//------------------------------// // The Greatest Discovery Ever // Story: The Queen of Hearts // by Pumpernickel Rye //------------------------------// The Greatest Discovery Ever It took several days for their friends to convince Pinkie and Fluttershy that they weren’t being hunted by Chrysalis as they believed it was only a Nightmare Night prank, which was only half the truth. While Chrysalis found amusement in their renowned fear of her, she began to regret it when Pinkie stopped showing up to work for a while. She was glad to have her working again, but she noticed something was off with the girl. She figured that she was still nervous about her encounter during Nightmare Night, so she didn’t ask her about it. Chrysalis decided to follow Luna’s advice and tried acting nicer towards Pinkie. However, the problem was that Pinkie liked Cherub, not Chrysalis, so their friendship wasn't exactly real. Pinkie kept trying to dig into her fake personal life, so Chrysalis made up a few things about it while keeping as vague as possible. Besides this occasional annoyance, she took some satisfaction in the pony’s company, which was something she had never thought would happen in her lifetime. Pinkie knew how to make things lively and sometimes the pranks she performed on the local ponies were something that Chrysalis had found to be funny. She sometimes even went out for dinner with her after work so they could talk and hang out, which she preferred over her nights alone. Chrysalis decided to take her social activity further by communicating with Luna. Every night after closing, she would write to the princess. When they weren’t discussing the current issues with the changelings, they talked about their personal lives along with other topics of interest. Whenever Luna wasn’t busy with politics, she tried to learn more about the modern world, taking a great interest in history and modern technology. As much as Chrysalis enjoyed talking to her, she had to avoid anything concerning her false backstory and would only talk about anything interesting that happened during work. She even discovered about Luna’s ability to enter dreams, which caused her to absolutely panic and force Luna into promising that she would stay out of her mind for personal reasons. Just a couple weeks after Nightmare Night, the princess came for a visit and they talked over a cup of tea at Chrysalis’s workplace. As much as she enjoyed her company, like Pinkie, Luna was only interested in Cherub, not Chrysalis. Still, she did enjoy having her around as she tried to learn more about Luna’s life after the Nightmare Moon incident in interest of seeing how she managed to keep her title despite what happened. As far as her master plan was going, progress was finally beginning to show. The love channeling from the town reached a point where she could simply feed from the comfort of her own bed, which was a luxury that she wished she could bestow upon all her subjects. Chrysalis even noticed that she was a little curvier in appearance from being around the fuel constantly and was glad she didn’t look like she was carapace and bone anymore, admiring her fuller figure. She made a serious mental note to ensure she didn’t gain any more weight when the love further increased. Today, the changeling was busy violating the privacy of her lone employee’s desk. She had a few minutes to spare and became curious of what Pinkie had kept in there. She opened one of the drawers and found a large stash of candy inside, which she took a hoofful for herself before she closed it. She opened the drawer under it and was greeted by loud party streamers and confetti shooting out, nearly causing her to fall out of her chair. Pinkie seemed to be ready for a party wherever and whenever. She looked into the large bottom drawer and saw another stash. Inside were small model toys of Pinkie, her friends, the princesses, and one that reminded her of Spike’s Nightmare Night costume, which she assumed to be Discord. Chrysalis wasn’t sure whether Pinkie had made these or had bought them. The pony would usually play with the ones that looked like her friends and sometimes even talk to them as if there were really there. She rummaged through the toys, wondering where or how Pinkie acquired all of them. There seemed to have a great amount of effort put into them and captured every detail precisely. Then she saw something on the bottom and pulled it out, gasping when she held it. In her hoof was a model of herself as Queen Chrysalis. She examined it in fascination, admiring how it was almost exactly like her. It even had the holes in her legs placed correctly. She was so tempted to keep it for herself, but she was sure Pinkie would notice it missing. Chrysalis then had an idea. She looked over at the windows and made sure the blinds were closed. She reached back into the drawer and pulled out the Celestia and Twilight models. “Hi, I’m big butt Celestia,” she said in a mocking voice as she held the Sun Princess, “and I am the stupid princess who runs the land filled with stupid ponies!” She brought over the Twilight model. “And I’m her favorite flank kissing student, Toilet Sprinkle!” She brought the Twilight model’s face towards and away from Celestia’s butt, imitating kissing sounds. “By my calculations, your butt is big enough to cause a total solar eclipse! I know this because I is smart!” Chrysalis then laughed evilly as she brought her own toy over. “Tremble, puny ponies, for I have returned!” “Oh no!” cried Celestia in Chrysalis’s voice. “Twilight, go get the elements of whatever, for I am too weak and useless to defeat the almighty Queen Chrysalis by myself!” “Do not even bother, Twilight. Your friends have realized how much of a loser you really are and have left you. As for me, I actually made a new friend!” She then brought out the Nightmare Moon model. “Luna, why?” Twilight cried pathetically. “Fools! Chrysalis helped me realize my true potential and I don’t need either of you anymore! Now bow before our might!” She made a zapping sound as she knocked over Celestia and Twilight. “I now claim Equestria in the name of the changelings!” she said as she held her figure over them. The real Chrysalis squealed in delight from all the fun she was having and wished this was actually happening. Twilight got back up. “I’m not done yet, not while I still have my kung-hoof skills!” Chrysalis laughed. “Try all you want! Resistance is…wait a minute.” She realized that she had neither picked the Twilight toy back up or had said what she had heard. She saw that the model was being held by somepony else and when she looked at the face of the pony, she flew out of the chair. “Pinkie, what are you doing here!?” Pinkie giggled loudly. “I work here, silly! Do you want to keep playing? This is so much fun!” “No thanks, I’m done.” Chrysalis quickly walked back to her desk, trying to cover her face with her hair as she was completely embarrassed. She wasn’t sure what was worse: the fact she was caught playing with children’s toys or the fact she was actually enjoying it. Pinkie sat at her desk and resumed the fight, making fighting sound effects while Chrysalis watched. “It seems we are evenly matched,” said Pinkie imitating Chrysalis. “Yeah, we need a tie breaker or something,” said Twilight. Pinkie then brought out Discord. “Greetings, everypony! I have returned to do good stuff like making it rain chocolate milk and…say. What’s your name, pretty lady?” She faked a giggle. “My name is Chrysalis and all I want is love.” The real Chrysalis stared daggers at the pony. “Don’t worry. I can give you all the love you want!” Pinkie proceeded to bring the two figures together, making kissing sounds as she rubbed their faces together. “Pinkie, it’s time to put your toys away,” Chrysalis commanded in a friendly voice. The pony stopped and looked up at her. “But Ms. Cherub, I still have to do their wedding!” “PUT THEM AWAY BEFORE I BREAK THEM!” Pinkie hastily grabbed the toys and shoved them back into their drawer. When she finished, she gave Chrysalis an innocent grin, which only caused her boss to groan. They sat quietly for a minute until Pinkie spoke. “Ms. Cherub?” Chrysalis let out a sigh. “Yes, Pinkie?” “Can I ask you something?” “What’s on your mind?” She worried that Pinkie had listened to too much while she was playing and was getting suspicious. But then again, the pony was not very sharp. “I’ve been feeling weird around one of my friends.” Pinkie seemed to be both embarrassed and unsure. Chrysalis arched an eyebrow at her. “Which one and how weird?” “Fluttershy. It’s just whenever I’m around her, sometimes I feel really warm and sometimes I get nervous." Chrysalis gave it some thought as even this seemed strange of Pinkie. “You have? When did this start happening?” Pinkie thought intensely. “It started on Nightmare Night when I ran to Fluttershy’s house after I ran into Chrysalis.” “For the last time, that was probably somepony pulling your leg,” Chrysalis huffed. “No, it really was her! And she stole all of my candy!” She could see that her boss was not persuaded. “Anyway, so when I hid with Fluttershy, we kind of cuddled and I liked it and now I keep thinking about her all the time and one of the reasons I didn’t leave her home for a few days was that I just wanted to be with her and the last two weeks I just wanted to keep hanging out with her more and more and I keep thinking of how cute she is!” Pinkie took a few breaths after having just emptying her lungs. “I’m so confused! Why do I like her so much more now!?” Chrysalis had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but she needed to be sure as she wasn’t getting a clear reading. “How much do you like her exactly?” “More than my other friends. Please don’t tell them! They might get jealous!” “I won’t,” Chrysalis promised. “Now Pinkie, we’re going to do a quick exercise.” “You mean like gymnastics?” The changeling laughed, loving moments like these with Pinkie. “No, nothing like that. I want you to close your eyes and imagine everything I tell you is happening.” “That sounds like fun!” Pinkie closed her eyes and excitedly awaited to play along. Chrysalis cleared her throat and spoke in a soothing voice, “You are in your bedroom and you are lying on your bed, enjoying some peace and quiet after a long day at work. The door opens and there stands Fluttershy.” “Hi, Fluttershy!” greeted Pinkie while waving her hoof with her eyes remaining closed. "How do you think she looks?” The pony shrugged. “She looks normal to me.” “Does she have a certain attraction on you?” There was no answer. “Pinkie?” “Yes.” A certain emotion was being produced from the mare and Chrysalis was very pleased with the fact she was right. She continued to speak as she fed. “She closes the door and approaches you with a seductive look in her eyes.” “What does seductive mean?” “Focus. She climbs on top of you and gives you a hug. How do you feel?” “I like it! Hugs are great!” Chrysalis chuckled as it was clear the pony had no idea what was coming next. “Now she pulls back a bit and then she does something very surprising.” “What does she do?" She wiggled around in her chair while keeping her eyes closed. "Give me a birthday present!?” “She kisses you on the mouth.” Pinkie stopped moving and crimson appeared on her face. “W-wha?” “She rubs against your body as she puts her tongue in your mouth to play with yours and you both lay there for quite some time. Do you like this?” She could see the pony biting her lip. “Do you like this?” “Y-yes.” “Do you want to be with Fluttershy?” “Yes.” “How badly?” “More than anything.” “Open your eyes.” Pinkie opened her eyes and Chrysalis clapped her hooves. “Congratulations, Pinkie. You’re in love!” The Element of Laughter produced a very long gasp and then grew a gigantic smile. Chrysalis knew that this might have been very strange for the pony to have these feelings for the pegasus, but Pinkie could handle this easily. Pinkie already was very close to Fluttershy and she would let nature take its course, reaping the reward in the end all for herself. “With who?” Chrysalis immediately froze. “I-I’m sorry?” she asked through clenched teeth. “Who am I in love with, Cherub? I need to know!” “Isn’t it obvious!?” Pinkie shook her head. “Which stallion is it? I can’t think of who it is!” “Maybe it’s a girl you should be thinking about.” The pony scratched the back of her head with a confused look on her face. “Why would it be a girl? That doesn’t make any sense at all!” Chrysalis dug her face into her hooves, knowing exactly what was wrong. With her magic, she turned the sign on the window to “Closed.” “Pinkie, we’re going to have a talk.” Pinkie looked worried. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” The false unicorn just smiled and shook her head. “No, Pinkie. I’m just going to teach you about something important.” She pointed to the seat in front of her, which Pinkie eagerly sat in. “But while we’re on the subject, you seriously need to stop going around and telling ponies that for our jobs, you and I like to make love.” “But isn’t that what we do?” “Technically yes, but pick a better choice of words. Anyway, we’re going to talk about homosexuality.” Pinkie looked at her with extreme curiosity. “What’s that?” “It’s when one pony of one gender is physically attracted to another pony of the same gender.” She noticed Pinkie had stopped bouncing, likely trying to process the information. “You see, I think you are a lesbian.” “Lesbian?” the pony asked while tilting her head. “It means that you are a mare who falls in love with other mares. The reason you've been feeling strange around your friend is that you’re in love with Fluttershy.” Chrysalis watched Pinkie sitting there, completely still. She was wondering if she broke her brain or something as she wasn’t doing anything. Suddenly, Pinkie started laughing. “Is there something funny?” “Yeah, mares can’t love other mares! That’s just silly!” “Yes they can. Remember when we had those costumers that wanted a special somepony that was the same gender as them? I lied when I said they just wanted to be friends. They’re actually gay.” The pony suddenly ceased. “But-” “Pinkie, Lyra and Bon-Bon are actually lovers. I’m surprised you haven’t caught on after all this time.” “No, they’re just kissing friends!” she protested. Chrysalis chuckled at her, amused by how dumb she could be sometimes. “Believe me when I say that they do a lot more together than just kiss. I heard they’re getting married in a couple of months.” Pinkie was dumbfounded. “So I like…girls?” “Yes, Pinkie. You do.” “And stallions can like stallions?” “That is also correct.” She saw Pinkie once again remain still, wondering what could have possibly been going through the pony’s mind for her to not react at all. Suddenly, Pinkie’s entire body started to quake and Chrysalis took cover under the desk, expecting the worst. “This. Is.” Pinkie launched herself into the air. “The greatest discovery ever!” Chrysalis came out and sighed with relief, grateful that she didn’t have to take her to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. “I’m glad to see that you are so accepting of the news.” Pinkie was jumping across the entire room, shrieking with joy. “This is amazing! I always thought stallions and mares always had to be together. Why haven’t I heard about this before!?” The changeling let out a friendly laugh. “You probably weren’t paying as much attention as you should have. But now that we’re done, why don’t you-" “This is the most exciting news ever! I need to tell everypony that I’m a lesbian!” She immediately dashed towards the door. “What!? No, Pinkie, you can’t-” She had already disappeared. “…leave.” Chrysalis shrugged and decided to get to work while she waited for her to return, wondering what she had just unleashed onto Ponyville. Twilight placed a massive stack of papers on the table and wiped the sweat off her brow. “Okay, Spike, I think that’s the last of it.” “Great. Now excuse me while I go catch up on sleep.” He yawned as he reached for his bed, but was pulled away by Twilight’s magic. “Not so fast. I need you to write a quick letter.” “But Twilight, that report took all night and I’m really tired,” the dragon whined. “Just one quick letter, Spike, and then you can go to bed.” Spike huffed, knowing he had no choice. “Fine.” He took out a piece of paper and a quill. “Let’s hear it.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Dear Mom and Dad, I-” She was interrupted by the sound of the library’s front door being flung open. Pinkie barged in and yelled, “Guess what? I’m a lesbian, Twilight!” She then vanished as quickly as she came. Twilight stood in silence, completely bewildered by what had just happened. “That was…interesting. Anyway, back to the letter.” She noticed Spike’s hands were empty while he was walking away. “Where’s the letter?” “I sent it. I made sure I got the lesbian thing down, too.” He didn’t look at her when he spoke, desperate to go count sheep. Before he reached his destination, Twilight pinned him to the floor in complete panic. “Why did you do that!?” “I-I thought you were finished! Did you want to say something else? And what’s a lesbian anyway?” “Spike, get another letter. NOW.” “And that’s how glue is made, children,” Cheerilee said cheerfully. “Now please open your books to page-” She was cut off by Pinkie’s sudden entrance, which caught everypony by surprise. “I just found out I’m a lesbian! Isn’t that great!?” Pinkie then ran out, heading to her next destination. Cheerilee stood in complete confusion, unsure by what had just happened. She then saw one of her students raising her hoof. “Yes, Sweetie Belle?” The unicorn filly looked completely confused as well as the rest of the class. “Ms. Cheerilee, what’s a lesbian?” The whole class murmured in agreement with her, all curious of the meaning of the word. Cheerilee laughed nervously, knowing that she might be getting a few interesting letters from their parents. Bon-Bon laid on the grass next to Lyra. She had her eyes closed and was enjoying the pleasant music that the unicorn played from her harp. They had been making many preparations for their upcoming wedding and right now she wanted to some time off of work to relax with her fiancée. With Caramel in a relationship with Applejack, she now trusted him enough to run the store and not give away anything like before. She swore she could hear hoof steps rapidly coming towards them. Her eyes shot open when a pony screamed at her, “Guess what? I just found I’m a lesbian like you girls! Maybe later we could do lesbian things together! Won’t that be fun!?” Pinkie ran off from the confused couple and then shouted, “By the way, congratulations on the wedding!” Lyra and Bon-Bon just stared in silence as the pink pony vanished. After a minute of trying to understand what had just occurred, Lyra asked, “Do you think we should still invite her to the wedding?” “No.” “Do you think a box of chocolates will work?” Chrysalis stared at him in total disbelief. “You think candy is going to make up you ditching her play just so you can go bowling?” The earth pony stallion thought some more. “What about flowers and candy?” “If that’s your idea of an apology after sending your twin brother to your marefriend’s play just so you can hang out with your friends, then I think she should dump your sorry flank and get somepony better.” Chrysalis looked behind him when the bell above the door rang as her employee returned. Pinkie had been gone for about an hour and she had been just dispensing dating advice to the customers who came in. “If you want to keep her, apologize, do whatever she asks, and never pull a stunt like that again. Otherwise, I’ll be expecting you here again very soon.” She followed Pinkie into the kitchen, who was drinking water as she was completely exhausted. “Welcome back. Are you done now?” she asked while hiding her annoyance. Pinkie crawled to the kitchen table and sat, panting heavily. “Yep. Everypony I know now knows about me being a lesbian. Thank you for telling me all about this, Ms. Cherub.” “No problem. Do you have any more questions about being gay?” She thought that now was as good as any other time to satisfy any of her remaining curiosity as Pinkie would not be too useful if her mind was elsewhere. She pondered for a moment. “Can gay ponies have babies?” Chrysalis smirked, amused by her lack of biological knowledge. “No. Well, except for lesbian couples, and that’s only if one is a unicorn since, you know, magic.” Pinkie cocked her head. “Why does one have to be a unicorn for the stork to come?” The red unicorn stared in disbelief, realizing that she was probably going to have to give her another talk. How was the pony this old and knew none of the things she was learning today? “Do you honestly believe that’s where baby ponies come from?” Pinkie nodded. “Well duh! Where else do they come from?” “Do you really think that ponies come from eggs that are laid by a mythical bird?” “Spike came from an egg,” she argued. “He’s a dragon, that’s different. And besides, weren’t you there when Mrs. Cake had her kids?” “Yes, but I didn’t get to see the stork.” “You’re saying he goes to the hospital?” Chrysalis could never understand the pony’s logic for anything. “Of course. Why do you think all those babies are there? He has to drop them off somewhere!” Chrysalis sat at the table, frustrated, and dug her face into her hooves again. “Why don’t you tell me how you think babies are made?” Pinkie ran into the main room and returned with the Discord and Chrysalis models. “When a mommy and daddy want a baby, they-” She was startled as a bolt of magic shot by her head and left a smoldering crater on the wall behind her. “Try again without the toys,” the changeling requested threateningly. Pinkie placed them on the floor, freaked by her threat. “When a mommy and daddy want a baby, they make a wish. They keep wishing until the stork hears their wish and prepares them a beautiful baby, which takes around eleven months. When the ponies find out the stork is making them a baby, the mare eats a lot of food.” The royal changeling was already lost. “Now why in the world would she do that?” “I’m getting to that part! So after eleven months, the stork lays an egg and it hatches into the baby pony. When the couple hears about it, they rush to the hospital and meet the stork. He’s supposed to give them the baby, but he wants to be given food in return for all his hard work. So like a momma bird, the mare throws up the food she had been storing into his mouth to feed him and then they have a new addition to the family. The end!” concluded the party pony with a large grin on her face. Chrysalis’s mouth was hung open as she tried to understand the words that came out of her employee. “Pinkie, that is absolutely the most disgusting and dumbest thing I have ever heard! Where did you even come up with this?” Pinkie shrugged. “Well no pony said baby making was pretty. Plus it makes so much sense. Mrs. Cake got really fat and when she had her babies, she was thin again!” The fugitive gave up. “You know what? Why don’t you go see Twilight for a book on how babies are made? I’m sure you will be surprised. Anyway, let’s get back to the task at hand. Fluttershy is one of your closet friends, but-” Pinkie sprung up. “Oh no, I forgot about her! I need to tell her right now!” Pinkie rushed out of the kitchen and went towards the open door, but Chrysalis anticipated this and slammed it shut with her magic, causing her to collide into it. The five ponies in the main room watched as Chrysalis dragged her back into the kitchen. “That’s not a good idea,” said Chrysalis when they went back in. “If she were to know, she would catch on much faster to you making moves on her and would probably get scared off. Besides, we don’t even know if she likes mares the way you do.” Pinkie rubbed her sore nose. “So what should I do?” “Since you two are already so close, this should be much easier. But just so you know, Pinkie, it is very possible she will never feel the same way about you.” Pinkie’s face shattered into an incredibly sad look. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Maybe we could give her a change in opinion since she already likes you so much.” That made Pinkie smile and Chrysalis couldn’t help but do the same. “Now, what you want to do is spend some quality time with her. It will be much better if it is only the two of you so you can connect more. Just do what she likes doing and try to make her happy whenever you can. Flirt a little if you get the chance, but try not to look too obvious. If we’re lucky, she’ll love you too. Now I need to know, how close are you two?” “We’re the bestest of friends!” “Does she think you as one too?” Pinkie happily nodded. “She sure does! We always love doing stuff together since we’ve been friends forever. Even though she’s shy, she always loves coming to my parties and I always love to play with her animals.” “Sounds like you two are as close as you can be, but tell me about what you both did for the few days you two hid together.” “It was so scary! We kept thinking that Chrysalis was trying to get us and our friends kept trying to make us leave. Fluttershy was so terrified the entire time and she always wanted to be near me. She even wanted me to sleep in her bed.” “So she felt safe around you.” “Of course! I promised that I would protect her and she even kissed me on the cheek once.” “My, my, Pinkie Pie. You are quite a ladies’ mare,” Chrysalis complemented. “If she really clung onto you like that, then I really have a feeling you might be successful in winning her love.” “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go right now!” She was ready to leave, but Chrysalis had grabbed her by the back of her neck. “We’re not going anywhere. We are still on the job,” she reminded her sternly. “But…but…” Chrysalis looked at Pinkie’s face and could see the incredible sadness on it. Surprisingly, it hurt her to see it. “Look, I know you’re so eager to run over to her and do whatever, but you want to be subtle, right?” Pinkie nodded. “Right!” “And wouldn’t she be suspicious if you were to turn up today when you’re supposed to be working for me?” The pony gasped. “You’re right, she would totally get suspicious! Gosh, Ms. Cherub, you’re so smart!” Chrysalis laughed at the comment. “Thank you. Now if you want to do this right, you have to follow my instructions very carefully. But until then, let’s focus on helping these other ponies.” On Saturday, Pinkie bounced her way to the end of Ponyville, ready to spend another day with a certain pegasus. Cherub had been advising her on how to spend the day with her after work. Pinkie was to take Fluttershy out, do anything fun that would make them both happy, and when the mood felt right, confess her feelings. She wished she had Cherub with her to provide addition help, but she was busy meeting with Luna today. Soon she was at the outskirts of town and the cottage was in sight. She became really excited upon seeing her destination and sprinted all the way there. She was about to pound on the door in frenzy, but she caught herself. She remembered that Cherub told her not to look too desperate to spend time with her, otherwise Fluttershy would catch on to her and that could be a problem. She lightly knocked on the door instead. The pegasus soon opened it and smiled at her presence. “Hi, Pinkie! How are you doing today?” The way she spoke always made her heart flutter. “I’m doing super!” Pinkie immediately panicked as she gave out too much emotion. “I mean, I’m doing fine,” she said as she played it off cool. Fluttershy giggled as she noticed what Pinkie did. “That’s nice. Was there something you wanted?” “I just came by to see if you wanted to do something fun today!” “That sounds lovely, Pinkie. I always like it when you come over.” She moved from the doorway to allow her friend entry. Once she closed the front door, she asked, “So what do you want to do?” “Well what do you want to do? Play checkers? Bake a cake? Invite Discord and play rabbit astronaut again?” They could hear Angel let out a high pitched scream as he ran away. The yellow mare was indecisive. “I…uh…I want to do whatever you want to do, Pinkie.” “But I want to do you want to do!” Fluttershy was slightly confused by her loud response. “…Why?” Pinkie started stammering. “Because…uh…everypony else is busy and you’re the only one available. Plus you’re my friend and I just want you to have fun! Now let’s see.” She continued thinking about what they could possibly do. She was actually hoping that Fluttershy would come up with something first since she would have a lot of interest in it. After several minutes of silence, the pegasus asked, “Why don’t we go to town and think of something together?” “Okay!” They left the house and walked along the path to town. Every now and then Pinkie took a quick glance at her. It was still strange to her that she was actually in love with one of her own friends and she still needed to figure out how she was going to get Fluttershy to love her. She wanted to tell her how she felt so badly, but she just needed to wait for the right moment. She noticed her friend being silent during their entire walk and knew it was time to get to work. “So…what’s new, Fluttershy?” she asked in hopes of starting a conversation. “Umm…Soarin was here yesterday.” Pinkie gasped. “He was? Dashie didn’t tell me!” “It was only for a short bit. He’s just so busy training all of those ponies in becoming Wonderbolts and Spitfire’s got him on a short leash. I feel bad that he and Rainbow Dash have such a long distance relationship.” “I know. Maybe it’ll be better when she becomes a Wonderbolt.” “Maybe, but that means she might go live with him,” Fluttershy added with some sorrow. “No! She is too loyal to leave Ponyville. She’ll make Soarin live here and we’ll all be friends forever!” “That would be nice, but that’s so long from now. She still has a few more years until she becomes an official Wonderbolt. It must be so much work for her.” “At least she has Soarin with her,” added Pinkie. The pegasus nodded with a smile on her face. “She just gets so excited whenever he comes by or when she gets a letter. They always like to fly around doing stunts or prank ponies. Anything they do brings them so much joy. They are so…perfect together.” “I know, right? I’m so glad they’re dating, even if Spitfire got mad at them when she found out. They’re totally meant to be!” “A perfect couple,” murmured Fluttershy, no longer aware of her friend. “Fluttershy?” She noticed Pinkie addressing her and lightly blushed. “Sorry, I just feel a little jealous. I want a perfect relation like that, but I get really nervous about meeting ponies.” Pinkie then had an idea. “You do? Then you should come visit Cupid’s Arrow sometime! We could totally help you out!” she suggested with extreme excitement. Fluttershy’s smile immediately died. “Oh, I would love to. I’m sure you two are great and everything, but it’s just…you know…” She moved her hair in front of her face and whimpered. “What?” “Cherub,” Fluttershy squeaked shyly. Pinkie tilted her head. “What’s wrong with her?” “She’s really scary. She likes to yell a lot and I saw what she did to those poor ponies who asked her out. I’m sorry, but I don’t like her at all.” Pinkie thought that bringing Fluttershy to a pony she was scared of was now a very bad idea, regretting ever mentioning the things Cherub had done in the past to her friends. “I see your point. I try helping her find a new coltfriend, but she just keeps refusing. Whatever happened with her old one must have been really bad.” “Is she still just as mean?” “She’s been a lot nicer lately. I don’t know what got her in a better mood, but I hope it stays that way. She actually laughs at some of my pranks now!” “I’m glad to hear that. I just hope I never get mean like her if I ever get dumped by a…special somepony…” Fluttershy hid her face again to hide her blushing. Pinkie was slightly upset by hearing that and through a supportive hoof around her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure nothing like that will ever happen to you. You’re so sweet and pretty, no pony would want to hurt you.” Her words clearly cheered her up from her expression and the blush she was producing. Her friend let her go and they continued down the busy street. “Pinkie, can I ask you something?” “Yes?” “Since you’ve been working in Cupid’s Arrow for a long time, I was wondering…” The pink pony’s heart rate began to increase. “Yes?” “Do you know any ponies that are perfect for me?” The truth was she actually did know some stallions. In her spare time, she had curiously matched her single friends to possible stallion candidates and recently each other when she found out about homosexuality. Fluttershy did have some possible matches, but she didn’t want to lose her to a stranger. Fluttershy looked at her with pleading eyes, which made Pinkie hurt more because of the only choice she had left. She had to lie. “No, I can’t say I have.” The pegasus looked very upset by what she heard. “O-oh. I see. I guess I’m just not meant to be in a relationship.” “Now don’t say that. You just have to give it time. And who knows? Love can always come from the unlikeliest places,” she hinted. “So cheer up, I promise you one day you will find a pony that will love you with all their heart.” Fluttershy hugged her, which made Pinkie blush. “Thanks, Pinkie. I feel so much better now.” While Pinkie patted her on the back, she noticed one of the nearby buildings and got an idea. “Hey, there’s a pet store over there! Why don’t we go check it out and look at the cute animals?” Fluttershy broke away and bolted inside. Pinkie entered the store after her and saw her friend examining all of the animals. Fluttershy went over to a pen that housed several puppies of various breeds. “Oh look how cute they are! I just want to adopt them all!” Pinkie smiled as she watched her play with the young animals. “I don’t think Angel will like you putting all your attention on them.” “I know, but just look at them,” she emphasized. Pinkie looked down into the pen. All of the puppies were pawing on the side, eager to be played with. She bent down and stuck a hoof in, causing them to crowd around it to sniff and lick her. “Aw, they’re so cute. But don’t you have enough animals already?” She did not receive an answer and looked around. “Fluttershy?” The pegasus was over at the front counter. “Excuse me, but how much they cost all together?” Pinkie panicked and grabbed Fluttershy, dragging her outside. Her friend already had enough animals and didn’t want her to spend so much money to get more. “No, I can’t let you take all of them.” Fluttershy tried to break free from her grip and return to the shop. “But why not? They’re so cute!” Pinkie almost couldn’t resist the incredibly sad eyes she received. “But it wouldn’t be fair to the ponies who want to adopt them, right?” The pegasus sighed. “You’re right. It would be selfish. I’m sure they will all find good owners,” she said, smiling. “That’s the spirit! Now let’s go find something else to do. I think your house has enough cute animals.” They continued wandering through Ponyville. Since Fluttershy was in a good mood, Pinkie decided to take a little risk. “They were really adorable, weren’t they?” The pegasus happily nodded. “They were. I just love puppies so much.” “You know what’s also adorable?” “What?” Pinkie grabbed her by the cheek and pulled on it. “You are!” Fluttershy put her hair over her face to hide all the red that had appeared. “T-t-t-thanks, Pinkie.” As they continued on their trek through the town, Pinkie could see that her friend was lost in thought about something and even she could guess what it was. Her thoughts were interrupted by the growling that came from her stomach. “Hey, Fluttershy?” The pegasus didn’t take notice of her. “Flutters?” Fluttershy looked at her. “Oh. Yes, Pinkie?” “Can we get some food? I’m really hungry!” “I am too, but where should we go?” Pinkie jumped up. “We should get the best food there is for lunch!” “A well balanced meal?” suggested the yellow pony. “Pff, no. I don’t even know what that means. I meant ice cream!” “Ice cream? For lunch?” “Of course! I’ll pay for it, too!” Fluttershy smiled at her. “You’re a really funny pony sometimes, Pinkie.” Pinkie led her to an ice cream parlor across town while they spoke some more. After buying, they sat outside at a table while enjoying their cold treats. While Fluttershy had only a cone of mint ice cream, Pinkie had a towering pile of ice cream as she wanted one scoop of all their twenty-three flavors. “Hey, Fluttershy, where does ice cream come from?” The yellow mare shrugged. “There’s milk and that’s all I know.” “Milk? But then why is it called ice cream?” “I don’t know.” “That’s false advertisement! Now I know why it came out yucky when I tried making it from ice cubes and cream.” “You’re so silly.” Fluttershy licked her ice cream while looking at Pinkie’s pile. The way it overshadowed her was incredibly intimidating and she feared it would fall on her. “Um…how can you possibly eat that much, Pinkie?” “Like this!” She stuck her tongue out and swiped the bottom scoop, bringing the stack down one level. Fluttershy giggled and her friend joined her. As they continued eating, Pinkie tried to think up of something else they could discuss. “Hey, Fluttershy, do you think Cherub would want a pet?” The shy pony shrugged at her. “I guess that would make her happy. Any idea what kind of animal she wants?” “No, not really.” Pinkie leaned back and thought some more. “Come to think of it, I don’t know that much about her. She doesn’t like to talk about herself much and she gets mad if I ask too much.” “Why do you like her? She seems to be really mean.” “You know why she’s like that. I can’t stand seeing her angry all the time and I just want her to feel better. I wonder what her fiancé did to her to make her so angry all the time.” “He must have broken her heart,” Fluttershy suggested. “Probably, but that doesn’t explain why she never says anything about herself. Did you know she had a sister?” “She does? Is she scary like her?” “I don’t know. Luna told me that the only thing she said was that they got into a fight and haven’t seen each other in a long time.” A look of horror appeared on the pegasus’s face. “Oh goodness.” “What?” “What if…her fiancé cheated on her with her sister?” Pinkie gasped. “That would be horrible! It’d be no wonder why she’s so upset.” Fluttershy nodded. “I would be upset, too. She must have been so hurt by them.” “Now do you see why I stay? Cherub needs a friend more than anything. I don’t care how long it takes; I’m going to stay by her side until she’s all smiles!” “But it doesn’t seem to be working. You’ve tried everything but she just gets mad. Maybe you should give up.” Pinkie banged her free hoof on the table, scaring her friend. “No! I will never give up on her! No pony deserves to be sad. I can’t just ignore her if she is in pain. As her friend, it is my duty to bring her joy. She’s already been acting much nicer to me and has even been writing to Luna, so she is getting better. Eventually, she will open up and we will be true friends forever!” Fluttershy was frightened by her outburst, but then smiled warmly. “All you want to do is bring happiness to everypony, no matter what. That’s what I like about you, Pinkie.” “Really?” Pinkie got up and sat right next to her. “Well how much do you like me?” she asked while leaning in close. The pegasus’s cheeks grew a tint of pink. “A lot,” she said incredibly quietly. “Aw, you’re sweet.” Pinkie threw her free foreleg around her. “I like you a lot too, Flutters. You’re always so kind and gentle and caring and attractive.” Fluttershy’s body temperature shot up and her ice cream suddenly melted. “W-w-what was that last one?” “Caring, like how you care for all of your animal friends and us,” she said playfully, enjoying her friend’s reaction. “Oh. Well thanks for the complements.” “You’re welcome!” Pinkie could feel how warm she was and she was happy. Cherub told her that making her blush like that was usually a good sign and Pinkie just wanted to do it more as Fluttershy looked extremely cute when embarrassed. She even noticed her looking back a few times. After Pinkie quickly finished her treat because it started melting, they remained seated and shared some more laughs. After sitting for almost an hour, they decided to head elsewhere. “Any idea what you wanna do now?” asked Pinkie. “If it’s all right with you, can we go somewhere nice and private? I just feel like talking more.” Pinkie had to resist the urge to let out a huge gasp. “You got it, Flutters.” A party was starting in her head. Several Pinkies were jumping around, throwing confetti and placing a banner that said, “Congratulations!” The party would not officially start until she and Fluttershy were together, which could be very soon if she did everything right. From the parlor, they traversed the busy streets and soon exited the busier parts of town. After about ten minutes, the two mares were at the outskirts of town and lied on the grass, looking up at the clouds with no other pony around. “Hey, that one looks like a butterfly,” said Pinkie. “Aw, how cute.” The earth pony kept pointing at more. “And that looks like a boot. And a candy cane and four-leaf clover.” “I guess Rainbow Dash is really busy today.” “Remember that one time when Dash made all those naughty words in the clouds?” Fluttershy started laughing. “That was pretty funny. I’m surprised they never caught her for that.” “I know! And then all of the kids in town started saying them and all the adults started freaking out! I can’t believe they had to call in Princess Celestia!” Both of the ponies were in stitches. “What about that song you made that day?” “Hey! How was I supposed to know you weren’t supposed to say those words? Twilight went a little too far when she washed my mouth with a bar of soap,” complained the pink mare. “Remember the newspaper article about that? They called it the Saturday of Swearing!” They both rolled in the grass as they were laughing hard, recalling every hilarious moment of that day. “Oh those were good times,” said Pinkie as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Too bad no pony has ever told Cherub about how bad those words are.” Once they calmed down, they resumed gazing at the blue sky above. “Hey, Pinkie?” The mare quickly turned towards her. “Yeah?” “Do you think the changelings are going to be allowed in Equestria?” she asked worriedly. Pinkie sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the sky. “I guess. Princess Celestia and Luna have been working on it for a long time and they usually get what they want.” Fluttershy turned her head towards her and Pinkie could see she seemed worried. “Are we going to be safe? Remember what Cherub said about them. I don’t think I can trust them at all.” She scooted closer to her friend. “I’m scared too, but maybe they deserve a chance. I’m sure the princesses know what they’re doing. They would never do this if they thought they were evil.” “But what are we going to do if they are evil? They were so scary last time and they tried to hurt us. And then you saw Chrysalis in the forest. Why hasn’t the princess sent anypony to investigate?” “Because they thought it was just a prank because it was during Nightmare Night, but I am one hundred percent sure that was the real Chrysalis.” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’m so scared, Pinkie. If she’s in the forest, then that means she’s going to do something to Ponyville! She might hurt somepony!” Pinkie went over and held her friend, who buried her face into her chest. “Don’t be scared, Flutters. I’ll just convince Twilight to have Celestia send some ponies to go investigate.” “I don’t know if I want to go home. She could be right outside my house.” “Don’t be scared, Fluttershy. That was a long time ago, so she should be long gone. But if you’re still scared, you can always stay with me if you want. I will make sure that you are safe.” “Thank you, Pinkie.” Fluttershy nuzzled against her, causing the earth pony to warm up. They laid in silence until she asked, “Can I ask you something personal, if that’s okay?” “What is it?” “I just kind of noticed something, but I’m sure it’s nothing.” “Yes?” Fluttershy looked away for a moment, but then returned her gaze. “We’ve been hanging out an awfully lot lately, haven’t we?” Pinkie gulped as she was sure she was onto her. “Well what’s wrong with that? That’s what friends do.” “I didn’t say there was, it’s just something I noticed. We’ve been together almost every day ever since Nightmare Night.” Pinkie started to sweat heavily. “But our other friends were there! Like remember when we went to the spa with Spike and Rarity? It wasn’t just us!” “I guess. But now that I think about it, every time you want to hang out with us, you want me to be there.” Pinkie’s heart pounded like a thunder storm. “F-Fluttershy, you're really overthinking things!” The pegasus noticed how she was acting. “No, I’m not.” “Yes, you are!” Fluttershy immediately shrunk. “Oh. Nevermind then.” Pinkie immediately hated herself for snapping at her as she could feel her shaking. Fluttershy was a delicate flower and raising her voice clearly intimidated the poor thing. “I’m sorry for yelling, but you’re right,” she admitted. Fluttershy lifted her head, completely surprised. “I am?” “Yeah…” The pony trailed off with her eyes looking all over. She knew this was going to happen, but never realized how difficult it truly was. She wished that her friends or at least Cherub were around to support her. “The thing is, Fluttershy,” she began slowly, “it’s because…” The pegasus's eyes grew with wonder. “What?” As Pinkie looked into her eyes, she could feel herself sweat more. Given how well everything had gone so far, it seemed like this would be the perfect moment to tell her the truth. “Pinkie?” She finally opened her mouth, with her confession on the tip of her tongue. “You’re my best friend.” “Oh...” Fluttershy replied. “I already knew that. I thought it was something else important.” “No, I mean you’re my best friend,” Pinkie said calmly, which contradicted with the screaming agony the Pinkies in her brain were going through. “Don’t tell the others, but I kind of like you better than them.” “I won’t." She gave out a heavy sigh. "So why do you like me so much?” “How can anypony not like you, Flutters? You’re a really great pony. You’re always so kind and caring, not to mention really good looking. There’s nothing about you that a pony wouldn’t like. You’re just so perfect.” The inner Pinkies were ballistic. The party was destroyed as all the balloons deflated and the cake was knocked onto the ground. There was even a patch of fire, which most of the Pinkies were desperately trying to put off while one was sitting and crying in a corner. The yellow mare had a small smile on her face. “Well thanks, Pinkie, but you didn’t need to be so secretive about it. I’m sure our friends won’t mind.” The earth pony gave out a forced but nervous laugh. “You’re absolutely right. What was I thinking?” “I mean, it’s okay to care about their feelings. And maybe we don’t need to tell them since it’s not a big deal. We don’t want to risk giving them the wrong idea about how you feel.” Fluttershy stood up. “Do you mind if we go back now? I sort of feel like sitting at home, if you don’t mind.” “S-sure. No problem.” While she followed her friend, the subconscious Pinkies had finally cleaned up the destruction she had brought upon them. They were all looking angrily at her and the banner now said, “YOU BLEW IT!” Pinkie sighed as she realized they were completely right. She had the perfect moment and she chickened out at the very last moment. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell her now, but at least Fluttershy was completely comfortable with her and had not caught on to her lie, so not all hope was lost. Pinkie couldn’t stand thinking how badly she handled the opportunity, wondering if she was ever going to win her heart. While Pinkie’s day took a turn for the worse, Chrysalis was enjoying herself very much. She was currently in Canterlot along with Luna and they had been spending the day in the shopping district. Most of the day Chrysalis thought about how she was going to redesign the city after her second invasion pulled through. She decided to make it her secondary capital with her home being the primary as she did not plan on relocating because she held many cherished memories of her birthplace. As she thought about using the mines for where she would keep the slumbering ponies, Luna looked into an electronic store through the window. “You know you can just buy whatever has you so interested,” said Chrysalis. Luna pulled away. “I’m sorry. I just get so fascinated by all the things ponies have invented over the years.” “It must have been a whole other world for you when you came back from the moon.” “It truly was. I simply find new discoveries almost every day and I’m always just as surprised. I guess you can say electronics are kind of my weakness.” “Seeing how drawn you were, I’d have to agree,” Chrysalis said with a smirk. After some consideration, she decided to try something. “So what would you say is Celestia’s weakness?” That caused Luna to laugh. “I’d say cake.” “Cake?” Chrysalis asked with some surprise. “Go on...” “She sometimes has urges and simply cannot control herself. There was even a story about it in the newspaper in Ponyville many months ago, much to her embarrassment. I have noticed that her backside has increased in size in recent months. Promise me you won’t tell anypony about this.” “My lips are sealed.” It wasn’t exactly the answer she wanted, but she still found great amusement in it. Once she defeated Celestia, she would remove her self-control with her magic and leave her in a room filled with many pastries. She knew that no pony or changeling would ever again dare say the Princess of the Sun was more beautiful than the Queen of the Changelings when Celestia was as big as her own sun. Luna noticed her friend giggling to herself. “What’s so funny, Cherub?” “Oh nothing,” she teased. “Come on. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.” “I find it funny that you have been constantly looking at your sister’s butt. You should have told me you held such taboo feelings for her.” That was enough to fluster Luna to the point where she kept fumbling her words and the changeling just giggled some more. But Chrysalis’s fun was cut short when something flashed in her mind and she suddenly felt incredibly annoyed. “Cherub, I want you to know that I do not think of my sister like that!” She noticed that Chrysalis did not answer as she was suddenly looking off into space. “Cherub?” Chrysalis broke out of it. “Oh, y-yes, I believe you. Why don’t we head over there? There’s something I need that I can’t get legally in Ponyville.” As they resumed their trek, the changeling couldn’t help but think something bad happened. If she didn’t know any better, she believed that Pinkie just did something stupid. The long walk back to Fluttershy’s home was an uncomfortable one for Pinkie. She didn’t try to make any conversation with her friend as she just kept thinking over her mistake. All she wanted to do was lie in her bed and sulk, lacking any of her usual enthusiasm. Her only hope was that Cherub would help her undo her wrong tomorrow. They reached the pegasus’ home and Pinkie felt slightly relieved that their time together was going to end for the day. “That was a really fun day,” said Pinkie with little joy. “It was. Thank you for coming over and taking me out. I enjoyed it so very much.” Pinke smiled weakly. “Anything for you, Fluttershy. I always love spending time with you.” “Me too.” Fluttershy stood by her door and looked around for a bit. “You know, I’ve never had a good friend like you before.” Pinkie’s ears perked up. “What about our other friends? Don’t you like them?” “I don’t mean that they are bad friends, I mean that you are a really good friend. You really care for how I feel and know how to make me smile. I know I can be difficult sometimes, but that never stops you. I think I can say with all honesty that you are…” Pinkie’s eyes grew wide. “Yes?” “My best friend, too.” Fluttershy leaned over and gave her a peck on a cheek. Pinkie’s entire body warmed. “Fluttershy…” she said in amazement. “Goodbye, Pinkie.” Pinkie watched as she closed the door. She was remained still for about a minute before she started walking home. But after taking several steps, she couldn’t contain herself any longer. She began to hop at an incredible height, only thinking about the kiss that she had received. Even though it was only a friend kiss, she just felt great. Tomorrow, she would tell Cherub the good news so she could ask her what to do next. At last, things were looking up for her. The next day, Pinkie ran to Cupid’s Arrow to tell her boss what happened and Chrysalis was impressed. However, Pinkie was still completely devastated by the fact she had chickened out during the perfect moment, despite being kissed later on. While Chrysalis would have normally fallen onto the floor and laughed at her or yelled at her for messing up, she strangely felt very sympathetic to her. Since the outcast had nothing better to do and knew Pinkie would be no good if she was distracted, she decided to spend the day helping Pinkie in setting everything right. They strolled together through the streets of Ponyville. As Pinkie bounced around, she noticed her boss was actually smiling. “Hey, you’re smiling, Cherub!” “Oh, I’m just in a good mood today.” “Well you should smile more. You look really pretty when you do.” Chrysalis mildly blushed. “Maybe I should then if you think so.” “So what are you happy about?” “Well, Luna came by yesterday and we went to Canterlot for some shopping and even a quick stop at the spa. She really knows how to treat royalty.” “You’re royalty?” The changeling quickly panicked. “N-n-no! Don’t be ridiculous! I meant that as a figure of speech. I'm saying that she treated me very well and we had so much fun. I can easily say that I am happy to have met her.” “I think it’s great you both get along so well. You’ve been less grumpy lately.” Chrysalis briefly glared at her. “I’ll let that slide. I will admit that spending time with her has relieved much of my stress, as well as being with you. Luna was really curious about your situation with Fluttershy and wished she was there when you confessed.” The pony immediately faced the dirt road beneath her. “But I didn’t…” “It’s not the end of the world, Pinkie. That kiss means there’s still a good chance of things ending the way we want them to. Just take her out for more fun and just give it another go when you’re ready. And I won’t let you leave her until you say it.” “Okie-dokie-lokie! I’ll be sure to do it this time.” “Somehow, I don’t believe you,” Chrysalis remarked. “Oh yeah? Well I’ll Pinkie promise to do it today!” she stated. “You’ll what?” “I’ll Pinkie promise!” “I remember you said something like this before. What is it exactly?” “It’s like a promise, but a Pinkie promise means that you never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever break it, no matter what.” “Really? How interesting,” spoke Chrysalis with devious intentions behind her smile. “So I Pinkie promise that I will tell Fluttershy how I feel today! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Chrysalis thought it was cute how Pinkie had thought that up and liked the rhyming. She wondered what sort of absurd things she could trick the pony into promising in the future. Chrysalis and Pinkie soon arrived at the lone cottage. As Chrysalis hid around the side of the house, the pony excitedly banged on the door and began jumping as she waited for the reply. While she was waiting, Chrysalis noticed that something was wrong. The door slowly creaked open as the shy pony appeared. “Oh…hi, Pinkie…” She didn’t show any joy about seeing her friend. “Hi, Fluttershy!” Pinkie yelled, completely oblivious of her friend’s dread. “Are you ready for another day of super exciting fun!?” The yellow pony slowly backed into her house. “Um…that sounds really fun…but…I…am really busy today…” Pinkie stopped jumping. “Oh. Want to do something next week?” Chrysalis noticed that Fluttershy seemed to be more distraught. “I’m sorry, but I’m really busy with stuff for about…a while. Bye, Pinkie.” She slammed the door on her face and locked it. Pinkie stood silently, completely confused. “But how long is a while!?” “Pinkie, come here.” She reluctantly went over to where Chrysalis was hiding. “I think there’s something going on with her.” “What?” “I’m not sure, but she seems to be really upset about something. I think we should keep an eye on her and see if we can find out.” “You mean,” she gulped, “spy on her?” “Exactly. I have the feeling that she is hiding something from us and we have to find out what.” The both of them hid behind some bushes outside the house as they waited for her. Chrysalis thought more about the strange encounter. She knew something was amiss because of her gift to sense the emotions of others. For some reason, Fluttershy seemed to be incredibly distressed. But what could have been troubling that girl? Was she unhappy with Pinkie Pie? Pinkie said things went incredibly well the day before, not counting that one moment. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the front door open. Fluttershy looked around before exiting and began trotting towards town. They gave chase while trying to remain unseen. Chrysalis and Pinkie had been doing a lot of this kind of thing with their jobs and the changeling always felt like a creepy stalker. They followed her for some time, wondering of where she was going. Fluttershy’s destination turned out to be one of the most unexpected places they thought she would go. “Pinkie,” the outcast asked in complete confusion, “why is she outside my home?” “Um…I don’t know.” Fluttershy knocked on the door. “Aren’t you going to go see her?” “If she is looking for somepony to talk about her problems with, it’s probably better if she doesn’t see me. I know that girl is terrified of me and I really can’t think of any reasons why she’d want my input in anything. Besides, if she has a problem, she should be telling you about it since you’re her friend.” Fluttershy knocked again and still no response. Knowing she wasn’t home, the pegasus hung her head and left. “Where is she going now? Her house is the other way,” Pinkie pointed out. “Let’s find out.” Chrysalis could feel the overwhelming sorrow within Fluttershy. Why was she so desperate to see her? Fluttershy was afraid of her as far as she knew. And why would she want to distance herself from Pinkie? She was doing the completely opposite of what was considered normal for her. They followed Fluttershy for a while and ended up at Twilight’s home. She knocked on the door and Twilight answered while the other two hid nearby. “Hi, Fluttershy! How are you doing?” “I’m fine,” she responded quietly. “Do you mind if I stay here for a while?” “Sure, but why?” “No reason. You haven’t seen Pinkie around, have you?” “I can’t say that I have,” said Twilight as she eyed her friend. “That’s good.” Twilight stepped aside and gave entry to her friend. As soon as she entered, Fluttershy closed the door. “And if it’s alright…if she does come by, please don’t tell her I’m here.” Pinkie’s jaw dropped. The purple unicorn became incredibly concerned. “Why? Is something going on?” Fluttershy was now nervous and avoided eye contact. “Well…I…um…” “Oh, I get it! You’re playing hide and seek, aren’t you?” “Y-yes! That’s what I’m doing.” Pinkie pulled on her own mane and Chrysalis had to put a hoof over her mouth so they couldn’t hear her screaming. “So is Spike here?” “He’s right upstairs,” she answered while motioning a hoof behind her. “Was there something you needed from him?” “N-no. I just needed a certain book, that’s all.” Chrysalis and Pinkie watched through the window as she went into the other room. “I don’t believe it!” Pinkie cried. “Fluttershy is being a total Fibberlie!” “It’s really troubling to see that she’s trying to avoid you.” “But why!? I’m her friend!” The pony rapidly poured tears from her eyes. “I just wanted her to like me! Why does she suddenly hate me!?” Suddenly, Pinkie’s hair started to lose its curl as her body darkened in color. The changeling was taken by surprise by her transformation. Pinkie rushed in and hugged her, mildly sobbing. As much as Chrysalis hated her invading her personal space, she decided to let it go since the poor pony was going through a tough time and did not want to make the problem worse. “I don’t know, but we will get to the bottom of this, I promise. She said she wanted to see Spike. Do you have any idea why?” Pinkie shook her head. “I guess we better go find out.” They made their way to the other window and saw them. Fluttershy was helping Spike organize books and they were talking. The window was closed, so they couldn’t hear what they were speaking about. Pinkie was taking deep breaths as she watched, changing from sad to angry. “Why does she want to hang out with him instead of me? Is she in love with him!?” “I don’t think so. Let’s just see what happens.” Chrysalis couldn’t sense any love in her, just mild relief. What was going on in the head of that girl? Spike and Fluttershy were talking for a moment and then the pegasus was suddenly blushing, causing their worry to grow. Chrysalis saw Pinkie become extremely angry while grinding her teeth “Time for a new plan. I think we should just calmly ask her what is-” The party pony suddenly bolted towards the front door of the tree. “Pinkie, get back here!” Inside the room of the tree, the door flew open, startling Spike and Fluttershy. “You!” Pinkie called out while pointing a hoof at the yellow pony. Fluttershy’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “P-P-Pinkie!? W-what are y-you-“ She slowly stomped towards her and the pegasus backed away. “Why are you avoiding me? Why did you lie to Twilight about what you’re doing? Why is seeing you and Spike together suddenly adorable? I want answers!” Pinkie pressed her face against hers while angrily huffing. Fluttershy trembled on the spot as she looked into her eyes. “W-well…I…” She suddenly ran towards one of the windows. She stopped in front of it, gently opened it, and escaped from the library. “Get back here!” Pinkie commanded as she charged towards the front door. “Pinkie, you need to stop and-” Chrysalis was thrown by the speeding mare and crashed into a shelf, causing several books to fall on her. Twilight and Spike ran over to her. “Cherub, are you all right?” asked Spike as he began pulling books off of her. She stood up while rubbing her head. “I’m fine, but I’m going strangle Pinkie for that.” “What’s going on? I’ve never seen Pinkie get mad like that before!” said Twilight in distress. “It’s a long story, but we better follow them before she does something she regrets.” Chrysalis sprinted out the door while Twilight ran with her assistant on her back. Fluttershy galloped across town with Pinkie hot on her tail. She kept politely brushing ponies aside while Pinkie just knocked over anyone who came too close. Seeing that her pursuer was gaining, she flapped her wings and took off into the sky, hoping that her natural ability would allow her to escape pursuit. She set herself onto a nearby cloud and tried to catch her breath. Her break was over when she suddenly heard a strange sound from below. A few seconds later, Pinkie Pie appeared in a strange helicopter. Fluttershy gasped and took off once again. She could hear the whirling propellers behind her and headed back towards her home. Once she landed, she bolted inside and slammed the door shut. She closed all the blinds on her windows and hid under her bed. She could hear loud pounding on her front door and whimpered, praying Pinkie would just go away. “Come on out, Fluttershy!” Pinkie ordered as she kicked against the door. Pinkie heard voices and looked behind her. Twilight, Spike, and Chrysalis appeared and the pony and changeling were exhausted from trying to catch up. “Pinkie, you need to calm down!” Twilight pleaded. “I am calm! I just really want to know what her problem is!” She gave the door another hard kick. “Maybe she realized how much of a lunatic you are. It’s no wonder she’s so scared of you,” remarked Chrysalis. Pinkie gave the door another kick and broke it off its hinges. She stomped her way up the stairs while her friends called her, telling her to stop. She threw the door to the bedroom open and looked around. She didn’t even need to guess where Fluttershy was. She grabbed onto the bed and flipped it over, slamming it against the wall. Underneath was a terrified Fluttershy, laying on the floor while trembling. “I got you now!” Pinkie leapt into the air in an attempt to tackle her as Fluttershy screamed and covered her eyes. Pinkie was then pulled back by both unicorns and began struggling. “Let me go!” “Pinkie, you have to stop!” Twilight ordered. “You’re scaring her!” “No! I want her to tell the truth!” “I…I…I…” stuttered Fluttershy. “I know she’s been a bad friend, but you need to cut it out! You are seriously out of control!” shouted Chrysalis. “You hear that, Fluttershy? Cherub also thinks you’re a bad friend!” “I’m sorry, Pinkie! It’s just…it’s just…” “What!? You don’t like me? You like Spike better than me? Tell me the truth! Why are you avoiding me!?” “Because I love you!” Pinkie stopped moving and the room was filled with dead silence. Twilight and Chrysalis let go of her as they stared at Fluttershy in shock. “You…love me?” Fluttershy slowly stood up and faced Pinkie with a face as red as a tomato. “I know it’s sudden, but it’s true,” she spoke in a very quiet and nervous voice. “You’ve been a better friend to me than anypony I have ever met. The truth is I never really had a…thing for boys. When you started spending a lot more time with me and always trying to make me smile, I began falling in love with you. I didn’t want you to find out because I wasn’t sure how you would react. You see, I actually used to have a crush on…Rainbow Dash.” Her friends gasped. “You did?” asked Pinkie. She nodded. “She is such a great friend and is always so courageous and charismatic. I just felt like I could do more with her around because she was always giving me her support. It’s just that I was never sure how to tell her how I felt. I waited for a long time trying to find a way, but then she got together with Soarin. I was so upset, but I thought of something. What if I told her before? How would she feel about me after? I even thought she would stop being my friend if she knew, so I never told her or anypony else. “And then yesterday, I began to have the idea that you actually liked me like that. But when you said you just liked me as a friend, I just felt let down as I was so wrong about you, but you had still left an impression on me. I wanted to avoid you until I knew what to do with my feelings. I wanted to ask Cherub about what to do about my problem, but she wasn’t home. I even tried going to the library to find some books about this sort of stuff. I’m sorry for everything, but I can’t control how I feel about you, Pinkie.” Pinkie ran over to her and embraced her. “It’s okay, Fluttershy! I actually like girls too!” “You…you do?” “I found out a few days ago. I told everypony I knew except you.” “But why not?” Pinkie’s hair and color suddenly restored. “Because I love you too!” Pinkie then brought her friend towards her and kissed her. Fluttershy’s eyes were wide with shock but then closed as she returned the kiss. When they broke, they looked at each other. “Do you feel any better?” Fluttershy’s face was red as she smiled. “A lot better.” “I’m sorry I got all mad earlier. I thought you hated me and you were in love with Spike.” “Oh Pinkie, I could never hate you. And I’m not in love with Spike. He’s cute, but not my type.” She looked over at her three other friends, all of whom were staring at them with surprise. “Oh! I forgot you were all here.” Twilight smiled warmly. “I’m so happy for you both. I’m sure you two will make a wonderful couple. And just so you know, I’m pretty sure Dash will be flattered by how you feel about her.” Spike was still stunned by what he witnessed. “That was…awesome.” Twilight gave him a quick whack on the head. Fluttershy smiled from the fact her friends were accepting. “I’m so glad you fell the same way about me, Pinkie,” she said as she nuzzled her. “I just wish you told me this sooner.” “You hear that, Cherub? If I didn’t forget to tell her, we would’ve not needed to do any of this! That is just so funny!” They all laughed out loud until they heard a thump. “Cherub?” “I wish I was there to have seen that spectacle. I never imagined Pinkie could harbor such rage.” “I wish I wasn’t,” the changeling complained. “I’m still sore from her rushing me.” Luna chuckled and massaged Chrysalis’s back. “Well at least it worked out. She and Fluttershy get along so well and I think it’s adorable now that they’re dating. Young love is so sweet.” “Yeah, but I really wish Pinkie didn’t forget about telling the one pony she had feelings for that she was gay.” She wanted to blame Pinkie for not telling her so they could have avoided all of the work, but she had also instructed Pinkie to not tell her, so she was also at fault. She was at least glad that it was over and could just move on. “True, but you really helped Pinkie win her over. You should feel proud.” “I suppose, but I should’ve helped her figure out on how she should have confessed. I never thought she was going to have that much trouble.” Luna moved up to her shoulders. “You know, I just realized you’ve helped four of the Elements find love.” “I’m surprised at that as well. I didn’t think they would ever need my assistance with such a thing. And what a surprise, Twilight is the only one left,” she added with incredible amusement. She decided that she would try to avoid helping the unicorn and try to rub this in whenever she could. “Oh haha. And because of your efforts, Cadance and my sister have become very interested in meeting you.” Chrysalis’s eye twitched in annoyance. “I look forward to it.” “Young Cadance has been very happy to hear of how you helped Twilight’s friends, but she asks that you let her find somepony for Twilight.” A smirk could be heard from the outcast. “Is she jealous that I’ve been doing a better job than the Princess of Love?” Luna giggled. “I think she just wants to do it since they’re both so close. I imagine she has been thinking about this for some time. I just hope she has an idea of how to get Twilight interested in the subject.” Chrysalis gave out a quiet moan as the alicorn moved lower on her body. “You have no idea how good this feels right now.” “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself. I’m sure many stallions would give up everything to experience something like this with me or my sister.” “I feel so lucky to have you all to myself. Where did you learn to do this, anyway?” “Celestia taught me,” Luna answered. “Oh?” “She learned a long time ago so she could relax previous lovers. They were always so tense around her because of her royal status.” “She must be a good teacher like Twilight says. This feels divine.” Luna chuckled as she continued. “Am I the best you’ve ever had?” “Only if you give happy endings like the spa ponies here,” the fugitive joked. The alicorn slowed down as she searched her memory. “I don’t think I’ve heard of that technique. Maybe I should ask my sister about it.” Chrysalis laughed loudly, confusing Luna. “It might be better if I teach you myself, but maybe another time. I need to focus on work today.” While Luna continued to relieve her pain, they saw Pinkie and Fluttershy outside. They talked for a bit, kissed, and then the pegasus left while Pinkie came in. Everypony who knew Pinkie, which was everypony in town, noticed that the party pony was filled with much more cheer since her new relationship. The party she threw to announce it was definitely one of the biggest they have ever seen. “Hello, Pinkie,” the princess greeted. “How are you doing with your new marefriend?” “I’m doing super, Luna! Me and Flutters do all kinds of stuff like hug and kiss! She even lets me sleep over sometimes!” “I’m glad to hear things are going so well between you two,” said Chrysalis. Surprisingly, she meant it. Chrysalis actually felt happy for Pinkie finding love, though she wasn’t sure why she suddenly had taken an interest in her happiness, but a happy Pinkie was better than an unhappy one. The pink pony sat at her desk. “So what are you doing here, Luna? Are you looking for a coltfriend now?” Luna stopped rubbing the changeling’s back and sat on her haunches. “No, I’m just visiting my friend again. I wish to see her do business myself as I would need an idea of what kind of service I may hire in the future.” “She should visit more often,” purred the changeling. “I didn’t know you liked Luna that much, Cherub.” “Of course I do. She’s free advertisement with her presence alone and makes a better masseuse than princess.” Luna punched her shoulder, causing her to grunt in pain. “I’d tell you more about me and Flutters, but right now I need to write my letter.” She took out paper from a drawer in her desk and began writing. The two older mares looked at each other. “A letter to whom about what?” asked the alicorn. “A letter to Celestia about what I’ve learned about myself and some ideas I just had about love. I was so caught up with everything, I forgot to write her one. And won’t she be excited when she hears I’m a lesbian? I’m going to tell her all the great things about it!” Chrysalis and Luna put their hooves over their mouths, trying to hide their snickering. “I’m sure it will be totally unexpected,” remarked Chrysalis. While Pinkie started writing, Chrysalis and her friend whispered to each other while trying very hard to contain their own laughter. “I think we should help Pinkie write this letter,” Luna suggested playfully. “Maybe she should give some explicit details and make it a letter Celestia will never forget.” Both of them giggled like little fillies. Chrysalis thought over what to have Pinkie write that would shock Celestia the most. She no longer felt bitter about what happened earlier with Pinkie and Fluttershy, enjoying her moment of fun with her friends. Chrysalis just realized what she had thought and became extremely alarmed. What was she thinking? Why should she even consider either of these ponies to be her friends? Granted that she did find plenty of amusement with them, they were still ponies: her prey. The main reason she did not consider herself to be really their friends despite the amount of time they spent together, was that they were friends of Cherub, not Chrysalis. The things they did together were of no real significance. Pinkie was also a friend of Twilight Sparkle, her nemesis, and Luna was a ruler of Equestria, which she wanted to rule. Because of these reasons, they were her enemies…right? They then noticed Pinkie waving at them. “Is there something else you needed?” asked Chrysalis. “How do you spell polygamy?”