FlutterPie's Beginnings

by Mocha Star

Chapter 1

Fluttershy sat in her cottage, alone, except for the animals that were doing their best to give her privacy. Her couch had been her bed recently, feeling so alone in the world. She cried softly holding Angel Bunny. “Oh, Angel, why can’t I be more open? I want more than a friend lately and I try my hardest, really I do, but every time I try to talk to a stallion my body freezes and my mind turns off. I can’t breathe, can’t talk right and all I can do is say I’m sorry before he even notices me.

“Can you give me any advice, Angel?”

Angel looked at Fluttershy with a soft set of eyes and wiggled free of Fluttershy's grip, then stood on the arm of the couch looking at her. He reached out and patted her head, smiling compassionately.

“You're right, Angel. I've got to get out there and make myself known as a proud mare. A mare of my own making,” she sat up and opened her wings fully and pumped a hoof, “a lover of and by all animals.”

She slumped and her wings sagged. “That sounds pathetic, Angel. What am I going to do, really? I love you and every other critter I help and take care of but, I want love like they do in my books,” she said falling face first on the couch weeping again as Angel rolled his eyes and hopped back onto Fluttershy, beginning to pat her lightly.

...

Pinkie Pie slunk away from the window after looking into Fluttershy’s living room and walked the path away from Fluttershy’s cottage with her head low. The sun was low in the sky nearing sunset as she walked through town, simply smiling to the ponies that passed instead of her usual exuberant greetings.

Ponies were slightly taken interested by the typically happy pink party pony dragging her hooves, deep in thought. How do I help her? What can I do to make her happy and not feel alone? She walked into Sugarcube Corner and past the Cakes’ greetings to her room and laid on her bed.

“This’ the most not funnerriffic thing I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t throw her a party because of how sensitive she is, so what can I do Gummy?”

She rolled to her belly and looked to her green alligator at the foot of her bed and watched as he licked his eye.

“You’re right Gummy, I have to find what she likes and not think about what makes her all mopey in the first place. Let's see,” she sat up and tapped her chin with her hoof in thought. "I was going to ask her if she wanted to have a party for any of her pets when I saw her, but now I've gotta hunker down and think this out." She stood and walked on her hind legs as she thought. She balanced on a huge beach ball as the thought. She cartwheeled back and forth while whistling the POny Pokey before realizing she wasn't thinking anymore. “I’m not getting many ideas here Gummy. Maybe I should try something silly, that usually helps me think.”

She hopped off the unicycle and to all fours before bouncing out of her room to the sales area and placed a bit on the counter. “I’d like to buy a muffin please,” she asked Cup Cake.

“Pinkie, you know you don’t have to pay for food here. Why are you buying this?”

“I need to help a friend and I have to think so I’m trying some different things. I guess buying a muffin instead of grabbing a cupcake is a good start.”

Cup looked at the pink mare before her and thought about the logic then shook her head. This’ Pinkie Pie. Don’t think about it. “Okay dear, one muffin for two bits.”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie said looking at the counter, “they cost one bit last week.”

“Well, Dear, they’re two bits this week.”

“Well, I’ll pay one.”

“Two bits for the muffin, sweetie.”

“Don’t ‘Sweetie’ me, one bit,” Pinkie said scowling. Cup looked at Pinkie and narrowed her eyes.

“Two. Bits. For the muffin.

“One bit.”

“Two bits.”

“One bit.”

“Two bits.”

“Two bits.”

“One bit.”

“Two bits,” Pinkie shouted loudly. Carrot poked his head from the kitchen in surprise at the volume of the mares.

“One bit and that’s final,” Cup shouted glaring at Pinkie.

“Fine, one bit. I’ll never buy another muffin here as long as I live!” She pushed the bit to Cup and grabbed the muffin tossing it into the air landing it on her head with a smile. “Thanks, that really helped.” Then Pinkie pranced happily out the door and into the street.

Carrot walked next to Cup who was smiling herself. “You know it costs one bit for the muffin, right dear?”

Cup looked to her husband and nuzzled him softly. “I know, but she needed that and I knew it.”

---

Pinkie sat in the park and watched the small lake host a group of various birds enjoying themselves. She nodded her head and the muffin tossed in front of her landing perfectly between her forelegs. She leaned down and smelled it. “I remember when Fluttershy ate a muffin she got in the mail one Hearts and Hooves day.

“Ditzy makes great muffins, maybe that’ll cheer up Fluttershy.” She sat up and bumped the muffin with her right hoof and watched as it wobbled slightly. She bumped it with her left hoof and watched it wobble then fall over. “Why is this so hard to figure out? It should be the easiest thing in the world.

“Plan a party and make her happy. It's simple math, as long as I don't forget to carry the sprinkles. Maybe a picnic,” she sighed. “That’s the problem I guess. She has friends but doesn’t have love and love isn’t a party. I know what she feels, I don’t have love either. I guess I have love from friends but I don’t have a special somepony.. and she wants a special somepony.”

She widened her eyes as she thought about it. A smile crept across her muzzle and she stomped the muffin flat. “Eat up birdies I’ve got a plan,” she said as she jumped into the air and scrambled her legs running midair towards town, touching the earth several seconds later and creating a dust cloud following in her path.

Comments

[Rancor]

Muffin haggling, beautiful.