by G. M. Berrow
“It’s true. Wool does absorb sound quite well.” Rarity nodded. “That’s why it’s the perfect fabric for librarians to wear. Which actually reminds me of this one sweaterdress ensemble I dreamed up for Twilight—”
“Come on, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash interrupted with a smirk. “It’s Fluttershy giving the commands. I think we all know why they can’t hear her!”
The ponies all giggled. Fluttershy was notoriously soft-spoken.
“Oh, it’s no use!” Fluttershy cried, sinking to the ground. She let out a sniffle. “I can’t do this. I… I… give up!” In the distance, Angel’s long ears drooped down to the ground. He could hear her just fine after all.
CHAPTER 7
Sugarcube Cornered
Sugarcube Corner was bustling with ponies. Sugar Rush Hour always took place right after the Ponyville Schoolhouse was released for the day, and sure enough, the fillies and colts were lined up straight out the door for their afternoon sweet treats. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash all had their spoons at the ready when Pinkie Pie set the gigantic banana split down on the table in front of Fluttershy.
“There ya go, Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie singsonged. “A triple-whipped, seven-flavor, quadruple-whammy-jammy Lickety Split with extra nuts and sprinkles! Oh, and a chimi-cherry on top! Hope this will be yummy in your tummy after that tough practice today.” Pinkie whipped out a huge neon-pink spoon. “Mind if I have a taste?”
“Go right ahead, Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy pushed the frozen dessert over. “I don’t feel that hungry anyway.” She lowered her sad eyes to the table. “But thank you for the kind gesture.”
“Cheer up, Fluttershy! I’m sure Angel Bunny will understand if you two don’t compete,” Twilight offered. She gave her friend a reassuring pat on the back. “You two can just enjoy the Fine Furry Friends Fair instead. Has he ever ridden the Bunny-Go-Round at Whinnyland?”
“No, but…” Fluttershy sniffed. “How will Angel Bunny know that he’s the most special, most wonderful, bestest bunny a pony can have if he doesn’t believe in himself to achieve his dreams? And I’m the pony who squashed them!”
“Oh, it’s not as bad as all that, sugarcube,” said Applejack, taking a bite of chocolate ice cream and banana. “It’s just a silly ol’ contest!”
“Then why are you competing in it, huh?” Rainbow Dash leaned in close to Applejack’s face. Those two loved to challenge each other over every little thing.
Applejack scoffed. “Because—unlike Fluttershy and Angel here—me ’n’ Winona are true farmers. We’ve been herding stock since the cows came home!”
“That was really great when they came home, huh?” Pinkie Pie looked pensive at the memory. “But the real question is—where were those cows?” She slammed her hoof on the table. “Does anypony know?!” A huge dollop of whipped cream on her pink nose made it hard to take her seriously.
“You’re right, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, ignoring Pinkie and shaking her head, causing her pink mane to gently sway. “I’m not a farmer pony at all. And this is the first time I haven’t been able to get a group of critters to listen to me.” She looked at her friends. “I wish… I wish… that one of you could compete with Angel.”
Everypony turned to Applejack with their eyebrows raised in hope.
“No can do, honeycrisp.” Applejack shrugged. “I’m already signed up to compete with Winona. Only one trial per pony, I’m afraid. Rarity?”
“Moi?” Rarity gave a nervous laugh. “Compete in a field with livestock?” She took a dainty nibble of vanilla ice cream. “What about somepony more sporty, like Rainbow Dash? Surely she would do a much better job than me.”
They all looked to Rainbow Dash. “Are you kidding me?! It’s an Earth pony sport! I’d get disqualified right out of the gate for accidentally going superfast with my wings.” Rainbow shrugged. “Can’t help it. I think Pinkie Pie here is the obvious choice.”
“I’d love to!” shrieked Pinkie Pie, springing out of her chair like she’d been launched by a catapult. Everypony smiled. When she landed, Pinkie Pie turned to Fluttershy. “But I can’t.”
“What?” said all the ponies in unison.
“Why not?” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs across her chest like she was personally offended that her great idea didn’t pan out.
“I’m already competing with Fluttershy’s chickens in the Fine Furry Friends Fair chicken dance contest.” Pinkie giggled. “I already had my chicken suit dry-cleaned and everything.” Pinkie whipped out her chicken costume, which was on a wire hanger with plastic sheeting over it. “See?”
“Really? Elizabeak didn’t even tell me!” Fluttershy lamented. “I have been so busy with the practices. My poor little chickens…”
“Don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie assured. “They’re doing great. Except sometimes Henrita can be such a drama queen, you know? Anyway, if I can’t do it, that only leaves one pony!” Pinkie pointed her hoof at the purple princess who had her mouth full of banana and strawberry ice cream. “Twilight.”
The ponies all turned their attention to Twilight Sparkle, who looked around in confusion. “What? Me? I can’t compete with Angel,” Twilight explained. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but royals aren’t allowed. It wouldn’t be fair to the other contestants.”
“Oh, that does make sense…” replied Fluttershy, slumping down. “It’s okay. I understand. I’ll see you all later.” She stood up and trotted over to the door, her yellow hooves gently clip-clopping against the pale green tiles. “After I break the bad news to Angel Bunny.”
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Twilight all felt awful as they watched their sweet, kind friend walk out the door. “Poor Fluttershy.” Rarity sighed. “If only there were something else we could do to help out so that she’ll be comfortable in the herding competition!”
“Maybe there is,” Twilight replied, brightening. “And I think it starts with a trip to the Crystal Empire.”
The ponies all started talking at once.
“FUN!” Pinkie Pie squealed, jumping up and down. Suddenly, she stopped herself. “Wait. Why are we going to the Crystal Empire?”
“If you’re all in…” Twilight smiled. This plan was going to be perfect. “I’m going to need some help wrangling a herd of tiny ewes.”
CHAPTER 8
Ewe Can Do It, Fluttershy!
“Traaaalalalala tweet, it’s time to eat! Traalalala loo, you’re invited, too!” As Fluttershy sang, flittering around her cottage, she began to feel a teensy bit better. She filled up ceramic dishes with cool water, restocked the bird feeders with fresh seeds, and fluffed the pillows of all forty-two of the current animals’ beds.
“There you go, my little loves,” Fluttershy cooed to some hamsters that were scurrying over to a bowl of fresh kibble. A bluebird landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her face. Tweet, tweet, tweet! “It’s good to see you, too, Judy,” Fluttershy replied, smoothing down her pretty feathers. “I’ve missed you all so much!”
The bird took off out the open window as another flew in. “Hello, Hummingway!” Fluttershy chirped. Her cottage was a revolving door of happy animals. Currently, there was just one creature who wasn’t pleased with Fluttershy. Poor little Angel had been upset about the news but said he understood.
“Do you need anything in there, Angel?” Fluttershy whispered, peeking through the opening of his bunny tepee—a few sticks propped up surrounded by a blankie in the middle of the living room. “Some more pillows? A magazine?”
Angel pursed his lips together and shook his head. “Well, just ring the bell if you do, sweetie.” It broke her heart to see him sulking, but Fluttershy knew that pulling out of the contest was the right thing to do. If the two of them had gone out onto the field at the fair, they would have become a laughingstock! A livestock laughingstock. And that would have been much worse for Angel’s confidence. Really, Fluttershy was just protecting him and his delicate little soul.
A knock came at the door. Flut
tershy gently placed a gray kitten on the floor near a dish of milk and flew over. “Just hold tight, Sneezy. I’ll be right back.” The kitten sneezed in response.
When she opened the door, Fluttershy saw all five of her friends! And a flock of eight tiny Crystal Empire ewes! “What’s all this about?” Fluttershy marveled. The sparkling glint of their crystal wool looked brilliant in the sunshine.
“We brought you ewes to use!” Pinkie Pie cheered with a smile. She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Or was it, use these ewes so you don’t lose?” She held a pink leash with a tiny blush-colored ewe at the end of it. The little fluffy creature looked like a cloud of cotton candy. “Either way,” said Pinkie Pie, “aren’t they adorable?!”
“Baaaaah,” the tiny pink sheep bleated with a smile.
“Look, I gave mine a cape,” Rarity said. Her purple ewe held her muzzle up with an air of sophistication and posed, showing off a rhinestone silver garment. Rarity giggled. “Fabulous, no?”
“My goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, trotting forward to pet the little dears. They were so soft and came in a spectrum of pastel purples, blues, and pinks. “I haven’t seen these lovely lambies since the Equestria Games,” Fluttershy added, brightening. A few of the Crystal ewes walked over and started nuzzling Fluttershy’s legs. She giggled in delight. “Hello there. I remember you, too!”
“Even though none of us can take your place with Angel in the herding competition, we thought maybe you two could use some help,” said Twilight Sparkle. She passed Fluttershy a purple leash and the corresponding lavender ewe. “Giving up would be silly after you two have worked so hard.”
“And we’ve put together a few other treats to help y’all out, too.” Applejack grinned. “Come on back with us to Sweet Apple Acres and see ’em!”
“Wow, this is all really nice of you ponies, but…” Fluttershy stopped for a moment and looked at the ground. “But…” The ponies all leaned in with anticipation. Was she going to give it another shot or not? “But…”
“Out with it already!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“But I’m going to have to check with Angel first,” admitted Fluttershy.
“Something tells me he’s going to be on board.…” Twilight laughed. She pointed to Angel Bunny, who was smiling and chasing a blue Crystal ewe down the path. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be much better now that Angel had some sheep his own size. Plus, now they had their own personal cheering squad in the form of the five best pony friends a girl could have.
CHAPTER 9
The Fine Furry Friends Fair
The ponies took the train past Manehattan to arrive at the Whinnyland Boardtrot in the morning, leaving enough time to catch a few rides, play some games, and dip their tired hooves in the sparkling sea before it was time to get ready for the big competition. Fluttershy, however, was far too nervous to play or eat caramel popcorn.
She and Angel decided it would be much better to rest in the competitors’ tent, taking care of the tiny Crystal ewes until the afternoon. That way, they would be ready to face the crowd with their brand-new routine when it was their turn. Fluttershy was trying not to let her nerves rub off on Angel, but it was so hard! She had always had a difficult time in front of crowds, whether it was just to help Ponyville’s Pegasi lift the water to Cloudsdale by creating a tornado or singing with the Pony Tones quartet. She’d done well competing in the relay at the Equestria Games, but it was as if she’d spent all her confidence on that one event.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come and ride the Radical Rainboom with me and Lightning Dust?!” Rainbow Dash asked one last time. The sounds of ponies and screaming on the rides could be heard outside. “It might just be the best thing that’s ever going to happen!” The rainbow Pegasus was practically vibrating with excitement. “Like, ever.”
“No, thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, shifting from hoof to hoof and finally taking a seat next to a purple ewe. She began to pet her. “But I hope you have a nice time.”
Rainbow looked at her sideways. “I hope you’re not staying here to practice, ’cause ever since I got Spitfire to come to Ponyville to coach you and Angel, you guys have got it down.” Rainbow Dash threw her hooves in the air. “I swear!” Then she took off like a rocket toward the boardtrot to get in line for the Radical Rainboom.
A few moments later, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stopped in. Twilight smiled at Fluttershy. “We were just going to get some apple fritter funnel cakes. Do you want to come?”
“No, no, really,” Fluttershy insisted, peeking her eyes outside the tent. Hundreds of ponies and their furry friends were starting to fill the bleachers. Fluttershy could feel her heart beating a little faster. “I just want to stay here for now and rest.”
“If you insist, darling,” Rarity tutted, and raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Just don’t forget to put on your costumes before it’s your turn to go out on the field, okay? They are really going to add a little something to the performance—trust me.”
“We won’t forget, will we, Angel?” Fluttershy patted him on the head. The little bunny held up his brand-new sky-blue velveteen vest and nodded his head vigorously. I won’t forget! It was cute to see how excited Angel was about his big day.
“Oh, I knew he would love velvet,” Rarity gushed. “Just the right fabric to make a rabbit look dapper.”
“Yes, it’s very nice. Now go ahead, and I’ll see you girls later,” Fluttershy said, pushing her friends out of the tent. What did a pony have to do to get some peace and quiet around here? “I’m just going to get ready.”
“Okaaay,” said Twilight, looking back over her shoulder. She turned and whispered something to Rarity as the two ponies left.
“Whew,” said Fluttershy, looking at Angel. “Those ponies sure do fuss a lot. What should we do now that they’re gone?”
Angel pointed to his watch and then to the costume rack, where Fluttershy’s dress was hanging. It was a frilly getup, complete with a blue bonnet, a lace dress with puffy white sleeves, and a staff decorated in blue bows. Fluttershy winced. It was a little bit much for her simple taste, but she had to wear it. She didn’t want to hurt Rarity’s feelings.
All her friends had been so nice in arranging special treats to help her overcome her fear of the competition. Twilight had brought her the tiny ewes, Rainbow Dash had rallied Spitfire to coach them, Rarity had sewn the costumes, Pinkie Pie had been their constant cheerleader, and Applejack had built a special tiny sheep pen for the new flock. They were all so generous. What if she failed them? Her heart started to beat fast, and she began to hyperventilate.
Angel cocked his head to the side. He looked worried and a little more nervous himself. Fluttershy took a deep breath and composed herself.
“Whew. Okay, you’re right, Angel,” Fluttershy said. “I should probably get dressed.” She grabbed the outfit and nuzzled Angel’s nose. “Watch the ewes while I go put this on, okay, little sweetie? I’ll be right back.”
But ten minutes later, when Fluttershy returned to the tent covered head to hoof in frilly lace, the flock of Crystal ewes was gone! And so was Angel Bunny.
CHAPTER 10
Alone at the Fair
The Fine Furry Friends Fair was in full swing. Fluttershy couldn’t believe how many entertaining things were available for ponies and their pets. There was a kitty show, pet food stands, and games the ponies could play to win prizes and treats for their animal buddies. It was difficult for Fluttershy not to get distracted looking at all the adorable creatures. But she was on a mission to find her bunny and her sheep.
“Angel?” Fluttershy trotted down the aisles of the fairgrounds, making her way through the heaving crowd of ponies. “Where did you hop off to?”
She pushed her way past a game booth for doggies. It launched colorful balls out to the players, who in turn tried to catch them in their mouths. The dog who caught the most won a prize. Fluttershy noticed one of the dogs from her picture in the herding tr
ials program—her name was Scout, and the stout brown stallion next to her must have been Corral. His cutie mark was a whistle, and he wore a black cowpony hat.
Scout was declared the winner and barked happily as she chose her prize—a squeaky, stuffed cow chew toy with a bell around its neck. “Good girl, Scout!” said Corral, patting her on the head. “Now it’s time to go compete. You ready to herd some sheep?” Scout did a backflip, and the two ran off toward the fields. Wow, thought Fluttershy.
The yellow pony bit her lip. Time was running out. Somepony around here had to have seen her pets! Fluttershy tapped the shoulder of a pink Unicorn mare. “Um, excuse me, miss?” she said softly.
The Unicorn turned around and gave her a funny look. “Are you talking to me?”
“Um, yes, if that’s okay.” Fluttershy bowed her head. “See, I’ve lost my sheep, and I was wondering if you might have seen them anywhere. See, we’re going to be late for—”
“Oh, I get it!” The Unicorn started laughing. She tapped her friend—a white Earth pony with a green mane—on the shoulder. “Look, it’s one of those interactive plays with the actors who talk to you! It’s Little Pony Peep!”
The pony with the green mane looked at Fluttershy’s costume and giggled. “And you’ve lost your sheep?”
“Well, yes, actually,” Fluttershy replied, eyes darting around. “But I’m not an actor. I really did lose them. And my bunny, Angel…”
“Riiiiight.” The pink Unicorn winked, playing along. “Though if you’re going for authenticity, I don’t think Little Pony Peep had a bunny in the story.”