Sugarcube Corner is packed with ponies today. Behind the counter, Pinkie Pie is selling many different kinds of tasteful sweets.
Before I can greet her, she jumps and hugs me. “Flora!”
“Good morning, Pinkie Pie!”
“I thought I'd never see you again!”
I giggle. “Pinkie, it's been only a few days!”
She looks into my eyes. “Three days is a very long time!”
I hear a pony on the queue clear his throat. “I'll be right back!” says Pinkie, releasing me from her tight embrace and jumping back to the counter. “Don't go away!”
I walk to a corner desk, while Pinkie efficiently clears the queue. Faster than one would think possible, she's done. She hops to my desk.
“So, Flora, what are the news? Did you meet a mysterious bearded stranger wearing a hood and a cloak and carrying a staff and with an eyepatch over his eye?”
I blink. It doesn't matter how long I know her, I still can't follow her train of thought. “There was a stranger with an eyepatch in the Daring Do book. But he didn't have a beard.”
“Speaking of books, do you want to hear a story?”
“Yes, please!”
“I call this one ‘The Princesses And The Cakes’.”
-*-*-*-
“A long time ago, in a distant land, there were two princesses who loved to eat cake. They ate many cakes every day.
“But one day, they had a fight. ‘Your cake has more frosting than mine!’ said the younger princess. ‘No it doesn't!’ said the older princess. ‘Yes it does!’ said the younger princess. ‘No it doesn't!’ said the older princess. ‘Yes it does!’ said the younger princess. ‘No it doesn't!’ said the older princess. ‘Yes it does!’ said the younger princess. ‘No it —’”
“I think that's enough, Pinkie.”
“Okey dokey lokey. Anyway,
“The younger princess was so angry, that she tried to steal all the frosting. But the older princess caught her, and banished her to a dark place, where there were NO CAKES!”
She gestured exaggeratedly.
“The older princess did not want the younger princess to be there forever, so she sent her best baker to the City of Candy, where she should defeat the King of Sour Things and find the Legendary Frosting.
“The baker could not defear the evil King alone, so she disguised herself as a common pony and went into the city. She talked to everypony, and found five sisters who baked in secret.
“The six ponies used their baking abilities together and were able to defeat the dark King. Hidden in his castle, they found a beautiful pony, who was the keeper of the lost Legendary Frosting.
“They brought it back to the older princess, and together they all baked a special cake. They gave it to the younger princess, who ate it all. The two princesses were friends again, and the six bakers made many cakes every day to everypony!”
-*-*-*-
“And that's how I got my cutie mark! Want some ice cream?”
“Sure!”
She runs to the kitchen, while Twilight enters.
“Hi, Flora!” she says, smiling.
“Hi, Twilight!” I answer.
“Rainbow Dash is looking for you for today's flying lessons.”
“Yay! I'll go as soon as I finish eating the ice cream!”
Pinkie returns with a large tub of cold ice cream.
“Here's your ice cream, Fluttershy!”
Twilight glares at Pinkie Pie. The temperature in the room seems to drop several degrees. It feels as if there had been a happy background music until now, but somepony had violently yanked the needle from the record, stopping the music with a scratching sound.
I've never seen Twilight so angry before.
Pinkie freezes mid-movement. She slowly sets the ice cream on the desk, shakily puts the cups and spoons next to it, and zips to her room.
-*-*-*-
I walk out of Sugarcube Corner feeling down. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a disembodied claw beckoning me to a nearby shrub.
I go there.
“What happened, Flora?” asks a miniature Discord.
“I don't know. Everypony was so happy, then Twilight became angry and Pinkie ran away. Then they left me alone.”
He puts his hand on his chin. “I see.” He looks at me. “Let me show you something.”
He snaps his fingers, and we appear hidden in another shrub, next to one of the library's windows.
In the middle of the room is Pinkie, looking at the floor. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are in front of her.
“I thought we had discussed this before, darling. We had agreed to not call her by that name.”
“But she is Fluttershy...” says Pinkie, slowly tracing small circles on the ground with one of her hooves.
“FOR THE LAST TIME, SHE'S NOT FLUTTERSHY!” yells Twilight.
“Listen, sugarcube, we all know how you feel. But that's all in the past now. For our friendship's sake, don't use that name in front of her. Are we clear on that?”
“Yes...” answers Pinkie, with an almost inaudible voice.
“Good,” says Applejack. “Now let's go.”
-*-*-*-
“They were fighting because of me.” I look at the ground. “I don't want them to fight because of me.”
“Don't worry, Flora,” says Discord, raising my head. “It's not your fault.”
“But why...”
Discord puts a finger in front of my mouth. “They have their own reasons. One day you'll understand.”
He grows a bit. “Now put a smile again on your face. You don't want them to worry about you, do you?”
I force myself to smile. He returns my smile. “Now that's better. See you later!”
With a snap of his fingers, he disappears.