It was a sunshine-filled afternoon in the village of Ponyville. To be precise, it was the first day of Spring, and the day after the annual Winter Wrap-Up. The flowers were in full bloom, the sky was clear (compliments of Rainbow Dash), and the animals that resided around a small cottage on the outskirts of the town have fully awoken from their wintry slumber.

This was Fluttershy's favorite time of year. To her, the colors of nature seemed more vibrant in the Spring. The sun seemed to shine brighter than ever before. It was hard to believe that this whole valley was covered with pure white snow just the day before.

Fluttershy was taking care of her animal friends. She had missed them dearly and was glad to get back into her usual rhythm.

As she strolled around her cottage, with her loyal pet Angel, she heard a familiar bouncing noise. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw a pink form coming from the horizon. She recognized this form very well; it was her dear friend Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie trounced up to the other pink-maned pony with an almost permanent smile on her face.

"Hiya, Fluttershy!" beamed the earth pony.

"Hello, Pinkie." greeted the pegasus. "What brings you out here?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake gave me the day off and I was thinking about what I could do today. I thought about going pranking with Rainbow Dash or something, but then I remembered that it's been a super-duper, really-leally, long time since we hung out, so I came right over." Pinkie said in one breath. "So, whatcha doin'?"

"Well, it's lunchtime, so I was going to go feed the animals. Um, if you want to, you could help, since you're not doing anything."

"Sure! Ooh! Ooh! Can I feed the rabbits, Fluttershy? Huh? Huh? Can I? Can I? Can I?!"

The pegasus chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Of course you can."

---

As they fed the various species that lived by the cottage, the two ponies chatted about their day. Pinkie would go on about her little misadventures in babysitting the Cake Twins and would ask Fluttershy for advice when needed. Fluttershy always liked to listen to Pinkie's seemingly endless tangents. She didn't normally talk that much, so she was glad when somepony else was, especially when it's somepony who could put things a lot more eloquently than she ever could.
Fluttershy went over to one of the trees to feed the squirrels. As she did so, Pinkie looked up from the rabbits she tended to and over at the pegasus.

Pinkie had always admired the shy pony. She seemed to have this kind, inviting aura that had drawn the pink earth pony to her, making her regret not hanging with her more. If she was really hard-pressed to rate her friends, which she wouldn't even want to do in the first place, she would rate Fluttershy as high as she possibly could.

An idea seeped into Pinkie's mind. A cunning idea, mischievous even. After making sure the rabbits were taken care of, she started to sneak her way toward the pegasus. She crept as quietly and discretely as could, hiding behind the bushes and the trees, until finally finding the perfect distance. Pinkie got ready, looked straight at her kind-hearted target, and pounced.

The next thing they knew, they were both collapsed on the ground, with Pinkie on top of Fluttershy. The earth pony was laughing gleefully as the pegasus was calming down from the startling action. When Fluttershy had fully recovered, she too started to laugh.

As Pinkie picked herself up and she looked at the shy pony. The two caught each other in a tranced gaze and their laughter begun to cease. While Fluttershy was used to Pinkie tackling her in such a way, this time seemed a bit…different.

The two ponies just stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, neither saying a word. There was nothing save for the awkward silence.

An apple-red blush covered Fluttershy's face. She looked into Pinkie's eyes and noticed that they shone like the bright blue sky above them. She was both excited and scared. Excited because of how stunning Pinkie looked with the backdrop of clouds and light blue that matched her eyes perfectly, and scared because she had never thought of Pinkie that way before. Sweat started to form on Fluttershy's brow as she felt these emotions combat within her.

Fluttershy also noticed that she wasn't the only one blushing.

"P-Pinkie?"

Pinkie froze. She looked into Fluttershy's eyes and experienced a similar phenomenon. She saw Fluttershy, lying in a tapestry of green that complimented her eyes and coat. She thought Fluttershy looked absolutely beautiful.

Pinkie's heartbeat started picking up pace. She sporadically thought about what to do. She knew she couldn't be with Fluttershy in such an awkward position for much longer. She had to do something, and fast. As always, she went with the first idea that sprang to mind.

Run.

"Wellitwasnicetalkingseeyalaterbye!"

Pinkie darted off with the grace and subtlety of a freight train, leaving Fluttershy bewildered as to what just happened.

"Um, bye."