"Yeah, about that. Annika, you know Willy's not exactly...like you, right?"
"No," Annika replied, rolling her eyes a little bit, because duh. Then she gasped, widening them dramatically. "Wait - are you saying she's some kind of zombie pony?! No - ghost pony! No, wait - she's totally a fairy pony! Ooooh, that explains so much!" She bounced up and down on the spot excitedly, her mind bursting with possibilities.
"Yeeeeah...no," Tommy said, rolling her eyes right back and totally failing to join in the game. "I mean more like how she doesn't like pranks, or parties, or - you know what, forget it. I'll talk to you some other time."
And with that, she flew off, leaving Annika to ponder how Dashie thought she was just being her usual, silly self. She couldn't possibly understand Willy's feelings because she was Annika, Ponyville's premier party pony, and nopony ever expected her to understand much of anything not directly related to parties, food or fun times.
But Annika did.
"It's not that I don't trust you, darling, heavens, no! It's just that, well, Willy can can be rather, ah, delicate. She's not terribly fond of surprises, or loud noises. She likes calm, rest, relaxation. Nature, as we know," Rarity wrinkled her nose in distaste at the mere thought, as she carefully placed an enormous heart-shaped hat on the mannequin. "Most especially, she likes quiet."
Annika nodded through all this, pretending not to notice the meaningful emphasis on the last word. "Uh-huh, sure - calm, nature, quiet. I can totally do those things," She flashed Rarity her biggest, brightest, actually-kinda-bordering-on-painful grin when she glanced over, quirking a doubtful eyebrow. "Don't you worry, Rarity. I got it aaaaall under control."
"Yes, that's what I was afraid of," Rarity murmured under her breath, but Annika was already bouncing off home.
You couldn't go wrong with cupcakes. It was Annika's motto in life - everypony liked them, they tasted delicious and ever since she was a teeny baby Pie, she'd loved the way somepony's face could light up, just from one little cake, like nothing else. Cupcakes were Annika's thing, so she couldn't go wrong with them, could she? Everypony loved her cupcakes, they always sold out at Sugarcube Corner and when it came to special occasions, Annika knew everypony's favourites and she wasn't afraid to use them.
Annika made sure she took extra, extra care with Willy's favourite recipe (carrot cake, which she always shared with the bunnies, even if it meant she only had a teensy bit to herself) - baking the cakes to perfection, her tongue sticking out with concentration as she painstakingly piped the red and pink-coloured butter icing. A sprinkling of little sugar hearts later, and she was done. Annika appraised her work with some satisfaction.
A plate full of perfectly formed, heart-shaped cupcakes - one for each month they'd been each other's very special somepony. Annika made cupcakes every day and twice on Sundays, but she had never felt so many butterflies - heh - in her stomach just looking at them. Willy would like them, wouldn't she? She didn't like surprises - as Annika was reminded every year when it got close to Willy's birthday every year - but surely cupcakes were okay. Willy was scared of a lot of things, but cupcakes weren't one of them. Annika didn't think. Although maybe she should check again?
No, Annika decided, shaking her head hard until she felt the bad thoughts bounce off her mane, this was a good plan. The best plan ever, in fact - Annika loved cupcakes and she loved Willy, and this way she got to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with both of them.
Now she just needed the perfect hiding place.
"Surprise!"
The shout wasn't very loud - it was more of a whisper, maybe a little bit louder than normal talking - it just wasn't exactly what Annika was expecting, and neither was the sudden glare of lights, cascade of streamers and assorted critters leaping out at the same time. Still, if a rogue bunny didn't crash into her, Annika might not have squealed, stumbled and landed on the floor with a face full of cupcake.
"Annika! Oh no! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"
Dazed, Annika managed to blink the worst of the icing out of her eyes to see Willy right there by her side, her face scrunched up with worry. She took hold of Annika's hoof tenderly, squeezing to check it wasn't hurt and pressing her face right up close to peer into her eyes, as as though she was a nurse. Through it all, she was talking so fast even Annika had trouble keeping up with her.
"...and because you love parties so much I thought that maybe somepony should throw a party for you, and because it's Hearts and Hooves Day I wanted to surprise you even though I'm not very good at parties but then - then you just came in and I, um, we, scared you and ruined everything...oh, Annika, I'm so sorry! I'm such a loudmouth!"
Willy finally paused to draw breath, blinking hard as though she was going to cry, and Annika tried to squeeze her hoof reassuringly as she stood up again. Still a little stunned, she took in the scenery: assorted animals scattered around her house, all of them wearing frilly pink collars and party hats with hearts on. An enormous "HAPPY HEARTS & HOOVES DAY" banner that spanned the whole room, handwritten and beautifully decorated. And if Annika wasn't mistaken, that was one of her very own party cannons in the corner, loaded with pink and red confetti already strewn across the floor.
"You..." Finally, Annika's voice came back to her as she looked at the most wonderful pony in Equestria - no, the world - standing in the middle of it all, shuffling her hooves nervously. "You did this for me?!"
"Um," Willy said, her eyes darting all over the place until they finally reached Annika's eyes, at which point she managed the tiniest of smiles. "Do you like it?"
Annika tried to restrain herself, she really did - she managed a whole two and a half seconds before she leaped on Willy, tackling her to the floor and covering her face - cheeks, lips, nose, forehead, anyplace she could reach - with kisses.
"ThisisTHEBESTmostsuperfunwonderfurrifictaculamazingthinganyponyhaseverdoneformeandIcan'tbelievethisisrealandyou'rerealandIloveitANDILOVEYOU!" she shrieked, until she realised she was kinda yelling into Willy's face and squishing her face between her hooves which, as adorable as it looked, may not actually have been super comfortable.
Annika let go of Willy's face, giving her space to wriggle out if she wanted to and ready to apologise for being so, well, Annika - but Willy stayed right where she was, giggling when Annika gave her one more kiss on the nose for good measure. Then she attempted to get up, but only succeeded in squishing their noses together which made Annika start to laugh too, until they both collapsed in a helpless puddle. Even though it kinda hurt her stomach, Annika thought she could have stayed that way forever - curled up with Willy on the floor, pressing her face into her neck to muffle the giggles until tears rolled down both their cheeks.
"I had some help," Willy told her, smiling when they eventually managed to calm down long enough to get to their hooves. "Tommy helped me hang the banners, and Rarity designed the banner. And the outfits, of course." She turned to cast an adoring glance back at Angel, who only stopped scratching at his frilly collar long enough to glare at Annika, who simply beamed and waved back.
"She also gave me, um, this," Willy was holding onto something around her neck, a little hesitant to reveal it until Annika leaned in, and she turned her hoof to reveal a small, pink crystal heart.
"Oooh, pretty!" Annika peered at the jewel, tilting her head various ways to watch the dozen tiny Annikas grinning back at her.
"I thought so, too," Willy smiled, looking down at the heart like it was magic. "Rarity said that if somepony wears it, it's supposed to make them lucky in love. I mean, maybe. I think. But then I said..."
Willy trailed off, shuffling her hooves and ducking behind her mane against. Annika was on the verge of bursting with anticipation, but she suddenly heard Rarity's voice in her head, sharp and clear: quiet! Delicate! Gentle!
Geez, Rarity, way to ruin the moment! Annika complained back in her mind - but when she looked back at Willy, saw her hesitating and biting her lip, something in those words made sense like they never had before. Annika never, ever wanted to Willy to be sad or uncomfortable, as long as she could help it, and if Willy needed those things right now, then Annika would be what she needed.
So Annika pressed her lips together, and she was quiet.
And sure enough, Willy glanced up from under her mane and caught Annika's eye, and she smiled. Annika's very favourite of her smiles, the one that started off tiny and grew and grew til it stretched across her whole face and her eyes shone, and Annika's heart felt like it would burst.
"I said I didn't need any more luck in love. Because I already had the most wonderful marefriend in the world."
Willy kept smiling, like Annika really was her favourite thing in all the world - even better than peace and quiet and nature - and Annika blinked, found that her eyes were wet, and also found that - for the first time in maybe forever - she didn't know what to say.
"Nu-uh," she managed eventually, smiling widely to distract from her tears - because if Annika cried then Willy would cry for sure, and Annika didn't want to cry today, even happy tears. She wanted to make Willy smile, more than ever. "Sorry, Willy, but you got that one all wrong."
Annika never could prank Willy, even if she wanted to, because - just like now - she always made that sad scrunchy face, and Annika always ended up ruining the punchline - "'Cause I do."
Worth it, she decided, to see Willy break out into a grin again, shaking her head before leaning in to nuzzle Annika affectionately. She closed her eyes for a second and buried her nose in Willy's mane, breathing in her familiar, comforting scent. Willy gave a gentle sigh of contentment, and huh, Annika thought, maybe she could work with this "quiet" thing after all.
Then Willy murmured against her ear, "But what about your cupcakes?"
Huh? Oh, yeah. Annika had somehow forgotten about the icing all over her face up until then, when Willy gently wiped a sticky strand of it off her mane, giggling a little.
"Oh, that's no problem. I can make more cupcakes," Annika shrugged, because she was a pro after all. "And - see?" She stuck her tongue out, waggled it for emphasis, and licked all the icing clean off her own face. "Still just as tasty!"
Willy blinked, looking somewhere between impressed and concerned - until she leaned forward and licked a spot right off Annika's nose, making her squeak and scrunch it up.
"It's delicious," she replied, still blushing a little, but now with a mischievous glint in her eye that Annika couldn't help but feel proud of. "My favourite."
Annika loved cupcakes. She loved all flavours, all sizes, and all the ponies she baked the, for. There would always be cupcakes, big ones, little ones, ones as big as your head, and Annika would be baking them for as long as she could whip up a batch any time, as easy as - and she had to stifle a giggle into Willy's mane at her own corny joke - pie.
But there was only one Willy - she was a unique recipe, one that nopony could ever replicate, but Annika's very favourite. And, for as long as she was Annika's, Annika was determined to savour every moment.
