Fluttershy's First and Last Nightmare Night

by Captain Gamer

Act 3: After-Party Cleanup

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Fluttershy's First and Last Nightmare Night

Act 3: After-Party Cleanup

"Wake-up call, dear."

Those words were the first thing Pinkie Pie could clearly process since that time last night. She didn't hear Mrs. Cake walk away, so she groaned, "I'm up. Thanks, Mrs. Cake."

Mrs. Cake hummed to herself and left the door to go on to other things. Pinkie groaned again and felt her head. A sugar-high hangover was a risk associated with her kind of lifestyle. She reached over to the night stand and pushed in a bottle. She pressed down on the bottle, let it pop off, and took it on both hooves to let a few chiclets fall out and into her mouth for chewing. She replaced the cap and got out of bed to start the day.

Along her way, she passed by her loft's waste bin. The dragon costume had been stuffed in, or at least attempted. Pinkie frowned, trying to remember why (other than excessive sugar intake) she would try to dispose of a costume she worked so hard on. When recalling what she used the costume for, it all came back in a flash of images.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie gasped.

She was quickly out the door and making a beeline for Fluttershy's house.

-

Over at the Carousel Boutique, a loud knock threatened to tear the door off its hinges. A unicorn, white as snow with a radiant and twirled purple mane approached it. "Are you sure, Fluttershy? I don't need to be open, today." She heard from the another room a low whine and understood it. "Okay..." She used her magic to unlock the door and open it. "Welcome! How may I help y-" She gave a three-tone yelp at the sight of the pony at the door.

The pony was pink... and filthy.

"You look like you jumped into a mud puddle! And I say you look like it because I cannot fathom the possibility of that actually happening. Inside! Right now!" Rarity magically pulled the pink pony in and slammed the door, having the latter fly straight through the room and into another where a shower for such emergencies had been built.

One aversion of crime against outward appearances later, the pink pony was clean as could be. Shimmering, even.

Rarity levitated a brush over, "Now stay still, dear. Your mane is a mess after all that washing."

Pinkie Pie took a look to a mirror and nudged her head away. "Not really! This is what I normally look like!"

Rarity gave Pinkie an extended stare. "Is that... so...?"

"Yep! But I'm not here because of that! I want to talk to Fluttershy! I know she's here because I heard you talking to her before you opened the door!"

"Fluttershy...?" Rarity repeated, "This must be about the incident last night. I was waiting for somepony to come by and tell me about it. All I could get out of Fluttershy was she was out and something happened. Let's sit somewhere more comfortable."

Pinkie followed Rarity's lead, knowing that when the truth came out that this friend of Fluttershy's would not be so warm.

Sitting on bean bags and cups of tea in mouth and magic, the discussion could begin. "Much better," Rarity declared. "Now about Fluttershy... did she go to yesterday night's Nightmare Night celebration and get pranked?"

Pinkie chose her words carefully, those being not proper words at all. "Uh-huh."

"I knew it!" Rarity hissed, "I've never seen her this distraught in... ever! Whatever could have possessed her to go outside on Nightmare Night? More to the actual celebration?"

Rarity took a pause that Pinkie Pie's expression begged to not expect an answer. The silence ate away at Pinkie Pie until a response was on her tongue.

Rarity spoke again, "She and I both know that her disposition is too delicate to handle such an environment."

The words were lost on Pinkie Pie but she got the gist of what Rarity was saying. "Yeah, about that... Why would Fluttershy take a PRANK so seriously? If somepony pulled that off on me I would be laughing myself silly!"

The answer was stalled by a smooth sip of tea. Rarity thought for a moment. "Mmm... I haven't known Fluttershy that long, but I can tell you we are very good friends. Fluttershy's definition of 'fun' is different from other ponies. I may not look it, but I can appreciate a good practical joke because they, like the dresses I make, are art."

"... And WHAT art!" Pinkie complimented, "These dresses are great! I bet my parties would be SUPER festive if everypony was wearing something like this! And the way you have it decorated is so classy!"

"Why... thank you." Rarity held her head high, "I do take pride in facilitating a shopping experience that is a true experience." Any moment of solidarity was cut by Rarity's eyes opening and brow furrowing. "Wait a moment... Parties. Oh, I can't believe it took me this long to realize this. You must be Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie Pie made an "urk!" noise.

"Yes... that name was among the crying. Judging by your reaction, I'd say that's you. Are you the pony that sent her away in tears?"

It took a bit of gaze evasion before Pinkie braved a slow nod.

Rarity gave a quick hum, "Late last night, I finally fly back in from my annual out-of-town get-together. I was tarried so long that I was exhausted. I looked ever so much forward to just tossing myself onto my bed and sleeping the night and the next morning away. Imagine my surprise, my dismay at seeing my good friend Fluttershy having let herself in and bawling her eyes out! Absolutely soaking my expensive new silk sheets in tears, but that is beside the point. Mostly. Pinkie Pie, what did you do to her?"

"I didn't MEAN to do anything!!" Pinkie yelped, "I was just doing what I normally do! I was helping Fluttershy have fun at a party and she was so nervous about getting pranked so I tried doing it to her so she could get used to it but she didn't like it and it ruined the whole thing when it was going so well before that! SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT BUT I AM NOT A BAD PONY!!"

Pinkie finished her emotional flailing by throwing her forelegs around herself. She opened an eye to see Rarity stirring a spoon through her tea. "On any other day, Pinkie Pie, I would believe you. My clients often talk about having just left a party thrown by some wild pony. I never paid attention too closely, but now that I think about it, they were talking about you. To be honest, from what I heard about your parties I figured they would be foalish. But there is one constant in every story, and that is they always had fun. Real fun that they could put a hoof on. So I hear, you just want everypony to have fun and smile more. Am I right?"

Pinkie Pie pointed with her forehooves, "YES! You are SO right! If you were more right then you would be LEFT that's how right you are!" The pink pony's gaze fell. "And, and Fluttershy WAS having fun. She was looking at all the animals and the costumes... being helpful to everypony... she was really nice."

Rarity hummed again, in confirmation. "She was probably depending on you to keep her from those tricks and pranks she doesn't like."

"... and I went ahead and brought one straight to her..."

Rarity took another sip of her tea. She could tell that all the ideas were coming together in that pink head and allowed Pinkie the silence to make those connections. She paid attention when Pinkie's head snapped back up.

"I was going to talk to Fluttershy to say I'm sorry and figure out why she acted the way she did. But now I just want to apologize! She's a really good friend, and I didn't catch on in time. You have to let me talk to her, Rarity! I fell into a mud puddle running to her house! And then I remembered her mentioning you the other night so I figured out she was here and I fell into that same mud puddle on the way. Then I fell into it again!"

"How in Equestria did you fall into that mud puddle a third time...?"

"Because..." Pinkie looked away with a grin, "It was fun?"

Rarity received the response with some taken aback shock, which alarmed Pinkie. Then Rarity's expression softened and she stifled a chortle until she laughed. The two had a moment of solidarity until a third, very soft voice was heard among them. Rarity stopped laughing just quick enough for the third voice to be heard clearly, realize it was being heard, and squeak to a stop.

"Fluttershy?" Rarity called out, prompting Fluttershy to slowly walk from behind the door frame. "Were you... eavesdropping?"

"Um... maybe..."

Pinkie Pie stood from her bean bag, attentive. "How much did you hear?"

Fluttershy gingerly moved her gaze to Pinkie Pie, "I heard enough. You think I'm nice?"

"REALLY nice!" Pinkie Pie insisted.

Fluttershy turned her full face forward, "Why... thank you. For most of last night, I thought you were really nice, too."

Pinkie Pie's face softened to sympathetic. "Fluttershy, if I had known that you didn't do pranks, AT ALL, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT about doing it to you. But I've never heard of a pony who didn't like pranks..."

The pegasus hoofed the floor timidly, "Oh, I know. I'm sorry."

Pinkie's eyes widened with what she heard. "Wait, YOU'RE sorry? I'm here to apologize to you!"

"Oh! Right. I should have kept that in mind. Sorry. Ohh! I did it again! I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy's apologetic tirade ended with Pinkie's hoof on her shoulder.

"Fluttershy, I'M sorry. I just assumed you'd feel the same way about pranks that I did. I guess ponies all have fun different ways."

Fluttershy smiled back, "Actually, I really did have a good time when I wasn't thinking about scary things or getting pranked. I would really like to see what one of your normal parties is like."

Pinkie gasped deeply with an equally deep delight. "Fluttershy, I will take you up on that offer! But I'll warn you: Of all the things everpony says about my parties, they never call 'em 'normal!' In fact... this accepted apology deserves a party! Right here in Rarity's house!"

All this time, Rarity had been watching the reconciliation with approval. In the middle of a sip of tea, she heard Pinkie and spat that sip right out. "Now hold on a moment!"

The party pony was far too gone in her passion to stop now. "We'll put on these AWESOME dresses and dance on the roof! Ooh! We'll need streamers! Are you using this fabric, Rarity?"

"I most certainly am-!"

"Thanks!!"

Pinkie continued to hop around the Boutique, party-planning out loud while Rarity chased her around to keep the place in one piece. Fluttershy stayed in place to avoid getting sucked into the action, but still watched Pinkie and spared a giggle.

Comments

[neutralmilk]

Take my thumb. Just take it.

[zyr1987]

This explains so much. Poor Fluttershy is just too adorable in this, as well. I just want to give her a big hug.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Now Fluttershy will see what a REAL 'Pinkie Pie Party' is like.

[Captain Gamer]

1405051

Your thumb has been received and will be used as a source of motivation for future writing!

1405359

I tried to capture that Fluttershy adorableness and I'm happy to hear you picked up on it! But tell me, is there any time we wouldn't just want to give her a big hug?

1407438

Thank you for your blow-by-blow comments! The more the merrier. To say that this could be an episode is a huge compliment. Thank you for that! If I tried any harder at that, it would have been in a script format. The decision to mark Rarity as a featured character is kinda on the fence, but this originally was one all big chapter. I decided to split it up for the sake of bite-sized pony goodness.

[zyr1987]

1407727 True, she is super-huggable, when she's not acting too much on Iron Will's advice, but this takes it to another level