Butterflies and Balloons

by OneLonelyPickle

Rosy Cheeks

Pinkie Pie careened through Fluttershy’s front door, hit the back wall, and bounced around the living room like a pinball. Miraculously, she didn’t damage a single potted flower or animal friend of Fluttershy’s, although the homeowner was a tad worried.

“O-oh my, Pinkie…” the demure mare said, coming in from the snow and cold of winter, tracking some of it inside with her in the process. Fluttershy looked down and hummed in displeasure.

Pinkie Pie stopped herself mid-flight right in front of Fluttershy and beamed.

“Sorry, Fluttershy, I got a bit too carried away there, haha. But I’m just soooo excited to be staying with you! This is gonna be like an extended sleepover! I’m really glad you offered; I really, really appreciate it!”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“Oh, it’s no trouble, Pinkie. No trouble at all. I love company, and so do the animals. I have a lot of room I never use for anything.”

Fluttershy noticed the snow that Pinkie Pie had tracked in with her rambunctious entrance and grimaced.

“Well,” Fluttershy began, “Why don’t we get straightened away a bit before we head over to the lake?”

Pinkie Pie followed Fluttershy’s eyes and her ears drooped.

“Ahhh! I made a mess - I’m the worst houseguest ever!”

Like a lightning bolt Pinkie zipped over, grabbed a hanging broom and dustpan, and swept up all the snow and dirt. She then tossed it out the front door, all without breaking a sweat. Fluttershy stood motionless, mouth agape.

“W-wow, Pinkie. Maybe you’re one of the best houseguests ever! I could never clean that fast.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Ehh, you put enough chocolate éclair cakes in the oven by accident, which then explode and cover the Cakes’ bakery with enough chocolate filling to feed an army of parasprites, annnnnnnd you’ll get pretty quick at cleaning up!”

Pinkie became crestfallen and stared in Fluttershy’s eyes.

“And by the way, I know you seem cool and all with me staying here, but I promise it won’t be that long. Mr. Cake told me the pony from Baltimare who knows how to get rid of sugar mites should be here in no time!”

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled.

“Don’t even mention it, Pinkie. It’s truly no issue. I’m just as happy to have you here as you are happy to be here! I mean, that was why you tackled my front door, right?”

Pinkie blushed.

“Hehe, yeah, I do that sometimes.” Pinkie looked to her left, then right. She cocked her head. “Where’s Gummy?”

At the mention of his name, Gummy the toothless alligator, behatted in a blue and white tuque, popped out of Pinkie’s mane and stared blankly at the wall. Pinkie reached out and placed him on the ground. Fluttershy giggled.

“There he is. Angel!”

Fluttershy called out to her favoritest widdle white bunny in the whole wide world, and he came hopping along, wearing his own little red and pink hat. He jumped up onto Fluttershy’s back.

“Oh, Angel. Can you stay here and keep Gummy company? He’s not familiar with the other animals.” Angel frowned, took off his hat, and looked angrily at Gummy, who just blinked off in some random direction.

“I’m just going to quickly unpack my things so we can go!” Pinkie started, moving towards the couch. “Is it okay if I put my stuff by here? I assume I’m sleeping here.”

As Pinkie started to remove her saddlebags, Fluttershy stopped her with a cry.

“No!”

Pinkie jumped up and looked back with a confused expression. Fluttershy blushed and stepped back.

“Uhh, I mean, I’d feel bad putting you on my couch, P-Pinkie. You can sleep upstairs with me if you’re comfortable.”

Pinkie blinked at Fluttershy.

“Oh,” was all Pinkie said. The two stared at one another for longer than Fluttershy would have liked, and she looked away with another hot flash on her cheeks. Finally, Pinkie Pie squealed and then spoke.

“What was I thinking! Of course, that’s a much better idea! It’ll be like a real slumberparty that way!”

Pinkie ran upstairs and Fluttershy remained, still feeling strange after the staring incident. She let out an uneasy sigh and whispered to Angel.

“Gosh, I thought I was getting better at looking ponies in the eye since meeting Twilight all those years ago, Angel, but it still makes me feel woozy sometimes.”

Angel squeaked away a little bunny response and Fluttershy nodded, seemingly in understanding.

“Right.” Fluttershy finished with a softer whisper as she heard Pinkie descend the stairs. “Nopony’s perfect.”

“Ready to go now, Fluttershy!” Pinkie announced, standing at the foot of the stairs with a wide grin. Fluttershy returned the expression in her own, less-overt way.

“Okay, let’s go!”

Fluttershy and Pinkie admired how winter had treated Ponyville as the pair leisurely strolled towards Saddle Lake on the other side of town. The trees were blanketed white, woodland critters peacefully made their homes amidst the snow and ice, and the sun peaked shyly through the grey clouds. Ponies cantered down the streets, busy with one task or another.

“I’m telling you, Fluttershy! I saw it!”

“Hmm, are you sure Pinkie? I mean, ummm, I thought sugar mites only ate, umm, sugar.”

Pinkie cried, “Yeah, so did I, but then I saw them start to eat my bed, my table, and my rug, and I figured, maybe they’ll want to eat me too! So, I took Gummy and ran to your place!”

A stray thought entered Fluttershy’s mind, it was odd, but she blurted it out anyway.

“Maybe the sugar mites went for you because you’re so sweet, Pinkie.”

Fluttershy immediately regretted her choice of words and stopped, turning a deep shade of red. Pinkie, however, didn’t take it in a weird way and giggled.

“Thanks, Fluttershy. That could be the reason!”

Pinkie stopped too and looked at Fluttershy with wide eyes.

“Wait, maybe that really IS the reason! I’m too sweet!”

Fluttershy raised a hoof.

“Umm, no I don’t thi—”

Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy’s shoulders and looked the yellow pegasus right in the eyes.

“Seriously, Fluttershy! Do you know what this MEANS?!”

Fluttershy tried her best to look Pinkie in the eyes, but she couldn’t hold the gaze for long. Something about Pinkie’s cerulean irises made Fluttershy look away. If she looked too long, Fluttershy’s cheeks became warm and tight, and she felt a strange feeling in her stomach.

Eventually, though, Fluttershy managed a response.

“Umm, no, I don’t know what it means, Pinkie.”

Pinkie took a deep breath and then let out all her thoughts at once in rapid succession.

“ItMeansIHaveToBeLessSweetFromNowOnWhichMeansIHaveToBeALittleMeanWhichMeansIMightAsWellBeReallyMeanAnd” — Pinkie paused to take in huge gulps of air into her deflated lungs — "IfIAmReallyMeanIWon’tHaveAnyFriendsAndNoponyWillWantToBeAroundMeAnd IfNoponyWantsToBeAroundMeICan’tThrowAnyParties!”

Fluttershy nodded and stared at Pinkie, not knowing what to say. Eventually she realized she was looking into Pinkie’s eyes again and turned away, clearing her throat.

“Well, uhh, I think you’re looking into this too much, Pinkie.”

Pinkie released Fluttershy and chuckled.

“Hah, maybe you’re right! I guess I was overreacting!”

Pinkie suddenly gasped. Fluttershy turned to see what it was.

“Applejack and Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie cried with gusto.

Indeed, the two mares were heading in the same direction as Pinkie and Fluttershy. They seemed to be in the middle of a disagreement.

“All ah’m gonna say is, you might be the fastest pony in the sky,” Applejack said, annoyed, “but earth ponies reign supreme down on the ground! If you think you can beat me on the ice, you’ve got another thing coming, missy.”

Rainbow Dash blew air out of the side of her mouth. “Pshhh, I can beat you on the ice with two hooves tied behind my back! Come on, AJ, don’t embarrass yourself!” Rainbow finished with a chuckle.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash noticed their friends approaching and briefly lightened up.

“Howdy, Pinkie, Fluttershy.”

“Sup gals?”

All four mares engaged in conversation, most of it being centred around which of Applejack or Rainbow Dash would be the best ice skater. Finally, Rainbow Dash challenged Applejack directly, a dangerous fire in the pegasus’s magenta eyes.

“Fine! You want a race? Well, you got one! You and me, ten laps around the edge of Saddle Lake!”

Applejack smiled and furrowed her brow.

“Why not make it a hundred, unless you’re chicken?”

Applejack got onto her back hooves and flapped her front hooves like wings. She clucked as she strutted back and force. Pinkie started waving a hoof back in forth.

“Ooo, ooo, are we playing chicken? I want to play too!”

Pinkie joined Applejack in the chicken pantomime. Both mares yelped and bickered like hens, and even Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle. Rainbow stewed.

“Fine!” she roared. “Hundred laps it is!”

Applejack returned to all four hooves and laughed. “A pegasus tryna beat an earth pony on the earth!” she said while shaking her head, “Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, keep them peepers wiiide open because you’re about to watch me put Ms. Ah’m-The-Best-at-Everythin’ in her place!”

Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Weee! A race! I call ref!” The mares, excluding Fluttershy, broke off into a gallop, as Saddle Lake was just over a hill. Fluttershy, however, remained at a steady trot. Her mouth was slanted, and she studied the snow on the ground as she meandered forward.

Whatever could be coming over me? I’m never that awkward around Pinkie Pie… I mean in the past, maybe, before Twilight came along, but…

Fluttershy hadn’t noticed she was standing atop the hill next to Saddle Lake. All five of her friends were just below. Twilight Sparkle was tying up her special, extra-secure skates with her magic, deep in focus with her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. The other mares wore typical, pony ice skates — no laces. On the ice, Rarity glided back and forth, from one end of the lake to the other, humming to herself.

“Ahhh!” Rarity announced, “Look, Twilight! The girls are here! Feast your eyes, ladies!” Rarity struck a pose mid-glide, bringing her forehooves up above her and using only her backhooves to skate.

“I call this: The Swan Dance of the Elegant Miss Rarity!”

Rarity closed her eyes and began to spin. She made a little jump and twirled, shifting her body down so that her forehooves formed an arch over the ice while she skated. Fluttershy joined Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie beside the lake. All four mares “ooo’d” and “awe’d” as they watched Rarity’s performance.

Rarity’s mane flip-flopped back and forth as she turned and turned like a little music box ballerina.

“Da daaaaaa!” she sang out loud. Twilight called from the other side of the lake.

“Rarity! Watch ou—”

Rarity had picked up so much speed that she skated right off the ice and slammed into a snowbank with an audible puff.

“Bahahahhaa!” Rainbow Dash burst into laughter. “Nice dance, Rarity!”

Applejack snickered.

“Sure as shoot hope you don’t skate like that, Rainbow, heh.”

Pinkie was caught in a fit of giggles as she watched her friend’s accident, but Fluttershy’s eyes were transfixed on Pinkie, her bouncing pink mane, and the white and blue stripped scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.

Why am I being so weird with Pinkie today? I’m never like this normally… am I?

Fluttershy couldn’t remember the last time it was just her and Pinkie alone like it had been earlier. Sure, things felt normal enough when all six mares were together, but Fluttershy couldn’t shake her thoughts. With a blank stare she took off her saddlebags, grabbed her skates, and started to put them on, still deep in her own mind.

I mean, maybe it’s just because Pinkie Pie was forced out of her room thanks to the sugar mites. That’s got to be it! I’m just worried about her!

Fluttershy remembered where she was and what she was doing. With a quick shutting of her eyes and a shake of her head, she relaxed and returned to reality. She smiled as Twilight skated over, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie having piled onto the ice already.

“Hey, Fluttershy. You okay?” Twilight’s expression softened. “You looked deep in thought from where I was standing.”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“O-of course!” she responded, not as confidently as she would have liked, “I’m excellent, Twilight!” Fluttershy avoided eye contact as long as she could with Twilight before she felt like she was being judged. She reluctantly met eyes with her friend and smiled so wide and tight that her cheeks hurt. Twilight cringed ever so slightly and smiled back.

“Welllll, alrighty then!” Twilight turned around and started to skate towards the middle of the lake. “Come join us as soon as you’ve got your skates on, Fluttershy!” she called out. Fluttershy signed and stared out at the ice at the girls.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were essentially blurs, taking turns chasing each other’s tail as they raced around the circumference of the lake. Rarity had plopped out of the snowbank, covered in snow, and ready to kill the next pony to mention how ruined her coiffure was. Twilight was in her own little world, gingerly testing out her balance, out of the way of the race. And Pinkie…

Pinkie was…

She was looking right at Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie was standing in the middle of the ice, and she was supposed to be refereeing for Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but instead she was staring at Fluttershy. The yellow mare wondered for how long Pinkie had been staring, and why. Fluttershy’s face grew ever so hot. She simply couldn’t hold Pinkie’s gaze.

“Hey, Fluttershy!?” she heard Pinkie yell, “Are you coming on the ice at some point?”

Fluttershy cleared her throat and replied shakily, “Y-yes, just getting my skates on, I’ll be on in a minute!”

Fluttershy buried away all the thoughts about Pinkie and the weird feelings. She finished putting on her skates and got onto the ice. Her hooves needed only a moment to adjust. Fluttershy wasn’t the best skater, but she did enjoy it.

The afternoon, and the skating mares on ice, floated along as the day stretched on. Eventually the sun became big, fiery, and red on the horizon somewhere far away. A golden blanket covered the outskirts of Ponyville.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were completely out of breath, manes and coats frazzled and licked with sweat.

“Ah-Ah’ll be a… centaur’s uncle… Rainbow…” Applejack managed, wiping her brow with a hoof that held her Stetson. Rainbow plopped down on the snow and stuck out her tongue in exasperation.

“Y-yeah… 100 laps… 100 ties…”

Twilight rolled her eyes, gathering up her things with her magic.

“You two are ridiculous. How many physical challenges does it take for you to realize you’re evenly matched?”

Rarity nodded in agreement.

“And to let yourself get to such a state in the process! I certainly would never stoop to such levels to prove such a silly point.” Rarity laughed in an elite, elegant tone. “The fastest skater—hah! Ice skating is about grace and beauty, not brute speed and force!”

She watched Applejack spit on her hoof to smooth back her hair and Rainbow burp while cracking her neck. Rarity grimaced.

“Of course, grace and beauty aren’t the objectives of… every pony, it seems.”

Twilight giggled and nudged Rarity along. Behind the four mares, Pinkie and Fluttershy were aimlessly moving around on Saddle Lake. The sun was casting its glowing gaze on the two mares, so that Pinkie’s coat looked pinkish-orange, and Fluttershy’s just looked orange.

“Well, umm,” Fluttershy began with a clearing of her throat. She looked at Pinkie’s cheek because she didn’t want to risk their eyes meeting. “Guess we should go, too.”

Pinkie smiled wide and leaned her body to the left to start a figure eight.

“Ya think?” Pinkie said with a giggle. “I mean, this is pretty fun, and now we got the lake all to ourselves!” Fluttershy swallowed. She looked over to her departing friends, who stopped to look back and inquire on the remaining two of the bunch.

“Pinkie? Fluttershy?” Applejack called out. “You two comin’?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply but Pinkie spoke first.

“No, you girls go on ahead! We’re gonna stay a bit longer!”

Rainbow called back.

“Suit yourselves! After that workout, I don’t want to see another patch of ice until next winter!”

Fluttershy watched the four mares crest the hill, and then they were gone. It was just her and Pinkie on the ice. Pinkie completed her figure eight with a jubilant hum. Fluttershy sort of pushed herself along, not quite sure what to do or say now that she was alone with Pinkie.

Why do I feel awkward again? This is Pinkie Pie. PINKIE. PIE.

Fluttershy swerved on the ice to turn her entire body around. When she saw behind her, Pinkie was right there, grinning. She was just a hoof away.

“Heya. I want to try something neat, okay?” Pinkie asked in her usual pep. Fluttershy felt compelled to look at the ice. Her cheeks were simmering.

“O-oh?”

Pinkie continued to hum as she sat on her rump and worked the skates off of her front hooves. Fluttershy looked with anxiety, moreso because she knew how crazy Pinkie’s ideas of fun could be, and not just because of the weird way she was feeling towards Pinkie that day.

Eventually, Pinkie was left with only the skates on her back hooves. She slid the skates she removed over to the side of the lake and threw up her hooves in encouragement.

“Alright Fluttershy, your turn! Take ‘em off!”

Fluttershy cocked her head, now so enraptured in whatever Pinkie was planning, she forgot about the flush of her cheeks.

“Umm, why, Pinkie?”

Pinkie laughed.

“Just do it, Fluttershy! Truuuust me!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat and sat down on her behind.

“Well, o-okay then, Pinkie. I-if you say so.”

Fluttershy delicately removed her front skates with a light smile. She carefully but wobblily managed to skate back to the side of the lake on just her back hooves and deposited her skates beside her saddlebag.

“Alright now come here!” Pinkie called out. Fluttershy wobbled her way back to Pinkie Pie. She carefully sat down once more and stared at Pinkie expectantly.

“No, closer!” Pinkie chimed. Fluttershy felt the heat return to her face.

“C-closer?” she inquired. She remembered how she couldn’t look the pink mare in the eyes. Pinkie sighed.

“Fine, I’ll just come to you!”

Fluttershy sucked in her lips and stared blankly at Pinkie’s coat as the party pony butt-scooted into Fluttershy’s personal space. Pinkie reached out and grasped Fluttershy’s fore hooves. Pinkie’s grip was firm, but in a way that felt calculated. Like she knew just the right amount of force to use so that she didn’t hurt Fluttershy.

“Okay, now we need to stand up! On the count of three; one, two—”

Fluttershy realized what was happening and began to interject.

“W-wait Pinkie, I—”

“THREE!”

With impressive force, Pinkie hoisted Fluttershy up by her forehooves. They each stood on two shaky hooves, quite unponylike, as if they were newborn fawns.

It was a wonder that they didn’t topple over immediately, but Fluttershy was able to maintain just enough balance to stay upright as she held onto Pinkie’s hooves for dear life. Pinkie managed the same.

Fluttershy’s eyes were fixed onto their skates, which were stuck in a ridiculous display of constant movement back and forth like they were trying to stop from slipping on a big puddle of oil.

“W-whoa, P-Pinkie—w-whoa, uhh, this is—!”

Pinkie responded with a shaky voice.

“Flutter—j-just wait, move that way—no the other w—”

“L-like thi—WAHH!”

The two mares lost their hooves beneath them and fell tail over head backwards. Fluttershy went from looking at her shifty legs to an ember-colored sky in the blink of an eye. Just a hoofful of clouds slowly drifted by. Her head felt fuzzy. Fluttershy blinked. Time stopped.

Finally, she heard Pinkie burst out into laughter. A rumbling, snorty, gleeful laughter. It made Fluttershy smile.

And then, before she knew it, Fluttershy was laughing as well. Her heart felt free as vibrations from her mirth rattled her chest. She lost control of the part of her that prevented such displays, out of terror somepony might notice her acting odd. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and so did Pinkie.

Time slipped by. Fluttershy swore there were tears at the corners of her eyes. She rolled over at the same time as Pinkie and the two locked eyes.

“T-that was…” Pinkie began, holding in another chuckle, “Hilarious! Hahaha!”

Fluttershy tittered like a filly.

“Oh Pinkie, you were right! That WAS fun!”

The last vestiges of joy drizzled out in much the same way that the last of the sunlight faded. It wasn’t long before the two mares were en route to Fluttershy’s cottage, a hesitant moon aloft in the sky near the horizon.

"We need to do that again sometime!" Pinkie declared as the two trotted side by side. Fluttershy turned her head.

"Oh? The, umm, hoof-holding thing?"

Fluttershy turned back around and smiled to herself. Pinkie replied with a cheerful "Mhm!"

By the time they reached the tree that Fluttershy called home, only a flicker of moonlight teased its presence over the imposing canopy of the Everfree Forest. Both mares piled inside, and after a quick supper, headed straight to bed.

The exhaustion of the day took its toll on both mares -- neither one had time to fuss about their usual bedtime rituals. Fluttershy, for all her anxiety about Pinkie earlier, couldn't keep her eyes open as she crawled into bed with a yawn.

"Goodnight, Pinkie," she said, nestling into her buttery-smooth pillow with one final sigh for the day. Pinkie mumbled her response.

"Guh nuh..." She started snoring right after that. Neither mare was awake for longer than a minute after their heavy heads hit the pillows.