//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twelve - Joyful Tidings 
// Story: The Endless Summer Sun Celebration 
// by Mocha Star 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy walked into Sugar Cube Corner and went to Mrs. Cake who was helping a larger mare and looked at Mrs. Cake with a big smile, "Mrs. Cake, I'm going to Pinkies room with her permission."

"Um, dear, I don't think you should," She replied.
"Oh, it's okay, I know all about it.  Pinkie was very, descriptive,"  Mrs. Cake blushed slightly and looked away.
"I guess you do then, go on ahead, just keep quiet."

Walking upstairs Fluttershy could only think of what to expect, but nothing seemed to satiate her excited mind, "I'm going to see a newborn foal, and it's Pinkies, of all ponies."

Knocking on the door there was a brief hustling noise as Cheese Sandwich opened the door, a flurry of balloons leapt from the room as Cheese walked out, "Hello Mrs. Cake, to what do we-  Oh, uh, Fluttershy, right?" he asked, surprised and confused.

"Well, Pinkie told me about Cheesy Pie, and I wanted to see him, if that's okay."

"Oh, why, yes, of course!  Please, come in," He gestured inside the room.

Walking in the room was full of decorations and colors that almost made Fluttershy giggle, it was so much fun.  It was ready for a party, and Fluttershy wanted to be there tomorrow when it happened,  Maybe I can find a way to make it happen today.
Hearing a squeak Fluttershy jumped and smiled, "Is that him, can I see him?"  

"Oh, of course, he's right here in a bed we made for him," Cheese said as he led Fluttershy around the bed to see the cutest yellow wedge of cheese, in the center a tiny sleeping foal was snoozing, a little drool on his flat pillow.
"Oh, goodness, he is so cute," she said as she walked to the side of his bed and looked at him, a flurry of happiness washing over her, "Can I, Can I hold him, for just a minute?  If that's okay?"

"I don't see why not, he's a heavy sleeper," Cheese said as he reached to pick up Cheesy, he gently placed the foal in Fluttershy's forelegs.

Looking down at the little one she traced his face into her mind, his forelegs were tucked to his body and he squeaked again," Oh, oh my, I haven't held a foal for so long, I forgot how delicate and amazing they are," she smiled as she spoke and began cooing.
"You look like a natural mother, I don't remember Pinkie telling me you had any children, do you?"

"Not yet," the words hitting her making her eyes pop open wider for a moment, "I, I want one.  I want a foal of my own, as cute as Cheesy here."
"Well, do you have a special somepony at home?  Maybe you should have the talk," Cheese smiled as he looked at Cheesy, "it will change your life for the better no matter how you look at it," walking away and looking out the window he continued, "I felt happiness and joy, I had fun and friends, but it was always Pinkie that was at the heart of my life, and when I found her again I was overjoyed.  I used the next year using that joy to make more happiness across Equestria.

There was a small hamlet, maybe 50 ponies and pets combined that hadn't smiled in days after their mayor had died, it was the greatest challenge I had ever had making anypony smile, but in the end, it wasn't even me that turned the town around.  A mare gave birth and the joy that filled the town was on par with what I did for my life work, for my cutie mark, for my destiny.

I came back to Ponyville and made an offer to Pinkie to join me as I traveled the country, then as we grew closer it happened one day. It was amazing and it transcended time and space, we both felt it as though we were always supposed to, we just didn't know it was missing," he looked at Fluttershy with a tear streaming down his cheek, "it was love.  Love was what we were missing, and when we faced that fact and made that part of our parties, we became the most famous party planners in Equestria."

Fluttershy's eyes were trembling as he finished his story, she looked at the foal she was cradling in her arms and began to sob, but not with sadness, with hope and love, "I, I think I know what I need to do."

Fluttershy spent the next hour holding Cheesy they conversed and talked about Equestria and the parties that were held, the towns that were passed, and what Fluttershy had been up to the previous day, to the best of her recollection.





"Pinkie, can I talk with you?" Fluttershy asked after she entered the library and put her chocolates away.

"Okie-dokie-lokie slowie-pokie, what's up?"

"Well, I need to talk to you in private, Twilight, can I use the store room to talk with Pinkie Pie for a minute, please?"

"Well, okay, is everything alright, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked passively as she poured herself a drink.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to Pinkie about something," Fluttershy said as she walked to the relatively small closet.
"So, Fluttershy, what's the biggie-dealio-oh?"

Taking a breath to collect her thoughts she began by covering her ears, "Pinkie, I know about Cheesy Pie."

The door buckled outward as Pinkie screamed in confusion and excitement as she burst through the door, "Who else knows?!"
The others jumped and looked at the panicking pink mare.
Grabbing her tail Fluttershy yanked her back in and shut the door quickly, "No one, technically, only me."
Pinkie jumped out of the room as Twilight was about to break it down, "Sorry guys, false alarm, be right back, have some cake!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled a cake from... no where, and dropped it outside the door before slamming it.

"Fluttershy, what do you mean you know, how can you know?  It's supposed to be a surprise for tomorrow morning, no one knew except the Cakes, and they wouldn't tell anyone ever, they Pinkie Promised!" Pinkie said through clenched teeth, obviously frustrated about her ruined party plan.
"You told me, but I need your help, I only want you to know about this, so you have to Pinkie promise me that you'll keep this a secret and help me," Fluttershy said with a straight face, peering into Pinkies softening expression.

"Okie-Dokie I Pinkie Promise, 'Cross my heart, hope to fly.  Stick a cupcake in my eye.'"

"Pinkie, I need to find love, in a special somepony, and I don't know how."

"What?!?  Who is it? Does he know?  Or, is it she?  I'm okay either way, these days a lot of people aren't but I've seen a lot of things traveling like in this one town it turned out that almost every pony was really a mare, but they dressed up like colts and stallions and pretended really good, but I could tell right away because when they talked their voices were all the same, well, not the same but none of them had like really deep  voices like this, but it was okay because they were happy and that made it easier to have great parties."

"Wow, I forgot how you can talk when you get excited.  But, no.  I want a foal, a child of my own.  I want love from a pony, not just from my critters."
"Wow, so, who's the lucky stallion?"

"I don't know, that's why I need your help."

"Well, why don't you ask everyone else too, they're listening at the door," Pinkie said as she opened the door, knocking her friends back, "Hey guys, how much did you hear?"

"Well, only that Fluttershy wants to fall in love," Twilight said with a teasing smile, the others were blushing and smiling at Fluttershy, who, for the first time in the last two days felt her old feeling of embarrassment encroaching on her.
"Well, sorry slow pokes, I'm helping her, c'mon Fluttershy, let's go talk outside, away from prying ears," Pinkie said as she pulled her ears almost 8 inches longer than should have been possible before they snapped back to a normal size.  She hopped to the door and beckoned for Fluttershy.
"But, Sugarcube, what about our plans today?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, it's okay, you're going to beat Rainbow Dash at every game, Rainbow will win a hooficure and Rarity will spend the night planning clothes."
Looking at each other they didn't know what to say at the matter of fact way she said what would happen, "Cool, what about Twilight and me?" Spike asked.
"You're going to spend the afternoon making checklists about what to do today with Twilight."
"Oh, that's right Spike, I haven't make a list of things to do toda-.." Twilight stopped as she realized she was falling into what Fluttershy said, "Uh, Fluttershy, is there anything we need to talk about?"

Opening her wings Fluttershy hovered and shook her head with a smile, "No, you'll be okay until I see you later."
With that the two left the library and the flabbergasted others.





"So, Fluttershy, you don't know who, you don't know where he is, but you know you need to find him to have a foal of your own, which is kind of obvious because if you could do it yourself then we could all do it ourselves and then why would we ever need to rut or anything?  It would just be a thing that would happen when we wanted it to and then everyone would have one, but how would that work with age and how would the pony decide they were ready and what if they weren't ready and wanted to wait but though 'Hey, I wonder what it would be like?' then poof they were pregnant with a foal and had no choice!"

"Pinkie, I know you can help me," Fluttershy said with a smile as they walked along the main road making conversation, "You see, I'm-"
"You're trapped in time and have to live the same time over and over and over again until you find true love and happiness and finally get to see tomorrow," Pinkie said as she looked around at the sights.
"Wh- How? How did you know that?"
"Well, it's obvious when you look at it, silly.  Anyway, what kind of stallion are you looking for?  Should we sing a song?  Would that help?" Pinkie beamed.

"Uh, no, that's okay, the thing is I don't know who I'm looking for, I've never really thought about it, except in late summer around Hearts and Hooves day, but you know, that's how we all get at that time.  And even then, I don't look at anypony really, I just stay in my cottage as much as possible to avoid all that silliness."

"Well, look around here, are there any stallions that make you feel something special?"

Looking around Fluttershy only saw faces blurring past her, she couldn't focus on any one of them as she stood and looked.  Cutie marks were passing, smiling laughing faces went by and nothing stirred within the golden ponies chest, "No, I don't feel anything from any of these ponies, I don't even know what I'm supposed to look for."

"Well, I guess it's not so much that you have to look for something, you have to listen."  

Stopping and staring into the crowd for a moment Fluttershy turned to Pinkie, "I don't hear anything either, are they supposed to sound a certain way?"

Pinkie laughed and fell over, kicking all her legs, "No, silly filly, you have to listen to you heart, not your ears."
"Well, how do I do that?"

Getting off the ground and dusting herself off, Pinkie was still chortling as she began to talk, "Well, hehe, you see, you meet a stallion and there's something you like about him, it doesn't have to be something right away, but there is something you like about him, and then you find what he likes, then you get him to notice that thing about you, then before you know it some time goes by, for some its a long time, for some not so much," Pinkie pointed to various couples, "and then one day, there is a spark, a feeling you didn't know you could have but you didn't know you could live without, and it fills you with tingles from your hooves to your mane every time you see them."

"Wow, so, you think I can find that tonight?"
"Tonight?" Pinkie fell over again rolling with laughter.

"Pinkie, I was serious, I want to see tomorrow."
Standing up again and dusting herself off again Pinkie spoke serious this time, "Fluttershy, this is going to take time, okay.  I know you think I'm a crazy party pony, and you're right.  But, I wasn't always like this, you know how I grew up.  How I had no fun, joy or humor in my life, before that sonic rainboom.  I have learned a lot since then, and laughter was all I thought I needed, until I started traveling with Cheese Sandwich," Pinkie began walking and ushered Fluttershy to stay close, "when we first started to share a tent it was fun, we played board games and truth or dare, puzzles and planned parties weeks in advance.
Then, one night we just looked at each other and something happened, we were just talking.  Talking about our travels and parties we threw, then about our childhood," Pinkie stopped and looked up at the sky, there were no clouds in the sky, the sun was high above and everything was perfect about the day, "this is a lie."
Fluttershy looked at Pinkie confused, "Everypony you see here, they're all living a lie.  When Cheese and I were talking, we realized the world was cold and dark if you didn't fit into a certain group or situation, if you were an outsider or grew up in a different part of Equestria than another.  We both felt the spark in our hearts because we had that in common, then we did some fun stuff, and we made a pact the next morning to make it so no young pony had to know unhappiness.  I remember looking into his eyes in the morning and seeing myself in them.
Not just my reflection, but I could see, well, I guess it was my soul, in his eyes, and at that moment I never wanted to be apart from him again."

Fluttershy and a few other ponies were looking at Pinkie as she finished her story, Pinkie saw the onlookers with smiles and tears in some of their eyes and blushed.  Grinning and hopping on her back legs Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy and ran away, "That, was embarrassing," Pinkie chirped as she ran away with a flapping Fluttershy under her arm.