//------------------------------// // Attitude // Story: A stomach full of Fluttershys // by Slick Dash //------------------------------// “Now we have your look sorted I say it’s time we start on your attitude!” Rainbow laughed as the three walked through Ponyville. Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she felt about all this, when she had seen her face in the mirror she had been astonished, but now she just felt self conscious. Everypony kept looking at her, and then doing a double take, especially the stallions! She couldn’t handle so many staring eyes, it felt...to pressured. “M-m-my attitude?” Fluttershy asked shakily. “Yeah, now that you’re catching ponies’ attention, you need to keep it!” Rainbow puffed out her chest. “Now that’s where I come in!” Rainbow glanced around as they reached the town centre, though only a day had passed, it seemed like a lifetime to Fluttershy since she had stood there and fretted about her groceries only to be saved by Big Mac. Slowly, she began to lose herself in her daydream. Her head began to play out a fantasy, where the Fluttershy that had stood there was more like the one from the dream. She would turn to Big Mac with glee in her eyes at his chivalry, and without a second’s thought; kissed him in her gratitude. “Fluttershy darling?” came a far of voice. Fluttershy shook her head to wake up. “Oh I see.” Rarity said deflated to Fluttershy’s response, she looked at her hooves dejectedly as they walked. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that she had upset her friend. “No, no, no! I mean... go ahead?” Fluttershy said tentatively, hoping this to be the right response. Surely enough Rarity perked up, smiled, and headed for the nearest stall in the bustling town centre. “Uhh... what is she doing exactly?” the yellow mare whispered to her fellow Pegasus. Rainbow laughed and patted her lightly on the back. “I knew you couldn’t be listening! You were of in ‘Mac land’ weren’t you?” the timid mare blushed crimson at the remark, but her silence was still taken as a yes as rainbow gave a knowing smile. “She’s going to show you how to catch a guy’s attention.” “Oh...I see.” The yellow mare mumbled, watching her friend plough into the crowd. When suddenly a thought came to mind. “B-but I don’t want to catch a ‘guy’s’ eye, I want to catch Big ma”- She froze, already unable to undo what she had said. Rainbow arched an eyebrow at her. “So you’ve decided you want him to notice you then huh?” She smiled, “No porblemo! We can go in a sec, just watch Rarity anyway, she’s pretty good at this stuff.” She leant in and whispered deviously. “Well, good enough, I’ll show how to really impress Macintosh in a minute!” “Oh...ok...” Rarity had chosen her target, a dark furred stallion waiting patiently in a line for a book stall. His flank was decorated with the mark of a silver and blue comet sailing through a sky. Fluttershy had met him before, only fleetingly, but this was Comet Tail. He was a reasonably quiet pony, and Fluttershy was sure Rarity would have nothing in common with him. So how was she going to impress him? “Oh woe is me! What could I ever do?” Rarity suddenly pleaded with an unsuspecting shopkeeper. The grey pony behind the table look panicked as the mare slowly back away from him, her face filled with sorrow. She kept backing up, until her flank bumped into that of the waiting stallion Comet Tail, who had glanced over in vague interest. “Oh, dear my apologies!” Rarity cooed lowly as she turned to face the stallion. “It’s ok.” The stallion replied, as he tried to turn away again, his eyes caught glimpse of Rarity’s big, round, sorrowful, azure ones. “I-is...” The stallion coughed slightly, fidgeting on the spot as he thought hard of what to say. “Ahem! Is there anything wrong?” Rarity batted her eyelids affectionately. “Why yes there most certainly is! This vendor is all out of thread, and I have such an important dress to finish!” She swooned slightly, falling into the stallion’s shoulders. Comet Tail quickly checked she was alright, and began to walk her away from the quickly forming crowd around them. “Well, of course he has no thread.” Tail said, glancing over at the horrified vendor stood staring after the mare. “He’s got a quill stall!” he glanced down at the face just to his right, those miserable eyes glistened up at him, and he felt his heart melt. “Come on. I’ll help you find some thread somewhere round here!” He smiled and began to walk the leaning Rarity towards the more arts orientated stalls. As the two passed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the platinum fashion pony smiled and winked at the two. Quickly she glanced up to check the stallion wasn’t looking, and then mouthed to Fluttershy. “It’s as easy as that!” before the two headed off towards the stalls on the other side of the centre. “Wow!” Rainbow laughed, giving an accepting shrug. “She’s pretty good!” Fluttershy watched the two moving away. “B-but... You said you were going to show me how to impress somepony... she just fell on him...” “Well...yeah, but that’s just her way of catching their attention. I guess ‘Impress’ wasn’t the best word to use, but you still get the idea right?” “I...guess.” Rainbow smiled, looking at Fluttershy fondly, “You know...” she said thoughtfully, “You should consider looking like this every day.” Fluttershy looked down at her straightened mane, she did like the way it felt, and it did compliment her face. Though she couldn’t see it’s effect, she could just glimpse the dark of the eye shadow just on the lip of her eye lid. “You think so?” “Yeah!” Rainbow encouraged, “If you looked like that every day, nopony could resist you!” Fluttershy blushed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. “So! Down to business!” Rainbow clapped her hooves together, making Fluttershy jump. “Easy ways to start a convocation with a guy, are thing like the weather.” She looked up at the clouds above and frowned, “Hmm, gee, what a wonderful day it is out here!” She mimicked in a deep voice, smiling as she did so. Suddenly her face, lit up, “Oh, oh, ohhhhh! My favourite, it’s gotta be ‘hey, come here often?’” Fluttershy frowned. “That...works?” “Oh gosh yeah! When a guy hears a question like that, he knows a girl’s interested! So from there on, it’s all just a game of pretending you don’t know what the other wants.” She looked at her confused friend. “Go on you give it a try!” “Oh... no thank you, I think I’d rather leave that kind of thing to you and Rarity.” Fluttershy mumbled, flicking her straightened mane with her forehoof shyly. “Just say it to me then!” Rainbow smiled. Fluttershy stared in surprise. “What?” “Just spout of a few lines to me, I’ll tell you if they sound right or not!” “Ohh... umm...ok.” Fluttershy puffed out her chest, filling herself with every scrap of courage she could muster. “Heeeyy...there mister... ummm... tough, strong...guy!” Fluttershy smiled, and batted her eyelids at Dash, who now stood rigid with awkwardness at the ridiculous nature of her friends attempts at flirting. “I can’t help but notice that...you’re a stallion, and I’m a mare...” Rainbow’s eyebrow rocketed up at the sudden comfort Fluttershy was showing. Fluttershy pushed up against rainbows shoulder, shivering slightly. “Gee... it is cold. Why don’t you be a gentlecolt and shear some of your warmth with me.” Fluttershy stopped. She looked what her shoulder was pressed against. She saw how close she was to Rainbow, glancing at her friends face, she saw her incredulous expression. Fluttershy quickly pushed away, letting out a short cough. “Umm... something like that?” She asked bashfully trying her best not to look her friend in the eye. Rainbow didn’t respond, she simply stared into space, her face frozen in that look of surprise. “Rainbow?” the timid mare nudged her fellow Pegasus in the foreleg. Rainbow snapped to attention, realising what was happening. “yeah!” She exclaimed, “That was amazing Fluttershy!” She tipped an invisible hat to her friend, then a smooth little smile spread across her lips. “And not a moment too soon! Look who it is?” the cyan pony nodded her head in the direction of the path to the forest. Fluttershy followed her gaze, and it didn’t take long to notice who Rainbow was talking about. Surely enough, his orange mane and tail flowing out behind him, his muscles tense as he carried two sets of saddlebags on his back brimming with apples. Fluttershy’s stomach exploded into nervous squirms as she watched Big Macintosh approach the market filled square.