If there was one thing in the world that Fluttershy truly loved above all else, it was a quiet afternoon. The sun was shining gloriously today, the wind was at a gentle breeze, and all around her tiny cottage was the pleasant sounds of birds chirping in their trees. It brought a smile to her face every time such a day came to her, and she always made the best of it. So, here she was, out in her garden and attending to her flowers. With a watering can in her mouth, she would carefully pour water over them, all the while listening contently to the beautiful songs of her feathered friends. She always enjoyed their singing, one of the most beautiful sounds in the world to her ears, and it did a great deal to calm her nerves. And she would need such help, for it was not too long ago when the young pegasus had experienced a very trying time.

Not two days ago, she had been involved in covering for Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh, when he lost his voice, rendering him incapable of performing along with the rest of his singing group, the Ponytones. Thanks to Zecora, Fluttershy herself had been able to imitate his voice and sing on his behalf during their performances, though nopony knew it was her the whole time. Although singing was something she'd always enjoyed doing, not once had she ever been comfortable in doing it in front of too many people. So, when the truth came out and everypony saw her, it had been a traumatic experience for her. Fortunately, thanks to the words of her friends, she'd managed to become less nervous about doing so, though she still kept her singing only to her close friends, not the massive crowds the Ponytones usually gathered.

Even so, knowing that her friends enjoyed listening to her sing, just like she would love the songs of her birds, brought warm feelings to her. She was not a prideful pony by any stretch of the imagination, but in that moment, when she truly understood what her singing meant to her friends, she could not help but feel good about herself. That comforting thought brought a smile to her face as she carried on with her chores, tending to the needs of both her garden and her many animals. As the hours of the day passed on, she became more and more relaxed. So it was with more than a little surprise when she was jarred from this tranquil state by a voice calling out from afar.

"Fluttershy!"

The young pegasus turned her head, recognizing the voice immediately. Sure enough,walking up the path to Fluttershy's cottage, was her dear friend, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy smiled at her approaching friend, but that smile soon faded when she saw that Pinkie, contrary to her usual bubbly persona, was not smiling. This was a rare thing in and of itself, but it was made even strange when Fluttershy noticed that the pink earth pony looked very down for some reason. Realizing this, Fluttershy stepped forward to greet her.

"Pinkie? Is something wrong?"

Pinkie stopped walking towards her and looked very uncomfortable as she was asked that question. Fluttershy, having known Pinkie for as long as she had, knew immediately that something was bothering her. But she gave her time t say what she needed to, rather than pressing the matter. Pinkie, after fumbling over her words for a little bit, finally managed to speak.

"Well, um, you see Fluttershy...I wanted to say that..."

Pinkie then sat down and looked at the ground.

"...I'm sorry".

Fluttershy was somewhat taken aback by that. Not by the fact that she was apologizing, but because she could not think of what she was apologizing for.

"Sorry? For what?"

It was here, having heard that question, that Pinkie regained her usual energetic self, leaping to all fours once more and moving swiftly forward until she was barely an inch away from Fluttershy's face. The timid pegasus fought with all her might against the urge to take a step backwards at this as Pinkie stared at her intently.

"For what I did a few days ago! You were all nervous and scared and stuff, then in came me and made it worse! I was all, "angry mob", or "you'll never be able to show your face again", and you were already terrified. I just made things worse every time I opened my big mouth!"

Once she'd heard that, Fluttershy understood. What Pinkie was telling her was true, that she was in a situation that, for her, was absolutely nerve-wracking. Revealed in front of all of Ponyville, her singing had been put on display for her entire community, and once she'd finally made it out of the spotlight, Pinkie's words made her feel even worse about it than she already was. Her worst fears had come true and Pinkie's actions had only made those fear more prevalent in her mind. Even her other friends had recognized this, given all the angry looks they'd given their pink friend, but at the time, she didn't even seem to notice, which had made Fluttershy feel even worse about it all. So bad had her friend's words struck her that it had even brought her to tears a couple of times.

Understanding this, it was clear to Fluttershy why Pinkie was looking so uncharacteristically unhappy. One of the things she prided herself on was being the kind of pony who brought a smile to the faces of those around her. And yet, her actions, though not done out of any willing attempt to make Fluttershy upset, had achieved the opposite of that goal. Like with many things though, it had clearly taken a while for her actions to sink in, but once it had, it would have undoubtedly made her feel terrible about the thing she'd said to her, hence the reason she was here and apologizing to Fluttershy now. But, much to Pinkie's surprise, Fluttershy responded to this apology with a small smile.

"Thank you, Pinkie. I appreciate this. But you don't have to say sorry. Everything turned out alright in the end."

Pinkie shook her head at that.

"No! It's NOT alright! I'm supposed to be your friend! And I did the most unfriendly thing possible! I made you cry, Fluttershy. Nopony should EVER make you cry!"

Fluttershy looked away, the thoughts of that low moment a few days ago still fresh in her mind. What Pinkie was saying was true. Although Fluttershy knew deep down that her friend had not meant to upset her, she'd done so regardless, and it would have been a lie to say that Fluttershy hadn't felt hurt by it. But, even in spite of that, Fluttershy bore no ill will towards Pinkie, and she looked at her friend with yet another smile.

"It's okay, Pinkie. I forgive you. I even forgave you after it happened".

Pinkie, still not smiling, tilted her head in confusion.

"But...why?"

Still smiling, Fluttershy moved forward and, in a move that caused no end of surprise for Pinkie, embraced hr in a hug. Although taken aback by this action, Pinkie returned the hug soon afterwards. The two stayed like this for some time, listening to the beautiful songs of the birds around them. And eventually, when Fluttershy felt that she'd made her point, she spoke the words that she knew would bring her dear friend out of this hole she'd dug herself into.

"Because...you're not the only one who likes to see her friends smile".