Finally, they were in Ponyville. Fluttershy was dreading this moment. Well, dreading might be a bit too dramatic word to express how she felt. More like a harmless, but still overwhelming nervousness. Not that the reaction was that remarkable, but the stares were still more than she was comfortable with. Angel noticed her emotional state, he tried to calm her down, by pointing out how close they were getting to Pinkie Pie’s. Very close, Sugarcube Corner was at the end of the street now. Applejack was walking out just then.
“Hey Fluttershy!” She greeted her, then immediately was taken aback by Fluttershy’s outfit. “You preparing for some business meeting?”
“No, I just thought, I’d try out something new. Do you like it?”
“I don’t know sugar cube, doesn’t really seem like your style.” Applejack answered honestly, as she usually does.
“Fair enough,” Fluttershy replied with a slight bit of disappointment, “it was good for an experiment.”
“Hey, if it makes you happy, then I won’t object.”
“No, I appreciate your input.”
“Well, good luck with your experiment anyway.” And with that, they parted ways.
It was finally time to get the cake. Angel hopped in under the swinging doors and Pinkie Pie greeted him as enthusiastically like he was a pony. Then she saw Fluttershy enter.
“Ooh, looking fancy! What’s the occasion?” Pinkie blurted out, without wasting any time.
“Just an experiment.” Fluttershy replied.
“Well, experiments are always good to have. Except when you’re trying to create the perfect pony, those experiments always backfire. You’re not trying to make the perfect pony, are you?”
“No, I’m just trying out a new style.”
“Alright then. You should try new styles more frequently, just for fun.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I can pull that off.”
“But if you pulled it off, then nobody would see it, silly.”
“Uh...”
“Because you pulled it off. Get it?... You’re not wearing it. You pulled it off!”
Angel got really impatient and jumped on top of the counter.
“Oh,” Fluttershy realized what they came in for in the first place, “is Discord’s cake ready?”
“It is ready indeed!” Pinkie exclaimed and put the cake on the counter. It happened to be covered with a blanket.
Fluttershy tried to take a look under the cover, but Pinkie stopped her. She leaned in and whispered to her. “Don’t tell the Cakes, but this is the second time it’s been ready. The first one looked too delicious and I had to make a new one. I covered it to make sure I don’t become a cake-thief again.” Then she sprung back behind the counter and continued speaking with her normal voice. “I hope Discord likes it!”
“I’m sure he will.” Fluttershy replied, then turned around, so Pinkie could push the cake onto her back. She held it up with her wing and carried it outside. All that’s left now, is getting a new tea set. How you misplace a whole one remained a mystery.
On their way, they ran into Starlight Glimmer and Spike. They were coming out of the Quills and Sofas, with a batch of quills. Spike saw the approaching Fluttershy right away.
“Whoa.” He muttered, when he saw what she was wearing.
Starlight turned to look what Spike was seeing. “Hi Fluttershy,” she greeted her, not acknowledging her new look, “how’s it going?”
“I’m just preparing for my tea with Discord.”
“What’s with the getup?” Spike asked.
“I’m trying out a new look. Do you like it?”
“I do.” Starlight gave a simple, straightforward answer.
“I don’t know,” said Spike, “doesn’t really seem like your style.”
“Well, it’s an experiment.” Fluttershy replied.
“Yeah, well... suit yourself!” Spike joked.
“You should ask Rarity,” said Starlight, “she’s the expert in fashion.”
“Good idea. She’s the one who made it for me, but I don’t think she ever seen me wear it.”
“Hey, in the meantime,” Spike had an idea, “we could take care of the preparations for you. We were just about to get bored.”
“Well, I only need a new tea set. I seem to have lost mine.”
“Funny you say that,” said Starlight, “we found a new tea set in the castle. I’m sure Twilight would let you have it.”
“I thought finding a random tea set was weird,” Spike added, “but how do you lose one?”
“I don’t know. Discord might have made it disappear at some point.” Fluttershy tried to explain.
“In any case,” Starlight took the cake off Fluttershy’s back, “we could take care of the cake for you, while you show your suit to Rarity. I’ll tell Twilight to get the tea set ready.”
“Thanks. I’m so excited to hear Rarity’s opinion.” Said Fluttershy. “Angel, could you take Starlight and Spike back to the cottage?”
Angel just shrugged and then they separated. Spike, Starlight and Angel took the cake to the cottage and Fluttershy went to Rarity’s boutique.