It was early morning, Celestia’s sun shone warmly through the windows of Fluttershy’s cottage. A tea party was in the making, the regular Tuesday tea between Discord and Fluttershy. As usual, Fluttershy herself was already awake by this point. After getting her morning chores done, she was going out to prepare for the tea party, accompanied by Angel bunny.
“Now let’s see what am I going to need?” Fluttershy asked Angel. “Some food,” she began listing, “the cake from Pinkie Pie. This is the anniversary of Discord’s reformation, you can’t have an anniversary without cake... What else do I need?” Angel raised her ears at Fluttershy’s question, then hopped away to retrieve a single teacup. “Oh right,” she said after looking at the singular teacup, “I’m gonna need a new tea set, after I misplaced the last one... How do you even misplace an entire tea set?” Angel just shrugged at the question. Fluttershy thought for a moment. “I think that’s everything... okay let’s go then.”
Angel hopped over to the door and opened it. But after noticing that Fluttershy was not behind him, he turned back. He looked at her with a puzzled expression, as she was trying on several hats in front of a mirror. Angel hopped over to her and with a single look he questioned Fluttershy’s sudden fashion awareness.
“Oh, I don’t know Angel,” she said, “I just go for the same look every day. Not that there’s anything wrong with being naked all the time, I’ve just kind of got bored of it.” She tried on a fourth hat by the time she finished that sentence. She looked at the hat displeased. A hat was not enough for her, she had to take a look in her wardrobe. There were many clothes in there. But somehow, Fluttershy just wasn’t satisfied with her choices.
“This is too formal, this gets dirty too easily, too warm, I don’t even like this one anymore.” She got deeper and deeper into the ocean of clothes, uncovering ones she only wore a single time, then forgotten about. At this point, it was worth doing just for the sheer thrill of discovery. Then, she found something interesting.
“What is this?” She asked herself in surprise. She took out the enigmatic outfit, to better see it. It was a pink dress shirt, a white necktie and a black elegant jacket, complete with a pair of trousers. It was a full suit, seemingly designed for her.
“I don’t even remember having this.” She held it up in front of her and looked at it in the mirror. “Oh wait, I think I remember Rarity making it for me. I don’t remember for what occasion though. I don’t think I ever wore it.” She took a good look in the mirror again and had an idea. “This is completely new for me, what if I wore it today?” Angel just responded with a blank stare.
And so she got to dressing. She buttoned it neatly, tied her necktie all proper, she then took another look in the mirror. “Nice!” She complimented herself. “This fits me perfectly and is quite comfortable.” She turned to Angel. “How do I look?”
Angel just responded with a slow disinterested clap.
Fluttershy took her time in front of the mirror. “I’m a bit nervous though, changing my style so drastically. I am not Rarity, I don’t think I can pull that off.”
Angel just stared at her with an even more disinterested look, but Fluttershy just kept posing. “But I do feel good wearing it.”
Angel sighed with impatience.
“You know what?” Finally, Fluttershy made up her mind. “I feel good, I look good, we all need a day like this every once in a while. Let’s go!”
Angel was relieved. They were supposed to be out minutes ago. The day will probably be about her suit anyway. Thankfully, he’s there to remind her, what they need. Just let her have this.
So they were outside, on their way to Ponyville. Fluttershy was still adjusting to her new look, getting used to it. She was thinking about how her friends will react to it and a bit nervous about the upcoming attention. Angel was just hopping alongside her, he was focused on getting to Sugarcube Corner.
Rainbow Dash was napping on a nearby cloud. Fluttershy greeted her with a good morning. Rainbow glanced at her and greeted her back. Then she had to take a second look, when she realized Fluttershy was wearing something unusual. She wasn’t sure if she was seeing it right. Fluttershy in a suit? Not something you expect to see. She got curious, she had to ask something. She lowered her cloud to get into talking distance to her.
“What are you wearing Fluttershy?” She asked.
“Oh, I’ve found this suit deep in my wardrobe. Do you like it?” Fluttershy responded.
Rainbow’s puzzlement did not cease. “I don’t know.” She attempted an answer. “I didn’t expect to see you of all ponies, to casually trot around in a fancy suit.”
“I know, I just thought I’d try out a new style.”
“Well, I have an idea for a new style you could try. How about-” Rainbow then kicked her cloud over Fluttershy. “-soaked style!”
Fluttershy covered herself from the incoming rain. But thankfully, it was just a regular cloud and it poofed apart above her.
Rainbow just laughed. “Just kidding, but you gotta admit, it’s a way too good opportunity for prank.”
“Well, at least you could wait for me to finish my tea with Discord.”
“No worries, as much as it pains me to do so, I will pass on this opportunity.”
“Thank you!”
“Well, see you later!” Rainbow flew away, leaving a colourful line behind her. But a moment later, she was flying back carrying a raincloud. “Just kidding!” She shouted as she squeezed the cloud and released a shower of rain. Thankfully, she didn’t commit to the prank and pulled the rain away in the last moment, leaving Fluttershy and her suit dry. Rainbow flopped down onto the cloud and burst into laughter.
Both Fluttershy and Angel, just glared at her. Clearly they didn’t find it as amusing as she did. She got up and looked at the two scowls directed at her. She slowly stopped laughing.
“Just kidding, I won’t sabotage your fashion experiment! Honestly, it’s growing on me. Anyway gotta go!” And she was on her way into the distance.
Fluttershy just rolled her eyes. She’s not a fan of pranks. With that out the way, they carried on with their task. Their task of getting cake from Pinkie Pie.
Chapter 2 - Meeting Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Starlight
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.
The doorbell rang, as Fluttershy walked into the boutique. She was a bit nervous. Not that she expected anything bad to come out of it, it’s not like Rarity would be against her wearing a suit, she made it after all. But still, she was nervous.
“I’ll be there in a moment!” Rarity shouted from another room, stretching out the time for Fluttershy.
“Hello Rarity, it’s me!” Fluttershy shouted back, in the quietest possible way anypony could shout.
“Oh Fluttershy, what a pleasure to have you here! I’ll get to you in a moment!” And as she said, she was there after a couple moments. “I’m sorry for the wait, I just had to-“ And that’s when she saw what Fluttershy was wearing.
Fluttershy got flustered immediately. “I just... I just thought... I’d try something new.” She stuttered.
After the first shock, Rarity’s face beamed up with excitement. “Why Fluttershy, you look amazing!”
Fluttershy blushed. “Thanks.” She said quietly.
“I’ve never thought you’d look so wonderful in a suit!”
“I don’t know, doesn’t seem like my style.” Fluttershy echoed Spike’s and Applejack’s opinion.
“True, it’s not like what you usually have. But this style fits you brilliantly!”
“You really think so?”
“Absolutely! You should wear a suit more often. Say, where did you get it?”
“You made it for me.”
“I made it?” Rarity paused to examine the stitches in the suit. “But, of course, it’s got my trademark perfection all over it. Although, I don’t remember making it.”
“That would have been my second question. I don’t remember what the occasion was.”
“Strange, I should be remembering something like this. In any case, I’m glad you brought it up. You look absolutely stunning! Promise me you’ll wear it more often.”
“I’ll try to find the right occasion.”
Rarity took another look at Fluttershy and her suit. “I’ve got to get back to work, if you don’t mind. I hope to see you more often like this.”
“Don’t worry. After hearing your opinion, I’ll make sure you do.”
Rarity took one final look at the suit she made and the mare wearing it. But she still had to get back to work. “Alright, the dresses aren’t going to sew themselves. It was lovely to see you!”
“It was lovely to see you too.”
And so they too parted ways. It was time for Fluttershy, to get her tea set from Twilight. She got her confidence boost from Rarity, there was no way for the day to get bad after that.
She knocked on the doors of Twilight’s castle, then opened it. “Hello!” She shouted, her voice echoing through the empty crystalline walls.
“Hi, Fluttershy!” Twilight finally showed up. “Looking good! Starlight and Spike told me you were coming for a tea set.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s right here, come on in!”
They went inside. The tea set was indeed right there on the table, ready for Fluttershy to take it with her.
“We just found it laying around the kitchen. I don’t remember having it.”
Fluttershy was quite surprised when she finally saw the tea set. “This is my tea set. It’s the one I misplaced.”
“It is? What’s it doing in my castle?”
“Discord might have made it disappear at some point.”
“Oh. That does sound like a very Discord thing to do.”
“Well, thanks for finding it.” She put it on her back and held it up with her wing. It rattled a little as she walked, but the whole set remained steady.
“Just one question Fluttershy.” Twilight stopped her.
“Sure, what is it?”
Twilight hesitated for a moment. She seemed a little embarrassed about the question. “How does it feel?”
“How does what feel?”
“Wearing a suit, that is.”
Fluttershy paused to think of her answer. “It feels great. I feel so elegant. And it’s quite comfortable too.”
“Because, I was thinking of getting one myself.”
“Oh, you should definitely get one. I bet it would fit you much better than me.”
“It fits you well too. Even if it’s not your style.”
“I think it would fit your style perfectly.”
“Okay good. I thought it would be a bit too, masculine for me.”
“It is masculine, but there’s nothing wrong with being masculine, right?”
“You know what? You’re right! I should ask Rarity to make one for me.”
The Tuesday tea party was finally ready. Discord’s cake was there, the tea set has been found, the animals got out of the way of Discord’s shenanigans, the chairs have been moved, Fluttershy was wearing her suit. Everything was going the way it’s supposed to... Well, except for the suit, but you know that already.
A train could be heard outside the door. “Next stop, Fluttershy’s cottage.” Said the announcer.
“That must be Discord!” Said Fluttershy and opened the door.
Discord has just got off. The train then zoomed off into the sky and exited the atmosphere in mere seconds. And that’s when Discord realized what Fluttershy was wearing.
“Oh, you didn’t say it was that kind of tea party.” And with a snap of his fingers, he was wearing his flashy suit.
“Oh this? This is just an experiment.” Fluttershy responded.
“I love experiments,” said Discord, “why don’t we go inside while you tell me more about this experiment of yours.” Then, in a flash of light, they were both sitting in their chairs, next to the table, holding the teacups filled with tea.
Fluttershy got out of the daze of sudden teleportation, then explained her experiment. “Well, I was just a bit bored of how I usually go. So I decided to wear this suit. I didn’t even knew I had it.”
“How delightfully random!” Discord exclaimed.
“Well? Do you like it?”
“Of course I do! It suits you nicely.”
“Don’t you think it clashes with my style?”
“It does, that’s why I like it.”
“But I mean...” Fluttershy tried to get a more useful answer out of Discord. “It’s not really my style, is it?”
“What even is your style really?” Discord asked then gulped down the contents of his teacup.
“I’m not sure. Honestly I didn’t even know I had a style, until somepony told me the suit doesn’t go with it. I never really put much effort into how I look.”
“Not much effort, you say?” Said Discord as he poured more tea into his cup. “And with that little effort, you managed to become a supermodel that one time. Remember that?”
“Yes, and I didn’t like it.”
Discord drank all his tea again. “I tell you what your style is.” He began and poured more tea for himself. “Your style is the filly next door. You know you are pretty and you put in a little bit of work to be pretty. But not a lot of work, because you really only do it for yourself. To feel pretty.” Then he drank all of his tea again.
It didn’t even register to Fluttershy, that Discord has been pouring himself the fourth round by then, while she didn’t even finish her first one yet. “Hmm, that seems accurate to me. I didn’t know you had so much knowledge about ponies.”
“It’s simple observation, my dear.” And then he downed his fourth round too.
Fluttershy has just realized, that Discord didn’t really give her an answer. “So, does this suit fit a filly next door?”
“Oh, that’s not really what I was getting at.” Discord explained, as he went for the fifth round. “It isn’t about how you look, when it comes to you, Fluttershy. It’s about how you feel.” He drank his fifth round too. “Now tell me, how did you feel trying out this new style?”
Fluttershy though for a moment, while Discord poured himself another round. “It made me a bit nervous.”
“Nervous?”
“As in nervous about the all the attention I’d be drawing to myself.”
“No that’s not what I mean.” Discord’s tea was gone by the time he finished that sentence. “I don’t mean in relation to other ponies, I mean, how did the suit itself make you feel?” And then he poured some more tea.
“Well... it is a very nicely made suit, so it’s quite comfortable... It makes me feel elegant. I like looking at my reflection, because it makes me feel quite good.”
“Exactly!” Discord has consumed who knows how much tea at that point and he was still pouring more. “So why are you asking me about it?”
“Well, the others gave me such mixed answers. Rarity liked it though.”
“That’s not what I mean again. You feel good looking, don’t you?”
“I do!”
“So are you expecting other ponies to confirm your opinion, that you look good?”
Flutterhsy pondered that question, while Discord kept consuming even more tea. “I... don’t really know.”
“Let me ask the question differently then. Why are you asking for other opinions, when all that ever mattered to you is whether or not you’re comfortable in your own skin?”
Fluttershy thought really hard about that question.
“You didn’t ask ponies’ opinions about your usual non-attire before.”
“No, I didn’t...”
“Because you knew you were pretty and you felt good in your skin.”
“I guess, so.”
“The only thing that changed here is the attention you’ve got. You still are pretty and you still feel pretty, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Well then, there’s your answer!” He drank the almost hundredth round of tea, then changed his head to resemble Fluttershy’s. “Should I wear it more often?” He then changed his face back to normal. “If it makes you feel good, then absolutely you should!”
Fluttershy finally realized what Discord was getting at. “You know what? I wholeheartedly agree. What really matters is whether or not I feel good and I do feel good. This suit isn’t my style, but it’s a style that I love! Wow, you can be really encouraging, Discord.”
“I’m glad to hear that, you will not regret feeling good in your own skin.” He tried to pour some more tea, but then he realized there was no more tea to be poured. ”Oh dear, did I drink all of that?”
“Yeah, you really went to town on that tea.”
“I couldn’t help it, it tasted so amazing.”
“And you didn’t even get to see your cake yet.”
“There’s cake?”
“Yep. Happy reformation anniversary, Discord!”
“Oh, has it really been that long. I was having so much fun I lost count of time.”
And they both had a very pleasant tea party, filled with good laughs. Discord told his funny stories and Fluttershy giggled adorably about them. The cake was delicious, the tea was delicious, the cottage looked like a tornado went through it and Fluttershy felt extra good in her fancy suit.
It was time to finish the party though. Discord tidied up the chaos he made, made sure to place the tea set back to its proper trace, then left to catch his taxi back home. Fluttershy waved at the taxi departing with ludicrous speeds. Yep, that was a good day. Then suddenly, a big splash of water fell on her, soaking her now beloved suit. A familiar cackle could be heard.
“See, I did wait until you finished your tea with Discord.” It was Rainbow Dash of course, who just couldn’t pass on this opportunity. “Love your suit by the way! It’s grown on me.”
Fluttershy pulled her wet mane away, to reveal her exasperated scowl. That prank did not make her feel good.
