,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Alrighty!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Care for a candy before you go?”
“Um, sure,” Fluttershy answered and took a candy from the jar.
The pegasus said goodbye to Pinkie and left the confectionery. She wasn’t angry that Pinkie forgot. It might have happened to anypony. Well, SHE forgot about coming to her in the first place.
When she was passing Twilight’s house, she wondered if her friend had finally found the book about fancy cooking. Actually, she didn’t want to bother her friend as she knew that Twilight would not sleep for many days if she couldn’t find the book. She hesitated but finally decided to check if Twilight was all right.
She knocked on the door and suddenly felt dizzy. Twilight opened the door and saw Fluttershy, who didn’t look good at that very moment.
“Um, Fluttershy? Are you okay?” Twilight asked worriedly.
“Yes, yes, I think so,” she staggered into the house. “But I’d drink some water. If it’s okay, of course."
“Spike! Bring Fluttershy some water!” Twilight ordered her assistant.
“Spike do this, Spike do that, meh,” he murmured as he brought the glass of water.
Fluttershy drank it instantly. “I think I’m better. I’m sorry I came here and caused a trouble. I’m only a burden for everypony...”
“Oh, Fluttershy, sweetie! How many times shall we tell you that you are not a problem. I know you might sometimes be pro..., er, a little nervous but we love you the way you are!” Twilight assured her friend but Fluttershy did not brighten up. She actually looked sick. “So, Fluttershy, is there any specific reason why you have decided to visit me?”
“Green,” Fluttershy answered.
“Say what?”
“Um, I was wondering if you found the book I asked you for,” Fluttershy explained. “I was afraid you could be searching for it days and nights. I know how you care about your friends.”
Twilight blushed. The truth was that she had forgot about the book. “Looks like, er, somepony else has borrowed it,” Twilight lied.
“Twilight, why did you dye your hair green?” Fluttershy asked suddenly.
“What!?” Twilight trotted up to the nearest mirror. “But... my hair is just normal.” Twilight giggled. “Looks like you spend too much time with Rainbow Dash. I wouldn’t believe you can be a prankster too.” Twilight rolled her eyes as she couldn’t believe she was taken in by such an old joke. She looked at Fluttershy and her good mood was suddenly gone. Fluttershy was staggering in circles and her pupils were big. Well, they usually are big but this time, they were unusually huge.
“Fluttershy! What’s going on?” Twilight knew something was terribly wrong with her friend. It looked like she was seriously ill. “Do you hear me?”
“Garlic,” she answered. Twilight was visibily confused by her response.
Spike watched the scene from the kitchen. “Has Fluttershy gone mad?” he asked indifferently.
“Spike! I don’t know what to do! Look at her! She looks... weird.”
Fluttershy walked up to the mirror and sat on her hindquarters. She saw a pink pony in the mirror. “Hi Pinkie!” she shouted.
Fluttershy hugged the big plushie rabbit who was sitting next to her. “I love you bunny Angel.” He did not react. Fluttershy looked around. Everything was as pink as her mane. She loved that color.
“The raven on the desk!” a purple midget shouted at her. She didn’t like him. She was afraid of him.
“Everypony for nopony!” she shouted and got on the back of a giant lavender anteater with blue fins on the sides. “Onward my friend! Our enemies shall be silent once again! May the pepper be with us!” she shouted and jumped several times on the anteater’s back. The poor animal squealed and started to flap his fins. The purple midget was watching the scene. He was pretending to swim on the floor but the floor was actually made of plush. Fluttershy loved what she was seeing. It made her feel good. She was confident. She was brave. She was strong. She was happy.
Twilight and Spike watched Fluttershy. She was lying on her back. She was drooling and her legs were twitching awkwardly. “Eeee...” the pegasus squealed.
“She looks like Pinkie that time at the party.” Spike laughed.
Twilight was struck by what Spike said. “Pinkie!” she said angrily and ran out of the house.
She galloped to Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie was there eating candy.
“Hiya, Twi!” she greeted her friend.
“Pinkie! What have you done to Fluttershy!?” she shouted and started to breathe deeply. She frowned. She would murder Pinkie with her look only.
“I have no idea!” she answered happily.
Twilight came up to Pinkie and cast a teleportation spell. She, Pinkie and the jar of candy were instantly taken to the library. “NOW you have the idea, I guess!” she shouted.
Pinkie looked concerned at Fluttershy, who was now biting her tongue. Spike put a piece of cloth in her mouth in order to prevent her from biting it off. “Fluttershy? What have you taken?” Pinkie asked finally. Fluttershy did not answer, if we don’t count an incomprehensible moan as a kind of an answer.
Twilight gave Pinkie a reproachful look. The pink pony grinned uneasily but the grin was quickly changed into a confused look. “What? I didn’t give her anything! How could you even think that I would give any stuff to our dear Fluttershy!” Pinkie said with an outrage in her voice.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you haven’t given her anything?”
“I’m sure. And I could make a Pinkie promise,” she said confidently.
An awkward silence hung in the air. “Well?” Twilight waited for the Pinkie promise.
Pinkie laughed nervously. “I, I, I forgot how it went. Something, something, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie gasped. “She took a candy from the jar!” She showed the jar, which she kept in her hooves, to Twilight.
“Are you sure these are usual candies?” Twilight asked uncertainly.
“Well, I’ve been eating them for the whole day and I’m just fine,” Pinkie remarked. “I only tend to forget things. And sometimes I see funny things. That’s all.”
Twilight sniffed the candies. “Is it... No, no, no, no. You couldn’t be that stupid Pinkie but... I will check something.” Twilight took one drop from the jar and put it on Spike’s head.
“What are you doing?” Spike was confused but he coped with whatever Twilight was doing. Suddenly, the candy started to burn. “Gah! What is that!?”
Twilight took the candy from Spike’s head. “I can’t believe Pinkie! This is neighthamphesaddline! The most dangerous drug in Equestria!” she said in horror.
“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked.
“Yes! This is the only drug that reacts with dragon scales and burns!” Twilight explained.
“Will I be alright?” Spike asked concerned.
“Probably,” Twilight answered shortly and ran up to the door. “I’m gonna visit Zecora. She will surely know what to do. Keep an eye on Fluttershy,” she said and galloped away.
“Probably? Did she say ‘probably’?” Spike asked Pinkie. “I already feel the itching!”
“Chill out, Spikey!” Pinkie tried to comfort Spike. “It’s dangerous but not deadly!”
Spike felt relieved.
“You can only become paralyzed for the rest of your life. But many ponies say it’s better than dying.”
Spike fainted.
“I think I’ll get the antidote for that drug. I like partying but I’m a responsible pony,” Pinkie said to herself and went to Sugar Cube Corner without a hurry. After finding the antitode, she trotted back to the library.
Fluttershy was surfing on the waves of blue asparagus. “I’m the Queen of the World!” she shouted and used her new fingers to grab a vertical pole made of wood. “Nopony can stop me!” Fluttershy yelled and saw a big pink blob floating in front of her. “Step aside you jellyfish!”
But the jellyfish did not listen to her. It came closer and forced Fluttershy to drink soemthing. The last thing she could remember was a giant purple rat emerging from the sea of blue asparagus.
Twilight stormed into the library. “Zecora told me what to do! We need to bath Fluttershy in a tub full of frogs and cover her with tons of oatmeal!” she shouted and was given puzzled looks from Spike and Pinkie.
“I think Zecora might be wrong this time,” Spike remarked.
“Zecora is always right. She’s a shaman after all!” Twilight protested.
“But Fluttershy is okay now!” Pinkie said happily. “I gave her an antidote!”
Two ponies and the dragon looked at Fluttershy. She did not look terribly anymore. She had a smile on her face and seemed to sleep comfortably despite lying on the floor.
“I’d rather believe that you gave her another drug,” Twilight said coldly.
“Duh! It is another drug!” Pinkie said as it was something obvious.
“What!?”
“Nah, just kidding!” Pinkie giggled.
“You’d better go home, Pinkie.” Twilight gave her a murderous look.
“Okie-dokie!” Pinkie exclaimed and left the library.
Twilight walked up to Fluttershy. She was alright. Twilight used her magic to levitate the pegasus and transported her to her house. This way, after waking up in her own bed, she would probably not remember what had happened.
Fluttershy woke up the next day early.
“Oh, Angel bunny,” she said as she saw his favorite pet, “I had a terrible dream.” She got up slowly. “Oh, I need to warn you Angel that you won’t get your special dinner today. Pinkie asked me yesterday to come to Sugar Cube Corner today and I will not have time for cooking.”
Angel kicked the bed in anger.
THE END
