I remembered what happen when I stepped out of the train and into the bright lights and sounds of Las Pegasues. Parts of me were scared to be surrounded by so many ponies of different sizes and backgrounds, but at the same time there were parts of me excited and elated to come here. This was a big step into becoming me--the me that I wished to project to everyone else.
I used one of my wings to pull out a brush from my bag. Working quickly, I brushed my mane to make myself look presentable before placing it back in. Everywhere I looked, somepony was in their own little world. Making sure I didn't look out of place, I began to walk forward, pretending to be a pegasus who was returning home from a long-extended vacation. But it was impossible to pretend because I wasn't pretending at all.
All the other ponies around me looked and dressed so differently than to what I usually saw in Ponyville. They all held their heads high as they went along on what was their daily lives. They weren't afraid of anything at all. Instead, they relished the feeling of strutting around in whatever they were wearing or doing.
I continued to walk the streets of Las Pegasues as my mind wandered back to how everything happened. It all started with a letter in the mail.
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My name is Fluttershy. I'm a Pegasus that lives in Ponyville. My cutie mark is a set of three pink butterflies and I am the Bearer of the Element of Kindness.
You may not know it, but I'm also very, very shy.
I was taking care of my animal friends by giving their meals for the day. The squirrels were given a large ration of acorns to munch on, the chickens were given grain to peck at, and the mice were nibbling on sunflower seeds. Angel bunny was munching away at a cucumber salad with delight. I was preparing a daisy and dandelion sandwich with tea when I heard a knock on the door.
"Mail call!" cried a voice. "One letter for Miss Fluttershy!"
I walked toward the door and saw the local mailmare Derpy Hooves holding a letter in her mouth. I thanked her and gave her three bits as a tip into her bag. Derpy waved a goodbye and headed off toward her next destination. Once she was nothing but a dot in the sky, I looked at the letter in front of me. There was no return address of any sorts: the only thing that was written on the envelope was my name in fancy calligraphy. Curious as to what it held, I opened it and began to read.
Dear Fluttershy,
Hello there. My name is Light Bringer. Isn't it a wonderful name? I've recently signed up with the Pony Pen Pal Postal Service and they said that my first assignment was to mail a letter to a resident in Ponyville. I decided to send a reply to you, because you're such an interesting pony. Your run as a model for Photo Finish was really inspiring--I want to be a model like you when I grow up!
I blushed as I recalled my time under Photo Finish. It was nice, but I really didn't like the attention at all.
As for me, I'm just your ordinary pony living in Las Pegases. Every morning, I see ponies coming and going to work and fun while I wake up just to head off to school.I go to an all mare boarding school with a uniform an everything. What type of school did you go to? Was it fun? Did you gain a lot of friends there?
Oh! That must've been a lot of questions. Sorry about that. Anyway, I just want to let this be the beginning of what I hope will be a friendship of pony pen pals. Thanks again.
Your Pony Pen Pal,
Light Bringer
I read and reread the letter a few more times before slipping it back into its envelope. This mare took all the trouble to giving me the letter, and it would be highly rude of anypony to not respond to a letter such as that. I decided to write a letter as soon as I finished my sandwich and deliver it to the Pony Pen Pal Postal Service as soon as I possibly could. Imagine that, I was going to have my own pony pen pal. I was happy. I was ecstatic. I wanted to scream for joy!
Instead, I just said, "Whoo-hoo!" in the softest voice I could muster before slipping back into the kitchen for a bite to eat.
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After going through my daisy and dandelion sandwich, I took out my quill pen and began to scribble my reply. I asked Angel to be my personal editor and help me pen down the letter. It took a while for me to get the hang of it, but after ten revisions, Angel nodded his head in approval. I smiled as I read the letter.
Dear Light Bringer,
Thank you oh so much for your letter. I didn't even know we had such a thing as a Pony Pen Pal Postal Service. Are there other ponies throughout Equestria who have pen pals? Do you have friends in Las Pegases that have pen pals?
An all-mare boarding school? That sounds interesting.I went to flying school when I was little. I made a good friend there, Rainbow Dash, but I didn't like going there a lot. I got teased a lot by the other students because I couldn't fly, but I'm learning to overcome my past and become strong.
I'm really glad that you're a fan of my modeling work with Photo Finish, by the way. In truth, all of this happened because of my friend Rarity (she's really good at sewing--she has her own business and everything!) who encouraged me to model. It was fun, but I'm not interested in being in the spotlight. I'd rather be with my friends and all the animals I tend to.
Well, that's all I have to say. I hope this letter makes it to you save and sound.
Your Pony Pen Pal,
Fluttershy
I placed a stamp and wrote Light Bringer's name on the envelope before heading off to the PPPPS (the Pony Pen Pal Postal Service). As I walked, I noticed Rarity and Pinkie Pie in the marketplace, buying from some of the vendors.
"Rarity! Pinkie Pie!" I cried out. "Over here!"
"Fluttershy!" Rarity cried out, walking toward me. "And how are you on this fine afternoon?"
"Just fine. I received a letter from somepony known as Light Bringer from the PPPPS."
"The PPPPS?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "WHOO-HOO!" She jumped around in joy shouting "PPPPS! PPPPS!" a few times before stopping and asked, "What's the PPPPS?"
"The Pony Pen Pal Postal Service," I answered.
"I've never heard of anything like that," said Rarity. "I should know--I receive plenty of packages from the Pony Postal from time to time. I would've known if there was something like this in town."
"It must've opened up recently. Anyway, Light Bringer told me that she lived in Las Pegases and that her first assignment was to send a letter to someone here."
"Assignment?" asked Pinkie Pie. "I thought being pen pals didn't involve homework! Why would you assign someone to just write a letter? If it were me, I'd go straight to the pony herself and give her a party!"
"Well, maybe that's how they run things." I suggested. "I'm heading toward the Post Office right now. Would you care to join me?"
"Of course!" said Rarity. "I'd like to know a bit more about this Pen Pal Service as well."
And so, the three of us walked toward the Post Office. When we opened the door, we were met with the cold breeze of the air conditioner and a line of ponies ready to deliver or receive mail. I looked left and right, trying to see if someone knew about the PPPPS.
"Um, excuse me," I said to an orange Earth Pony mare. "Do you know anything about the PPPPS?"
"The what?" asked the mare. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't now anything about that."
"Oh. Well, thank you anyway."
"I don't see anything that could relate to a PPPPS at all," said Pinkie Pie, looking into a mailing tube. "Hello? PPPPS? Is that you?!"
"Whomever must've sent you the letter might've been pulling your leg, sweetie." Rarity added. "There's nothing in the post office that has anything remotely close to a Pen Pal Service here.
I looked around, but Rarity must've been right. I didn't see anything that relate to Pony Pen Pals at all. Just as I was about to give up, somepony tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, seeing a white unicorn stallion with a long black mane a glasses staring at me. His cutie mark was a set of nine red dots.
"Are you Fluttershy?" The stallion asked, his voice filled with authority. I slowly nodded my head. "Follow me, please."
I quickly told Rarity and Pinkie Pie where I was going and followed the stallion down a hall of doors. It was all so very quiet, and things...didn't seem right. Still, the stallion in front of me continued to walk.
"My name is Red-9, and I run the Ponyville Pony Pen Pal Postal Service." He said. "I couldn't help but overhear that you were looking for us."
"Why, yes I was." I replied. "Someone known as Light Bringer mailed me this letter and I was going to send her my reply. I knew it wouldn't be right to not give her a reply since she took the time to write something for me."
"I'm glad you feel that way," Red-9 told me. We stopped at a door with a sign that read "PPPPPS: red-9" next to it. Red-9 opened the door and told me to sit down. I entered, seeing hundreds and hundreds of photos of ponies of all shapes and sizes. They must've been part of he Pen Pal Service as well.
Red-9 sat behind a desk and shuffled some papers with some of his unicorn magic. His horn began to glow red as he spoke.
"Can I see the letter that you have on you?" He asked me.
"S-sure." I said, retrieving the letter from my satchel. I handed it to him and waited for his response. He inspected the letter thoroughly--or as one could without opening the envelope--before setting it onto his desk. He gave me such a nice smile.
"Well now, I think there's some stuff to go over," He said. "The PPPPS was created for ponies to make new friends by writing letters to one another. There's a Postal Service for this all throughout Equestria ranging from Dodge City and Manehatten all the way to Canterlot and Las Pegases. I'm glad that you've become part of this big family."
"It's no trouble at all" I replied. "Now what?"
"Well, you start writing and finding your own pen pals, of course. But first," Red-9's horn began to glow. "We have to register you for our cause."
There was some flash of red light, then two more. I didn't know how many more came, but it felt like my head was spinning as if I was caught in a hurricane. I couldn't focus...I just...collapsed.
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"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up!"
I woke up with a moan, seeing myself in my bed. Standing near me were Rarity, Pinkie Pie and the others. I looked on in confusion.
"W-where am I?" I asked. "W-what happened?"
"You were found unconscious in the Ponyville Postal Office," Twilight explained. "Somepony found you knocked out and Rarity and Pinkie Pie contacted all of us. We wanted to make sure you're okay."
"We even got you something to eat," said Applejack, showing me a tray of delicious apple desserts and delicacies. "Something to keep your spirits up while you lay in bed for a while."
"Why, thank you." I said. "I'm so sorry for all of that. I didn't mean to worry you."
"It's nothing," said Rainbow Dash. "Just be careful, alright?"
"I will."
"Come one, everypony," said Twilight. "Let's have Fluttershy rest. Get well soon."
"Thanks, everypony," I said in reply, seeing them walk off. I snuggled deep into my blankets, trying to figure out what happened back at the Postal Office. There was Red-9, the glow of his horn, and then...nothing. Had I really been knocked out that long?
That reminds me; I have to find somepony to write a letter to. But who? Who could I talk to?
An idea struck--Applejack has relatives all over Equestria. Maybe I can start there. Or better yet, I can just send a letter to Applebloom for practice. There's nothing wrong with writing letters to people you know, right?
With that thought in mind, I took a bite out of an apple fritter, smelling freshly baked apples and cinnamon with every bite. Then, when I couldn't eat anymore, I fell asleep. In my dreams, I saw myself meeting up with hundreds of pony pen pals and laughing and playing together. I smiled and continued to dream some more.