One of Those Days

by Bespectacled Brony

Double-Talk, Double Time!

Disclaimer: I don't own "My Little Pony" and...meh, life goes on.

Synopsis: Pinkie Pie takes a short break from work to do one of the things she does best...crazy talk! But a talent such as hers would naturally involve confusing the heck out of her friend, Fluttershy.

It was a SICKENINGLY lovely day in Ponyville and...oh, for crying out-

Look, any and all available details regarding this cute little town can be found in the appropriate travel brochure! So, if you're that curious about it, LOOK IT UP!

What, I gotta explain everything around here?

Anyway, one of the attractions described in this brochure was the spa, just one of many locations on the list that made up Ponyville's roster of amenities.

The gorgeous unicorn Rarity, expert fashion designer, exited the building accompanied by the cute and kind (albeit timid) pegasus Fluttershy. The latter's yellow coat never looked smoother, and her light pink mane waved elegantly from a slow, serene breeze of wind.

For many onlookers, it was indeed a sight for sore eyes. (And even if they weren't sore, the two ladies were still quite the eye candy.) Both girls sighed in unison.

"There's absolutely nothing on this earth that compares to an afternoon of pleasurable pampering!" Rarity declared.

"Mm-hm!" Fluttershy happily agreed. "It makes a pony feel wonderful, inside and out!"

"After the massive workload I had to contend with earlier today, a session at the spa was exactly what I needed!"

Rarity closed her eyes and took a whiff of the fresh air surrounding her. The elements and makings of a good day were clearly in place.

"Fluttershy, darling...are you hungry? I know I certainly am! Why don't we get something to eat?" she asked.

"Oh, Rarity...I...I'm sorry...I promised Pinkie Pie and the Cakes that I'd help them out at Sugarcube Corner today!"

The nervous, jittery tone Fluttershy let out was normal for her. Most ponies who knew her were used to it and never let it bother them. (Or they tried not to let it, at least.)

"There's no need to apologize! If you've already made plans, you must keep them! A promise is a promise, after all."

"Thanks...I'll see you later, okay?"

"Definitely!"

The two close friends gave each other a gentle nuzzle then went their separate ways. Still hungry (and thirsty), Rarity made her way to a nearby juice bar. She immediately spied Rainbow Dash sitting at a small round table, taking a long, satisfying sip of her fruit smoothie through a straw.

"Mmm..." she said, licking her lips and savoring the delicious taste. "Chilled to perfection and as smooth as a mountain's stream! It doesn't get much better than this!"

"Well, somepony looks as happy as a clam!" Rarity chirped.

Rainbow averted her gaze upward from her drink to see her unicorn friend. The curls in her purple mane and tail seemed to have a mind of their own, lightly bouncing with every step taken, further complimenting the lovely atmosphere she emitted, no doubt a result from her spa treatments.

"Fay faf agemph?" Rainbow asked, lifting her head (and probably not realizing that the straw was still in her mouth).

Rarity shot her friend a brief disapproving expression and exhaled slowly.

"I said that you appeared rather pleased with yourself!"

"I'm sure everypony will be pleased with themselves after they try my concoction!" Fluttershy thought out loud.

Before journeying to Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy stopped by her cottage to pick up a crucial item. Rummaging through a small pile of loose papers on a small desk in her bedroom, she found the one she was looking for and securely tucked it under her wing.

As she locked the front door of her home, she heard a most familiar - and loud - voice.

"HEY, FLUTTERS!"

With little to no warning, a blur of pink surrounded Fluttershy. This blur was jumping, running, flipping and exhibiting half a dozen other physical maneuvers that she couldn't identify. But what was truly amazing was the fact that all of these various actions were being performed simultaneously.

The seemingly endless supply of energy permeated the blur's voice.

"Hiya, Fluttershy! Wazzup? Thought you were gonna be at the shop today! Y'know, that place where sugar freaks get down with their sugar rushes? What's with the delay? Are you coming or not? Huh, huh, HUH?"

On that last word, the blur came to a halt and a pink pony with hot pink curly mane took its place. Equipped with wide eyes and an eerily wider smile that was perhaps a bit too crazy for her own good (or anypony's good, for that matter), the appropriately named Pinkie Pie always knew how to make an entrance...and throw the wildest of parties.

Sometimes it was for a birthday, anniversary or cute-ceañera...and MANY other times, it was for the most obscure purposes. Although Pinkie's hosting of a celebration for simply the sake of doing so was usually a good enough reason in itself. In addition, she always made sure to have fun in the process, sparing no expense with the intention of promising that each and every party of hers were equal in terms of the proverbial bells and whistles.

In her mind, it was the law.

As far as a pony's nature goes, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie existed on opposite ends of the spectrum. The latter was a bundle of excitement with so much exuberance, one might think that a party was continually going on inside her mind. (And it probably was.)

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was a timid, nervous pegasus. So much so it was almost beyond belief. Her daily duties consisted of assisting nature's creatures of all shapes and sizes who required her services. If there was one thing in all the world she didn't shy away from, it was an animal friend in need...with the exception of frightening, fully grown, fire-breathing, ferocious dragons. (Thankfully, her amount of exposure to such terrifying creatures was minimal.)

It puzzled the mind as to how these mares operated as good friends, but they both managed it very well...although the occasional and unintentional scare from Pinkie didn't quite mesh with her winged companion.

"Oh, my...Pinkie Pie...y-you-"

"No, no, wait! Lemme guess! Did I...startle, humiliate, scare, mortify, surprise, petrify, dazzle or shock you?"

Fluttershy couldn't help but let out a small smile and tiny giggle in amusement.

"All...all of the above, I think," she confirmed.

"I thought so!" Pinkie declared with conviction.

"Anyway, I was just getting the recipe...see?"

Pinkie's eyes saw the folded piece of paper under her friend's right wing.

"Yes! Exactly what we needed!"

Suddenly, her expression turned serious and her head started whipping up, down, right and left frantically. The movement finally ceased when a dull buzz began to echo through her ears and brain, producing a sharp gasp.

"My Pinkie-Sense is tingling! Danger!"

"D-d-danger?"

"Oopsie! False alarm! It's only-"

"SPIKE!"

The duo turned their attention to the source of the voice and saw a small purple baby dragon caked with mud and some nasty scratch marks emerge from a field of tall grass not too far away from Fluttershy's home, followed by a lavender unicorn equally covered in sludge and scrapes. Her annoyed look made it clear that she was the one who called out the dragon's name.

"And Twilight Sparkle!" Pinkie excitedly added.

"That's the last time I take a shortcut of yours!" Spike complained.

"I told you we needed a map!" Twilight retorted. "Then we wouldn't have needed to take that many shortcuts!"

"Twilight, you've been living in Ponyville for...how long now? You shouldn't need a map at all!"

The unicorn and her little assistant glared at each other. Fluttershy was obviously worried that the argument might evolve into something worse. If Pinkie was feeling the same, she wasn't showing it.

"Come on, you two...don't fight," she said as gently as possible. "Now, what happened?"

The dragon inhaled, preparing to explain himself in a single breath. Spike's story wasn't going to be long, but he felt it was best to just get it out of the way, lest Twilight overcomplicate things with potentially unnecessary, nitpicking details.

"It was a beautiful morning, Twilight and I decided to take an extended stroll through town, we took a few wrong turns and then somehow got lost! Twilight tried a shortcut...and didn't see the swamp!"

"Excuse me! It looked like an overly sized mud puddle! I thought we could jump it!"

"That 'mud puddle' of yours was bubbling! Who knows what things-"

"Wait, isn't that swamp right near a huge...thorn bush?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight looked at herself and then at Fluttershy, although she kept her mouth shut as she didn't want to accidentally let out an insensitive remark. Spike, on the other hoof, couldn't help but further indicate the shortcut's inadequacies.

"Yeah...she missed that, too..." he quipped. "And thanks to that stupid bush, we're in a lotta pain right-"

"I dunno, you look like you're having fun!" Pinkie interrupted.

"Like fun we are!" Twilight hissed.

"Maybe I can help! That bubbly swamp has 'feel better' properties that can do wonders for the body!"

"Feel better?"

"I'm great and thanks for asking! But this about you, silly!"

Everypony else began to sweat as Pinkie slowly approached the injured, dirty duo...but then paused to quickly warn her quiet companion of something that had crossed her mind.

"Oh...Fluttershy? Y'might not wanna watch this," she advised.

The mare did as instructed as Pinkie began her unspoken task. But even with closed eyes, her ears picked up sounds that registered as unpleasant.

"Umm...Pinkie, do you have ANY idea of what you're attempting?"

"No...at least, not entirely."

"OUCH! Careful of the-YEOW! You'd think a...AHH! Get your hoof outta there!"

"Next?"

"WHOA! Look out for the scales! Hey, HEY! Not too much of the-YEEK! That tickles...!"

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to make of the yells, and even less so of the cracking, stretching and mud-splashing noises, causing her to cringe and turn away.

Once the excruciating orchestra that her ears were being subjected to had ceased, she opened her peepers a sliver.

"Don't worry, I have a gentle touch!" Pinkie Pie said, dusting off her front hooves.

"That's up for debate!" Twilight responded.

"Toldja I didn't know what I was doing!"

Fluttershy noticed that the grime all over Spike and Twilight had (mostly) been converted to small blotches relocated to their cheeks, foreheads, noses, knees and some of their joints.

"Isn't that the pretty picture, Flutters?" Pinkie asked sweetly, not expecting an answer.

"Again...debatable!" Twilight almost roared.

"Aw, does it still hurt?"

Twilight paused and let her eccentric friend's words sink in. The scratches on her body remained, but the pain had vanished without a trace once Pinkie went to work on her.

"Actually...I feel great!" she announced, quite stunned. "Even better than before I got dirty!"

"No thanks are necessary!" assured Pinkie. "Just get yourselves home, hose each other down and that'll be the end of it!"

"Will do!" Spike said.

As the friends waved goodbye to each other (with Twilight offering an awkward, half-hearted one), Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief, glad that things hadn't gotten too out of control. One thing still left her puzzled, though.

"Pinkie...how did you know that the mud could...do...what it did?"

"That's simple, it was no ordinary mud! Contrary to popular belief, I'm smarter than the average pony! I know almost everything around these parts!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

As the two girls set out for town, Fluttershy gave another thought to the events that had transpired. At first glance, most might've thought Pinkie was bragging about her credentials. Yet those who knew that pony well made an effort to accept everything she was and everything she did as parts of a much bigger package.

Unfortunately, understanding Pinkie was a completely different matter...and an impossible feat.

"Fluttershy, I can't thank you enough for your help!"

The said pony smiled and bowed her head. At Sugarcube Corner, customers were in abundance, but the newest supplement to the shop's menu was a special pastry recently provided by Fluttershy. Mrs. Cake, one of the owners, was the one who requested her presence today.

"Oh, it's my pleasure!" she replied. "But I'm more than a little surprised that the recipe for my pet Angel's carrot cake was such a huge hit!"

"It sold in an instant!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed. "The customers positively loved it! I tried to make some more, but I couldn't get it quite right! So-"

"That's why we needed your list of specific ingredients...aaaaand your personal touch!" Pinkie chirped, jumping in.

The smile on Fluttershy's face didn't falter.

"All right, then...let's do this!" she said with confidence.

As before, Pinkie spontaneously froze in place. Fluttershy took notice of the jittery tail, which was the only part of her buddy's body in motion.

"Oh, dear! A tail twitch!" she said, starting to panic.

"And you know what that means!" quipped Pinkie, unaffected at the prospect of imminent danger.

"Should we duck for cover?"

"Nah, no worries! Whatever's coming down, we're a safe distance from it!"

"How do you know?"

Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy in a headlock, flung open the entrance to the bakery and pulled out a stopwatch (from nowhere, no less) to count down the seconds...

"Five, four, three, two, AND-"

"WHOOOAAA! LOOK OUT BELOW!" bellowed a voice coming from high up.

Pinkie's instincts were right on the money as she and Fluttershy looked out the door just in time to witness a grey pegasus with a blonde mane zigzagging downwards at a frightening velocity, causing some of the townsfolk to take cover.

She crashed into a stallion (and the dirt), causing a huge cloud of dust to kick up from the collision.

Quickly sitting up, she whipped her head right and left at near-lightning speed, panicking that all of the mail she was to deliver had fallen out of her saddlebags and was spread all over the ground. On top of that, she had a couple of minor scratches on her body and some leaves and twigs had become entangled in her mane.

Her appearance on the scene may not have been the most graceful or dramatic of entrances, but it was still difficult to ignore...especially for Rainbow Dash and Rarity, who were nearby. They couldn't take their eyes off what had transpired.

"My word!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Yep...that's Derpy for ya," confirmed Rainbow. "Whatcha saw was about par for the course...for her, anyway."

From the balcony of the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle (now clean) observed the accident through her telescope.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy could do nothing but stare at the mess that had been made (thanks to the headlock she was still in), while Pinkie attempted to relieve her friend of all worry.

"See? Aside from that mailpony, everything's fine! I'd say everything's gravy, but that'd be a big, fat lie...obviously!"

"Uh...obviously."

With that, Pinkie slammed the door shut and resumed her usual smile.

Mrs. Cake, who also saw the whole fiasco, verbally jumped in.

"Pardon me, but now that the show is over...could we all get back to business here?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Pinkie said, giving her boss a mock salute.

"Er...P-P-Pinkie?" Fluttershy rasped.

"Yeah?"

"B-before we start baking...c-c-could you let...g-go of my head first?"

And so, the three ladies immediately went to work constructing a small number of carrot cakes. Under Fluttershy's guidance (as well as little tips here and there which weren't written down on the recipe), the desired effect would definitely be achieved.

For the next hour or so, things were reasonably quiet at the shop (based on the testimony of Mrs. Cake's husband who had been working the front counter), but the hope would be that ponies would gather by the ton once the carrot cakes were put up for sale the next day.

"Whew!" Mrs. Cake went, wiping a bit of sweat off her forehead. "Okay...two more of those, and I think that'll be enough for tomorrow's sale!"

Dabbing the goods with a few last drops of decorative icing, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy looked at each other and shared a congratulatory smile.

"Listen, Fluttershy..." she continued. "I believe I've gotten the hang of how you specifically handle this...so why don't you let me wrap up these last ones while you and Pinkie take a well-deserved break?"

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm sure. Take a load off, you've earned it."

"Thank you so much!"

Fluttershy took a seat at one of the empty tables with Pinkie, who brought along a pair of milkshakes; vanilla for Fluttershy and a strawberry-flavored one for herself.

"Here ya go!" she said, just as energetic as she was when the day started (which brought a interesting topic of discussion to Fluttershy's mind).

The pegasus watched in wonder as Pinkie appeared to be consuming her beverage in a rather calm fashion.

"Um, Pinkie?"

"Yo!"

"Not that I'm complaining...well, not really...but what I mean is...uh, how come you're sipping that drink so...slowly?"

"Oh, was that bad?"

"Not at all! It's just that you usually put so much force and effort into everything you do...so, I was expecting more of the same."

"Nice observation! But turbo-slurping cold stuff like this is a BIG no-no!"

"It is?"

"Yuh-huh! Does the phrase 'brain freeze' mean anything to you? Nopony wants that!"

Pinkie's antics had the occasional tendency to irritate others, a trait that had long since become the stuff of legend.

Fluttershy knew that even if she kept quiet, Pinkie would carry both sides of the conversation, guaranteed to result in the strangest of talks. But she took a deep breath, doing her best to prepare herself for the inevitable.

"Nopony, huh?"'

"Nuh-uh! Don't get me wrong, the sugar rushes you can get from these drinks aren't like anything you've ever experienced on this planet! But if my brain gets left out in the cold, so does my vast knowledge of Ponyville and everything that happens around here!"

"Like how you knew that crash outside was going to happen?"

"That and then some!"

"Then what?"

"Hey! Don't question my 'what' when I clearly know what's what!"

"Why not?"

"And don't poke around the 'why' when you're still challenging my what!"

"But, uh...who's poking?"

"Maybe you could tell me that! Y'know...since you enjoy stealing my 'why' and 'what' on a regular basis!"

"Oh, no...w-was I...stealing? Does that make me a crook?"

Pinkie crossed her forelegs and eyed the pegasus suspiciously.

"I dunno! Could be, Fluttershy...cooooould be! You certainly cook like a rook!"

"No, I don't! I...I cook like Fluttershy!"

"Give me one reason to believe you!"

"Because I am Fluttershy!"

"Don't try to weasel outta this with a technicality, you weasel! You gotta get up WAAAAAY early in the morning to pull a fast one on ol' Pinkie Pie!"

"B-b-but I'm not fast at all! I'm...n-n-n-nice and slow!"

Pinkie's small frown evaporated, making way for her trademark smile.

"Well, of course you are! Everypony knows that! You're incredibly nice and incredibly slow!"

"I'm grateful for...wait, what?"

"And I wouldn't have ya any other way! Cuz then you wouldn't be you!"

"Phew! That's a relief! I doubt I'd be able to cope being locked up!"

"Yeah, the 'behind bars' look doesn't suit you! Neither would the black and white stripes! Heard they can make a pony look fat...although Zecora sure seems to make it work..."

Fluttershy hesitated before (cautiously) asking her next couple of questions.

"So...I'm fine, then? I'm...not a criminal after all?"

"Hey, only YOU'D know that!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure my track record is spotless...I certainly don't think I'm a criminal-"

"Such uncertainty! But let's be honest...do any of us really know who we are? For all we know, there could be a genius of a pony inside that yellow head of yours, just itching to get out and plan her next helping of heinous, hideous, horrific, hazardous hordes of hackwork...on a hunch that it all could be hindered by a heroic act of heroism that happened by a happy, helpful heroine!"

There was a point (and strange, certain logic) to Pinkie's babbling, even if nopony could figure it out right away. The safest thing for Fluttershy to do was to go with the flow...even if she had absolutely NO idea what Pinkie Pie was going on about.

"But, hey...I know it's a hayful to handle! Heck, if you can't habitually hack it, I won't hold it against you for hardly hopping to it, you horizontal horsey!"

"You won't?"

"Nope, not even a smidge! After all...you're no Angel!"

"I'm not? B-b-but I provide love and care for all woodland creatures! I'm very kindhearted!"

"Nopony's denying that!"

"So, wait...I mean, you just said-"

"That you're no Angel!"

"Then...?"

"Whoops! I'm sensing a potential misunderstanding here!"

Preparing to explain her previous statement, Pinkie took a second to clear her throat...and take another slow slurp of her milkshake.

"I was talking about Angel, your cutie-patootie bunny!" she clarified.

"Oh!" realized Fluttershy, her eyes widening. "I thought you meant...well, you know."

"Ha, ha! Yeah, that could've been REALLY bad! Wouldn't wanna end up like Applejack and Rarity!"

"Why, what happened to them?"

"When I got up this morning, my good ol', trusty Pinkie Sense was going off like a fireworks display! It was the zaniest, craziest, outragiest...wait, is that even a word? Anyway, it was the dooziest doozy in the history of dooziest doozies ever!"

"Honestly?"

"More or less. Give or take a few centimeters."

Pinkie's rambling was on a rampage, but Fluttershy sipped her beverage, awaiting the inevitable conclusion that was right around the corner.

"I had no idea what to make of it then, but now I do! And much, much more! Just like the savory, sickly sweet taste of apple cider, it's a moment in time that'll never come again! I guess my one-shot, one in a million, once in a lifetime moment is a one-hit wonder! Until we were finishing up the last few cakes, that is! At that point, I sensed it a second time!"

"Are you serious?"

"Seriously serious! But I kept it on the down low so nopony would worry."

"That's very...considerate and all, but how does that relate to our friends?"

"I'm glad you asked! To put it simply...Rainbow's been pestering Derpy endlessly for advice on how to get a date, the mispronunciation of a word caused Rarity to think that A.J. wanted to eat her cat, and Twilight and Spike got an incredible visit by their doubles from a parallel universe!"

Fluttershy stared at her pink pal blankly and blinked.

"Gosh...I don't know how I could've missed it," she slowly said with doubt.

"And all in the course of a single day, too!" Pinkie added. "Just thinking about the whole shebang makes my face hurt!"

"It does?"

"Oh, yeah! It'd hurt you too if you're face went 'WPRIGHSKENGXJHZAW!" every time you considered the overdose of insanity your buddies were involved in!"

It should be noted that the act of "WPRIGHSKENGXJHZAW-ing" prompts an individual to stretch, shake and twist their face into near-impossible proportions. (Extreme caution is prudent.) However, Pinkie Pie is an experienced pony in such matters and is quite capable of making it work to her satisfaction.

Five seconds passed and Fluttershy's closed mouth trembled until a brief series of giggles escaped her lips.

"Hee, hee! Pinkie, you're too much! That's something I adore...you know how to make me laugh."

"Yuppers! Make no mistake, I'm one funny gal! It's a tough job paired with an occasional tough crowd, but somepony's gotta do it!"

The two ponies shared a laugh and nuzzled each other's cheeks, but it was interrupted by a recognizable rumble emanating from Fluttershy's stomach.

"A belching belly!" Pinkie announced. "Somepony's got a major craving for major munchies!"

Fluttershy recalled the day's events up to now and realized that she hadn't really eaten much.

"I guess I do. I think I'll go out and buy a sandwich. How about you? Feel like coming along?"

"Count me in!"

The duo got up from the table and headed for the door. Pinkie suddenly stopped and turned her head back towards Mr. Cake who was cleaning the counter with a rag.

"Hey, Mr. Boss!" she hollered. "We're heading out to stuff our faces! Y'want us to bring you back anything?"

"Uh, I'm fine..." he answered, stealing a glance at his wife in the kitchen. "Honey, do you...?"

Mrs. Cake smiled and shook her head. Mr. Cake turned back to Pinkie, offering his own reassuring smile.

"We're golden."

"And I'm pink!"

"Huh?"

"Oh...and she's bright yellow, m'kay? Let's move, buddy!"

Fluttershy nodded and exited Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie casually (and contentedly) bouncing alongside her.

"I know a great deli that makes the best sandwiches. We should head th-"

"Just don't try to swipe one without paying for it, Fluttershy! IF that's your real name!" warned Pinkie.

"You know it is," the pegasus flatly replied.

Everypony knew that Pinkie had a unique mindset and was known for jumping from random topic to random topic...but Fluttershy was starting to get annoyed at the continuous accusations of wrongdoing.

"Doesn't change the fact that your criminal mind could spring into action at any given moment!"

"I don't believe you're truly suspicious of me, Pinkie."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're smiling."

"Haven't you ever seen a suspicious smile before?"

Pinkie pointed at her own face while Fluttershy concentrated hard and scanned it with her eyes. Try as she might, she only saw Pinkie's usual energetic and cheerful grin.

"Not like yours...and you're bouncing, as well."

"That's my suspicious bounce! Patent pending!"

"And I guess you're going to start up a suspicious giggle, too?"

"Now in both hardcover and trade paperback!"

Even taking into account all the time they'd known each other, Pinkie's puerile mentality never ceased to amaze Fluttershy, accustomed as she was to such erratic behavior.

"Regardless, you'll slip up eventually! And when you do...I'll be there to pounce! Sooooo, watch yourself carefully, Flutters! No funny business or you'll find yourself in the slammer!"

"Do we really have to go there again?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't remember us going there a first time! But rest assured, if I was a policemare, I'd make sure of it! But since I'm not, that means...oh, no! That means I'm helping a fugitive get a sandwich! Which means there's sand in it! And that means I'm a criminal, too! But even in prison, I bet I could make something positive outta those black and white striped digs! Like cookies! Black and white cookies! Hmmm...then again, it might flop! Whoever heard of cookies like that? Nopony at all, of course, of course! And nopony can talk to a horse, of course, unless that horse is the famous-"

Fluttershy closed her eyes, slowly shook her head and sighed. This was going to be a LONG walk.

Although the trip to the deli only took about five minutes, the persistent gurgling from Fluttershy's tummy - and Pinkie Pie's masterful pestering - was already getting worse. But a delicious lettuce, hay and tomato sandwich would surely fix things. As she and Pinkie got close to their destination, they heard a loud noise nearby which sounded like three arguments from three separate parties going on simultaneously.

"What's all the commotion?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Just a buncha fruitcakes doing the smartest thing to do...practice their insanity!" Pinkie said, as if it was something habitual.

"Uh...fruitcakes?"

"And not the ones we can eat, darn it!"

The "fruitcakes" in question were a group all too familiar to them.

"I'm getting a feeling that it's a bit more than that."

"If you absolutely and positively must know...THIS is the doozy I was blah-blah-blahing about earlier!"

Firstly, Derpy was walking in frantic circles trying to get away from Rainbow Dash, who was in the air following her. She held what looked like a small notepad in her hooves and a pencil was sticking out of her mouth.

"I just asked him out! That's all there is to it!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Just lemme ask ya three more questions!"

"Aw, c'mon! Enough's enough! I don't have all day!"

"Ok, just two! So...when you ask a stallion out, do you say 'please' or 'thank you' before-"

"Rainbow Dash, I don't have time for this! At this rate, I'll miss my date with Time Turner!"

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rarity seemed to be arguing, with the latter's mane and tail resembling soggy noodles. Such a sight suggested that Rarity had been working much harder than usual.

"Watcha mean ya ain't got no idea what bo-no-no shakes are? Ev'rypony knows a bo-no-no shake when they see one!"

"For the one thousand, three hundred and seventy-eighth time, I...DO...NOT!"

"How could you ain't never hear of bo-no-nos?"

"That stallion at the counter didn't even know what you were gibbering about!"

"Well, any joint with no concept of oh-ples or bo-no-nos don't rank very high in my book!"

The final pair on the premises had been encountered a little over an hour ago, and their predicament was far from perfect. The young dragon Spike was present, attempting to calm an edgy Twilight Sparkle who was mumbling incoherently. Her hair was in an even worse state of disarray than Rarity's.

"It'll be all right...right, Spike!? I...I just need to click my hooves three times and repeatedly tell myself that there are NOOOO parallel universes out there! None at all! Zilch! Nada! Zip! JUST ONE! THIS ONE!"

"Look, lemme buy you a cold drink. That should set you..."

"Ha! That's what you think! But no! Oh, no, no, no, NO! I know better! In another version of Equestria, Spike is doing everything possible to console and comfort his corresponding Twilight Sparkle before she does something rash! LIKE THE ONE ON MY BACK THAT'S ITCHING LIKE CRAZY!"

"Wonder if there's a way I can catch up with those interdimensional travelers...'cause right now, a real change of universes would be great!"

An uncomfortable silence passed through Fluttershy's being, so much so that she forgot to blink. Her brain scrambled to assemble these jigsaw puzzle pieces that originated from different corners of the big picture.

"They're all acting...loony!" she managed to stammer after several seconds.

"Sure are!" Pinkie agreed.

The pink, perky, pony's constant smiled widened. Maybe it was due to merely being in the company of mares that meant more than the world to her. Perhaps it was because they were acting as wild as she usually did. Or maybe Pinkie didn't need a reason to be happy.

And every now and then...that was the best justification of all for an upbeat attitude.

Spreading a good mood around was an added bonus.

"Still, they're our friends...and I wouldn't have 'em any other way!" Pinkie said, approaching the others.

Fluttershy followed in her hoofsteps literally and emotionally. Equipped with a warm, genuine smile, she concluded...

"You know what? Me neither."