The First Annual Golden Oaks Library Book Fair

by Azreale

Fluttershy's Cottage

Luckily for Twilight, Fluttershy lived fairly close to Applejack’s farm. The shy pegasus disliked the hustle and bustle of crowds, and Twilight felt a serene peace pass over her as she watched the apple tree orchards disappear behind her, and the forest on the outskirts of town starting to appear before her.

Fluttershy was a humble little thing, always caring about others more than herself. Her modest home, a little cottage situated in the middle of a grove, was easily accessible to any ponies or animals wanting to come and visit.

As she got close, Twilight’s nose became mixed with the scents of the pine needles, woodland critters, and the fresh smell of… pumpkin pie? Inhaling heavily, she made a nosedive towards the delicious autumn smell, which was wafting out of Fluttershy’s window. A beautiful, charming female voice was singing inside.

“Fluttershy? Are you in?” Twilight knocked on Fluttershy’s door.

“Yes! I’ll be there in just a moment!” Fluttershy called from within. Twilight listened as a pan clattered against a counter, and hoofsteps skipping towards the door. She was soon greeted by her cheerful friend, various birds circling around her head and various critters running around her hooves. “Oh, Twilight! It’s so nice to see you! How are you today? Please, come in!”

“Thank you Fluttershy! I’m excellent today, how are you?” She replied, stepping inside the cottage. Fluttershy was beaming and skipping alongside her. “What’s got you so happy?”

“Oh Twilight, it was wonderful! Come see!” She squealed, trotting into one of the rooms. Twilight followed curiously, eager to see what had Fluttershy on Cloud Nine. “Remember to keep your voice down! She’s still sleeping!”

“Who’s sleeping?” Twilight whispered, walking in, and then she noticed the two squirrels lying on a large pillow on the floor, with a little baby squirrel, snoring gently, in between them. The two older squirrels looked to the door when they heard it open, and smiled at Fluttershy.

“Acorn and Chipper had a baby this morning!” Fluttershy cooed softly, resisting the urge to stroke the slumbering squirrel’s head. If she was going to be honest, Twilight couldn’t see the difference in appearance of Acorn and Chipper, but she was happy nonetheless.

“Oh, Fluttershy! That’s so wonderful! What’s its name?” She asked quietly, leaning in to examine the little furry mass. Fluttershy replied without turning to her.

“They’ve named him Dale. Isn’t he just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Fluttershy asked. “May I hold him, Chipper?” The squirrel on the left nodded, and the two moved away from Dale quietly. With practiced ease, Fluttershy scooped the baby up with her wing and nestled him close. Twilight marvelled at how easily she held him, and how the squirrel didn’t seem to stir in the slightest.

“He’s adorable, Fluttershy! Congratulations, Acorn and Chipper.” Twilight giggled, nodding at the squirrels, who seemed to beam even brighter.

“Would you like to hold him, Twilight?” She asked, outstretching her wings to the alicorn. Twilight took a step back, shaking her head.

“Oh, no no no. I couldn’t! I don’t know how, I’ve never held a baby before-“

“It’s easy.” Fluttershy interjected, gently taking Twilight’s own wings and folding them against her body so they made a nice little nest. “Just remember not to rustle your wings or move them too quickly, and you’ll be fine. I trust you.” Twilight stopped fighting back, and Fluttershy lowered Dale into her wing nest.

“Oh, my!” Twilight gazed at the bundle of life that she held in her wings. She suddenly understood why Fluttershy loved babies so much. Dale let out a big yawn and his little eyes fluttered open. Twilight froze as he blinked sleepily and stared at her intensely.

“Would you like me to take him back now, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, but Twilight didn’t hear her.

“Hello, little friend! How are you? Welcome to the world!” Twilight whispered to the squirrel as she began rocking him back and forth. Dale seemed to smile as he nestled himself closer to Twilight’s body and fell back asleep. Fluttershy chuckled as she took Dale back and placed him between his parents.

“I see you made a new friend, Twilight!” The pegasus joked as she ushered Twilight out of the room. “We should let Acorn, Chipper and Dale rest now. They’ve had a long day!”

“I can imagine!” Twilight nodded as she took the seat that Fluttershy had eagerly pulled up for her.

“Anyways, I’m sure you didn’t come here just to chat! What did you drop by for?” She asked as she began to clean her kitchen. Twilight watched as pots and pans began landing in the sink, where a multitude of critters began washing them with tiny washcloths.

“Oh, well, I was hoping to ask you for a favor! You see, I’m hosting a book fair...” Twilight began telling Fluttershy about her idea, and the pegasus listened with interest. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath and ended her story. “And Applejack and Sugarcube Corner are providing the food!”

“Wow, that seems like a fun idea!” Fluttershy nodded, grinning. “And you were wondering if I would be stopping by?” Twilight nodded.

“That, and I was hoping you and your bird choir could provide some music for it!” Fluttershy immediately froze.

“Oh… oh, oh, I don’t know Twilight… that seems like an awfully big responsibility… I’m not sure…” She bit her lip and hid behind her mane.

“Fluttershy, of course you can do it! Your bird choir is beautiful, and you conduct wonderfully! There’s nopony else I would rather have than you guys.” Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s knee. “Trust me. You’ve played for my brother’s wedding. You can play for a book fair.” Fluttershy smiled meekly.

“Well… I suppose if you think that I can do it, Twilight… I’ll give it a shot! But, umm… h-how many ponies do you think are going to be there?” She asked. Twilight shrugged nonchalantly.

“I really couldn’t say. I hope that the entire town will be there! But truthfully, I have no clue. It would be a good idea to prepare for the best outcome, I suppose!” Twilight answered. Fluttershy froze again, but took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

“Okay, okay… I can do this! I’ve been working on being more outgoing, and I think that this will be a great opportunity!” She giggled nervously. “I’ll be there.”

“That’s fantastic, Fluttershy! I can’t wait to hear your birds perform again! It’s always so beautiful!” Twilight gave her a tight hug and started heading for the door.

“You’re going already?” Fluttershy asked, cocking her head to the side and putting on a mock frown. Twilight rolled her eyes playfully and sighed.

“Unfortunately, I can’t stay. It’s already starting to get dark, and I still have to send Spike off to Sugarcube Corner with a list of goods that we’ll need, and I should start making posters as soon as I can!”

“Oh, that’s good! It’ll be a busy week for you, Twilight! Best to start soon! If you need any help with anything, you drop by and let me know, okay?” Fluttershy trotted over to the door and opened it for the alicorn.

“I will, don’t worry!” Twilight nodded and gave her friend another hug before setting off down the road. “I’ll talk to you later, Fluttershy! And give my congratulations to Acorn and Chipper, too! Little Dale was so cute!” Twilight called back, unfurling her wings to fly off. Fluttershy nodded and waved goodbye to her friend, closing the door behind her. Twilight watched the pegasus disappear past the window before flying in the direction of her home with a smile on her face.

This is going to go perfectly! I don’t see how anything could possibly go wrong!

Comments

[Daemon McRae]

This is going to go perfectly! I don’t see how anything could possibly go wrong!

Somebody wanna help me out with the harmonies?

Dun
Duuuuun
Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

[OmniFox]

If she's going to have this book fair she going needs approval to the mayor of Ponyville.

[clubbzz]

This is going to go perfectly! I don’t see how anything could possibly go wrong!

You would think Twilight would have learned by now not to say this.

[Spirit Shift]

Wow this IS just like an actually episode

[GeodesicDragon]

3326066

Murphy's Law basically says that any time a character says something positive, something bad must happen to counteract that claim.

For example:

"Today is the day I get that promotion I deserve!"

"You're fired."

[TheGreatEater]

3327827

Or when stating "What else can go wrong?", or "What's the worst that can happen?"

Although the whole "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". Is actually a misuse of the law while at the same time demonstrating it perfectly. Originally it was, "If something can be used or done a right way and a wrong way, and the wrong way will lead to catastrophe, it will be used or done the wrong way."

Where as it's current use is actually Finagle's Law. Although that's something I only learned a year ago, and it's still easier to say Murphy's XD.