The two mares began to decorate Fluttershy's cottage for the upcoming festivities, but Pinkie Pie was finding it increasingly more difficult to concentrate on her tasks. She was always so enthusiastic about parties, decorating etc, but her devotion was lacking as her mind was in other places.
Pinkie couldn't shake the thought of why she designed her Hearth's Warming canon for Fluttershy individually; she usually devised something with every pony in mind. She knew that Fluttershy was her friend, of course, but why make a canon specific to only one pony?
"Why didn't I make an apple themed canon for Apple Jack? Why didn't I make a super-duper-awesome canon for Rainbow Dash? And why didn't I make a boring-old-regular canon for Twilight?" thought Pinkie as she attempted to hang up some garlands around Fluttershy's staircase.
The pink pony was balancing one-hoofed on a stepladder to reach the staircase's spindles, but it began to wobble as she wasn't concentrating.
She eventually felt the ladder floundering beneath her hooves, so she attempted to steady herself.
Pinkie's right-front hoof managed to slip off of the ladder as she tried to stay afloat; she was falling. Before she knew it, Fluttershy flew over and seized her midair; she'd never flown so fast in her life! It wasn't too far a drop, but Fluttershy couldn't bare to see any pony get hurt; especially Pinkie Pie.
"Oh my goodness, Pinkie. Are you quite alright?" said a concerned Fluttershy as she continued to hover with her friend in her arms.
Pinkie Pie didn't speak for a moment, which was very rare in her case. She took a moment to process the fact that she was being carried in Fluttershy's arms, but her attention quickly turned to the beautiful cyan eyes that were fixated on her own.
"Wow, okay. I've never noticed this before, but Fluttershy's eyes are really really really really really beautiful! They're suuuper shiny and they're suuuper big and cute! And ohmygosh don't even get me started on her eyelashes-" Pinkie's train of thought stopped as she realised that she was still being suspended in the air by Fluttershy.
"Um... YUP! I'm tooootally fine! You know me, the clumsiest filly around!" said Pinkie Pie hastily.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid you'd hurt yourself on that ladder. Why don't you leave the rest of the decorating to your infamous Hearth's Warming canon?" Fluttershy suggested.
Pinkie's stomach turned slightly at the thought of her canon which was very clearly designed with the yellow pegasus in mind, but she nodded silently before rolling it into position.
The Hearth's Warming canon was slightly bigger than her usual party canons, but she still managed to move it with little effort.
Once the canon was in the middle of Fluttershy's living room, Pinkie took a deep breath before cautiously setting it off.
The contraption made it's usual party popper sound as dozens of festive decorations bounded out of it; Fluttershy stood watching, astounded. She knew that Pinkie's canons and other party doohickeys were always incredible, but this was something else.
Before the two ponies knew it, Fluttershy's entire cottage was completely adorned for Hearth's Warming.
Garlands had woven themselves in and out of nearly every crevice; fairy lights had strung themselves up around the fireplace, door frames and Fluttershy's bed; wreaths with baubles and holly had placed themselves on every single door; flurries of snow seemed to fall without any clouds; and a cedar wood scent sifted it's way through the air, much to Fluttershy's delight.
Fluttershy was completely blown away by Pinkie's contraption; she hadn't a clue what to do or say, so she stood silently to take it all in at her own pace. Even Pinkie Pie herself was shocked at how beautiful her canon had made the cottage look.
It was always a beautiful cottage, obviously, but she'd never seen festive decor quite like it before.
Fluttershy finally emerged out of her trance and began to wander around her newly decorated cottage.
"Oh Pinkie, I don't know what to say. Everything looks so beautiful. But how in Equestria did you know that cedar wood is my absolute favourite scent?" asked Fluttershy as she circled her hoof in the thin blanket of snow.
Pinkie shook herself back to reality; she seemed to be zoning out a lot whenever Fluttershy spoke.
"Huh? Oooooh, the cedar wood? Weeeeell: I remember last Hearth's Warming when we were all walking through the forest and I saw your nose twitch which obviously meant you were trying to smell something and that smell was obviously a smell you liked because your face lit up like Manehattan at nighttime and you giggled to yourself, which was really cute by the way, which obviously meant that the smell was your absolute favourite and I then figured out that the smell must've been cedar wood cause we were walking through the forest at the time with lots and lots and lots of cedar trees so I stored it all away in my little Pinkie brain and then I inadvertently put the scent inside the canon because I knew that it's your absolute favourite smell cause of the reason I just told you about right now!" said Pinkie at an immensely speedy pace.
Fluttershy stared at Pinkie, completely astonished.
"Oh my goodness. How in the name of Celestia did Pinkie Pie notice all those things last Hearth's Warming? How did she notice my nose twitching? How did she notice my little giggle? Was she secretly watching me the entire time? How sweet of her to figure all of that out just for me. That is, I hope it's just for me..." Fluttershy thought to herself as she tried to process Pinkie's ridiculously fast and elongated sentence.
"T-that's so sweet of you, Pinkie. Everything's just wonderful" said Fluttershy softly.
Pinkie Pie gave out her usual beaming smile in response to Fluttershy's compliment; the classic, cartoonish squeak resonated as the corners of Pinkie's mouth turned up.
Just as Pinkie opened up her eyes again after her humongous smile, she noticed that a small, leafy branch with white berries on it was hanging above Fluttershy's kitchen doorway.
"Hey, what's that thing? I can't remember putting one of those into the canon" said Pinkie Pie as she pointed towards the mystery shrub.
Fluttershy lead her eyes towards where Pinkie's hoof was pointing, then she gracefully trotted over to the alcove. The dainty pegasus pony analysed the plant for a moment before realising what it was.
"Oh my, this is a mistletoe branch, Pinkie. They only grow around this time of year, but it's very rare to find it growing in Ponyville" Fluttershy explained.
"Mistle-huh?" Pinkie Pie asked as she tilted her head to one side in confusion.
"Mistletoe. They grow in the branches of hawthorn, apple, poplar, lime and conifer trees, and they're becoming quite popular as a Hearth's Warming decoration" said Fluttershy knowingly.
Pinkie seemed to be hanging on every word that Fluttershy said; she loved how much Fluttershy knew about nature.
"Aw, it's a really pretty plant! And I've never seen white berries before!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Fluttershy stood directly underneath the branch as she admired it.
"I've never even seen a mistletoe plant before. I've only ever read about them in those flora books that Twilight gave to me. I think I have four of the same book now thanks to her" said Fluttershy whilst giggling to herself.
Pinkie would usually be laughing alongside her friend at this point, but she stood silently whilst drinking in every second of Fluttershy's delectable laugh instead.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Why have I never noticed how absolutely adorable Fluttershy's laugh is? I'm the element of laughter for crying out loud, surely I should've noticed a cute laugh by this stage! Okay, but-HOLY MOTHER OF CELESTIA! Her little nose crinkle is the cutest thing I've ever seen! And I once saw Gummy in a ballet dress! And the way she tucks her mane behind her ear? I. DON'T. EVEN. KNOW. WHERE. TO. BEGIN!" thought Pinkie as she continued to beam at her decorating companion.
She let out a small smile from the side of her mouth before breathing deeply; she was in awe, but she didn't understand why.
Just as Fluttershy ceased her giggling, a singular berry from the mistletoe branch hit her on the head before falling to the floor. She gave out a small squeal of fright at the unknown object, but she soon calmed herself when she realised what had hit her.
"Are you okay, Fluttershy?" asked Pinkie in a concerned tone of voice.
"No need to worry, it was only a small berry" said Fluttershy in response.
Then, at the exact same moment, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both reached their heads down to grab the fallen berry from the floor. As they reached closer to the floor, their heads collided together resulting in a synchronised "oof" from the two ponies.
"Oh gosh Fluttershy I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" asked Pinkie speedily. Fluttershy laughed as she rubbed her head with her hoof.
"Don't worry, Sweetie Pie, I'm fine. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Fluttershy responded.
"Don't be silly, filly! I've had plenty of bumps to the head before no- wait, what did you just call me?" said Pinkie as her train of thought shifted.
"Sweetie Pie? Did she just call me Sweetie Pie? No, surely not. I mean, my name is Pinkie Pie which you could very easily mix up with Sweetie Pie, and I guess I mentioned seeing Sweetie Belle earlier so the name might've just popped into her pretty little head in the moment. But what if it didn't? What if she thinks of me as her Sweetie Pie? What'll I do then? Man, my thoughts are reeeeally loud today, huh?" thought Pinkie as she awaited a response from Fluttershy.
"Um-w-what?" Fluttershy said at long last.
"Haha! I could've sworn you just called me Sweetie Pie, Fluttershy! I guess it's cause I make sweets and I'm a Pie, right?" responded Pinkie enthusiastically.
"Wait, w-what did I just call her? Oh my goodness, did I call her Sweetie Pie? Oh no, how embarrassing! C-come on, Fluttershy. Don't make this awkward in front of Pinkie" speculated Fluttershy as she pondered over a response to give to Pinkie.
"S-Sweetie Pie? Oh, well you did mention seeing Sweetie Belle this morning, so I guess her name was just on my mind" lied Fluttershy.
"N-not that you're not sweet. Because you are. You're very sweet, Pinkie. And the cottage looks beautiful. It was so kind of you to help decorate; and I thought kindness was my thing" she joked.
Pinkie Pie was taken aback slightly from the compliments and Fluttershy's cute attempt at humour.
"Aw, you're more than welcome! Anything for you, Fluttershy" Pinkie responded.
Fluttershy blushed at the mention of her name in Pinkie's sentence, and it was only when she looked up that she could see a pair of sparkling blue eyes looking back at her.
"Oh my, I-I never realised how blue Pinkie's eyes are. For somepony so wild and energetic, I'd never have guessed she'd have such soothing and inviting eyes. They're like a calm sea, just waiting for somepony to dive right in. Ooh, I do feel rather dizzy all of a sudden" Fluttershy thought as she continued to marvel at Pinkie's adorable face.
Fluttershy awkwardly drew a figure of eight with her hoof whilst the two ponies stood in complete silence; she felt as though her stomach had suddenly filled with dozens of flapping butterflies.
Pinkie didn't feel much different.
For reasons unknown, Fluttershy was beginning to make Pinkie feel slightly unwell, but in a weirdly good way.
She wanted to be around her, but she had no idea what to say.
Pinkie always knew what to say to everypony, but Fluttershy made her stop and rethink everything.
After a moment of awkward silence, the two mares' eyes finally met.
Pinkie Pie had never felt more nervous around a pony before, and she was so confused about the whole situation.
Fluttershy was her friend, so why all of a sudden was she making her feel this way?
Fluttershy's mane had fallen in front of the left side of her face, so all you could see was half of her adorably flustered smile, and one singular cyan eye.
Without hesitation, Pinkie Pie gently grasped Fluttershy's silky, rose coloured mane and tucked it behind her ear.
Pinkie's hoof slowly brushed against Fluttershy's face, causing Fluttershy's eyes to widen massively.
The two mares felt as though their stomachs could burst as their eyes met and locked.
Fluttershy timidly took Pinkie's hoof in her own before smiling up at her bright pink companion; she'd never felt so comfortable yet so uncomfortable at the same time.
She felt comfortable around the other members of the Mane Six, but Pinkie Pie was different. The gorgeous curls in her mane; the way she bounced everywhere instead of trotting; her ability to make any situation more enjoyable for others; and her stunning smile were what Fluttershy loved the most about Pinkie.
With a sudden bout of confidence, Fluttershy began to pull Pinkie closer towards her. Their mussels were merely inches apart when suddenly-
"Fluttershy! I need your help! Tank refuses to hibernate and he's already three days past his usual winter sleep schedule!"
It was Rainbow Dash, and she was in a anxious state.
The two fillies shook themselves out of their little moment, released hoofs, stepped away from each other, and acted overly casual.
"OH HEY RAINBOW, WHAT'S GOING ON? WAIT, NOTHING'S GOING ON! NOTHING'S HAPPENING HERE! WHY DID YOU ASK ME SUCH A SILLY QUESTION, YOU SILLY FILLY? HA HA! HA HA!" yelled Pinkie Pie as she leant against Fluttershy's bookshelf.
Rainbow Dash lifted an eyebrow in confusion as she looked over at a sweaty Pinkie Pie; she knew that something was slightly amiss.
"Oh, s-sorry Rainbow. I'll be right with you" said Fluttershy timidly.
The yellow pegasus followed her rainbow friend outside of the cottage, giving Pinkie a slight smile before departing.