The Life and Times of Everypony

by Leafdoggy

Catching Up (Fluttershy, Pinkie)

Fluttershy sipped her tea as she gazed out at the dark landscape behind her home. It looked completely different from the daytime. The moon reflected brilliantly off the smooth surface of the brook that ran into the forest. Up above, fireflies danced with the stars, making and breaking constellations faster than the eye could follow. The nighttime bustled with life, from owls in the trees to families of raccoons skittering away from town in preparation for the coming dawn. It was all so utterly different from the daytime, but at the same time Fluttershy felt right at home.

Sleep had been coming to Fluttershy more and more erratically as the days went by. It wasn’t uncommon for her to spend days at a time without rest, only to pass out without warning on a friend’s sofa in the middle of some afternoon. As a result, she’d found herself with quite a bit of time all to herself.

Naturally, her first instinct was to use this time getting to know the creatures of the night better. Exploring, visiting them, learning their wants and needs. She did find some new routines through this, but as it turns out, nocturnal animals are fairly self reliant. An owl just doesn’t need the same kind of attention that a songbird does.

Without work to fall back on, Fluttershy quickly found herself lacking in things to do with her time. Even Pinkie Pie needs sleep, and Fluttershy wouldn’t dream of imposing on her like that. Rainbow Dash offered to help, but seeing as Fluttershy wasn’t very keen on the idea of hunting ghosts, that didn’t quite pan out. So it was just her, alone with her thoughts and a cup of tea.

Given time, though, all things become normal. Before long Fluttershy came to relish these moments of peaceful meditation. A space all to herself, to reflect upon her life and gather her thoughts without fear of interruption.

She was always happy to see her friends, of course, but that couldn’t change the fact that knowing they could show up at any time always gave her a bit of unease. Starting a task that would take time was always a gamble, because at any moment it could be brought to a screeching halt. Over the years she had learned ways to address those feelings, but they never quite went away.

It wasn’t there at night, though. With everypony at home in bed, Fluttershy had no problem settling in, getting cozy as she listened to the soothing melody of crickets and other insects outside. She always had a big stack of books and puzzles borrowed from Twilight sitting in the corner of her living room, waiting to fill the time for her, but as the nights went on she found that what she did most was just think.

She didn’t think about anything in particular. Tonight, for example, her thoughts had turned to Princess Celestia. It had occurred to her that, despite having known her for years, she didn’t know Celestia’s past any more than the average citizen of Equestria. She knew the history, how she had learned under Starswirl, banishing her sister, but there was so much more than that to know. How were her first days in office? Had she been outside of Equestria? Who were her friends in the thousands of years that came before Twilight?

Fluttershy decided that she should promise herself to be a better friend to the princess.

That promise would have to wait, though, because Fluttershy was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud, fast rapping at her door. She fumbled her teacup and nearly dropped it to the ground in her shock, and her heart and mind both started to race. Who could be here at this hour? What do they want? Surely it must be bad to have shown up so early.

Fluttershy realized that the knocking hadn’t stopped while she got lost in thought, and finally managed to get up and walk towards the door. She crept along slowly and cautiously, her ears pulled back and alert, the knocking growing more frantic by the second. At the door, she had to prepare herself, swallowing hard and trying to steel her nerves in the face of the unceasing pounding.

As soon as the door was open, Twilight tumbled through it, just about punching Fluttershy in the nose as she tried to keep knocking on the empty air. She caught herself, though, and let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake. Come on, we have to go.”

Without hesitation or explanation, Twilight tugged Fluttershy outside and shut the door. Then she started pushing Fluttershy down the path leading into Ponyville, completely ignoring her friend’s bewilderment.

“T-Twilight?” Fluttershy finally managed to mutter out once her mind finally caught up to her. She got up onto her hooves and started walking alongside Twilight, rather than being pushed. “What’s going on? Is there an emergency?”

“Oh, well, you could say that,” Twilight said. Her speaking was fast and rambling. “You see, um, there’s kind of a big problem, regarding you, and if I don’t fix it I’m gonna be in huge trouble.”

“Twilight, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Fluttershy frowned in concern.

“Well, uh, funny thing,” Twilight said with an awkward laugh. “I may have kind of a little perhaps forgotten to tell Celestia that I turned you into a vampire and she’s showing up for a surprise visit in, uh… Now.”

Fluttershy stopped walking and stared at her. “Twilight.”

Twilight turned around to look back at her, hopping in place like the ground was on fire. “Look, I know, I messed up, we don’t have time I gotta find a way to turn you back! Come on, hurry!”

Fluttershy took a step back. “Turn me back? But… I thought we decided…”

Twilight growled in frustration. “I know what we decided! I changed my mind! Celestia will kill me if she sees you like this.”

Fluttershy stepped back some more. “But I like being like this,” she said. “I don’t want to turn back…”

Twilight groaned. “Come on, we don’t have time for this! Look, I know you like it, and I’m sorry, and I know you’re gonna be mad at me, but I have no choice!”

“I, um,” Fluttershy mumbled, her voice lowering as she drew in on herself. Her voice got too quiet to hear, turning into a squeak under her breath.

“Fluttershy, I can’t hear you,” Twilight said. “Whatever it is, can we please talk about it on the way?”

“I-I said…” Fluttershy swallowed hard and stood back up. “I said no.”

Twilight stopped her frantic bouncing and stared at Fluttershy. “What?”

“No,” Fluttershy repeated. “No, I’m not going to let you take away something I love to fix your mistake.”

“I-” Twilight made a conflicted noise, then sighed and crumpled onto the ground. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do.”

“You could always tell her the truth,” Fluttershy said.

“Who knows what could happen, though?” Twilight asked. “What if she decides to lock you up in Tartarus?”

Fluttershy sighed. “Twilight…”

“What if she takes you back to Canterlot to be a test subject?”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy repeated.

“What if she—”

“Twilight!” Fluttershy stamped a hoof on the ground. “You have to tell her. There is no other option.”

Twilight groaned sadly. “I just… Ugh.”

Fluttershy walked closer to Twilight and looked down at her sternly. “If you don’t tell her,” she said, “then I will.”

Fluttershy looked down at Twilight for a moment, awaiting a response. When it seemed like one wasn’t coming, a frown crossed her face and she reached down to offer her a hoof, which Twilight took with a tiny nod and lifted herself up.

“It’ll be alright,” Fluttershy told her. All the sternness she had held in her voice just a moment ago had vanished. “Just be confident.”

Twilight let out a weak chuckle. “Look at me, being lectured on confidence by Fluttershy.”

“I just have a lot of experience,” Fluttershy said. Then she pulled Twilight into a hug. “Go take care of your other preparations,” she said. “It’ll take your mind off of it.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, squeezing her back. Then she stepped away and took a deep breath. “I’ll see you later. I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “I’ll be at Pinkie’s.”

With that, they parted ways. Fluttershy watched Twilight trudge away towards her castle, and then, seeing as she was already halfway there, set off for Sugarcube Corner.

Dawn still hadn’t found them as Fluttershy walked through the streets of Ponyville. She didn’t come out here very often after dark, but she’d explored the town once or twice under the embrace of the moon. It was completely different than Ponyville during the day. Under the sun, the streets were always alive with ponies going to and fro, visiting friends and doing chores. Now, though, they belonged solely to Fluttershy.

Under this new spotlight, Fluttershy found a newfound appreciation for Ponyville. For the first time she found herself able to stop and really take in the town without the cacophony of ponies around her. She admired the architecture, wondering at the mindset of the pony who designed the houses. She contemplated the streets, with their years of wear from unflinching hooves, trying to imagine what they must have looked like when they were first laid out. She stared up at the sky above, seeing the stars framed like a living portrait by the roofs of the buildings around her.

Eventually, her meandering brought her to the bakery, and to her delight she saw that the lights were already on. She shop was still closed, the doors locked, but the lights made her comfortable enough to knock without fear of waking anypony up. She tapped her hoof lightly against the wooden frame, then stepped back and waited with a smile, passing the time by drawing mindlessly in the dirt with her hoof.

Soon the door opened, and before Fluttershy could look up she was tackled to the ground in an aggressive hug. Laughing, she tumbled across the road with Pinkie, and when they finally came to a rest she planted a soft kiss on the tip of Pinkie’s nose.

“Good morning, Pinkie.”

Pinkie grinned and pressed her face into Fluttershy’s fluffy chest. “Morning!” She giggled and hummed contentedly. “What’s up? You’re here early.”

“Um,” Fluttershy said, “maybe we should go inside before we talk? Ponies could start waking up soon.”

“Oh, yeah.” Pinkie scooped up Fluttershy onto her back and carried her inside as she laughed. The bakery was dim in the early hours, lit only by the light spilling out from the kitchen, and it made the whole place seem much more private. No longer was it a business, expecting ponies at any moment. For now, it belonged entirely to them.

Pinkie plopped Fluttershy down onto a big, cushy bench in the corner of the room, then jumped on top of her playfully to resume her snuggling. Fluttershy laughed as Pinkie rubbed up against her, tickling her and squeezing her and just overall preventing her from getting settled. Not that she was complaining, because there was no awkward sitting position that could stop this from being the most comfortable place in the world.

Eventually, Pinkie calmed down and fell into place with a gleeful sigh. Fluttershy smiled and wrapped her legs around her, never wanting to let go. “It’s good to see you, Pinkie.”

“Mm-hm,” Pinkie hummed. “So yeah, what’s up?”

Fluttershy sighed. “Well, apparently Celestia is going to show up today, and Twilight never told her about turning me into a vampire.”

“Aw,” Pinkie frowned. “She doesn’t wanna turn you back, does she?”

“She did,” Fluttershy said, “but I told her no.”

“Good for you,” Pinkie said. “It always makes me smile to see you looking out for yourself.”

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

“So is she gonna tell Celestia?” Pinkie asked.

“She said she would,” Fluttershy said, “so probably.”

“Are you worried?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I know Celestia scares Twilight sometimes, but I can’t imagine the princess will do anything more than scold me. She might even just give me advice. I mean, she’s thousands of years old, she must have run into vampires at some point.”

“Maybe Celestia will wanna be a vampire, too,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“I think Twilight might die if that happens,” Fluttershy said, and she laughed too.

Pinkie reached up and rubbed one of Fluttershy’s ears, and Fluttershy purred and leaned into the affection. That was how they spent their morning, sometimes chatting, mostly cuddling, until the sun rose outside. It was a blissful peace that they both wished could last forever.

Pinkie was half asleep when Fluttershy nudged her to get her attention. “Hey,” she said softly, “shouldn’t you open the shop soon?”

Pinkie sighed. “I guess. I don’t wanna get up, though.”

Fluttershy chuckled and drew Pinkie into a long, loving kiss. After she pulled back, she nudged Pinkie again, encouraging her to move. “I’ll still be here,” she said.

Pinkie gave Fluttershy one last nuzzle before reluctantly hopping up and walking to the door. Fluttershy rolled over onto her side, propping her head up with a hoof as she watched Pinkie with love in her eyes. Even the simplest things, like unlocking the door and flipping over the open sign, were enrapturing to her when it was Pinkie doing them.

Pinkie turned around and caught Fluttershy staring at her, which set her off giggling. Fluttershy flushed red, but her smile didn’t fade. “You’re so adorable,” Pinkie told her.

“Cutest pony in the room,” Fluttershy agreed, and they both laughed.

Pinkie hadn’t even reached the counter yet when the bell above the door rang. She turned around to greet the first customer of the day, and grinned when she saw who it was. “Starlight! You’re a rare sight around here.”

“Sorry, Pinkie,” Starlight said as she walked inside, “I’m still not here for sweets.”

“Aww,” Pinkie pouted. “Way to get my hopes up.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Twilight wanted me to come warn Fluttershy that the princess is on her way here and Twilight still hasn’t told her.”

Fluttershy sighed. “Twilight…”

“Yeah, I know,” Starlight said. “She said to tell you to go hide in Pinkie’s room.”

“No,” Fluttershy said.

Starlight stared at her. “No?”

“I’m not going to hide,” Fluttershy said. “If Twilight wants to keep me away from Celestia that badly, she can distract Celestia herself.”

“Well… Alright, then,” Starlight said. “Unexpected, but I’ll pass the message along. You, uh, might wanna prepare yourself. I have no idea how this’ll shake out.”

“Thank you, Starlight,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry to put you in the middle of this.”

Starlight laughed. “Oh, that’s no problem. I love watching this stuff unfold. I’ll see you girls later, I’m not gonna miss a second of this.”

---

“She what?” Twilight shouted when she heard the news.

Behind her, Celestia looked up from her conversation and gave her a quizzical look.

“Uh, don’t worry about it, Princess,” Twilight called out with an awkward laugh. Then she lowered her voice to an angry whisper. “What do you mean she said no?”

“She said she’s not going to clean up your messes for you,” Starlight told her. “Uh, more or less.”

“It’s her mess too,” Twilight growled. “Doesn’t she realize what’ll happen if Celestia sees her?”

“I don’t think she cares,” Starlight said.

Twilight scowled, then shook her head and took a deep breath. “Okay. Getting frustrated won’t help. What do we do now?”

“Well, you could tell Celestia the truth,” Starlight suggested. “Or I guess you could try to keep her away from Sugarcube Corner all day.”

“Great idea!” Twilight grinned nervously. “No problem, she only goes there every time she visits Ponyville, what could be so hard about keeping her away from it?”

Celestia chose that moment to walk up behind Twilight and cough pointedly. “Um, Twilight?” she asked as Twilight spun around in place and looked up at her with wide eyes. “Could we get going, please? I’d like to get there before they sell out of anything.”

“Uhh, you can’t yet!” Twilight said. Celestia raised an eyebrow at her. “You see, um, they’re… Catering a party! So nopony is at the shop right now. We’ll have to wait until later.”

Celestia frowned. “Well, I chose an awful day to visit, then, didn’t I? Do you think they’ll be open before I have to leave? I can’t stay all day.”

“Uh, hopefully!” Twilight said. “In the meantime, why don’t we go see if Rarity has anything to showcase?”

Twilight took her time leading the group through Ponyville, stopping every few feet and pointing out something to Celestia. “Somepony new just moved in here,” or “this shop is selling things from Canterlot now,” or “this pony was helped out by the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” By the end of it, Celestia felt like she knew more about the current events of Ponyville than the mayor.

Finally, they came to the boutique. Rarity grinned with delight when she saw them walk in, dashing up to Celestia and bowing politely. “Oh, it’s just wonderful to see you, Princess!” she said. “What can my humble establishment do for you today?”

“That’s a good question,” Celestia said. “It is nice to see you too, Rarity. Twilight mentioned something about an exhibit?”

“An exhibit?” Rarity looked over at Twilight, who was silently pleading with her to play along. “Well, um, I suppose I could show you the current line I’m working on. The theme is ‘creatures of the night.’”

“Ooh,” Celestia said excitedly. “What inspired that?”

“Oh, well of course it’s based off of—”

“Nightmare Night!” Twilight shouted, cutting Rarity off. “You know, like, the um, holiday? I thought you might be interested because of, uh, your sister.”

“Well, it is intriguing,” Celestia said. “Say, do you have anything inspired by Dracula? She’s an old friend.”

“An old friend?” Twilight mumbled under her breath.

“Oh, well, of course!” Rarity said excitedly. She lit up her horn and pulled a mannequin out from a back room, displaying a long, red silk robe. “It’s very much a work in progress, but I aim to make it the centerpiece of the entire line!”

“She?” Twilight muttered.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” Celestia said. “You know, I really should catch up with her. If you’d like, I could introduce you! She has had a long time to develop an aesthetic, I’m sure she would have some valuable input.”

“Dracula’s real?” Twilight wondered.

Rarity gasped. “Would you really do that for me? That is so gracious of you, Princess, it would really elevate my work to the next level.”

“What is happening?” Twilight asked.

“Are you alright, Twilight?” Celestia asked. “You look a bit… Lost.”

“Huh? Oh,” Twilight laughed nervously, “yeah, I’m fine! Just, uh, a long day is all!”

Rarity frowned. “Oh, you poor thing. Why don’t you go down to Pinkie’s and get a treat? That should put a pep in your step.”

“I thought the bakery wasn’t open yet,” Celestia said.

Rarity tilted her head curiously. “What in the world made you think that? They practically open before the sun goes up.”

Celestia pursed her lips. “Just something I was told…” She looked down at Twilight sternly. “Is there something you’d like to tell me, Twilight?”

“What? No, of course not,” Twilight said, her teeth chattering. “Everything is just fine! No problems here. I must have just gotten the day wrong, is all.”

“So you’re not trying to keep me away from Sugarcube Corner?”

“Oh, now that’s just silly,” Twilight said. “Why would I do that? It’s not like there’s anything to see there, it’s just Pinkie Pie and cakes!”

“Well, probably Fluttershy too,” Rarity said. Then her eyes went wide. “Twilight. Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, Rarity! Ha ha, what a funny imagination you have.”

Rarity sighed and turned to Celestia. “Princess, I believe Twilight has something she has been neglecting to tell you.”

“Twilight?” Celestia said.

“I-I-” Twilight took a deep breath. “I turned Fluttershy into a vampire and then couldn’t turn her back and I was supposed to tell you but I couldn’t and then you showed up and I knew I couldn’t keep it from you forever so I was gonna try to turn Fluttershy back again but she said no and so I’ve been trying to keep you away from her so you wouldn’t see for yourself.”

“I see,” Celestia said. She looked down at Twilight for a moment, then nodded to Rarity before turning and walking towards the door. “I’m going to Sugarcube Corner.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight whimpered as the door clicked shut behind Celestia.

---

Fluttershy sighed peacefully as she stretched out on her back, her head dangling off the edge of the booth she was in. “Today is a good day,” she said.

“Yup!” Pinkie agreed from her place behind the counter. She was busy licking icing off of a hoof when the bell above the door rang.

“Hello!” Pinkie greeted. “Welcome to- Oh! Princess Celestia!” Pinkie hopped up and grabbed a box from nearby. “I’ve got your regular order all ready for you!”

Celestia smiled kindly and walked inside. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I’ll get to them, but first, I have some business to attend to.”

Pinkie leaned to look past the princess. “No Twilight?”

“No, I thought it best to come speak to Fluttershy alone,” Celestia said. “You’re welcome as well, of course. Is she around?”

“I’m over here,” Fluttershy called from her booth. She waved at Celestia, then sat up and fixed her mane.

“Excellent,” Celestia said, walking over and joining Fluttershy at the booth. “I imagine you know why I’m here?”

Pinkie put a sign in the window saying she was out to lunch, then bounced over and sat next to Fluttershy.

“More or less,” Fluttershy said. She reached up and rubbed her ear self-consciously. “To scold me, I’m assuming?”

Celestia looked at her for a moment, then broke out into a chuckle. “Scold you? What, did you eat somepony?”

Fluttershy sat back in shock. “O-Of course not!”

“Yes, obviously,” Celestia said. “There hasn’t been an attack by a vampire since Starswirl was a foal! Dracula saw to it to put an end to all that.”

“Dracula?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes wide.

“Have you not met her yet?” Celestia asked. “Odd. I would think she’d have visited you.”

“That’s probly my fault,” Pinkie said. “She kinda hates me.”

Now Fluttershy stared at Pinkie. “You know Dracula?”

“I know everypony,” Pinkie said.

“So how are you doing, Fluttershy?” Celestia asked. “These things affect everypony differently.”

“I’m doing really well, actually,” Fluttershy said. “Well, I was already doing well with Pinkie, but this has just helped. Sometimes making a big change is really invigorating, you know?”

“All too well,” Celestia said. “Are you staying safe?”

Fluttershy blushed. “W-Why does everypony keep jumping to that?”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, I know that I would be curious in your position. We can move past that part, though. I’m glad to see you’re adjusting well.”

“So Dracula is real?” Fluttershy asked.

“As real as you or me,” Celestia said. “She just thinks being a legend is fun. You’ll meet her sooner or later.”

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy said. “What if she thinks I’m a disappointment? I mean, I’m not really anything like the vampires in legends. I didn’t even keep the wings.”

“That’s the wonderful thing about legends,” Celestia said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re accurate as long as they’re impactful.”

“Hear that, Fluttershy?” Pinkie said. “You’re gonna be a legend! Just like Meadowbrook.”

Fluttershy thought for a minute, then grinned wide. “That does sound nice. I mean, Dracula doesn’t get swarmed by fans. The attention is the biggest problem with being famous.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Celestia said. “Fluttershy, I do feel like it’s my responsibility to ask; Are you absolutely certain this is what you want?”

Fluttershy nodded decisively. “Completely.”

“Well, in that case,” Celestia said, “I do believe I have an appointment with a certain eclair.”

“Oh, um, Celestia?” Fluttershy spoke up. “One more thing…”

“Yes?”

“Um, well, this is a little awkward, but… Well, I can kind of tell when ponies come and go from Ponyville. I wouldn’t feel right keeping that from you, since um… You’ve kind of been doing it a lot.”

“Oh.” Celestia coughed. “I see.”

“I won’t tell anypony,” Fluttershy assured her. “It’s not my place. Although, I do think that it would be alright for you to be public with it. A princess is allowed to have a girlfriend.”

“As you said, Fluttershy, celebrity status comes with a lot of baggage. I don’t want to drop that on her.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie was bouncing up and down in her seat, and couldn’t hold herself back any longer. “Who is it? I gotta know. Please? Please please please?”

“You don’t know?” Celestia asked.

“Neither of us have told her,” Fluttershy said.

“C’mooooon,” Pinkie begged. “I’ll die if I don’t know.”

“You know, Pinkie,” Celestia said, “it’s scary that I’m not completely sure that’s not true.”

“Then you gotta tell me!” Pinkie said. She was barely able to stay in the booth.

Celestia chuckled and looked at Fluttershy. “Do you suppose I should tell her?”

“I don’t think I can guarantee she’ll survive either way,” Fluttershy said, “so you might as well.”

Celestia looked back at Pinkie with a grin. “Pinkie Pie, it’s your sister. I’ve been seeing Maud.”

Pinkie’s gasp was so loud it seemed like it was almost going to break the windows. The entire building rumbled beneath them, and the air got noticeably thinner. Then, unable to gasp any harder but still needing to, Pinkie passed out and slumped against Fluttershy.

Fluttershy laughed. “Yeah, that’s about what I expected.”

Celestia laughed as well. “I was wondering what Maud meant when she told me Pinkie would probably take the news too well.”

“I think you should be fine to just take your food and go,” Fluttershy said. “There’s no need to wait for her. She said she wasn’t going to charge you.”

“I’ll leave the money on the counter anyway,” Celestia said as she stood up. “Thank you for the delightfully fun day. I should, however, go check up on Twilight before I leave. I don’t want her to think I’m actually mad at her. I’ll see you soon, my friend.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, waving goodbye as Celestia walked out. Then she made herself comfortable and pulled Pinkie Pie, snoring away, up against her and started to stroke her mane.

Comments

[one longboi]

this whole story is pure and good and i love it

[Razzy]

Huh, not who I'd expect.

... Twilight's gonna BSOD hard once she discovers that.