The Album

by Peregrine Caged

Fluttershy -- Dance the Night Away

Written by: NinjaKraken
Rated Everyone

Fluttershy sat on a well-padded but firm chair, bathing in the sunlight that filtered through her window. After a few days of harder-than-usual work caring for the various needs of her many animals, she concluded that she had earned the break. So, she had been getting caught up in a lighthearted adventure story Twilight had lent her.

Angel sat beside her, and she obliged him by reading aloud.

As she went through the pages about a little filly by the name of Sweet Shine, her emotions and expression alike turned and twisted with the adventure. Fluttershy and Sweet Shine made their way together through a land of candy cane trees, grumpy goblins and nice bees, and Angel accompanied them on the ride. To another pony, perhaps, this would be a cute and silly tale.

To another pony.

When Sweet Shine's suspenseful search for a way home from Kooky Land ended with a much-savoured reuniting with her family, Fluttershy set the book down with a warm smile.

"That was fun, but the part with the bridge goblin was kind of scary. Until you find out that's he's really a nice guy. I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. Get it? A book by its cover?"

A small grin broke across her lips when she saw how Angel's own smile had turned into a disapproving scowl.

It only lasted a moment though, until she pulled him into a hug.

Checking the clock a moment later, she realized she might be late to get her groceries.

It was barely past 2 o'clock, but the special health food shop she wanted to visit kept strange hours, and she had to put up with it if she wanted her Wild Blueberry jam and Special Grain bread. Tomorrow's breakfast just wouldn't be the same without them.

---------

A dainty walk and a bit of shopping later, Fluttershy found herself with a bit of extra time under a partly cloudy sky in the streets of Ponyville. She spent a moment wondering what to do next, until her eyes fell upon Rarity, who appeared to be running some errands of her own. After taking a moment to determine that Rarity was not busy, she meekly approached and began tagging along. Her own errands nearly completed, Rarity went with her on a stroll through town, the two chatting about nothing in particular and munching on a few carrots Fluttershy had picked up.

The conversation suddenly stopped as they came across a small group of musicians playing on the street. A strange combination of a violin, an accordion, and a flute played together in a surprisingly beautiful harmony. After listening for a few minutes, Fluttershy and Rarity each tipped a few bits to the performers, and Rarity began speaking again as if the conversation had never stopped.

Why does she always do that? she thought to herself.

Oh, who cares. Little oddities are nothing between good friends, she replied to herself.

"Oh, and that reminds me, are you going to be coming to the Apples' dance this evening?"

Fluttershy stopped in her tracks. "Wh-what?"

A dark cloud was suddenly cast on her sunny day.

"Fluttershy, don't tell me you forgot about it. I wouldn't believe you anyways, seeing as how you say that about most such events."

Rarity rolled her eyes.

"I... um... of course not. I was just... busy this evening."

She looked away with a bit of guilt at the deception, before caving in to her conscience's prodding.

"And I don't really know how to dance."

"Well dear, the only way you're going to learn is through practice. You'll be among friends, and you'll have a great time."

I'm not so sure about that...

"Besides, if you don't, I'll tell Applejack that it was you who was responsible for that incident with the birds and the industrial wax." Rarity shuddered. "I must say, that was the worst game of hide-and-seek I've ever played..."

Fluttershy shrank and flushed at the memory. How do they always have something like that? Well, dancing can't be that bad... After all, everypony else seems to have so much fun doing it. And I have danced before...

She turned a shade redder at the memory.

No! I am not a scaredy-pony!

A rather large beetle had picked a resting place on her hoof while she was thinking. She screamed and leapt into the air, hovering while shaking her hoof wildly.

"Is it off? Is it off?"

"Yes, dear, it's off. Anyways, I have some work to catch up on, so I really must be going. Ta!"

Rarity walked off at a moderate pace. She had her own day to go about, after all.

Fluttershy sighed. I just have to take it one step at a time.

As she did, Fluttershy realized she hadn't really done that much. I'd end up going anyways. I always do.

She let out a sigh and went home to prepare for the evening, trying to remain confident despite the growing performance anxiety.

------------------

When she got home, it would have been an unsteady pair of hooves that would have applied various cosmetic products if she hadn't been so indecisive about them. Instead, they set about making her a rushed snack of sorts, consisting of a light salad. She had learned some time ago that she couldn't stomach much more before an event that made her nervous.

When she was done eating, worrying, and making final checks on hygiene and blemishes, she put on a modest bit of makeup and a brave face, before marching out the door.

Right before marching back in.

Or at least trying to. It seemed Angel had locked the door. She was about to tell him to open it, but stopped for a moment.

He's right. There's no reason I shouldn't go. If only I could make my hooves remember that...

She began down the path to Sweet Apple Acres, admiring the glowing beginnings of the sunset in the hopes of ignoring the inevitable.

There's so much beauty in nature.

Sometimes, even Fluttershy forgot to stop and admire the small things.

--------------

The music was very loud, somewhat cheesy, and vaguely country. It filled the hot, humid room, and drowned out such things as conversation and shy yellow mares who stayed off to the side and hoped no one would notice.

Doing a rather good impression of a textbook example of a nervous partygoer, Fluttershy alternated between making difficult conversation with some of the ponies who happened to be sitting, going to the table of refreshments, and standing near the sides of the dance floor, while wishing that the stalemate between shyness and desire for fun would end.

Her eyes caught a certain stallion, who smiled and nodded to her, eliciting shrinkage and a meep from the now-flustered pegasus. When she went to back away, a push from behind forced her toward him, and she thought she heard Pinkie Pie's voice saying something about getting out and having fun.

A hoof and an invitation to dance were suddenly extended to her, and, with few other options, she quickly decided that if she was going to be embarrassed, she would do it tomorrow.

Rather than trying to eliminate her nervousness at the very thought of a dance with Big Macintosh, she instead set it aside as much as she could. Which meant that the blushing was kept below a typical high fever, and hyperventilation was somehow kept at bay.

As Big Mac practiced the steps with her again and again, she gradually improved, both in the frequency of her accidental hoof-kicking and in her demeanor. She concluded that this must have been what Pinkie called "loosening up".

A few dances in, she was up to a passable level, and so Big Mac passed her on to dance with some other stallions. It didn't matter much--she was having fun one way or another. She took a bit of amusement from how it felt like showing off when she came back to Big Mac and was able to dance all the better after the other stallions she'd stepped and even occasionally twirled or dipped with.

And as she danced with him again to some strange barnyard melody, somewhere, at the edge of her mind, she was glad once again that being shy and nervous didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a night of some very good cheer.

Comments

[Ninja Kraken]

Yes! It's up! It's finally up!

Thanks for letting me in on this one, Peregine Caged.

[Themaskedferret]

Very cute but 'Shy being afraid of a beetle feels incredibly OOC. She offers bugs to Dash during find a pet, she's shown she's not afraid of insects. Other than that very gentle and fun story.

[FlimFlamBros.]

Do I smell a FlutterMac? A nice little read, and nice to see Fluttershy finally come out for a little social gathering... even though she has done so alot but still was nice to see her dancing with other stallions!

[Ninja Kraken]

1816026
Thanks for the compliment.
And I guess I have to concede an error on that one.
Then again, this is Fluttershy. I can totally see her explaining that "Wasps don't have shells! Shells are just so... so shelly...:

[Themaskedferret]

1816475 Eh to me it all loops back to dragonshy. "Fluttershy: Yes. Because he wasn't a huge, gigantic, terrible, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp scale-having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could-eat-a-pony-in-one-bite, totally-all-grown-up dragon."

[Meandering Road]

1816026

Clearly, you have not been landed on by a beetle before. Most beetles are completely silent when they fly, so it's not a matter of being scared. It's -unbelievably- startling, though, especially when it lands on exposed skin and you don't notice it until you see it. Much jumping to be had. No fleeing, just jumping in startlement.

In other news, I am loving this whole 'book' of storylettes. Keep them coming, every one of you!

[Themaskedferret]

1819475 *blinks* really? Maybe it depends on your locale, a lot of the beetles i've interacted with (Regular Canadian wildlife and a few insect zoo meet and greets) are rather noisy, Definitely not like a cessna or anything but a noticeable sound if it's fairly calm out n_n

and either way I can totally see her startled by a beetle landing on her but to be afraid of it being on her was my issue.