Beautiful
"Thank you all so much for coming." Fluttershy couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks as she led her group of friends out behind her cottage. Here on the outskirts of the Canterlot suburb, they had all the privacy in the world, but she had to admit she was still just a little bit nervous about what they were planning to do here. Still, she was determined to make it a good day, so she had brought a large picnic basket draped over one arm while a checkered blanket rested across the other. "I know this is kind of a crazy idea, but I've always thought that people should know how beautiful nature is, and that includes humans."
"Don't sweat it, Fluttershy." Sunset Shimmer slung an arm comfortably around her shoulder. "We get it, and I for one am psyched. I've always thought this culture's nudity taboo was weird ever since I got here."
"Yeah!" Rainbow slipped her arm around Fluttershy's waist from the other side with a wink. "Besides, we all trust you, we know you wouldn't do anything weird with pictures like this."
"N-no, of course not. you're all my best friends." Fluttershy's cheeks glowed bright crimson as the group approached the small lake behind her cottage. "I would never do anything that I thought would upset you."
"And that's why we're tickled pink to help... some of us literally." Rarity giggled and cast a playful look at Pinkie Pie, who was leaning against Twilight's shoulders.
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie clutched their newest friend's shoulders with a playful giggle. "Aren't we happy to help, Twilight!?"
"Y-yes!" Twilight exclaimed stiffly. "Helping is good! I like helping! Because I'm a good friend!"
"You know, if you don't want to do this Twilight, you don't have to," Fluttershy reminded her.
"No!" Twilight countered. "I'm helping!"
"O... kay..." Fluttershy cleared her throat and set the picnic basket on the grass. She then set about flipping the checkered blanket out across the grass a safe distance from the small lake. "I brought plenty of sandwiches if anybody wants to eat before we get started."
"Nah." Applejack shook her head. "Shouldn't really eat before we do any swimming. We should probably get the shoot over with first."
"I'm with you there!" Sunset Shimmer whipped off her shirt with a flourish and fluffed her hair out behind her. "Man, I still don't know why humans decided to start wearing this crap all the time. It's so extra itchy and sweaty."
"Well, it's important in the winter when you don't have fur, for one thing." Applejack chuckled as she too began to disrobe. "I guess we just got used to it."
"I brought the body glitter if anybody wants some." Rarity pulled out a small bottle from her purse and began gently sprinkling small sparkling pieces of glitter across the top of her chest.
"Glitter?" Rainbow snickered. "Doesn't that defeat the point of the whole 'naturist' thing?"
"Pish posh!" Rarity waved off her concern. "Just because I'm naked doesn't mean I can't still be fabulous and fashionable."
Pinkie Pie was beaming as she slid up beside Rarity. "I'll take some glitter!"
"Aha, see? Some of us have good artistic fashion sense." Rarity handed over her bottle to Pinkie Pie as she dabbed her last little bit across her chest. "Go nuts, darling."
"Eheheheeeee!" Pinkie was practically cackling as she slid away from Rarity with the bottle.
Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, was the only one besides Fluttershy who was still fully clothed. Her hand darted down her body to tug at the bottom of her skirt, then moved forward again to cup in front of her as a deep blush spread across her cheeks.
Sunset Shimmer approached her with a calming smile. "Hey, you still don't have to do this."
"I-I want to." Twilight gulped. "I'm just worried about someone else seeing me. We're outside, someone could walk up on us at any time."
"This is private property, Twi." Sunset Shimmer winked. "Nobody's going to walk up on us, and if they do we can have them arrested for trespassing. The law's on our side, here."
"Oh... I guess that's true..." Twilight took a deep breath and began undoing the buttons on the front of her blouse. "Yeah, that's right... we're alone on private property..."
Applejack leaned over to whisper to Rarity. "So we ain't gonna remind her that this is for a web site?"
"Sssshhhh."
"Here Twi, cover up with glitter!" Pinkie flung a handful of glitter on Twilight's chest just as she tugged the front of her blouse open. Pinkie's own body was almost coated in the stuff as she bounded away again.
Fluttershy pulled her camera out of the picnic basket and gave her friends a smile. They were really an amazing bunch of girls, each practically glowing with their own special kind of beauty, from Rarity's curvy, voluptuous figure and grace to Twilight's adorably awkward motions and thin, bony joints. They were the perfect subjects to show the world how beautiful and diverse people really were, and how unashamed they should be of their bodies.
"Okay, let's start with you then, Rarity, if you don't mind." Fluttershy smiled.
"Naturally not." Rarity checked her hair one more time in a small hand mirror as she approached the pool. "Just tell me what I should be doing."
There was no shortage of fun during Fluttershy's very first photo shoot. The nerves that were left before they began melted away as the hours wore on and they played various games in the lake and on the grass. Wrestling, racing, laughing, telling jokes, and dodging Pinkie Pie's periodic surprise glitter attacks. Fluttershy was sure to get some pictures of those girls who weren't posing, too. They looked so pretty just acting natural that she couldn't help it. This truly was everything she had hoped it would be when she asked them here.
By the time they broke for lunch, none of the six girls seemed the slightest bit nervous or concerned about their nudity, at least what nudity remained among the glitter-fueled sparklefest. They huddled on the spacious blanket and unwrapped the sandwiches Fluttershy had prepared for each of them, laughing and speaking in light tones. The sun was still high enough in the sky that they didn't feel the need to rush inside, and a cooling breeze made sure they didn't feel at all sweaty or uncomfortable.
Fluttershy couldn't remember a time she felt closer to her friends, but she was pulled out of her euphoric mood when Rainbow Dash asked one simple question...
"Hey Fluttershy, why don't we get some shots of you, too?" Rainbow asked brightly.
"Oh yes!" Small flecks of glitter erupted around her as Pinkie Pie bounced on the blanket. "That sounds like the most perfect idea I've ever heard!"
Fluttershy just waved the idea off with one hand and a soft blush. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly. I want to show the world how beautiful people are."
There was silence for a long moment before Rarity spoke. "Um, yes, darling, we understand that. But what about yourself?"
Fluttershy looked away demurely. "I don't show the beauty of humans, I'm... well, nobody wants to look at me."
"What?" Rainbow's voice was flat, almost dumbfounded. "Fluttershy, you're gorgeous."
Fluttershy shook her head. "That's very nice of you to say, Rainbow Dash, but you don't have to be polite to me. I know the truth, and I accepted it a long time ago." She shrugged as casually as she could through her blush and gestured to Rarity. "We're not all beautiful..." she gestured to Twilight, "brilliant," Applejack, "strong," Rainbow Dash, "athletic," Pinkie Pie, "adorable," Sunset Shimmer, "or dependable. Some of us are just... ugly and quiet."
"Ugly!?" Rarity demanded. "Who in the world would ever call you ugly!?"
"It's the truth." Fluttershy nodded sincerely. "Nobody's ever asked me out, or even approached me at all besides you girls."
"That don't mean you're ugly, Sugar," Applejack insisted in a gentle tone. "I don't know who told you that hogwash but you shouldn't be listening to 'em."
"Yeah! You're the most beautiful girl in the whole school!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You're so beautiful you make Rarity look ugly!"
Rarity gasped. "Why I never!"
"Comparatively speaking, of course!" Pinkie grinned.
"You look perfectly fine, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "I don't even know you that well yet, so you know I'm telling the truth."
Fluttershy raised her hands. "Please, stop. Thank you girls for your kindness, it makes me so happy that you all want to make me feel better, but I feel perfectly fine. I know what I am, and I'm comfortable with it."
"But-" Rainbow Dash began before being cut off by a hand from Sunset Shimmer.
"Okay, Fluttershy. If you don't want to take any pictures, you don't have to. You don't need to do anything you're not comfortable with, right?" Sunset cast a sharp glare around at the rest of the girls, who all grumbled agreement around their sandwiches. Aside from Rainbow Dash, who had fallen quiet as she shoved half of her sandwich into her mouth at once. "Anyway, maybe we should get a few more pics down before we head out."
"Oh, yes, of course. If everybody's finished eating." Fluttershy plucked her camera from the blanket again.
The mood picked up once again as the girls, freshly fueled up on sandwiches, once again began their posing, playing, and laughing. Only Rainbow Dash seemed unusually quiet as the rest of the day whittled away and the sun floated across the sky towards the far-distance horizon. However, as with all things, the fun had to come to an end, and the six friends began to get dressed to make their way home.
"My goodness..." Rarity giggled. "I felt like a carefree little girl again."
"I always feel like that!" Pinkie insisted. "Isn't it great!?"
"Was all the glitter really necessary?" Applejack complained as she slid her shirt on over flesh that was glittering sharply in the orange twilight. "It's gonna take me days to find all this stuff and get it off."
"Fashion is always worth it, Applejack." Rarity nodded solemnly.
"Thanks for inviting us over, Fluttershy." Sunset smiled. "Give Twilight a call if you need any help with your site, okay?"
"Twilight?" Fluttershy cocked her head.
"As if I know how to use a computer that well." Sunset smirked and gestured to Twilight Sparkle, who was just buttoning up her blouse with a demure blush. "But she offered to help, so I thought I'd let you know."
"Oh, thank you very much, Twilight." Fluttershy smiled. "I'll be sure to give you a call if I need anything."
"Good, I'm happy to help." Twilight gave her a goofy half-smile and rushed toward the driveway where Sunset Shimmer's motorcycle was resting.
One by one the rest of the girls bid her farewell, each moving to their own vehicles to take off down the road, except for Rainbow Dash. When Fluttershy met her oldest childhood friend face-to-face on the driveway, there was a strange look of sadness in her eyes. Fluttershy rubbed the back of her neck worriedly and gestured to her cottage.
"Do you want a drink before you go?"
"Sure..." Rainbow nodded. So the two friends entered the wooden cottage, where Fluttershy led the way to the kitchen to fix her friend a tall glass of water. She was just putting the ice in it when Rainbow spoke again. "Fluttershy, how long have you felt that way?"
Fluttershy tried to shrug it off. "Rainbow Dash, really, it's not a big deal..."
"It is a big deal!" Rainbow Dash stepped forward vigorously. "Who convinced you that you were ugly!? I'll beat them until they can't see straight!"
"Rainbow Dash, please..." Fluttershy blushed brighter and held the glass out to her friend. "H-here, your drink..."
Rainbow snapped the drink from her hand and slammed it passionately down on the counter with a loud clank. Fluttershy gasped and jerked back, clutching her hands against her chest defensively.
"Fluttershy!" When Rainbow focused on her cowering friend she let out a deep grunt and took a step back. A few deep breaths later, she continued. "Fluttershy, we've been friends since we were kids and you never told me about this... did you tell anyone about it? Does anybody else know you feel this way?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, my dad was the one who warned me that I was... that nobody wanted to look at me, but-"
"Holy crap, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash shook her head and leaned against the countertop beside her. "I'm sorry I never noticed. That's all kinds of messed up..."
"Not really... he did me a kindness. I've never embarrassed myself..."
"Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash moved closer to her and gripped bosh of her shoulders in each hand. Fluttershy gasped and lifted her gaze to her eyes. "I don't care what your dad told you. You are a beautiful woman, and the people who come to your website would be lucky if you decided to put yourself up there."
Fluttershy shook her head with a deep blush. "Rainbow Dash, no... I... I just couldn't..."
"Then don't put yourself on the site." Rainbow squeezed her shoulders more firmly. "But at least let me show you how beautiful you are, okay?"
"Wh-what? How?"
Rainbow Dash released her shoulders and marched out of the kitchen. Fluttershy hugged herself demurely around the stomach, afraid for a moment that she had done or said something wrong. She and Rainbow Dash had known each other since kindergarten. Long before they had met any of the others, Rainbow Dash was the only person outside of her family that Fluttershy had been able to truly rely upon. The idea of accidentally pushing her away was terrifying.
But thankfully, that fear didn't come to pass. Fluttershy entered the living room to find Rainbow Dash just turning away from her discarded picnic basket, holding her camera in her hands.
Rainbow Dash gave her a smile. "Even if they don't go online, let me show you what you've got, okay?"
"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy blushed deeply, her arms wrapping subconsciously around her chest. She thought about it for several long minutes before speaking again. "Do you promise that nobody else will ever see them?"
"It's your camera, Fluttershy. What happens to the pics after this is entirely up to you."
Fluttershy looked down for a couple more moments, then slowly let her arms drop from her chest with a deep breath. "Okay, Rainbow Dash... I trust you..."
"Come on." Rainbow Dash took her arm gently and led her around back towards the lake behind her cottage.
The blanket and all of their sandwiches had been cleaned up, leaving them approaching the lush green grass surrounding the almost glass-smooth water. Fluttershy was blushing and felt nervous, but she really did trust Rainbow Dash more than anybody else she ever met.
"Take your time," Rainbow told her.
Fluttershy approached the water, slowly gripping her shirt and pulling it off over her head. The rest of her clothes soon followed, and were laid neatly on the grass by her feet. If she were with anybody else she would want to just run and hide, screaming all the while. But with Rainbow Dash watching her, being the one holding the camera, she felt strangely at peace with her nudity. She just clenched and unclenched her fingers a few times, swaying back and forth on her feet nervously.
"Tell me when you're ready, 'Shy."
"Oh..." Fluttershy blushed upon realizing she was being rather boring for a picture. So she carefully sat down on the cool, damp grass beside the lake, twisting and turning her body around a couple of times until she ended up just crossing her legs in front of her in an almost zen-like posture, with her hands resting on her knees. "Is this okay?"
Rainbow Dash raised the camera to her eye. "Now say cheese."
Fluttershy's heart jumped in her chest the first time the shutter snapped, but she quickly calmed down. As Rainbow approached and circled Fluttershy she decided to move around a little, striking a couple of reclining poses with the best smile she could manage. She couldn't help but notice the blush spreading across Rainbow Dash's cheeks as the shutter snapped again and again.
After a couple of pictures Rainbow Dash lowered the camera and moved to sit beside here. "Now take a look at this... does this look ugly to you?" Fluttershy leaned close to Rainbow's arm so she could get a good look at the screen as the pictures of her flashed up in front of her.
Fluttershy wasn't sure what to think. She had seen pictures of herself before, naturally, but never like this. The girl on the screen didn't look ugly at all, it looked like a completely different person from the girl she had always seen in the mirror for all of these years. Was this what Rainbow Dash saw when she looked at her?
It was now that Fluttershy realized she could hear Rainbow's breath sitting so close to her, a deep almost labored sound that didn't sound like her normal cadence. She could see the rosy tint on her cheeks, the slight shifting of her posture on the grass, and when she spoke she had an awkward tone at first that was as strange as it was endearing.
"Well? Does it?" Rainbow met her gaze over her shoulder.
"I... I don't know..."
"I told you..." Rainbow gulped. "You're beautiful, Fluttershy. You always have been, and you always will be. And I don't wanna hear you say otherwise."
Fluttershy nodded and reached out to take Rainbow's hand in her own. "I won't say it again, I promise..."
"But you still think it..."
Fluttershy was silent for a long moment before looking into Rainbow's eyes again. "If you think I'm beautiful... that's enough for me..."
"But it's not enough for me." Rainbow Dash dropped the camera and lifted her hand to her arm, clutching at it passionately. "You need to believe it, Fluttershy. You're too beautiful not to..."
"I do believe you, Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy smiled comfortably, not even slightly nervous despite Rainbow clutching her arm. In fact, she put her hand on Rainbow's fingers gently. "I've always believed everything you say..."
"Then say it. Say you're beautiful."
"I..." Fluttershy blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash... I just can't..." Rainbow gritted her teeth and let her hand fall from Fluttershy's bicep. Fluttershy sat back slightly to get a better look at her friend's face. Her cheeks were flushed bright crimson, and there was a look of frustration etched onto her features. "Rainbow Dash, I know you're worried about me... but I'm okay, I promise. I'm really flattered you think I'm beautiful..."
Rainbow shook her head. "No, Fluttershy, you just don't get how much it sucks that you..." Rainbow looked up at her boldly after another moment of silence. Suddenly one hand lifted to caress the bottom of her chin, turning Fluttershy's face to look fully into her eyes. Her face was almost beet red, but there was a determination in her eyes that wouldn't be denied. "If you ever want me to show you how beautiful you are... you can come to my place any time."
"R-Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-what are you saying?"
Rainbow's face was redder than Fluttershy had ever seen it. "Just saying... you know..." Her eyes darted down to Fluttershy's body for a moment, then she looked away and stood up, shoving her hands into the pockets of her vest. "You're really... really beautiful..."
"Oh... my..." Fluttershy's arms crossed demurely over her chest as she felt her face erupt with heat. Rainbow Dash had already turned away from her, though, so she wasn't too terribly embarrassed. "I never knew you... you were..."
"Yeah, well, it's nobody else's business." Rainbow Dash shrugged coolly. "And you don't have to worry about it, really. I should head out... let you get dressed and stuff... and I'll see you tomorrow." Rainbow began to rush towards the cottage again.
"Wait, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy stood up quickly. Rainbow stopped walking, but didn't turn around again. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I'm okay with it if you're into girls... and I'll... I'll think about it, okay?"
"... You will?"
"Yes. I promise." Fluttershy glanced down at the camera where it had fallen to the grass, then knelt down to pluck it from the ground and stand up with it. She flipped through a couple of her pictures, looking at the nervous face of the girl staring at her from within. "These are very good pictures..."
"Yeah..." Rainbow waved over her shoulder. "They had a beautiful subject to capture..." she resumed her walk around the cottage, and this time Fluttershy didn't stop her.
Fluttershy turned the camera in her hands a few times, then turned to walk back to the still, clear pond. She stepped into the water up to her ankles, and looked down at the shimmering reflection that stared back at her. It was just a girl... no, a woman... who stared back at her. A woman with a slender, bony frame not fit for a magazine, almost totally straight all the way from her waist to her thighs, and breasts so small that they barely needed a bra to hold them back. A woman with a nervous, timid expression on her boney face, and an unappealingly thin nose.
She stared blankly down at her body... this was the first time she had really looked herself over in years...
"Fluttershy!?” Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts, nearly sending her heart beating out of her chest.
Fluttershy whirled in shock and took a step away from her father’s stunned gaze, away from the wall mirror and further into her bedroom. “Ah! Daddy! I was just… I mean…”
“I can see what you were doing.” Her father’s look of shock turned to one of anger and disappointment. “You should know better than that! Your body is not for exposing!” He marched up to her and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her toward him and snatching her discarded clothes off the floor. “You do not take your clothes off.”
Fluttershy gasped, “eep! But daddy… why…?”
“Because your body is not for public viewing! Nobody should be seeing it!” He yanked her clothes back onto her body one piece at a time, leaving her no room to argue. “Nobody wants to see your shame, Fluttershy.”
“Daddy… y-yes…” Fluttershy nodded slowly. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”
“Well now you do.” He pulled her arms through her shirt and pushed it back into place on her shoulders before standing up. “I want your word, Fluttershy. I know you’re a good girl; you shouldn’t go just exposing yourself for no reason.”
Fluttershy was practically whispering, her face still half-hidden behind her hair. “I promise, daddy…”
“Good.” Her father shook his head and turned to head toward her door. “Nobody needs to see you, Fluttershy. Ever.”
Fluttershy looked up through one eye, watching him close the door behind him. She paused for a moment, then slowly walked back to her bed, kicking herself up onto the edge of the mattress and sitting with her arms folded over her chest.
“I’m sorry nobody wants to look at me…”Fluttershy shivered and sniffled, hugging herself just a little tighter despite the summer heat.
She didn't understand how Rainbow Dash could say she was beautiful with a serious tone. But she did trust Rainbow Dash, she affirmed with a tight grip on her camera. She trusted Rainbow Dash... even if she couldn't ever see whatever it was that Rainbow Dash saw.