//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Revelations // Story: In Need of a Smile // by Sweetheart_a_Light //------------------------------// The sun was shining bright in the sky, and Fluttershy was outside in her cottage's backyard. She usually used it as a place where her fluffy friends could play, eat and sleep. But she had a special occasion to use it for another kind of activity; a picnic. A nice, relaxing picnic with a friend. Well, it would be nice and relaxing, if Fluttershy wasn't so nervous. "Oh, ponyfeathers!" she quietly cursed. "I can't believe I agreed to this! I can't do it! I JUST CAN'T!!" She already had everything arranged for the picnic to start. The pink crossed towel she had was on the floor, with a flower pot, full of pink roses, decorating it. And why pink? It was Pinkie's favourite color, obviously, and Fluttershy wanted to make everything perfect for her best friend. Angel was standing next her, consoling her, trying to make her feel a bit better. "Oh Angel, aren't you the sweetest?" she said while petting him back. "It's just that... I-I don't know what to do when she arrives!... O-O-Or what to say when we start the picnic! I mean, what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Angel Bunny just shook his head in disagreement. "Yes, sure, she said that she was feeling very lonely too, but, let's face it, she's the embodiment of happiness itself! Maybe she just said that to make me feel better..." Angel shook his head again. "Yeah, it felt pretty sincere to me..." Fluttershy stopped talking, turning to her thoughts. Before long, the silence was interrupted by someone screaming. "FLUTTERSHY? FLUTTERSHY!" Pinkie Pie shouted loudly. "Are you there, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy let a tiny 'Eeep!' come out and zipped out to her cottage's front door. She took a little breath, and finally opened it. "There you are!" Pinkie smiled. "I thought you weren't home since it's been a while since I called you." "Oh, uh, sorry about that!" She blushed. "I was in the backyard getting my stuff ready. I was concentrating on finishing it, so I didn't hear you..." "That's fine, Flutters. So... May I come in?" Pinkie asked. "Of course. Follow me." When they got to the backyard, Pinkie couldn't help but gasp at its beauty. The sun, shining as strong as ever, thanks to Celestia, stuck its lights on the beautiful, ever-green grass, which was made a playground for the tiny insect friends that Fluttershy had. Ladybugs, butterflies and crickets all played hide-and-seek together, hiding in the tall grass. The birds were chirping and singing the most beautiful tunes as they returned home in the threes' branches. Pinkie wondered why there was no other animals in it, but she realized that it wouldn't be really nice to have a 'relaxing picnic' with a bear hanging around them. Aside from that, it was a breath-taking scene. "Wow, Fluttershy!" she said "This place is amazing! Why have you never asked anyone to come here before?" "Well, I normally use here as a home for my animal friends that can't stay at my cottage. "Fluttershy explained. "Oh, cool!” Pinkie said “Wait, don't they mind us using the place they live in to make a picnic?” “Not at all,” Fluttershy answered “They’re out in the woods playing with their friends.” “Oooh! OK! So, where do I put the treats?” "Oh, right here, under this three!" Fluttershy pointed at the pink towel with the pink roses. "Wow, Fluttershy! You must have worked very hard on this all morning!" "Oh, it wasn't that hard! All I had to do was think about you a lot- " Fluttershy realized what she said. Both of them were blushing already. "I-I mean... uh... L-Let's start the picnic!..." Fluttershy said as she sat on the ground. Pinkie Pie did the same. "How about we set the food over here?" Pinkie started to unpack the food from her saddlebag: lots of delicious treats like cakes, candies and pies. Fluttershy was amazed. "Oh my, Pinkie! You must have worked really hard to make all those treats!" "Nah, easy-peasy! All I did was think that you would love it as much as I love you- " Pinkie Pie immediately stopped talking and noticed that they were both blushing. Real hard this time. Suddenly, they were both silenced. They stared at each other's eyes and saw the courage they needed to talk those feelings out of them. "Do you know the reason why I really like pink that much?" Pinkie Pie asked, with a hint of confidence in her voice. "U-Uh... Because you're pink?" Fluttershy asked, somewhat confused. "Sure, but... Since I met you, and I noticed your pink, smooth mane, I loved it," she admitted. "Just like everything else on you!" Fluttershy blushed once again. It was difficult to not blush at such moments of revelations. If Pinkie had the courage to openly admit her feelings for her, so could she. "Oh Pinkie! I think the same! The moment I saw your energetic smile, and your devotion to make other ponies happy because it makes you happy... Well, it made me happy too!" Fluttershy spit it out "I've always been lonely. I could never simply make friends with anypony like you do! I-I... I wish I was like you. Always happy." "Now, now, wait a minute!" Pinkie said. "What made you think that? Just because I like seeing ponies happy and being happy myself, that doesn't mean I can be smiling all the time." Fluttershy began to pay more attention to Pinkie, with a worried expression in her face. "Remember when I said I was feeling alone? I wasn't kidding. I hate being alone." Pinkie stopped, as an idea occurred to her. "You hate being alone, too. What about we always stay together? That way we'll never be alone again!" she said in a confident tone, while giving a huge smile. Fluttershy gave a warm smile back, her cheeks as red as ever. She then reached up to Pinkie to hug her as hard as she could, with Pinkie giving a big hug back. Then they started to laugh. They learned that day that it's always better to laugh in an act of kindness than to cry in a act of brutal force.