Fluttershine

by 20percentpegasister

Chapter 3~Happy days

My back hoof made a muffled tapping noise as it hit the tiled floor repeatedly. The cold plastic of the seat against my back annoyed me, as did the slow, rhytmic pace of the clock on the wall to my right. I kept thinking of Rainbow Dash; just Rainbow Dash, nothing else. The voice of the instructor pony just barely reached my ears. For me, the only things in the world right then were the cyan pegasus and that Celestial-forsaken clock.

The shrill cry of the classroom bell startled me out of my trance and sent a shiver down along my spine. The final period of the school day had ended, and I was to meet Rainbow by the statue in a matter of minutes. Everypony rose from their seats and scrambled to collect their belongings or continue any unfinished conversations from earlier. I quickly dumped the pens and notepad that were on my desk into my saddlebags and galloped into the stream of teenage ponies headed for the door.

I bumped and shoved through the crowd occuping the hallways, desperate to leave. I gave up after only fifteen minutes of weaving around pony after pony, and lept into the air, beating my wings as hard as I could. A group of pegasi stallions whisked above me and ruffled my mane.

It was much easier to navigate the school from the air, and I found myself in the courtyard sooner than I expected. The bronze statue winked at me in the sunlight, making it stand out from the dull concrete and cracked brick around it. I caught a glimpse of rainbow mane through the curtain of ponies surrounding it. I flew closer, then stopped.

"What if that was all just a daydream? Did Rainbow Dash really invite me to Sweet Apple Acres an hour ago?" The unsure part of my mind asked.

I shook my head, trying to clear the bad thoughts out.

"Of course she did, Fluttershy. Now stop being such a chicken and go over there!" Shouted the speck of courage and self-confidence.

I flew forward and began a slow descent. I felt the cobblestone beneath me, and I was next to Rainbow Dash. She slipped out of the nonchalant pose she was in and turned at the clopping noise my hooves made.

"Heya, Fluttershy! Ready to go?"

"Um, yeah, ok." I stammered. My stomach Wonderbolts started their act again.

Rainbow tiltied her head and raised an eyebrow at my timid response. Her face then gave away to an expression of understanding. The filly bumped my side playfully.

"Your nervous, aren't ya?" Dash asked.

I blushed and nodded slowly.

"Awww, don't fret, Fluttershy, my friends won't bite!"

I giggled at the mental image of three teenage mares with alligator jaws. Rainbow shot into the air and gestured for me to follow.
❀❀❀

"Well, here we are!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Sweet Apple Acres!"

The sky-blue pegasus and I hovered in front of a gateway entrance that had a wooden sign with a painted appple at the top. The air smelled of sweet hay and, of course, apples. A barn stood tall and proud to our left, and beyond it lay the vast apple orchards that gave the farm its name.

Rainbow proceeded to fly through the entryway towards a large, red stallion leaning against a wagon. As we drew nearer, he lifted his head up and waved a hoof at us.

"How's it goin, Big Mac?" Dash descended and created a cloud of dirt where her hooves met the ground.

"Not bad, yerself?" The colt responded in a deep, Southern drawl. He tilted his head upward to look at me. My little heart hammered in my chest. I looked down to avoid his gaze and waited for Rainbow Dash to break the ice.

Rainbow just stood there, drawing circles in the dusty path with her hoof. I decided she might make introductions if she was reminded of my presence, so I fluttered down to join her and the stallion. I remembered my manners and whispered a simple "Hello".

The pegasus seemed to catch my drift. She cleared her throat loudly and pointed at me with her hoof.

"Oh, ah, Macintosh, this is my friend, Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh.

"Nice ta meet ya, Miss Fluttershy." Big Macintosh addressed me with a casual tone.

My trademark shyness washed over me like a wave, and I was suddenly left speechless. I could feel my cheeks flaring up, and my little Wonderbolts were still churning my insides. I gently tossed my head so that half of my mane would hang over and cover my face. It was a technique I had perfected over the years, and I could now do it almost seamlessly.

Dash spoke up and cut the awkward moment short.

"We better get going, now, Fluttershy. Don't wanna keep the others waiting! Great talking to you, Mac."

Macintosh waved us both goodbye as we took to the air and Rainbow Dash led the way over the orchards.
❀❀❀

Rainbow only flew a short distance before she began to descend into a clearing among the apple trees. I could see a small speck of irregular color that disrupted the palette of rich greens and reds that surrounded us. As we neared the mysterious speck, it began to take the rough form of a house. When Dash and I landed on the small porch in front of the clubhouse, I could see that it was older than I had expected. The paint on the outside walls was peeling off in some places, and one of the rails fencing the porch was splintered. But all in all, it was quite a beautiful little building.

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder to make sure I was still there. She flashed a dazzling grin at me and turned back. The cyan pony took a string that was hanging by the door in her mouth and tugged on it three times. I could hear a muffled ringing coming from inside, followed by slow hoofbeats. The handle turned, and the wooden door was opened by an orange mare with a cowboy hat sitting on top of her blond ponytail. Her face lit up when she saw the pegasus in front of her.

"Rainbow! Yer here! Thank Celestia, Pinkie was gettin real antsy waitin for ya."

I realized that the mare in the doorway must be Applejack. She had a drawl similar to her brother's, though more feminine and bubbly. Big Macintosh shared his vibrant green eye color with his sister, as well as the freckles dotting both cheeks.

Dash snickered in response before stepping to the side to reveal me and speaking herself.

"I brought us a new member today, Applejack. Hope you don't mind."

"Me? Mind? Hell naw!" The mare reassured Rainbow Dash before walking closer to me. She reached out to grab my front hoof and shook it violently in her own.

"Name's Applejack! It's a mighty fine pleasure to meet you-uhhh...." Applejack paused and let go of my hoof.
She looked at me, waiting for an answer.

I backed away a few steps and, once again, let my mane cover my face.

I-I'm...Flu-Fluttershy." I squeaked nervously.

"Come again, sugarcube?" The filly asked softly, leaning towards me.

"DID SOMEPONY SAY SUGARCUBES!?" A pink earth pony with a messy mane had appeared and was now bouncing in the door frame, almost hitting her head.

Applejack frowned and whipped her head around.

"Hush, Pinkie."

The pink pony stopped bouncing and smiled sheepishly.

"My name is....Fluttershy." I repeated, trying my hardest to overcome my current whisper of a voice.

Applejack looked up to the sky and seemed to ponder over my name before turning back to me with a warming expression.

"Fluttershy. That's a beautiful name." Her tone was genuine and made me feel relaxed for the first time since I flew through the gate with Rainbow Dash.

The orange mare suddenly groaned and hit her forehead with her hoof.

"Forgive me, where are mah manners? Dash, Fluttershy, step inside, won't ya? Fluttershy still needs to meet the rest of our group!"

I swallowed all my fears and stepped through the small doorway with Rainbow Dash and Applejack flanking me.

The interior of the clubhouse was bright and cozy. Autumn sunshine streamed through two parallel windows and cast small patches of light on the hardwood floor. The pink pony from before was sprawled out on a woven rug in the center of the room, bathing in the sun's glow. A white unicorn was sitting on a cushion by a coffee table, sipping tea and leafing through a fashion magazine that she was levitating before her. The back wall was home to framed pictures and shelves that held numerous items that I didn't stop to distinguish. Everything and everypony seemed to have a place there. I hoped I would have one, too.

Applejack stepped in front of me and her prominent voice filled the room.

"Rarity, Pinkie Pie, this is Fluttershy. "

The unicorn set her magazine down and smiled at me. The pony on the rug looked up, as well. Both mares stood up from their lounging places an approached me. The white unicorn tossed her indigo curls over her shoulder before introducing herself.

"Good afternoon, darling. My name is Rarity! Fluttershy, correct?" The mare spoke in a captivating accent, that only added upon the thick layer of sophistication and glamour that seemed to radiate off of her.

"Yes, it's very nice to meet you, Rarity." I looked at the unicorn again. I was certain I recognized her from somewhere.

"You're the owner of Carousel Boutique!" I exclaimed.

Rarity laughed with delight and pulled me into a hug.

"Why, yes, Fluttershy! That's my scarf hanging around your pretty little neck!

I looked down at my favorite scarf. I had bought it for my third Winter Wrap-Up Day from Rarity. The wool was dyed two shades of lavender that alternated with each other in thick bands. I had almost forgotton that I had thrown it on that morning.

"I believe it is, Rarity!" I smiled and returned her hug.

"We are going to have so much fun together!" She gushed.

The pink pony began bouncing again.

"Come on, Rarity! It's my turn, it's my turn!"

The unicorn broke the embrace and gave me another amazing smile before making way for the hyper earth pony.

"Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugarcube Corner, ya know, the building on Mane Street that looks like a GIANT gingerbread house! Ooooh! You know what that reminds me of? Heart's Warming Eve is coming up, and is there ever a better time for gingerbread houses? I should make one just for us! It could look like our clubhouse, and I could make all of us out of candy, and you guys could help me decorate! Doesn't that sound like fun? Huh? Huh? Huh!?"

It took me a moment to dissect and process the string of words that flew out of the pony's mouth. Pinkie Pie was still bouncing, and looking at me with shimmering eyes and and enormous grin.

"That sounds, um, nice."

I took a couple steps back before bumping into somepony. I turned around and found Rainbow Dash stifling a laugh.

"Quite a wild one, isn't she?" The pegasus jerked her head in Pinkie Pie's direction.

My eyes widened and I nodded fearfully.

Rainbow gave in to her laughter. She fell back onto the floor and giggled hysterically.

"Oh, wow, Fluttershy! You should have seen your face!" Dash hiccuped between chuckles.

Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted over to the sky-blue pony.

"Come on, Dashie! Up ya go!"

The farm pony nuzzled Rainbow Dash's side with her orange nose. The pegasus let out a final snicker and stood up. She flicked her multi-colored tail in my face playfully as she walked over to the pile of sitting cushions where Rarity was earlier.

Dash grabbed a magenta pillow with her teeth and flung it accross the room where it landed on the edge of the rug. Applejack, who had skillfully avoided being hit by Rainbow's projectile, was accompained by Rarity and Pinkie Pie as she galloped to the mound of cushions. Rarity and Pinkie each picked up a pillow of their own and carried them to the rug. Applejack threw a pale green cushion into the air and bucked it with her back hooves. A storm of feathers filled the room and drifted down like snow. Rarity scowled at the blonde mare.

"Is it really harder for you to just walk five feet with a pillow on your back like a civilized pony?" The unicorn spoke accusingly. Her horn began glowing as she levitated all the feathers now lying on the ground. Rarity flew the feathers over to a nearby wastebasket and dropped them in.

"Maybe." Applejack responded.

The earth pony walked to her cushion and fluffed it before sitting down.

Rainbow Dash turned her attention towards me.

"Aren't you gonna sit down, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, sure." I slowly approached the four mares on the rug.

Rarity patted the floor between her and Pinkie Pie. A blue pillow was aviated over and set down in the open space. I took Rarity's invitation and sat down, feeling the soft fabric indent under me.

"Now that we are all here, the meeting can begin!" Rainbow announced.

I was deeply confused.

"Meeting? What meeting?" I asked nopony in particular.

Everypony was silent for a moment before Dash spoke to me.

"Since our first year of high school, Applejack and I decided that we were getting picked on way too much by Trixie, so we formed a sort of......alliance together. Rarity and Pinkie Pie joined us soon after that, and since then, we've all been just looking out for each other and finding time for some fun things to do as a group of friends, too. We try to all meet together at least once a week to talk about recent encounters with Trixie's group or spill feelings and other things that have been bothering us."

Rarity chimed in.

"We all share a very strong friendship bond; it's a very beautiful thing, really."

"Oh, my. I had no idea that all of you were that close. I feel honored that you would invite me to join!" After hearing the story behind my new group of friends, I felt happier than ever before, and even more determined to show Trixie that she wouldn't get the best of me.

"So, Fluttershy, would you care to tell about today?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, it actually started yesterday during my Equestrian History class." I proceeded to tell about my 'accident' that day and how I was scared out of my wits when Trixie started teasing me about it earlier. Rainbow Dash put on a smug smile when I described how she came to my rescue and invited me over to Sweet Apple Acres.

Once I had finished, I noticed that everypony was gawking at me.

"Well, it sure is a good thang that Dash invited ya. Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'm sure we can overcome anythin together!" Applejack placed a gentle hoof on my wither.

"Agreed!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Yeah! What else are friends for?" Pinkie placed her cheek against my foreleg.

"Welcome to the herd, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash wrapped everypony into a huge group hug.

For the first time in my life, right then and there, I felt loved. I felt like I belonged.

Comments

[20percentpegasister]

Sorry for the large blank spot at the end. I have no idea what happened there
EDIT:Whew! I fixed it! Thank Celesita, it was really starting to bug me.

[MclarenMP4-27]

Yay! New chapter! Can't wait to sit down and read it!

[emberghost]

How people feel when they become bronies

[BlueEricsson]

Excellent! Hope Twilight shows up ecentually

[20percentpegasister]

363381I'm sorry, she won't This story takes place before the actual series, so Twilight would still be in Canterlot for a while after the last chapter. But don't worry, I plan to write a fanfiction about Twilight to make up for her absence when I'm finished with this one.

[MrBrawler18]

The reason Fluttershy is one of my favs (multiple ties its hard to pick with this show)
is because she reminds me of me. Shy, picked on constantly, but would stick up dfor friends.
And honestly this kind of feels like my on high school experience. I waspicked on, and for a time, I felt like everyone hated me. But after awhile, I found a group of people who accepted me, liked me, and didnt mind being around me. I can completely relate to Fluttershy's experiences here. Great fic, faving and watching!