No, Really, It Is!
The morning was calm as the sun made it's way past the hills just beyond Fluttershy's cottage, the splendorous light reflecting off every surface and emphasizing the lengths of the shadows. The stream that ran alongside the cottage caught the light's attention, babbling over the rocks as the light bounced off it's ever-moving surface.
The light finally reached the cottage itself, consuming the home in natural light. Within the depths of the house laid Fluttershy, who peacefully slept through the sun's arrival. Then, as if sneaking through the window like a snake, the light made it's way inside, crawling towards Fluttershy's slumbering form.
Fluttershy stirred as she felt the familiar warmth of the light reach her and instinctively turned towards it, then winced once the light hit her eyes. With a yawn, Fluttershy cracked her eyes open, rubbing her drooping eyelids to to further wake herself.
A familiar rhythm of thumping reached her ears, causing her to turn to her door, where the source of the sound was. Sure enough, Angel, her pet bunny, was thumping his foot in a impatient manner while giving her a matching look to convey his disdain for her sleeping so long.
"Good morning, Angel Bunny," Fluttershy greeted, careful to keep the sleepiness out of her voice.
Angel let out a huff through his nose and nodded his head toward the door, which he then hopped out of.
"Goodness, you must be hungry," Fluttershy said, slightly upset with herself for being so inconsiderate as to sleep in. She shook her head at herself for thinking negatively and lightly flew out of the room, then down the stairs.
Angel had taken his usual spot near the kitchen counter, still thumping his foot in his usual belligerent manner. Fluttershy, used to his negativity in the morning, or, rather, all times during the day, patiently walked into the kitchen and passed the still thumping rabbit.
"Come on, now, Angel Bunny," Fluttershy chided lightly, "it'll only be a minute."
Angel ceased his foot thumping, but continued to keep his disapproving glare on Fluttershy's back as she glided to the refrigerator. She opened the door and rummaged through it for a moment, then stopped when she pulled out some carrots that had been picked a couple days prior.
"Here, Angel," she said while offering him a few carrots, "you must be hung-"
Fluttershy stopped talking when Angel snatched the carrots out of her hooves and shoved them in his mouth, to which he scurried off, leaving her alone.
"-ry," she finished, her eyes wide in surprise at his sudden action. She sighed to herself, then picked up her hoof-woven basket as she lightly flapped her wings to keep herself aloft in the air.
Flying over to the door, she opened it and glided out, being greeted by the chirps and tweets of her bird friends.
"Why, good morning, birdies!" she greeted, closing her eyes in blitheness as she smiled at the birds.
The birds tweeted in reply, opening their beaks in a way that resembled a smile.
"Why, yes, it is a beautiful day," Fluttershy responded, then shyly added, "perhaps something worth singing about?"
The birds tweeted enthusiastically, excited at the thought of hearing their soft spoken caretaker's voice.
"Would you mind joining me?" she asked, "I would love to hear you, as well!"
The birds nodded as they extended their wings and let out a chorus of excited tweets.
Fluttershy smiled serenely and took a deep breath, then let out a test note to check the accoustics. When she found them to her liking, she smiled a little wider and took another deep breath.
There's music in the treetops
And there's music in the vale
Fluttershy let the music within flow through her, the lyrics taking their usual course as she flew upwards into the air.
And all around the music fills the skyyyyyy
Still hanging onto her basket, Fluttershy glided down to her personal garden, where her food for herself and the animals resided. Although she had her own personal garden, she oftentimes found herself going to the market to stock up when she failed to harvest the plants in time for the animal's feedings.
There's music by the river
And there's music in the grass
After she quickly picked the carrots and other vegetables for her animal friends, she soared upwards and around, spreading a hoof-full of birdseed in a dramatic fashion.
And the music makes your heart soar in reply
As she continued to vocalize, the birds harmonized with her as she spread the food around, the animals's gazes following her as she happily spread her song of peaceful serenity and innocence.
'I feel so at ease...' she thought, completely disregarding all the nervousness within her and enjoying her rare moment of clarity, 'Nothing is bothering me...'
"Hiya, Fluttershy!" shouted a familiar, high-octave voice.
With a loud squeak, Fluttershy's singing cut off as her wings instinctively clasped themselves onto her sides as her shyness returned. Fluttershy shrieked as gravity reminded her of it's cruel laws, bringing her crashing down to the ground below.
But, instead of landing on her face and nearly killing herself, Fluttershy landed on something bouncy, which caused her fall to be disrupted and somewhat softened as she bounced off the unknown item. Fluttershy let out a small squeak as she landed on her rump, which caused her to wince in pain.
"Sorry for scaring you, Flutters!" said Pinkie Pie, who hopped over to Fluttershy, who was tentatively rubbing her bottom, "I just came to talk to you but, then I saw you singing and I thought, 'Wow, she's really good!', then I remembered why I was here and said 'Hi!', then remembered how shy you get when you sing in front of ponies when I saw you start falling and went, 'Oh, no!', so I pulled out my bouncy beach ball for you to land on and now you're not hurt! Wait, you're not hurt, right?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened as she turned her head to look at the beach ball that was behind her, then back at Pinkie, who was eagerly awaiting her answer.
"Uh, no, I'm fine, Pinkie," Fluttershy told her, "um, why are you here? It's a bit early just for a 'Good morning', don't you think?"
Pinkie giggled and snorted, as if she knew something that Fluttershy didn't.
"No, silly!" she responded, still giggling, "I came by to ask you something!"
"Oh," Fluttershy said, her eyes wide with anticipation, "what did you want to ask me?"
"Wanna get some pink hair dye with me?" Pinkie asked, blinking her eyes in a oblivious manner.
Fluttershy blinked in surprise. "Huh?" she questioned, her eyes wide with confusion.
Pinkie stopped smiling for a brief moment. "Isn't kind of obvious?" Pinkie asked, quirking a brow upwards.
When Fluttershy didn't respond, Pinkie sighed.
"Sheesh, you're like Twilight," she said with an eyeroll, "I always have to explain the obvious with you guys!"
Fluttershy pursed her lips as she held back her urge to tell Pinkie that the things she did wasn't exactly predictable, let alone obvious.
"I'm getting pink hair dye because Rainbow totally bailed on me this morning and since Rarity doesn't like pranks, and Applejack and Twilight would just lecture me, I figured you might want to help me!" Pinkie explained, grinning gleefully.
"Huh?" Fluttershy questioned, "What does pink hair dye have to do with pranking somepony?"
Pinkie sighed again. "Rainbow Dash and I were going to go prank somepony with the pink hair dye, Flutters," she told her, "is it that hard to understand?"
"Oh," she replied, then mulled over Pinkie's explanation, "wait, what does Rainbow Dash have to do with this?"
Pinkie sighed once again. "Maybe I should start from the beginning," she said, "Me and Rainbow were going to go pranking today, but Rainbow told me that she had to work today, and since I don't want to do this prank by myself, I thought that I needed somepony else to go with me, and the others weren't up for it, so I came to you."
Fluttershy's mouth formed a small 'o' as she came to understand Pinkie's implications, then stopped as she thought about what Pinkie just told her.
"And the pink hair dye?" she asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Pinkie giggled. "I can tell you about that on the way!"
"Huh? But I never sai-"
"Come on, Fluttershy!" Pinkie called out, hopping down the path away from the cottage, "We got work to do!"
Fluttershy opened her mouth to argue, but once she realized the futility in doing so, instead, she sighed. With a heavy heart and bit tongue, Fluttershy followed Pinkie down the path, praying that the prank wouldn't be too insane for her tastes.
* * *
"Pinkie, this is a very bad idea..." Fluttershy whispered, her wings quivering as she watched the party pony continue to do what she was doing.
"Come on, Shy," Pinkie whispered back, "it's not like we're doing anything permanent!"
Fluttershy sighed. "I know, Pinkie, but--" she tried to say.
"Fluttershy, I told you why I needed to do this!" she argued quietly, "He's gotta pay for what he did!"
Fluttershy's eyes widened as she heard Pinkie's sharp tone, but she refused to back down from her.
"But, didn't you start it?" Fluttershy asked quietly, "He was only getting even."
"But he didn't get even!" Pinkie said, "He went farther than I did!"
The two mares were inside the library, arguing with one another quietly as to avoid awaking their potential pranking victim. Laying in the cot beside the stairs was none other than Sombra, the former ruler and tyrant of the Crystal Empire, snoring his tail off.
Pinkie had insisted on pranking Sombra due to him doing the same to her a couple weeks prior, despite the fact that she had provoked him into doing so. Fluttershy, once realizing who their victim would be in their pranking escapade, almost immediately tried to put a stop to it, but to no avail.
"Pinkie, I can't say with a clear conscious that this will end well for either of us," Fluttershy told her, her eyes drifting towards Sombra's snoring form, "Sombra is going to be very, very upset."
"But it'll wash out!" Pinkie whined, then added quietly, "Eventually..."
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "'Eventually'?" she repeated, "Do you know what won't be eventually?"
Pinkie perked up and grinned. "Oh, oh, pick me!" she cried out, then dimmed down when she heard Sombra let out a groan as he stirred.
"Sombra murdering us when he wakes up with pink hair!" Fluttershy argued quietly, her eyes narrowed, "I don't want to upset him, Pinkie!"
"Fluttershy," Pinkie said seriously, "didn't you tell me at one point in your meeting with Sombry that he tried to bite you?"
Fluttershy felt the color drain from her face as her eyes drifted to Sombra, then gulped loudly.
"Don't remind me," she whispered, "it doesn't help that he has those big fangs... he could gobble me up..."
"Think of this as payback!" she told her, then cast Sombra a side-glare, "He totally deserves it!"
Fluttershy took a moment to mull this over. "Well..." she drawled, "he did enslave an entire race of ponies..."
Pinkie grinned. "Attagirl!" she cheered quietly, then gave Sombra an evil glare, "Just you wait, Sombry! Pinkie's gonna get you good!"
"Can I make a suggestion?" Fluttershy asked, "I don't think it'd be wise to go for dyeing his entire mane..."
Pinkie let out a hum of thought as she put her hoof to her chin. "Good point. Hot pink tips alright?"
Fluttershy cast her gaze towards Sombra once more, then sighed. "Alright... Give me the dye..."
* * *
"When do you think he'll wake up?" Fluttershy asked quietly, giving Pinkie a worried look. Both mares were waiting in the bushes across from the library, Fluttershy deciding that waiting inside would be less than wise, for the sake of their lives.
Pinkie giggled mischievously. "Any minute now!" she said with an evil grin, "Sombry always wakes up from his naps around this time!"
Fluttershy sighed as she looked back at the library, her eyes widening when she heard a loud screech emanate from it.
"Oh, no..." she whispered, "He's awake!"
"Come on, Flutters!" Pinkie said with a laugh as she waved her hoof dismissively, "Sombry's probably laughing his flank off!"
Suddenly, the door to the library opened with a slam, the sound of a loud, feral growl resonating from the entrance.
"That doesn't sound like laughing..." Fluttershy said with a shudder.
Sure enough, Sombra stepped out of the library, his eyes narrowed to thin slits as he glowered at the town. Despite his lack of armor and cape, he still held the menacing stance of his regal rank, while his gaze held the coldness of the Empire that he used to rule.
"I-I'm sure he'll start laughing soon..." Pinkie assured, more to herself than Fluttershy.
Sombra continued to glare at everything in his line of sight while they darted left to right in search of whoever did the heinous crime that befell his glorious onyx mane. The dark tresses of wavy hair faded into a hot pink, matching Pinkie's mane almost perfectly.
"PINKIE PIE!" Sombra roared, the yell echoing beyond the town and into the surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was residing in her throne room when her ears perked upwards at an unknown sound.
"Hmm..." she said to herself, disregarding the paperwork in front of her.
"Is something the matter, Your Highness?" asked a guard, glancing back at his benevolent leader.
"I have tingling sensation that one of the Elements of Harmony has sealed their own fate..." she mused aloud, then shrugged, "perhaps it's my imagination."
Back in Ponyville, Pinkie and Fluttershy were frozen in fear of what Sombra would do in the event that he found them. Then, Sombra's gaze cut across to the bush they were hiding in, narrowing when he deduced that to be where they were.
'Oh, no!' Fluttershy thought, her eyes wide with terror.
"I know you're there, you pink idiot!" Sombra snarled, making his way over to the bush.
Suddenly, Pinkie let out a screech of terror and jumped into the air, defying gravity as she churned the air with her legs in mid-run. The force of her leap caused the leaves from the bush to fall off, revealing Fluttershy's quivering form.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" she screamed, zooming away and leaving a pink streak behind her, much like Rainbow Dash did when she flew off.
Fluttershy felt her fearful gaze go over to Sombra, who was glowering at her as she continued to sit where her hiding spot used to be.
"Wait for me!" she cried, running after Pinkie's zooming form.
Fluttershy felt her heart begin to race as she galloped after Pinkie, who continued to run from their pursuer and victim.
'Sweet Celestia, is this how this ends?' she thought as she felt her breath become labored and heavy. Her legs began to ache and throb as she felt her energy quickly fade, despite the amount of adrenaline in her veins.
Suddenly, Fluttershy felt her hoof catch onto something, causing her to lose her balance as she tripped over her hooves. She cried out as she crashed to the ground and looked over her shoulder to see Sombra quickly closing in on her. She let out a whimper and pulled her wings over herself to protect what little they could.
But, instead of pouncing on her, like she expected, he leaped over her quivering form, deciding her to be unimportant in the pursuit against his pranker.
'He's going after Pinkie!' Fluttershy thought, horrified at what he might do to her best pony friend if he caught her.
Against her better judgement, she ran after the stallion, flapping her wings to further accelerate herself in her pursuit. She huffed and puffed as she continued to run, but felt her exhaustion disappear when she caught sight of Sombra's hot pink-tipped black tail.
With extra confidence to back her, she galloped even harder, beginning to close in on the dark stallion. But, as she sped up, she realized that Sombra was gaining acceleration as well, the somewhat close distance slowly growing longer as he continued to gallop at a faster rate than her.
Then, to Fluttershy's horror, she saw Pinkie come into view, exhaustion obviously getting the better of her, as well. Fluttershy glanced at Sombra, who was grinning victoriously as he closed in on her pink friend.
"Sombra!" she cried out between a pant.
Sombra stopped smiling and turned back to see her, his eyes widening in surprise as he spotted her. Then, he grinned again and let out a laugh.
"You can't keep up!" he called back, giving her a sneer, "Eat dust, peasant!"
He galloped at a faster rate, nearly reaching Pinkie, who glanced back in horror as she gasped.
"Sombry, please!" she cried out, her eyes wide with fear.
Fluttershy gasped as she watched Sombra open his jaws to bite down on Pinkie's tail. She took another deep breath to keep herself going and pounded her hooves into the ground as she let out a cry.
"Sombra, leave Pinkie alone!" she exclaimed, not sounding as menacing as she hoped.
Sombra glanced back at her, then laughed haughtily.
"Catch me if you can, Pegasus!" he taunted, "There's nothing you can do!"
Fluttershy, somewhat angered by his words, let out a huff of frustration and galloped after him at a faster rate. Sombra glanced back again and his eyes widened when he saw her close in on him. Fluttershy glared at Sombra as she continued to run, finally reaching his short tail. With an angry grunt, she bit down on his tail, then dug her hooves into the ground to prevent any further movement.
"Ow!" Sombra exclaimed, looking back at Fluttershy with a glare, "Let go!"
Fluttershy shook her head as she sat down, in hopes of slowing him down. But, to her surprise, Sombra carried her weight with ease and continued to keep up his pace, still managing to keep close to Pinkie.
"Hot pink looks really good on you!" Pinkie called out to him, turning back to look at him, "Really!"
Sombra's eyes narrowed and he started galloping harder, the speed reaching it's peak for Fluttershy, who fell back as she lost her hold on Sombra's tail.
Finally, much to Fluttershy's horror, Sombra tackled Pinkie, who let out a cry of surprise at Sombra's abrupt action. The two ponies fumbled about for a moment, both struggling to gain dominance and control of the wrestling match.
But, Sombra prevailed in the battle, having successfully pinned Pinkie to the ground, heaving and panting as he glowered at her terrified form.
"Sombry, don't hurt me!" Pinkie begged, "I was only messing around with you!"
Sombra growled at her. "You colored my hair, you pink idiot!" he snarled, leaning towards her, "I shouldn't be anything less of hurtful to you!"
Pinkie returned his glare. "That's what you get for messing with me on April Fools, you meanie pants!" she exclaimed, causing him to blink at her in surprise, "I was just getting back at you!"
Sombra stared at her for a moment, then went back to glaring. "Do you know what I should do to teach you a lesson?" he said quietly, raising an eyebrow.
Pinkie's eyes widened as she fearfully looked up at him, then screwed her eyes shut in fear.
"Sombra, please!" Fluttershy exclaimed, running up to him, "Don't hurt Pi-"
Fluttershy stopped talking as she watched Sombra crush his lips into Pinkie's, successfully surprising both of them. Pinkie's eyes popped open as she laid under Sombra in shock, remaining wide even as he pulled away.
"Now we're even," he told her, climbing off of her.
Pinkie remained on the ground, her eyes still wide as squeaks of surprise escaped her lips. Sombra let out a chuckle and leaned his head next to hers, his muzzle brushing against her ear.
"Anything else you want?" he whispered, just loud enough for Fluttershy to hear.
Pinkie let out another squeak, then let out a sigh as her eyes closed, showing that she had fainted from the intensity of the situation.
"Two for two," Sombra said, grinning victoriously as he turned to Fluttershy, "tell her not to be late for our afternoon walk when she wakes up. I'm looking quite forward to seeing her again."
Fluttershy squeaked as she nodded in response, her eyes wide. As Sombra walked off, Fluttershy found herself looking at PInkie's unconscious form.
"Pinkie, next time you prank somepony, don't do it to somepony who doesn't have anything to lose," Fluttershy told her, even though she knew Pinkie wouldn't be able to hear her.
'Pinkie was right about one thing that happened today, though,' Fluttershy thought, smiling as she glanced at Sombra, 'he was going to laugh about this...'