> The Threads of Love
>  by frenettek314
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Enter Flutterdoll
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ah, another absolutely amazing afternoon!" alliterated one pristine pink party pony, otherwise commonly known as Pinkie Pie.  

Throughout the open-wide streets of Ponyville bounced the super duper party pony herself as she gleefully smiled and waved at every single pony she came across.  Now if you were new to Equestria, you'd think it would be absurd to expect one pony to be bouncing around with an endless burst of energy while greeting everyone in their path - but to Pinkie Pie and anypony who has known or heard of the famed Element of Laughter, this was a typical afternoon.  

As Pinkie silently hummed a tune in thought, she imagined all the possible amounts of fun she could have with her friends this glorious day.  As she strolled along through a cool crisp breeze that specifically smelled like the frosting of cupcakes to her and her alone,  she came up with a possible list of parties and associated pastries she could whip up in appreciation for another glorious day under the rule of Princess Celestia. 

"Hey frenettek314?" she asked quizically as she abruptly stopped her hopping pace to stare at the voice she heard in front of her.  "It's now canon that Twilight's taken over Celestia and Luna's duties -  shouldn't this be an alternate universe?"

"Whaaa... Pinkie?!" I sputtered out,  not expecting the pony to be able to engage in conversation with me.  

"Well???" she asked, clearly not intent on explaining more until she was provided a plausible explanation to her question. 

"Well, I guess so. But I wanted Twilight to be an active member in this story as well and the details of rulers isn't important so let's just say this takes place in a long period string somewhere between Seasons 8 and 9?" I explained, hoping this would satisfy the curious equine.  

"Oh, okee dokee lokee!" she cheerfully responded. 

"Phew" I sighed in relief, happy she was satisfied.  "But I can't have you talking to me anymore, you're breaking the flow of the story and I need to concentrate on the plot." I lectured, trying to regain any semblance of the fourth wall.  

"Oh. Right. Sorry." she grinned sheepishly with a slight squee as she continued bouncing throughout the main plaza of Ponyville. 

Anyways, Pinkie decided she would go to the Castle to see what Twilight was up to.  "She's always up for a good adventure or something fun."  she gleefully thought to herself.  

With a goal now set in mind, for this positively perfect day, nothing could ruin Pinkie's carefree spirit.  

"Oh, Hello Pinkie." a voice called out to her, literally stopping her tracks mid-step.  

Nothing except the voice of a shy pegasus anyway. 

"Oh... Hi Fluttershy." Pinkie nervously stumbled for a second before turning around to find the pegasus in question displaying a jolly, warm smile directly at her.  Pinkie, being an expert smile connoisseur according to herself, has dealt and in return seen many smiles throughout her life. There were many different types of smiles one could visibly display and each told a unique story or trait according to the pink pony.   

But Pinkie swore that Fluttershy's warm, inviting smiles were the best she had ever witnessed.  

As such, Pinkie felt slightly intimidated being in the presence of a "smile god", as it wasn't entirely visible but one could swear if they really squinted, they could see a drop of sweat roll down Pinkie's face.  

Fluttershy, having not noticed the subtle crack at Pinkie's demeanor continued to smile kindly at her friend before resuming the conversation.  

"I was wondering what you were up to today?  I was thinking of having a nice picnic near the Sweet Apple Acre meadows and I was wondering if you wanted to join me?" asked the butterscotch pegasus, a wave of eager anticipation flashing in her eyes, hoping her invited guest could join her.  

However Pinkie could only stumble with anxiety for a few seconds before suddenly blurting out, "So sorry Flutter-Butter, but I was on my way to Twilight's and I'm booked for the rest of the day. Hope you understand because I certainly do." all with a facade of a smile on her face that she hoped Fluttershy would see as genuine rather than forced.  

"Oh... ok then.  Maybe next time?" Fluttershy spoke calmly.  Pinkie swore she could see Fluttershy's smile being replaced with a depressed frown for a fraction of a second before it returned, albeit with not the same gusto as before. 

"You bet, Flutty-Buddy. Alright, got to run. You know me, craaazy.  See you." Pinkie stammered out before she quite literally broke the sound barrier, fleeing the scene leaving the pegasus confused as to why her friend had left so fast. 

"Ok." she responded with a crooked smile before heading off back in the direction of her cottage, her smile wavering before she left the view of the bustling Ponyville square.  

Meanwhile, once Pinkie was sure she was in the clear of the butterfly cutie-marked mare, she stopped to catch her breath with a sigh of relief.  It wasn't that Pinkie disliked Fluttershy's company or anything,  quite the opposite in fact! Pinkie would love nothing more than to spend time with the kindest, sweetest, and most loving mare she ever had the pleasure of knowing.   

But one word created a problem - love.

Pinkie admitted to herself that she has had a crush on the reserved pony for quite a while - she wasn't exactly sure specifically when these feelings arose, but every time she saw her smile, laugh, or even just invoke a warm aura through her presence,  Pinkie could feel butterflies in her stomach.  

Which was weird because Pinkie once actually had butterflies in her stomach, and they didn't feel anything like this. 

But anyways, Pinkie felt a special way about Fluttershy that she had never felt about anyone else.  Once her doctor had assured her it wasn't food poisoning, she knew it was love.  Just the way the kind pegasus would care for any creature, do anything in her power to make her friends feel better, or just be the soft-spoken voice of reason,  Pinkie wished she could do nothing more than to finally confess her feelings to the cupcake of her eye.  

Pinkie's thoughts always managed to stop this occurrence from happening though with one simple phrase. 

"You're too different from each other."

And with that phrase, Pinkie figured that her inner voice was right. That a relationship between the two ponies could never work.  While Pinkie was loud, energetic, goofy, loved parties, and was considered by many to be prime example of an extrovert -  Fluttershy's more introverted tendencies revealed she was quiet, often times shy, and typically preferred to be as far away from the spotlight as possible.   

"I could never make a pony like that happy" Pinkie thought sadly.  "We'd just clash.".  

And at that sentiment, Pinkie thought of the times that showcased their two personalities didn't match together.  From multiple Nightmare Nights, to arguments about decorating Twilight's new castle, to even the time where hundreds of Pinkie's had invaded Ponyville and destroyed her nice, quiet picnic.  

And then her memories settled on a particular frightening experience -  The Ponytones.

Pinkie tragically recalled the time where Fluttershy was constantly battling her stage fright to help the Ponytones sing under the role of "Flutterguy".  Fluttershy had been revealed on stage (to be an amazing singer in both her normal and masculine voice at that) and all the energetic party pony did was constantly remind the already terrified mare of her deepest and darkest fears, causing Flutters to eventually burst into tears and flee her home.  Pinkie herself swore she was helping - she thought that by consistently showing her that she was indeed tackling "her worst nightmares" that she would relax and gain some confidence,  but the disappointed and scolding looks of her friends told her she was doing anything but. 

Afterwards, Pinkie had delivered quite a heartfelt apology to the pony she had hurt, she wasn't even expecting the pegasus to forgive her and as a result end their friendship.  Thankfully, Fluttershy had forgiven the loud-mouthed Pinkie almost immediately with a long, tender embrace and even an afternoon spent drinking tea and having a healthy discussion on what to do in the case of future anxiety cases - but Pinkie felt that Fluttershy almost shouldn't have forgiven her for the pain and trauma she brought up. She made one of her best friends feel awful and she had unknowingly repeated that process.  

As Pinkie recapped the end to that rather depressing moment of her life, she looked up with a bit of compromising solace.  True the two ponies did share a few things together - like their desires to make others happy or their love of Buckball -  but really, it seemed that their chemistry offered more cons than pros and that thought made Pinkie's mane softly deflate as she realized she could never have the pony she loved.  







"No, Pinkie. Keep it together. You can still be happy.  Everypony loves you!"

That brief moment of positive reinforcement was enough to get Pinkie's spirit mostly back on track.  With a re-inflated mane and a mild, lukewarm smile, the party pony decided to take a more leisurely approach to the Castle of Friendship.








After making her way through the entrance of the castle,  Pinkie decided she needed to focus if she were to find a purple alicorn in a palace with more than 50 rooms; so naturally, she did the one thing she could think of: 

"TWILIGHT! WHERE ARE YOU?! IT'S ME, PINKIE PIE!" she yelled as loud as she could, hoping that the intended recipient would come out and find her instead.  After a solid minute of no response or reaction of any kind, Pinkie was winding up to develop another powerful scream before a purple figure appeared from outside of the rooms and made their way over to her.

Twilight!

Twilight waddled her way over with her scales and her tiny, sharp claws...

Oh, never mind.  It's Spike.  

The now revealed dragon slowly made his way to the source of the shout;  he had adorned a soft, silky set of pajamas with a nightcap included and in his hands he was clutching what looked to be a white unicorn doll with purple mane and tail as well as a diamond-shaped cutie mark.  

"Pinkie..." he groggily lectured, rubbing his tired eyes before acknowledging the earth pony with a soft glare.  "Do you really need to shout so loud?!  I was trying to take an afternoon nap since Twilight's studying kept me up most of the night."

"Whoops. Sorry Spike! I was just looking for Twilight and I..." she paused before placing more attention to the object that was currently clutched in the dragon's grip. "Is that a Rarity Doll?"

Spike blinked in confusion before following Pinkie's gaze to the beloved unicorn plushie in his possession.  Spike couldn't help but blush profusely as he doesn't like to be caught with the item. "Oh... yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I just... I keep her around whenever I have trouble sleeping."

Pinkie couldn't help but smile as she paid closer attention to the detailing of the doll. The toy was practically a perfect model of the unicorn - having the perfect shades of colors made from what looked to be a silky smooth yarn,  the detail to the cutie mark being spot on, and even the cute little button eyes were shaped and colored to an alarming accuracy.

"Gosh, Spike.  That Rarity doll looks just like the real thing. It's even got that cute little lump where...." she paused her vocal train of thought before glancing down at Spike with a look of judgement and yet concern as well. "Wait a sec... I thought you were finally over your crush on Rarity." she interrogated softly, knowing how deep his affection for the pony in question had gone. 

"Well, yeah. For the most part I am, but... I still consider her to be a really close friend and I use this doll as a sort of comfort for whenever I'm upset.  Rarity made me this doll a long time ago, for whenever I needed help and she was gone. She made me one of Twilight as well that I use whenever she's on missions." he explained with a nervous, yet sincere smile as he admitted it was nice to have somepony close to him through his darkest moments.  

Pinkie seemed to agree as she developed a warm smile and her eyes began to water.  "Aww, Spike. That is so sweet. And I'm sure they keep you good company." she cooed. 

"Yeah" Spike beamed in agreement, thankful that Pinkie wasn't turned off by his admittance.  "Whenever you can't have your loved ones, it's nice to have a replacement."

"Yeah, I feel th..." Pinkie began before she froze mid-sentence.  Her mind has played back what the young dragon had just told her.

"Whenever you can't have your loved ones!"

"Spike!" she exclaimed in excitement, picking up the dragon and shaking him repeatedly.  "You're a genius!"

"G-gee.  Thanks?" Spike replied in shock and dizziness from being bounced around by the pink burst of energy. 

"Spike!" she exclaimed yet again, ceasing her shaking and placing him directly in front of her face.  "You said Rarity made these dolls?!"

Spike could only nod his head before giving a one-word "yes" as Pinkie then quickly dropped him, getting ready to burst outside of the castle. 

"Thanks Spike!" she said, getting ready to take off in a sprint. 

"Wait!" Spike called out before she could make her exit.  "I thought you wanted to see Twilight!"

Pinkie then quickly turned back around and regarded him. 

"Oh yeah, I've seen Twilight.  Good looking mare, really nice wings.  I'd say she's about a 7/10." before re-initiating her exit and galloping towards a certain boutique.  

Spike could only gape at a layer of dust that stood where Pinkie just was before shrugging to himself and going back for his nap.  








As Pinkie stood just outside the entrance to Carousel Boutique, a replaying of Spike's golden advice carried out in her head.  

"Whenever you can't have your loved ones."

Using that shining beacon of hope as a new source of determination, Pinkie politely knocked on the door of the shop, lest she want the unicorn to scold her for her "poor etiquette".  

After a few moments,  the door opened in an aura of shiny blue magic before the pony she wanted to see appeared right in front of her. 

"Ah. Pinkie, darling! Hello to you. And what can I do for you?" the unicorn spoke in a refined, yet very approachable manner.  

"That's why I love Rarity.  She may be uptight at times, but she deeply cares for her friends."

"Hey Rare-Bear!" Pinkie said before wrapping the mare in a quick hug.  "I was actually wondering if there's a favor I can ask of you?" she asked in her fragilest voice, making sure to include the quivering lips and puppy whimper combo to increase her chances of being approved. 

Rarity could only smirk at the rather cute display before motioning her friend to follow her inside.  

"Of course darling, what is it?" she asked with simple curiosity etched in her tone.  

"Well..." Pinkie began trailing nervously as she wrapped a hoof around the back of her head.  "Spike told me that you had managed to make some dolls for him whenever he was alone, and I was wondering if..."

"...if maybe I could get one too?"

The unicorn only froze for a second, before bursting... well... forming a polite amp of laughter as she regarded the somewhat skeptical earth pony with another knowing smirk.  

"Darling - is that all? Of course, follow me." she explained, motioning for Pinkie to follow her upstairs. 

As they began ascending the stairs, Rarity began explaining,  "I admit I'm more of a fashionista, but in my spare time I've picked up the arts of crocheting and doll-making.  As such, I have made more than a few designs up in my storage room. If you see one you like, please feel free to take one - no trouble at all. They're made from the softest yarn known to pony-kind and love is played in every stitch as they say."

Pinkie could only squee in appreciation for her very-generous friend. "Thank you so much Rarity! That means a lot..." she trailed off before adopting a rather somber look.  

"...Even though everyone says I'm one of the most social ponies out there, I still get lonely sometimes..."

Rarity made her way up the rest of the flight of stairs before regarding Pinkie with a sympathetic and understanding smile.  

"I can understand your plight, darling.  Sometimes, I myself get rather lonesome as well."

Pinkie repeated the sympathetic smile back at Rarity before adding, "In your case, I think you should talk to Applejack." she wisely commented.

Rarity regarded her with a face of confusion. "Applejack? Why should I..." she began before she was silenced by a rather...suggestive look from her friend.  

"I see how you look at her." she nonchalantly stated as she grinned at the unicorn while raising her eyebrows up and down, giving the fashion pony a subtle look of awareness.  

The unicorn could only deeply blush before stumbling in incoherence.  "Yes, well... I..."

Pinkie could only shake her head and give a soft laugh before making her way to the supposed storage room.

Rarity, finally out of her humiliated stupor opened the door to the room gently before beckoning Pinkie outside. The earth pony taking a step inside before giving a silent gasp at what she saw.  Inside the room, dozens and dozens of hoof-made dolls neatly lined up several rows of the unicorn's closeted room.  Each doll was clearly made with proper time and effort as many resembled ponies she herself had known, each one displaying that same level of detail and likeness that Spike's Rarity doll from earlier had possessed.  

Pinkie gaped and marveled at all the dolls as she heavenly walked down the aisle of fabricated plushies, Rarity trailing close behind with an appreciative smile seeing her friend expressing admiration in her side craft.  

There were dolls of Celestia, Luna, Coco Pommel,  Sassy Saddles, Fancy Pants, Photo Finish, Sapphire Shores, and many other dozens of ponies she recognized. Pinkie loved them all as she was deciding which would be the perfect one for her before her eyes miraculously stopped upon what she considered to be the best one of all.  Pinkie felt like she should bow at majesty but she couldn't move as her eyes gawked at the doll's gracious and cuddly form in front of her, practically begging the party pony to care for it.  

"She's perfect..." she airily whispered as Rarity, finally seeing what had captivated Pinkie's attention could only glance at Pinkie in confusion before stifling a giggle at the cute display being performed in front of her.  

"I take it you like the Fluttershy one?" Rarity asked with yet another knowing smirk adopted on her muzzle.  

Pinkie, hearing Rarity's question forcibly stopped the moment of heaven she was experiencing to regard the other pony with a look of utter bafflement.  "Fluttershy? What are you talking about? That doesn't look like Fluttershy?!"

Rarity retaliated Pinkie's statement with hesitance in her voice, viewing the clear replica of the shy pegasus. 

"Uh... darling, that looks exactly like her."

Pinkie only contemplated in deep thought.  "Mmm... I don't see it."

Rarity then began to list the reasons why this doll was indeed meant to be Fluttershy.  

"The yellow coat and the long pink mane?"

"Mmm..."

"The cute, little yellow wings?"

"Mmm..."

"The big blue eyes?"

"Mmm..."

"The fact that she has three butterflies on her flank?"

"Wait... *Gasp* It is Fluttershy!"

Rarity let out a defeated sigh as she couldn't believe it took this long for her sometimes scatterbrained friend to notice. 

"Yes dear, it's a Fluttershy doll I made awhile back.  I think she may need a good home." the unicorn spoke, knowing her friend was sold.  

"She's perfect!" Pinkie squealed while bringing the pegasus doll close to her chest and hugging it affectionately. 

"I think I'll call her... Flutterdoll!" she announced excitedly as she wrapped the doll in another bone-crushing hug. 

Rarity could only smile warmly at the cute display before a thought popped in her head, seeing Pinkie going gaga over the plushie. 

"I think Flutterdoll will be the perfect companion for you.  Although, I think if you revealed your feelings to the real Fluttershy, you may find her to be a suitable fit as well" she teased in a manner that seemed to resemble Pinkie's joking of her earlier. 

Pinkie stopped hugging the doll as she stared at Rarity quite nervously, trying to nervously chuckle her way out of a hole. 

"What?! Rarity, that's silly. I don't have feelings for Fluttershy." Pinkie said as her eyes darted back and forth, looking for an escape.

"Mmm-hmm. Just as I don't for Applejack. You can't fool me, I'm a romantic." Rarity acknowledged as she raised her eyebrows in a copying motion of the way the pink pony had messed with her. 

Pinkie could only sigh, knowing when she was beat. "Ok, maybe I do, but don't..." she began before a hoof was placed over her lips by a certain unicorn. 

"I won't tell a soul. You don't even have to make me Pinkie Promise.  As long as you let me tell Applejack, I'll let you handle your situation."

Pinkie could only look away from Rarity, the unicorn growing puzzled at the sudden change in mood from the usually perky mare.

"I can't ever tell her!" Pinkie stated as her head fell in shame, clutching Flutterdoll tighter.  "It wouldn't work, we're too different."

Rarity reached out to Pinkie in sympathy,  never realizing her friend may have had feelings for another that they felt was unobtainable. "Darling, just because you two are different doesn't mean..." she began before Pinkie without another notice or warning resumed back to her previously perky self.  It seemed almost too unnatural to Rarity.

"But now with Flutterdoll, I have someone who will always love me!" she smiled as she affectionately cradled the doll in her hooves.  Rarity however wasn't fooled by the display as she could tell a subtle hook at the corner of Pinkie's lips indicating it was a forced smile.  

"Pinkie... I'm sure if you just tell Fluttershy..." Rarity gently ushered, trying to help one of her best friends with an issue she hadn't realized cut so deep. This couldn't be a healthy way to solve this problem and she only wanted to see her friend be truly happy. 

Pinkie however, seemingly unaware of Rarity's growing concern could only shake her head in appropriate dismissal before the real genuine Pinkie smile returned, placing the doll firmly on her back and beginning to trot off. 

"I know you're worried Rare-Bear but trust me, I'll be fine, I promise.  Anyways, thank you so much for the doll.  I'm going to go play with Flutterdoll for a while. " she spoke in sincere appreciation as she happily skipped down the stairs and out of the boutique with a pegasus doll for the ride. 

As Rarity watched her friend make the exit out of the boutique, she could only gaze out the door in concern for her friend.  

"I know that she loves you too..." 








The next day:



Fluttershy was currently checking up on all the nests of birds she could find, making sure no little feathered friend went without a friendly flutter- visit.  All the families themselves seemed rather content as they chirped back happily at the caring pegasus who always made sure they had plenty of food and resources for their young ones.  

Seeing as she realized there were no more animals left for her to check on her daily routine,  Fluttershy slowly lowered herself back down to the ground as she contemplated what she could do with her abundance of free time.  The School of Friendship was currently on summer break and her sanctuary was running like clockwork, meaning the pony found herself with a lack of things to do.  

"Maybe Pinkie will be free today..."  she thought as her thoughtful expression quickly transformed into a light frown upon remembering what had occurred yesterday.  Fluttershy wanted to spend more time with who she considered to be one of her closest friends, but the pony in question only denied her proposal with other promises.  

As she began thinking more about her party pony friend, a light blush timidly appeared on the cheeks of the pegasus, imagining the times she and Pinkie had spent together.  While the two had not spent as much time together recently, what with both their lives going in opposite directions,  Fluttershy strangely found herself closest with the lovable goofball.  

While at first she had found the pink party planner to be...overbearing to say the least,  the two gradually became closer as Pinkie learned to adapt her energy and character to suit Fluttershy's more relaxed lifestyle.  When she first moved to Ponyville, Fluttershy wouldn't dare approach Sugarcube Corner out of fear of being attacked by several confetti cannons or a giant cupcake wagon, but soon enough, with some soft coaxing and getting to know each other,  Fluttershy considered Pinkie an exception to what would normally be her taste in ponies.  

Heck,  Fluttershy still remembered Pinkie's very first "quiet party" consisting of just the two of them,  some animals, tea, and a plethora of cupcakes.  Fluttershy fondly remembered being taken away, almost crying at the normally boisterous pony's very considerate attempt to make her feel more comfortable.  Soon the new besties found themselves talking and hanging out more and more,  Fluttershy slowly breaking out of her shell just for the earth pony who could always make her smile.   Soon enough,  with the revealing of the Elements of Harmony and the establishment of their circle of friends, Fluttershy and Pinkie's friendship grew stronger than ever now that they had more opportunities to spend with each other. 






Unfortunately, with recollections of the past, Fluttershy soon found herself with a contemplative frown on her face.  For the past few recent years, it seemed as though their bond subtly grew more distant -  Pinkie seeming to flee the pegasus's grasp as she herself found other interests, such as the building of her sanctuary.  It didn't seem like such a noticeable difference at first, but over time, the two interacted with each other less and less - only really spending time as a group during friendship missions or at the school (with the rare exception of Buckball games).  Yesterday seemed to be another prime example of Pinkie not being able to spend time with her as she almost seemed to be trying to avoid the soft-hearted mare, but that couldn't be true... right? 


"But that's silly right? Pinkie would never avoid me...right?" she thought worriedly.  


With her thoughts growing,  Fluttershy began realizing that what was once a time where Pinkie would abandon anything she was doing at the drop of a hat to spend time with her was now a collection of excuses, apologies, and almost a feeling of anxiety.  Fluttershy suddenly began missing the days where Pinkie would do anything in her power to make the pegasus smile - always making her laugh, comforting her whenever she was upset, or just simply encouraging her to open up to new experiences.  

And that's what Pinkie did. She made Fluttershy a better pony.   

Fluttershy's blush grew even more as sighed, looking down at her hooves with a certain feeling of rejection.  

"Who am I kidding?  She'd never feel the same way about me no matter what I try." she thought bitterly, a flash of pain etched across her face. 


"At least we'll always be friends..." she concluded with a certain level of comfort before a certain sound perked up her ears in familiarity. 


A certain sound that abruptly halted any feelings Fluttershy currently had as her head rose in curiosity.  

"That laugh... Pinkie Pie?"

As Fluttershy trotted towards the sound of that infectious laughter, she slowly froze in mild surprise at what she saw on top of a singular hill.









There in the distance, layed out a blanket with a picnic basket was indeed the party pony she was thinking about, holding a small tea cup close to her lips, while taking a bite out of a small cucumber sandwich. 

Fluttershy quickly found herself flying towards the direction of the small picnic, hoping to discover what her friend was currently up to.  Perhaps they could finally have their picnic together after all as Fluttershy slowly found a hopeful smile etch on her lips.  

The pegasus landed next to a tree in front of Pinkie, unaware of the newcomer's arrival, before clearing her throat to make her presence known.

"Oh Pinkie! There you are!" Fluttershy exclaimed, flashing her friend with a serene smile. "What are you up to?" 

Pinkie, having stopped laughing after noticing her new guest flashed back a peppy grin before explaining,  "Oh, hey-a Fluttershy!  I'm having a tea party with my new friend!" 

Fluttershy however could only blink in confusion at not seeing any other creature except the two ponies currently talking. 

"Oh! A tea party! Uh... where are they?" she politely asked. 

Pinkie, giving her friend a somewhat judgmental gaze as if finding the question ridiculous, pointed at the doll sitting across from her with a sandwich and teacup of it's own as if it were the most obvious sight in the world.  

"That new friend" she explained.  "Flutterdoll, this is Fluttershy.  Fluttershy, meet Flutterdoll." 

Flutterdoll's soulless button eyes seemed to stare at the ponies in front of it, not moving an inch.  

"Don't worry Flutterdoll,  Fluttershy here is really sweet!" she assured the doll as if it hinted some sort of hidden skepticism it had with the new pony.  

Fluttershy could only stare at the doll with a mixture of bewilderment but also fascination as she admired the doll's likeness to herself.  Whoever made this "Flutterdoll" surely did their research in order to match the design to the pony. 

"Ah. It's very nice to meet you Flutterdoll." the pegasus snapped out of her trance to greet the doll with a warm welcome - finding the doll picnic to be unimaginably cute.  

Pinkie flashed a toothy grin at seeing her two friends get along with each other. "Flutterdoll lived in Rarity's storage room before I met her.  She said she was lonely so now she lives with me." she stated as she gave the doll a loving look.  

"Isn't she just the cutest, kindest, and smartest pony you ever saw?" she admired.   

Fluttershy however upon hearing the compliments thrown to her fabricated counterpart began to blush heavily as her wings snapped open by themselves.  

"The doll looks just like me... d-does that mean she finds me cute, kind, and smart?" she imagined as her blush began to thicken even more than it already had.   

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence with Fluttershy freezing at the thoughts of Pinkie potentially loving her while the earth pony swooned over the toy, Fluttershy quickly shook her head and brought her wings back down to regain some sense of functioning.  

"W--well,  Do you mind if I join you?"  she asked, with a small smile on her face - hoping that this could open the door for the two ponies to connect. 

"Maybe she could love me!" Fluttershy reasoned to herself.  "Even if not, she's gotta view me greatly as a friend." as her blush solidified even more, happy with either option.  

Pinkie however snapped out of her own fantasy and calmly shook her head. 

"Sorry Flutters, but Flutterdoll is extremely shy. She's not comfortable with too many ponies." she told Fluttershy with a nervous smile on her face.  

Fluttershy however could only lower her head momentarily before trying to wave her disappointment off. 

"O--oh. That's ok... um... what were you doing later?" she asked, hoping to at least have some desired company today. 

Pinkie  failed to sense Fluttershy's look of sadness as she carried on with a slightly more upbeat smile.  

"Well first I'm going to take Flutterdoll here to the forest to see some animals. She loves nature walks."

The pegasus meanwhile froze before her eyes subtly began to widen. Pinkie and her haven't been on a nature walk together since the sanctuary opened up.

"But... but I love nature walks." she thought. 

Pinkie continued. 

"Then I'm going to bake Flutterdoll some Red Velvet cupcakes. They're her favorite!" 

Fluttershy's felt emotional pain start to build up on the inside as she realized Pinkie hadn't offered to bake her such goodies in quite a long time.  

"But... but Red Velvet cupcakes are my favorite!" she winced.  

"And then we're going to have a cuddle party.  Flutterdoll gives the best hugs!"

At this, Fluttershy actually managed to gasp externally before she immediately placed a hoof to her mouth, hiding the reaction.  Her eyes began to glisten even more as she began to shake. 

"But... Pinkie always said I gave the best hugs..." she internally droned as she felt a sickening pain in her stomach.  

"What's that Flutterdoll?" Pinkie suddenly asked, her stare focused on the doll in front of her. 

After what was a silent moment of the doll "apparently" answering back,  Pinkie's voice could be heard again.  

"Oh ok." she said, turning back to face the now down-looking pegasus.  "Sorry Flutters, but we've got to get going.  Flutterdoll wants to get a move on and see the baby squirrels."

"Not the baby squirrels!" Fluttershy internally exclaimed, as she felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.  Quickly turning around and wiping her eyes with a hoof so that the earth pony couldn't see her crying, she turned back around and forced a quivering smile.  

"Y...yeah sure. Have fun with that... Maybe we can hang out la..." she uttered out before a pink blur with a doll on her back and a basket of picnic supplies raced down the hill faster than she could process.  

Once Pinkie was far enough away from being seen by Fluttershy, she turned around and looked at the doll with a sigh of relief.  "Phew, that was close.  It's too bad I can't hang out with the real Fluttershy.  She'd find out my feelings and then we wouldn't be friends and..." she began rambling before she gazed back at the plush figure on her back before flashing a lukewarm smile.  

"At least I can have you..." she whispered, before skipping along the path to the forest with Flutterdoll in tow. 

Meanwhile, back at the hill,  Fluttershy could only stare longingly into the distance before muttering a single sentence, a single tear falling down her cheek.  

"Did Pinkie replace me?"



> Green-Eyed Fluttershy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 5 Days Later....



Ever since that fateful afternoon where Fluttershy had tragically discovered that the pony who caught her eye had found another... another form of herself,  the kind-hearted pegasus became devastated. She was less concerned about a potential relationship,  more so she became worried their friendship was finally fading. 

Every day since that incident,  Fluttershy would always see the lovable party pony and her doll partake in various outings, which all their friends instantly took notice of with looks of worry and skepticism. Meanwhile, the pegasus herself would've loved to be included in the time the two shared; alas, she was never able to join in. 

"Sorry Flutters,  me and Flutterdoll are going to the park."

"Sorry Shy-Shy,  me and Flutterdoll are on our way to this new animal exhibit."

"Sorry Flutty- Buddy,  me and Flutterdoll are trying to get a Buckball team going."

"No! Not Buckball too..." Flutters thought as each day she became gradually more heartbroken.  

"Does our friendship not even matter anymore?  Am I being replaced by a inanimate version of myself?" she feared as she's gone through multiple evenings in the past week with tears being absorbed by her pillow as well as multiple tubs of vanilla ice cream being devoured (Rarity's not the only one who eats through her feelings.)

As Fluttershy was currently looking through one of her old photo albums she had collected over the years,  the sobs became anew once again as she went through multiple pictures of the two ponies participating in various adventures and activities - many of which included the two as mere fillies,  Fluttershy reflecting back on the nostalgia with a bittersweet feeling. 

With each page, Fluttershy felt her heart shatter more and more (if it could even be shattered any more at this point), until she came across one of the final few pages - a letter sticking out of it.  Cautiously, Fluttershy began reading it as the memory of that specific letter came flooding back.   



		Dear Fluttershy,  

I just wanted to thank you once again for taking care of me when I was feeling all yucky.  Who would've 					 
guessed that ponies shouldn't eat a tub-full of raw cookie dough?  Next time I'm feeling hungry I'm 
just going to stick to the chocolate chips.  

Anyways,  I thought I was going to suffer these last few days without being able to make any delicious 
sweets  or throwing any fantastically-fun parties -  but boy was I proven wrong.  You were always there to 
comfort me, make me laugh, or just be there for me when no one else could.  I thought it was going to be 
miserable being by myself, but you always make me feel better even though you brush the idea you do 
anything special.

But you are special to me, Flutters.  Always have been and always will.  I've never met a pony as sweet and 
kind as you.  I don't ever know how I could pay you back,  but I hereby promise I will always be there for 
you Fluttershy.   We'll be together forever, no matter what comes our way.  



Thank you for being my friend,  

Pinkie Pie









After carefully glancing over the heartfelt letter multiple times,  Fluttershy carefully placed the letter back in the album before throwing the album onto the floor with a wave of frustration.   With a powerful wave of fresh chokes and sobs,  she felt her whole world crashing down before her eyes -  the pony who always promised to be there for her,  the pony who made her feel special.  

Now she just gradually increased the number of excuses for not spending time with her before practically ditching her altogether.  It hurt - more so than any pain Fluttershy had felt.  As she sat there in heartache, she began feeling multiple different emotions at once.  

Sadness. Confusion. Depression.  Sorrow.  Jealousy.  

Anger.  

Fluttershy closed her eyes,  making a pathetic attempt at drifting off to slumber before a bitter statement bounced in her head.  



"How could she do this to me?!"









The Next Day: 



Today was the day Fluttershy and the rest of the element-bearers had their weekly meeting with Twilight to discuss any happenings or potential events happening across Equestria.  Usually these conferences did very little but result in the six ponies and dragon chatting and laughing as a group for hours,  but any excuse for them all to hang out was widely accepted.  

As Fluttershy began trotting to the Castle of Friendship,  she felt her stomach drop as she realized one fatal flaw with this meeting.  "Pinkie will be there".  To say the pegasus was still quite upset at her friend was an understatement.   Typically, she tried to avoid any confrontation or emotional outburst with Pinkie Pie and her beloved Flutterdoll through  forced smiles and politeness, but as the days and instances of the party pony stomping all over their friendship grew, Fluttershy found it harder and harder to keep her torment in.  She was getting sick and tired of seeing Pinkie put together activities that the pegasus would Love to do with her and had been trying to do for  ages  with a look-alike.  

The butterscotch mare began trotting miserably with a deep frown on her face before realizing: 

"Maybe with all of us there, Pinkie won't bring the doll..." as her thoughts were halted by a collision with a big, pink, poofy tail.  

"Hey Fluttershy!" the tail turned around to reveal a happy face instead.  "Are you on your way to the castle?"

"O-oh. Yes, actually. I was." the pegasus stammered as she became more relaxed after the bump's initial shock wore off. 

"Oooo! Awesome, I'll see you there! Me and Flutterdoll just have to do some quick errands." she explained, bringing the aforementioned doll in her hooves to Fluttershy's attention.  

"Flutterdoll has big plans.  She wants to build a sanctuary just like you!" Pinkie beamed as waved goodbye to her friend before happily skipping along.  

Once Pinkie was out of sight, Fluttershy's smile disappeared as a bitter scowl enveloped her facial features, her eyes becoming narrower as a light blush of frustration enveloped her cheeks.  

"Yeah. Grrrreat." she muttered, now re-focused on making it to the castle.  












"Oh, you don't say darling?" 

"Yeah, I mean... can you believe she told Spike I was a 7/10? I mean what..."

Rarity and Twilight were politely engaged in back-and-forth conversation in the Castle's throne room, each Element of Harmony as well as Spike represented with a big booming throne as the collection of chairs circled around a round table that was really the Friendship Map.  As the unicorn and alicorn carried on their friendly gossip, their discussions stopped when they heard the sound of a third pony entering the room, looking rather upset as she eyes shifted downward in sadness, her wings and ears slightly drooping as she made her way to the seat.  

"Hey" she muttered to the two of them as she took her seat and uncomfortably shifted in her tone - their friend's peculiar behavior not lost on them.

"Fluttershy? Is something bothering you?" Twilight asked her friend as deep concern was displayed across her features, Rarity silently copying her expressions with equal worry. 

Fluttershy simply sighed before focusing her attention on her two friends in the room.  

"It's Flutterdoll." she muttered.  

Rarity and Twilight looked at each other in mutual understanding;  both ponies having experienced Pinkie's...obsessive behavior with said doll in the past week as both pony and doll were practically glued to the hoof as they did everything together.  

Even going to the bathroom, which was a terrifying thought indeed. 

Rarity whined in sympathy for her troubled friend.  "Aww sweetie.  We know Pinkie has been spending a lot of time with her new doll..." she began before she was cut off. 

"That's just it!" Fluttershy groaned in frustration.  "They're doing everything and expressing interests I enjoy doing, but..." she paused as her eyes shifted downwards again, corneas beginning to water "...she's pretending that doll is really me while I'm getting tossed aside."

"I thought we were always friends..." Fluttershy muttered conclusively, a slight sniffle escaping her muzzle. 

Twilight instinctively flew over towards the sensitive pegasus before wrapping a comforting wing around her frame.  

"Oh Fluttershy..." she began.  "Maybe Pinkie doesn't realize you're feeling left out. She's not always the best with social cues." she stated admittingly. 

"But she's been seemingly avoiding me for months now when we used to be so close!" the pegasus sighed as she leaned in to the alicorn's warm wing.  "And now she has a copy of me that she prefers spending time with instead!" she cried some more.  

"I just miss my friend. The one who thought I was special." she harshly whispered, as Rarity came over to Fluttershy's side, enveloping her in a nuzzle.  

"Darling..." Rarity softly cooed.  "Forgive me for stating this to Twilight, but I'm sure we can trust her...", glancing over at the lavender alicorn who silently nodded her head in understanding.  "Now, you know I know about your... feelings for Pinkie Pie."

Rarity could see a blush develop on the pegasus's muzzle but the only other thing she did was bop her head up and down in agreement.  Rarity smiled inwardly at the timid mare's displays of cuteness.  

"Well, you see. There's something you need to know.  Pinkie told me..."

"That she loves Flutterdoll, I know." Fluttershy interrupted in what would be a deadpan voice if she wasn't sobbing. 

Rarity felt her own heart slightly start to tear as she saw one of her best friends suffer so much from a lack of understanding.  She desparately needed to know the truth behind Pinkie and the doll. 

"No, darling. I'm trying to tell you..."

But thanks to the all cruel ironic powers of the universe, before the unicorn could finally spill the beans on Pinkie's recent behavior, the three other ponies (and one pony-shaped doll) they were expecting finally decided to make their appearance in the throne room, effectively ending the conversation (especially with Pinkie right there).

"Heh. Sorry we're late, y'all. But we figured we'd walk together." apologized a rather bashful Applejack.  Rainbow Dash simply shrugged nonchalantly while Pinkie happily bounced up and down in place.  As soon as they began walking in, Spike brought a whole container of various chips to the middle of the table before he went to his "mini-throne" next to Twilight. 

"If I didn't find her compelling, I'd be annoyed at her punctuality." Rarity mentally grimaced as she studied the farmer pony's form.  

Twilight glanced her eyes back and forth between the upset pegasus and the posse of ponies before she took her wing off the butterscotch form and smiled with a subtle hint of anxiety in her form. "No-no. It's fine. Uh, shall we start?" she looked back over at Fluttershy, who relaxed as she saw the mare wipe the few stray tears left and nod at her friend with a painful smile, indicating to her she would be alright for the time being.  

As everypony began taking their seats, Fluttershy winced as she saw Pinkie hugging Flutterdoll before placing her squarely on top of her poofy mane.  Rarity, who had seen the display with a contorted frown on her face whispered into Fluttershy's ear "We'll talk after." as she took off to her own throne, Fluttershy grinned appreciatively at her unicorn friend's concern before focusing her stare on the middle of the table.  

This would be quite the meeting.










2 hours have passed since the meeting between the element-bearers began.  Like usual, nothing of extreme importance was brought up.   What started out as plans for the upcoming fall semester at the School of Friendship transformed into a round of stories, sonnets, and other little jokes.  From Dash's accidental wing-slap at Wonderbolts HQ, to Rarity's latest client wanting some form of fancy "cross stitching", to even Spike's hilarious anecdote of him finding Twilight sleep-eating an orange, the gang all found themselves having a good time - catching up like good friends did.  

Fluttershy was quiet throughout most of the meeting; this wasn't unusual however as the mostly reserved pony usually saved talking for any remarks or questions she had in regards to others' conversations - she herself usually only bringing up any new happenings at the sanctuary.  All in all, this was turning out to be quite the enjoyable experience much to Fluttershy's relief as she was thankful for the distraction from her current woes.  

Leave it to karma to rear its ugly head at the wrong time, or maybe it was Discord - who knows?  

As a previous conversation had started dwindling down,  Pinkie very suddenly seemed to remember something as her eyes quickly bugged out before waving her hooves for attention.  

"Ooo ooo! Everyone!  I have an important announcement to make!" she declared, grabbing everyone's undivided attention.  

"For the first time since I started working at Sugarcube Corner, I'd like to announce that we have a new employee of the month!"  

Everyone gasped in shock as this was indeed big news.  Every since Pinkie's Sugarcube journey began, she had been giving it 110% (literally, somehow...) every single day -  she very rarely took any time off, she went above and beyond for the customers, and she even had the title of the one of the most successful bakers in Ponyville:  To say that anyone had achieved a status higher than Pinkie to achieve employee of the month was surely a once-in-a-lifetime feat that deserved praise.   Fluttershy especially awed in fascination as she knew how seriously Pinkie took her job. 

"Thanks to a certain somepony working very hard in the shop, always giving me a helping hoof, and even helping me remove the glue I spilled  on the ceiling..." 

"How'd you even?..." Rainbow began questioning out loud before Pinkie's monologue continued.

"...So without further ado, I am pleased to announce our newest employee of the month - Flutterdoll!" she exclaimed as she held the toy over her head with both hooves, waiting for applause. 

Everyone seemed to look at each and collectively shrugged as they began a slow, somewhat awkward applause. Fluttershy simply sat there with a stoic expression before joining in a few slow claps so as not to upset her friend.  


Pinkie's eyes began to water with sincerity as she clutched the doll close to her heart.  "Awww, Flutterdoll! I couldn't have done it without you.  You're the best pony ever!"

Fluttershy's brow furrowed, her left eye beginning to develop a serious twitch.  

Rainbow apparently decided this was the perfect situation to tell a joke. 

"If that Flutterdoll's as reliable as you say Pinkie, perhaps I should have her cheer me on at practice."

Fluttershy, who always watched Dash's trainings or flight practice took that as a heavy blow as she gave the cyan pegasus a harsh glare almost as scary as her patented "stare".






Rainbow was confused as to why her childhood friend was so angry at her, but the look she gave her really itched her nerves. An angry Fluttershy was not something to mess with as she had learned a long time ago.  Naturally, she backpedaled as much as she could.

"Err...sorry." she humbly mumbled which seemed to work as Fluttershy directed her attention back to Pinkie with a huff.  The previous action not lost on anyone except Pinkie who was simply smiling obliviously while the rest gave her concerned looks.  

"To celebrate Flutterdoll's big success,  I made us all my famous Red Velvet cupcakes!" Pinkie gleed as she began placing a large tray of the mouth-watering treats on the middle of the table.  Everyone else meanwhile froze in silent shock as they all knew that the doll looking exactly like Fluttershy and Fluttershy's favorite treat being there was no mere accidental coincidence.  

"She hasn't made me cupcakes in a long time..."

Fluttershy, seeing her favorite treat made easily for someone other than her grew furious as she felt her eyes watering again - her teeth grinding.  Rarity noticed Fluttershy's rapidly growing emotions though and offered a comforting a hoof on her shoulder,  "It's ok sweetheart." she light-fully whispered, though the action seemed to have very little effect other than Fluttershy giving the unicorn an appreciative frown, thankful for the effort but telling her it wasn't working.  

Rarity slowly released her hoof off the pegasus as Applejack, seeing all this whispered to her "Is she ok?"

All Rarity could do was quickly shake her head "no", causing the farmer to look back at Fluttershy with an equal amount of worry.  

As Pinkie then began "feeding" the doll cupcakes,  laughing without a care in the world, the tension in the room grew incredibly thick -  tears starting to fall from Fluttershy's cheeks. All the others in the room looked between the two with growing worry; even Rainbow Dash who was silently biting on a cupcake looked at Fluttershy's tearful appearance with a pang of guilt as she slowly put the cupcake down.  

Surprisingly taking initiative was Spike who leapt off his throne, walking over to Fluttershy before wrapping her in a big hug and softly holding on, Fluttershy looked down at the dragon with an actual smile this time as she returned the embrace. 

"Can I get you anything?" he whispered caringly, ending the hug. 

"Just some water, please. Thank you Spike." she uttered back in a loving tone as she quickly gave him a soft nuzzle before he left the room.  

However, before anyone could redirect the conversation, Pinkie absentmindedly managed to deliver the final gut-punch that stood everything to a screeching halt.  

"I'll always be there for you." she said embracing the doll.  

After those few words echoed in Fluttershy's brain for half a minute, she finally had it.  The tears abruptly ceased and her eyes turned into a cold, icy stare - everypony else in the room froze in horror realizing Fluttershy was going to snap. Twilight tried reaching out a hoof to the pegasus, but it was too late. 

The normally kind mare scooted out of her throne before marching up right in front of Pinkie Pie staring directly at her with a powerful glare , the party pony not noticing for a few brief seconds before addressing her friend with a fun smile as if nothing was wrong.  

"Hi-ya Flutter-Butter. Want a cupcake?" she asked, doing her best to be a good host.  

Unfortunately, at the moment, the pegasus wasn't concerned with proper manners or offerings. 

"No. I don't." she growled in a low-tone of voice, her odd demeanor finally catching up to the scatter-brained earth pony. 

"Hey... what's wrong?" she asked in a thoughtful frown, hoping it wasn't anything she said.  

Give proper credit to Fluttershy as she managed to contain her emotions in a low menacing voice instead of a loud scream. Though she still pointedly asked in an annoyed tone,  "Why don't you ask Flutterdoll?"

The other 4 ponies in the room gave each other fearful glances, knowing this wouldn't go well. 

"Hey! Good idea. Flutterdoll, do you know why Fluttershy's all moody? Usually it only happens when she has a stomach ache."  

"That!" Fluttershy's voice rose in volume,  "That is exactly what's wrong!"

"What? Flutterdoll?!" Pinkie asked cautiously, eyeing the doll as if it suddenly had a spider on it. 

"Yes, Pinkie!  You and her have both hurt my feelings!" Fluttershy held her head up high, her eyes closed in frustration. 

"*Gasp*! Is it because Flutterdoll has your cutie mark?" Pinkie questioned, her ears starting to lower.

"No." Fluttershy denied simply, her head refusing to acknowledge the now worried pink pony. 

"Is it because she and I had a tickle fight?"

"No."

"Is it because she ate your cupcake?"

"No."

"Is it because we both used your toothbrush?!"

"What?!" Fluttershy momentarily forgot her anger to stare at Pinkie with a look of shock and some mild disgust.

"........Is it because she ate your cupcake?"

Fluttershy angrily sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get far without telling Pinkie the real reason.  

"I'm upset..." she emphasized, making sure the party planner know she was not happy.  "...because lately it seems you've been trying to avoid me whenever I tried making plans with you. And now you're doing it all while having a doll that looks and supposedly acts like me! All while doing things that you and I used to do as if I'm being replaced!" 

Fluttershy's volume increased with each passing sentence as she felt strangely relieved knowing she had gotten the truth out in the open. This did nothing to qualm the raging storm in her heart however. 

Pinkie froze for a solid minute before gasping in shock and addressing her friend who looked away from her with her front hooves crossed.  

"Flutters. That's not true. I haven't been avoiding you or trying to replace you.  It's just..." she tried thinking of a logical explanation before ultimately deciding, "I'm doing this for a perfectly explainable reason that I unfortunately cannot tell you" she concluded rather hastily - a bead of sweat forming at the top of her head- with a sheepish grin. 

"And why can't you tell me?" Fluttershy's eyes narrowed once again, not liking the secret. 

Pinkie nervously looked away from the crowd of now-interested ponies and rubbed her hooves as she said,  "Because you'd probably be mad."

"Pinkie, I'm already mad at you. I promise you the truth won't be worse than this." Fluttershy spoke sternly, though her glare softened a bit to show she was being genuine.  

Pinkie however, stubbornly shook her head no. "You wouldn't understand."

Fluttershy's glare re-ignited as she couldn't believe her supposed friend wouldn't trust her.  "Understand what?! That one of my best friends apparently doesn't trust me?!" she roared.

Pinkie turned back around to now address the pegasus with a perplexed look on her face.  "We're best friends. You mean that?"

While this normally would've been taken as a rhetorical question seeking confirmation, Fluttershy's anger-induced mind told her otherwise as she gasped before finally starting to yell, tears pouring down her face. 

"EXCUSE ME?!  Are we best friends?! After all we've been through together, you never thought we were best friends? You and I always used to play and laugh together, you made sure I was always happy, YOU TOLD ME I WAS SPECIAL!!! AND NOW YOU QUESTION IF WE'RE BEST FRIENDS?!"

Pinkie's mind recoiled as she suddenly knew what Fluttershy was getting at.  

"What?! Shy-shy! I didn't mean it like that, I ju---"

"Well I guess we're not anymore because lately you've been a terrible friend!" she angrily concluded, as she whipped her head to the side, before giving off a powerful snort. 

At this, Pinkie finally bounced off her seat, placing the Flutterdoll in her empty chair as she gasped, finally showcasing some anger in herself. 

"How dare you say that?!" Pinkie exclaimed in hurt as she was now only a few inches away from being muzzle-to-muzzle with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy though wouldn't back down. 

"How dare I?! HOW DARE I?! At least I don't avoid others and have dolls of them to love right in front of them!" 

"Flutterdoll's not there to replace you! She's ju---" Pinkie groaned in frustration again before resuming her speech "I don't think I can tell you but I want to!" she whined in exaggeration. 

"Well, if you really cared about me, you would tell me!" Fluttershy claimed as she again lifted her head up in defiance. 

Pinkie tried for several moments to get three simple words out - I love you - but she soon realized she wasn't strong enough to do it, she bowed her head in defeat.  "I can't. My heart would be broken if I told you."


At that, Fluttershy moved her head back and stared at Pinkie in shock for a few moments before her eyes began watering up as she lunged a hoof into Pinkie's chest, tears pouring out of her like twin waterfalls as she tried desparately to keep her glare. 






"Well, what about my heart, huh?! Do you realize how much you've hurt me?! We used to be so close, we could trust each other with anything!  And now all of a sudden, it's different and I don't know why!  It hurts! It hurts Pinkie!"

"Flutters..." Pinkie's lip began quivering as she took to heart Fluttershy's confession, not even bothering to remove the hoof still jabbing her in the chest.  

"Fluttershy..." Twilight absentmindedly muttered, all the other ponies began tearing up at seeing the two like this. 

"We used to go on so many walks and adventures! You would always encourage me to try new things, get me out of my shell! But no matter what, you always loved me for who I am! Where's that Pinkie now?! I want that Pinkie back!" 

"Flutter..." Pinkie choked out half a word. 

"I... I LOVED YOU PINKIE!  I wanted you to be mine, but I never told you because I thought you wouldn't want a quiet, shy pegasus like myself!" 

Pinkie couldn't take it anymore as she tried to string out the sentence with all her might, regardless if she could actually do it or not.  

"Fluttershy, please. Wai---"

But then, Pinkie's heart completely disintegrated as Fluttershy bowed her head, tears still coming on. 

"But I guess I was right after all..." she whispered. 

Rarity couldn't take it anymore, as she lunged out of her throne, trying to stop the madness. "Hold on now, darling!" 

Fluttershy failed to notice though as she began running to the exit with tears in her eyes, glancing back at her friend one last time with a betrayed and broken look. 

"I guess we're not friends anymore either!"  she stammered out as she took off running, ignoring the multiple voices of her friends telling her to wait. 

Pinkie's hoof reached out to the hall where Fluttershy was for a few minutes as tears openly flew from her sockets, her other friends all watching with looks of horror and sympathy for the party pony in each of their eyes. 

Applejack rose from her throne and tried giving Pinkie a soft embrace "Pinkie...?" she whispered. 

Then, all of a sudden, like a button had been pushed, Pinkie blocked out the remaining tears, placed her hoof down and looked at the hall with a look of serious determination. A look so serious, the others swore they have and would never see Pinkie with it again. 






"I'm going to do it, Rarity." Pinkie spoke in a dramatic low-voice. "I'm going to tell her."

"Darling..." Rarity tried to reason, but Pinkie was having none of it.  

"I don't care if it ruins everything, I'm going to do it. Perhaps I can at least save our friendship!" she declared as she began running in the same direction as her previous fleeing friend.  

"Wait! You forgot Flutterdoll!" Rainbow yelled, staring at the doll in the chair. 

"Don't need it!" they could hear Pinkie's voice echoing out as the friends stood there in silence, hoping their friends could work through their problems.  

Meanwhile, Spike came back into the room with a glass full of water before realizing the pony that requested it had vanished.   He looked around in confusion at the bewildered ponies in the room, before glancing up at Twilight. 

"What'd I miss?"
> A Heart-Felt Bond
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FLUTTERSHY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" echoed Pinkie's loud, booming voice in a panic, frantically searching Ponyville high and low for the upset pegasus she had caused so much grief.  

She searched through trinkets and alleys, through buildings and stores,  she even looked inside a few baby carriages or two but still no sign of the creature anywhere - all that she found was her heart aching with worry as well as sadness from the few mothers who did not appreciate Pinkie scanning their infants.  

As sunset approached,  Pinkie was beginning to think she'd never find the mare, she all the sudden gasped as there - on top of the same hill she interrupted Pinkie and Flutterdoll's picnic was the silhouette of the pony she had been looking for.  

Thankful that the pegasus's sobs had dissolved into mere sniffles, Pinkie galloped up the peak, determined to make things right no matter what.  

"Fluttershy! I found you!"  Pinkie exclaimed as she approached Fluttershy's sitting form from behind.  

At the sudden exclamation,  the mare immediately tensed up, before turning around to address the new arrival. What Pinkie saw however shook her to her very core as Fluttershy's eyes were bright red and puffy from all the tears she had shed today.  Her ears drooped and eyes narrowed in a motion that indicated there was still quite a bit of anger mixed in with the layers of sadness.   

"I never want to see that face again..." Pinkie internally shuttered as a soft, airy voice interrupted her thoughts.  

"What do you want?" Fluttershy droned, her voice barely above an audible whisper as Pinkie could detect the feelings of hurt brought upon by her presence.  

Pinkie gulped for a second, before taking a deep breath,  rationalizing what she wanted to say.  

"I was looking everywhere for you!" Pinkie explained genuinely, "You really scared me back at the castle, Flutters.  Listen, I..."

"Leave me alone, Pinkie. I don't want to talk to you right now." the pegasus huffed, as she turned her body away from the party pony before bringing her front hooves crossed against her chest as her eyes harshly closed in frustration.  

Pinkie could've respected her wishes.  She could've left her friend alone to wallow, but she knew as a friend, she couldn't just abandon her. She had to set things right.  Slowly trotting alongside her friend, she cautiously took a seat a few inches away from the pouting pony before collecting herself with a deep sigh, her eyes shifted downwards in intense compilation.  

"That's ok, you don't have to talk - but please, just listen. You deserve to know the truth - as my friend, you have the right to understand what exactly is going on..." her eyes steeled in focus, "...no more secrets, no more hiding. The truth."

Fluttershy peeked one eye open curiously, her hooves still crossed.  "Where's Flutterdoll?" she asked rather coldly. 

"Gone." Pinkie retorted simply.  

Her own eyes finally daring to look at the pegasus with sheer sincerity.  "She's not important anyways. What's important is you."

Fluttershy's open eye widened in surprise, not expecting the goofy mare to speak with such conviction. While she was still quite upset at her supposed friend, she now had her full attention and interest as to where this conversation was going.  

Pinkie's eyes began watering as she knew that once she started revealing everything, there was no going back.  Despite being incredibly nervous -  fearing the worst as to how the mare next to her would react, she decided to open up with a metaphorical ripping of a band-aid.  






"Fluttershy?  Do you remember the Ponytones?"

This brought Fluttershy to a halt as she wasn't expecting the former music group to be brought up in this conversation.  She was wondering how this was relevant, but a glance at Pinkie's serious downcast expression told her that it indeed was.  

No longer crossing her hooves and fully looking at the earth pony with puzzlement, the pegasus replied.

"Yes... why?"

Pinkie sighed again as she felt a new emergence of tears threatening to take control of her, but she had to be strong. She had to get through this.  

"When we found out you had such an amazing singing voice,  I was so excited for you.  I wanted you to share your gift with the world and see you shine brighter than any star."

Pinkie continued,  "But I thought the way to help you succeed was by trying to pep you up. By showing you that if you conquered your worst fears,  I thought you would no longer be afraid of singing in front of everypony.  Instead all I did was the opposite;  I made you more nervous and frightened than ever before and I didn't even realize." she said as her eyes began focusing on the brilliant orange glow of the sunset, her gaze transfixed in emotional recollection and contemplation. 

Fluttershy's stare softened as she stared at the emotional Pinkie Pie with a pang of sadness in her own heart.  

"Even after, when you were revealed to everyone as 'Flutterguy', all I did when we got to your cottage was remind you or your own personal, worst nightmare.  I..." Pinkie paused, as her eyes wavered, staring at the brilliant orange glow, before her head crooked downwards, eyes clenched in pain.

"I made you upset, Fluttershy!  I made you storm out of your house in tears when I thought I was trying to help.  But all I did was hurt you in a way I or anypony else had never seen before!"

"That was the worst day of my life because I... I thought I had lost you forever.  I thought you'd never want anything to do with me ever again and it was all my fault!  I thought I was going to lose one of the best things that had ever happened to me all because of my big dumb mouth!" Pinkie finally concluded as her mane began to grow flat, a single tear finally managing to escape her still shut eye.  

Fluttershy's eyes softened with that returned sense of kindness and concern as she finally scooted over to her aching friend and draped a careful wing over the shuddering pony's back.  

"Pinkie..." her voice was incredibly soft.  "Pinkie...it's ok. Everything worked out and I forgave you. I know you didn't mean it." she said in a comforting smile, her previous traces of anger forgotten as she hugged her friend in sympathy.

But then, as Pinkie released herself from the wing-hug, she said something in such a quiet, sincere tone that the pegasus could've never expected. 

"But I never forgave myself!" Pinkie explained her eyes gleaming at the pegasus, indicating she was barely holding in a breakdown.  Fluttershy's smile was now replaced with a worried frown.

"I never wanted to hurt you like that again.  I was so scared I was going to make things worse if I was around you. I couldn't afford to lose you so that's when..." she began, before the pegasus's eyes widened with a sharp gasp of realization.  

"That's when we started hanging out less..." she realized, a hoof hovering over her opened mouth as began putting the pieces of the puzzle together in her head.  As Pinkie nodded her head silently, Fluttershy asked an important question: 

"Why?  Why were you scared?"  

"Because you make me feel special!" Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, before realizing how loud that confession was and dropping her voice down several octaves.  

"Because you've always held a special place in my heart.  You've meant so much to me over the years - always offering a helping hoof, being there for me whenever I needed your kindness.  That warm, inviting smile of yours that told me everything was ok.  I couldn't stand to lose you, even if it meant having to stay away."

Fluttershy shakily wrapped her wing around the earth pony's frame again. "You really mean that?" she asked innocently,  hoping that everything she had just heard was true.  

Pinkie looked at her in defeat.  "Of course I do!  I..." she paused as she visibly struggled to finish her sentence. 

"I..."

"Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked worriedly, wondering what the secret Pinkie had been meaning to reveal back at the castle and now could be. 

"I LOVE YOU!" Pinkie blurted out as both ponies froze in shock - Fluttershy's eyes froze in shock, while still hugging the earth pony as Pinkie placed both her front hooves over her mouth -  both ponies producing a light warm blush on their cheeks.  

After what seemed like minutes,  Fluttershy finally processed what had just happened as she spoke in pure awe.

"You... you l-love me?" she squeaked.   

Pinkie nodded her head again, as she managed to say, "I have for a while, Flutter-butter.  You're the kindest, sweetest and most loving pony I have ever met." she finished with a sigh. 

Fluttershy's eyes began to sparkle in the evening sun with a mysterious, yet captivating aura as she asked breathlessly:

"How come you never told me?"

Pinkie, finally began openly shedding tears as she nuzzled her head into Fluttershy's chest with full force, shocking the pegasus.  

"Because after the Ponytones, I realized we were too different.  I'm too loud, energetic and crazy while you're quiet, soft, and reserved.  I knew it would never work between us as I knew the minute our differences showed, I was going to hurt you like I did with your stage-fright." Pinkie gasped as more tears returned full force, dampening the yellow pony's soft, fuzzy coat. 

"I could never tell you Fluttershy.  I didn't want to hurt you.  You deserve to be the happiest mare in the world, and I knew I couldn't deliver!  If I made you anything but smile, I...  I would hate myself for ever! I just want you to be happy, so I spared your feelings!"

Fluttershy's eyes began free flowing like waterfalls as she forcefully buried herself in a returning embrace, her face buried in Pinkie's shoulder.  

"Oh, Pinkie..." she muttered. 

Pinkie opened her eyes with visible frustration.  

"But some job, I did there huh?  After thinking that I could use Flutterdoll to release my feelings, I ended up accidentally leaving you behind and hurt you in the process.  After I promised myself, I would never hurt you again, I made a big goof of everything and ruined our friendship!" Pinkie openly sobbed holding her hooves tight around the pegasus's frame.  "I don't deserve your love. I don't deserve to be your marefriend, your friend, ANYTHING!" she exclaimed as she began heavily sobbing.  

Suddenly, Pinkie felt the embrace of the other pony end as she herself found her sobbing faces being lifted up by a gentle, yellow hoof although her hardened, aggressive stare at the pink pony suggested otherwise.  

"Pinkie, stop! I never ever want to hear you say that again! Yes I was very upset by Flutterdoll, but I could never hate you, Pinkie!" 

Pinkie froze as she pondered Fluttershy's words,  her tone carrying out an inflection of protection, like... like they were worried about her.

"Back at the castle, I said that I always loved how you would encourage me, protect me, love me for who I am, and I meant every word of that!  Even if we are different, I know you'd never purposely hurt me! I don't want you to think I'll ever leave you because..." she paused, developing a soft tender smile on her face, to look at the taken back Pinkie one more time. 

"...because I'll always be there for you." she quoted the words the pink pony had long said to her, Pinkie's face smiling as her lips quivered, her mane gradually poofing itself back up as she felt the love from her friend pouring into her very soul, never wanting this moment to end. 

Then the unexpected happened.

"I love you too." Fluttershy heavenly spoke, as she gave a soft, tender peck on top of Pinkie's head, causing the pony's brain to malfunction.  

Pinkie froze in shock naturally.  "Wha... but wha...?" Pinkie muttered, seriously questioning whether this was reality or a very cruel dream.  

"Wait... you love me too?" Pinkie asked, finally gathering her surroundings as the pegasus, taken out of her passionate trance, blushed profusely behind her mane with a nod. 

"Mmm hmm"

"Bu.. but I... and you... we.... if we had just..." Pinkie stammered, trying to process what had been going on before it finally clicked.  

"We both loved each other, but we were both too afraid to tell the other." Pinkie concluded with a sort of wisdom that more closely resembled the studious Twilight Sparkle. 

Fluttershy seemed to realize this at the same time as she snapped out of her blush and pondered, "Yeah... I guess we did."

Pinkie added, "Rarity... she was trying to tell me..."

Then Fluttershy gasped as the mentioning of the unicorn's name brought upon a memory, "Wait! she tried to tell me too... before the meeting..."

Both pegasus and earth pony stopped and stared at each other speechless for a few seconds before they both simultaneously began laughing hard - chuckling at the discovery they both could've known a long time ago, their past drama concerning Flutterdoll and the fight seeming like a funny anecdote to the both of them.  

After several moments of continuous laughter, Pinkie finally managed to get a few deep breaths in before her smile turned into a casual frown, one more thing still pestering in her mind.  

"Hey Fluttershy?"

"Hmm?" Fluttershy asked, finally managing to stop laughing herself. 

"I'm sorry I made you upset by using Flutterdoll. I should've realized it would've hurt you, but I guess I didn't think hard enough about it." 

Fluttershy's smile ceased as a neutral thin line was made with her mouth.  

"I'll forgive you on one condition."

"Anything!" the pink party pony instantly pleaded, not caring what it was. 

"From now on, if something is bothering you, please know that you can always tell me. I promise we can work anything out if we talk about it - but if you try and avoid others or hide your problems, they'll only come back stronger later.  And besides, when you hurt yourself, you hurt the others around you." Fluttershy explained in her soothing voice, akin to a mother lightly scolding her child.  

Pinkie's smile returned as she leapt and hugged the startled (yet quickly recovering) pegasus. "Deal!"

Fluttershy smiled blissfully as she returned the hug, a light blush returning.  

"So... does this mean we're a couple now?" she asked, hoping for a positive response.  

Pinkie released herself from the hug and looked at her new marefriend with a warm, cheerful smile. 

"If you're comfortable and willing, I am too. We can go at whatever pace you want and I promise I'll be more open with you." she spoke.  

Fluttershy's smile grew even wider as she nuzzled the pink pony's round cheek.  

"I'd love that. And just remember that because we may be different, doesn't mean we don't love each other any less. We complete each other - make each other strong and negate any weaknesses. That's what love is all about!" Fluttershy warmly concluded the lesson both she and Pinkie had learned after a long day. 

"So does this mean I can still use your toothbrush?" Pinkie asked excitedly with a hopeful grin. 

Fluttershy smirked as she playfully raised her eyebrows.  "I think we need to have a discussion about that later." 

The two ponies began laughing again, as they fell into each other's embrace - no longer worried about the future.  For no matter what happened next, the two would be always be there for each other.  






Epilogue:


"Ah hope those two are..." Applejack began, leading her friends on a search to find the two missing ponies who have been gone without a trace for hours now,  Luna's moon brightly glistening in the sky alongside a sea of stars.  

Suddenly as they approached a familiar hill, Applejack paused her speech as she gave a muffled chuckle, holding her hooves to her mouth as she witnessed the cute display. 

The other three ponies and Spike, making their way up the hill wondered what caught the cowpony's attention until they saw it themselves - cooing at the adorable sight they were currently witnessing.   

On top of the hill laid two now sleeping ponies snuggled on top of each other.  A pink and poofy earth pony laid her entire body underneath the comforting wing of a yellow pegasus as both had well-visible smiles on their faces.  

As everyone smiled at the happy sight, knowing everything would be alright, Rarity lightly chuckled as she covered her hoof with a light, teasing smirk.  

"Looks like Flutterdoll will need a Pinkiedoll." 




THE END