A carrot flew across the small cottage and landed at Fluttershy's feet.
"Angel Bunny... YOU EAT THIS CARROT RIGHT NOW!"
Wincing at the harsh volume, the rabbit slowly crept across the room, not daring to meet his master's eyes. Grabbing the vegetable in question, Angel scampered away to a corner of the cottage and began gnawing on the orange root.
Sighing in frustration, Fluttershy busied herself with cleaning up her cottage. Retrieving a broom from a corner closet, she swept her kitchen in a harsh, rhythmic pattern.
There came a knock at the door.
"Letter for a Miss Fluttershy. Hello? Is there anypony in there?"
Ignoring the queries of the postmare, the yellow pegasus held her breath, not daring to move. A fluorescent pink envelope was pushed under the door, and the postmare's hoofsteps gradually became less and less distinct.
She exhaled. Fluttershy marched over to the letter and picked it up. She gave Angel a final, solitary glare before carrying the letter to her room. She tore it open, and gasped upon seeing the watermark on the front.
This... It can't be... I haven't seen her in years...
Closing her eyes, she gingerly opened Pinkie's invitation. Scanning the bold message within, she raised a hoof to her mouth. And this had been Twilight's idea? It seemed impossible, but...
Clearing her throat, she reread the invitation again. It appeared to be a somewhat reasonable idea, but her animals...
No. Get a grip, Fluttershy. There's a time and place for everything, but not now.
If anything, Twilight's plan seemed... incomplete. As much as Twilight would have protested, she really didn't think things through sometimes, and nopony else was going to suggest any changes. Especially not Pinkie...
Pinkie. The Element of Laughter. The one who threw the wildest parties and made everyponies' day. The one who had developed the nasty habit of blaming herself for every single thing that went wrong.
The one who hadn't been herself for ten years.
"Look Pinkie, it's not your fault. There's no way you could have known."
Twilight gesticulated with her hoof, emphasizing her words.
"These things happen, and we as ponies are powerless to stop them from occurring. The universe acts of its own accord, and the tide rises and falls no matter what."
"I know... but... I should have seen it coming. My Pinkie Sense... it's never failed me before, so why didn't I notice?"
"Pinkie." Twilight stood up and glanced around the library. "You cannot hold yourself accountable for what happened. You tried, and we can't ask for anything more."
"The Cakes-" Pinkie moaned.
"Will heal in due time," interrupted Twilight. "Yes, they will be very mournful for a while, but I believe that they will - to put it bluntly - get over it."
"Excuse me..." Fluttershy entered Twilight's abode. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation, and... um... I-I have something I'd like to say... as long as I'm not speaking out of turn..."
"Oh, by all means, Fluttershy, go ahead. You don't mind, do you, Pinkie?"
Slowly, the decidedly grayer mare shook her head.
"Okay then... the Cakes... they..." Fluttershy swallowed. "They forgive you, Pinkie."
"How could they ever forgive me for what I did to them!?" she exclaimed incredulously.
Taken aback by the harsh volume, Fluttershy yelped. Twilight interjected.
"They have, Pinkie. They can't possibly blame you in any way for your actions."
Sobbing now, the earth pony shook her head violently. "You have no idea! You have no idea what it's like! The guilt and blame..." She trembled, tears still streaming from her eyes. "All of my life, I've tried to make everypony happy. And now... I've ruined everything!"
"No, you have not," Twilight said firmly. "If that was the case, why are we still your friends? Why are we here for you in your time of need? Pinkie, what don't you understand about not being the scapegoat? You have nothing to worry about. Now, let's go. It's about to start."
The distraught mare jumped to her hooves with wild, staring eyes.
"No! I'm not going! To feel all those accusing glares upon you... it's the worst feeling in the world."
Twilight sighed impatiently, motioning to Fluttershy to say something.
"Um... Pinkie, you really should go with us. It would as... assw...
"Assuage," prompted Twilight.
"Yes... It would assuage a lot of ponies' fears. They need to know that you were not the one responsible for this... occurrence."
Pinkie sniffled quietly. "I... guess. You're right, at least. But I still don't want to go. Not after what I put the Cakes through. I would deflate under all of the humiliation and be driven out of town for the rest of my life. Rock farming sounds pretty good right about now..."
"Pinkie..."
"No, Twilight. Hear me out. Do you have any idea at all what it feels like to have your entire life's work negated by a single mistake, a blunder so fantastically large that you lose all meaning of what it means to be yourself?" She sighed. "There's not a chance in Tartarus that I could ever forgive myself for this. I can never again truly be what I once was, because I've destroyed that part of myself."
She sighed wearily. "I wish that, somewhere, I was just a name. To be not known by anypony for the rest of my life... that's my dream right now. A place where nopony would need to know of what I've done. Where I could live my life in safety, not paranoia. Where I could meet new ponies that don't know my past. A place where I could be... myself again."
Twilight stood stock-still, trying not to believe what she just heard. Fluttershy was trying not to cry, and Pinkie began to sing, softly at first, but gradually getting louder and pouring all of her emotion into the song.
"One slip, and down the hole we fall
It seems to take no time at all
A momentary lapse of reason
That binds a life to a life
The one regret, you will never forget
There'll be no sleep in here tonight..."
Fluttershy paced endlessly around her room, ignoring the muffled huffs of Angel below. She really needed to get him some counseling. Willing the thought away, she focused on the current issue. She couldn't just flat-out reject Twilight's plan... but as it stood, she couldn't go through with it.
On the one hoof, it would be nice to be free... free from this cruel world filled with anger and sadness. She could be with her friends again, just like how things used to be. On the other hoof, she couldn't imagine not seeing her animals every day. She bit her lip and grabbed a piece of parchment. She had a compromise to make with Twilight, and she would not jump on board with her idea unless it was met.
Pinkie would understand her choice.
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder