Prologue
Fluttershy wasn't exactly a social butterfly. She was aware of that fact, but she didn't mind at all. Well, maybe a little bit. It would be nice to have a friend or two who she could talk to about how the animals at the shelter were doing, or how nice the weather was, but to do that she would actually have to... actually go out and make friends. And while Fluttershy did want someone to confide in, she couldn't bring herself to go out and meet people, so... that was that. After all, she did have her animals, and they were stellar listeners.
However, after a while, her parents sensed her growing more and more alienated from her peers, and closer to her animals. They were conflicted on how to handle the situation, however.
"I don't see what's wrong with her liking her animals, dear. It's healthy, I read in the paper just the other day that having pets raises happiness, intelligence, and responsibility in kids. Plus, Flutters likes her animals," Her father, Cirrus said.
"Yes, well, you know what else is healthy? Human friends. Friends who talk back, and don't have fur, or, or wings!" Fluttershy's mother, Ivory Winds replied, running a hand through her hair.
"If she hasn't expressed a desire to go out and make friends, nothing good's gonna come of forcing her," Cirrus said. Ivory shook her head.
"You see, she hasn't expressed a desire, that doesn't mean she doesn't have one," She said. Cirrus looked up.
"Maybe you should trust your daughter," He said. Ivory looked taken aback.
"Maybe trust me for a little bit? I won't make her go out and start talking to strangers on the street, that would be unsafe, let alone impractical. I'm going to make her join one club. Something that aligns with her interests. If it doesn't work, then we'll work something else out, alright dear?" She said, calming down. Cirrus laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Of course, I trust you. I hope this works out in our Flutters' favor," He said. Ivory smiled up at him.
"It will, dear. It will,".
And so it was decided. Fluttershy would have to join a school club. As it was her idea, Fluttershy's mother chose to tell her daughter herself, and she chose to do it in the car in the Whole Foods parking lot, meaning that Fluttershy couldn't leave to avoid the conversation. Which was... definitely the point.
"I don't want to join a club, mother. I'm fine, really. I have friends," Fluttershy said. Her mother sighed.
"Yes, your friends at the shelter. But no human friends. Yes, your animals are important and so is your bond, but it's important for a girl your age to have friends. Do they have an... animal club at your school?" She asked.
"No, I don't think so..." Fluttershy said. Ivory slipped into thought for a moment, before her face brightened suddenly.
"Ah! I've got it. It's not quite a club, but it is an extracurricular activity... You could join cheerleading like I did!" She said. Fluttershy fixed her with a dry stare.
"Mother, no offense but... I don't really... see myself as a cheerleader," Fluttershy mumbled. Ivory nodded.
"Of course, cheerleading doesn't seem very you, does it? Too loud. How about... Ah, do they have a school newspaper? I know you like photography! You're very good at it, I'v seen the pictures you take on your nature walks. You could take pictures for them!" She exclaimed.
"Umm, I don't-" Fluttershy was cut off.
"That's just what you need, isn't it Flutters?" Fluttershy looked into her mother's eyes and saw the excitement in them. Excitement on her behalf. As much as she didn't want to join the school newspaper, she loved her mother and wanted to make her happy, so she found herself saying...
"Okay, I'll try it...". Her mother beamed at her.
"You'll love it, I know. You won't regret it!" Ivory said, leaning over to kiss her daughter on the forehead. Fluttershy smiled back weakly, but her insides were churning as she thought about what she had just agreed to.
And so, on the second week of her sophomore year, Fluttershy found herself standing outside the school newspaper's office, glancing up at the large brown door with a sign that read 'Great Minds at Work' hanging lopsided on the door. She was about to reach up and knock when the door swung open, and a pink head full of hair popped out.
"Well, hey! Didn't see ya there! I mean, of course not, there was this huge big door in between us, blocking us from seeing each other! That's what doors do, obviously, I mean, when they're not being swung open or closed like I just did! Welcome to the newspaper room, I'm Pinkie Pie, but you probably know me already! I know you, you're Fluttershy! I mean, you probably knew that already, but I just had to point it out! Hey, I just realized we've never talked before! That's terrible! That's like missing out on a whole flavor of cupcakes your whole life even though a whole platter of them was right in front of you the whole-" Pinkie was cut off as someone else swung the door open, looking at a slightly (or not so slightly) terrified Fluttershy.
"Stop talkin', will ya'? You're terrifying the poor girl. I'm Applejack, by the way. Don't mind Pinkie, she's... more than a mite talkative," Applejack reached out a hand which Fluttershy tentatively shook, still slightly shaken by her encounter with Pinkie.
"I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy said quietly.
"Fluttershy, eh? Nice to meet ya', Fluttershy. If you were lookin' for the offices of Canterlot High's Weekly, you've got the right place," Applejack said. Fluttershy nodded.
"I was... I was wondering if you would... if... I was wondering if I could maybe... take pictures... for the newspaper?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, come on in, we'll see what we can do for ya'," Applejack said, as Pinkie stepped aside to let Fluttershy into the newspaper office. It was a small room with no windows. Desks and tables were pushed together to fit as much table space into the room as possible, resulting in a jigsaw puzzle type arrangement of desks and tables and chairs. Papers were pinned to the walls, notes, scribbles, layouts, drawings, and photos covering almost every inch of wall space in the room. Not only that, but papers were littered on desks and tables too. In the corner was a large clunky printer with a picture of Nic Cage's face attached to it. Fluttershy had no idea what that meant.
At the largest desk in the corner, a girl with purple hair and glasses was typing up a storm on her computer. The desk next to her was empty, but a nameplate with Applejack's name was on it, so Fluttershy assumed that that was hers. A few people were sorting through pictures on another table, loudly arguing over which ones were better. Fluttershy recognized them as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, three fillies a grade younger than her who always seemed to be stirring up some sort of trouble. Thinking of it, Applejack and Apple Bloom were probably related.
A guy who Fluttershy recognized as Shining Armor, captain of the football team, was discussing something with Thunderbass and Curly Winds, three guys who Fluttershy definitely wouldn't have expected to see in the newspaper office. Sunburst and Written Script were typing something up together in the corner, consulting each other periodically.
"I know what you're thinkin'. Shining's here because his sister, Twilight over there runs the paper, so he helps out. One time, he brought Curly up with him, and Curly basically fell in love with the place. Same thing happened with Thunderbass when he came up to get an ad run for some show he was playin'," Applejack said.
"It's... really nice in here," Fluttershy said, and she meant it. The decorating might be a little... cluttered, but it had some charm to it that Fluttershy couldn't help but notice.
"Thanks! I really like it too! In fact, I put half of the things on the walls just because I like things on walls! Twi doesn't like it too much, but she's silly so she doesn't count. This one's my personal favorite, whaddya think?" Pinkie zipped over to a purple squiggle with a few strands of confetti attached to it. The rest of the room didn't bat an eye.
"It's very nice. Er... Creative. I like the... three-dimensional aspect," Fluttershy said quietly, unsure of what she was even looking at.
"Oh, I know! It really does give it some dimension, doesn't it? Like, it's all plain, well as plain as purple can be, but then bam! There's surprise confetti! Who doesn't love surprise confetti?" Pinkie exclaimed. This time, a few people looked up.
"Pinkie, while we all appreciate your enthusiasm, some of us are trying to concentrate. Would you mind keeping it down?" Twilight said with a slight frown.
"Yep, sorry Twi!" Pinkie said cheerfully, before zipping around the room to look at something else. Applejack turned to
face Fluttershy again, still smiling at her friend's antics.
"So, have you got any of your pictures on hand?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, yes, um, give me a moment to find them..." Fluttershy dug into her backpack to find the folder of her photos that she and her mom had prepared together the night before and handed it to Applejack. Applejack flipped through the folder, periodically making what Fluttershy hoped were noises of approval.
"Alright, you're on the team. But don't expect any pay, now," Applejack joked. Fluttershy smiled meekly. This didn't seem too bad at all. It was definitely going better than it would have had she joined the cheerleading team. Fluttershy shuddered at the thought.
"We could use someone to photograph the next soccer game against Crystal Prep, since our regular sports photographer's gonna be outta town. I'm sensing this might not be your speed, so if ya want I'll tag along," She offered. Applejack was right, Fluttershy wasn't exactly... comfortable with the idea, but she trusted Applejack already. She wanted to make her mom happy, so she'd do it. She was determined to make this work.
Fluttershy had gotten to the soccer field early, so the only other people there were the soccer team and their die-hard fan, Scootaloo. Scootaloo recognized Fluttershy and walked over.
"Hey, Fluttershy, right? I heard you joined the paper, which is super cool. I mostly write jokes, but my friends and I have this really cool comic that we write together. You're here to take pictures of the game?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes, I am," Fluttershy said, slightly overwhelmed by the younger girl talking her ear off.
"Well, be sure to take tons of pictures of Rainbow Dash, the most awesomest striker in CHS history!" Scootaloo cheered. Fluttershy shrank back a bit at the sudden loud noise. Fluttershy didn't think she knew a Rainbow Dash. With a name like that and the way Scootaloo was praising her, she must be quite the character. She made a mental note to look out for Rainbow Dash, and to take some pictures of her for Scootaloo.
Just as more people were trickling into the stands, Applejack and Apple Bloom appeared, followed by Sweetie Belle and a girl who was likely Sweetie's sister. Fluttershy had seen her around.
"Hey, so we can all sit together, or we could split up if y'all want," Applejack said to the group.
"I'm fine with staying as a group," Scootaloo said, and the others nodded. Probably Sweetie's Sister walked up to Fluttershy as they headed for the bleachers.
"Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier, and apologies for tagging along unannounced. I'm Rarity," Rarity smiled. Fluttershy smiled back timidly.
"Fluttershy," She managed. Sometimes when she was trying to talk to new people, her throat would close up and her tongue would get all confused and not know where to go, and she would end up saying nothing at all or just making noises. It was embarassing, but it usually only happened when she talked faster, so building things up was easier.
"Nice to meet you Fluttershy," Rarity said politely as their group found a spot in the upper middle of the bleachers. The game was about to start, so Fluttershy got out and fiddled with her camera for a bit, adjusting the settings and taking a couple of test pictures.
She didn't know much about soccer. She had tried it once in first grade, but on her first practice she got hit in the head with the ball and fainted. After that, she didn't really have an interest in soccer. She tried to stay away from any sort of sports practices just in case a stray ball hit her, but there was little likelihood of that occuring during a game. Still, there was always that nagging 'what if' when it came to Fluttershy.
"Hey, the game's about to start!" Scootaloo said, and Fluttershy glanced down at the field as the teams strode out. In the lead of the CHS team was most definitely Rainbow Dash. How Fluttershy hadn't noticed her before was a wonder with her technicolor hair and swagger. Maybe that was because she always stayed away from soccer practices. If Scootaloo's description of Rainbow Dash was anything to go by, Rainbow spent a lot of time practicing.
Fluttershy didn't really think that soccer could be graceful, but after the first whistle blew and Rainbow was in action, Fluttershy could barely take her eyes off the girl. She was a magician with the ball. She could not only outrun the competition, but she could outmaneuver them as well. Yeah, there were other girls on the team, and yeah, they were really good, but Rainbow was the star of the show. Fluttershy made sure to take pictures of everyone, but especially Rainbow. She couldn't wait to upload them and see how they turned out, but at the same time, she wanted to keep watching Rainbow Dash.
Soon enough the game was over, and Scootaloo and her friends (but mostly Scootaloo) were fist pumping over the results of the game. Rarity and Applejack fell into stride with Fluttershy.
"So, dear? How did you like the game?" Rarity asked.
"And do ya' think ya' got any good shots?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy smiled.
"I liked the game very much, and yes, I did take some good pictures, I think. Hard to tell on this tiny monitor. Although I only did a tiny bit of the work, the players were so good," Fluttershy said.
"Didn't take you for the soccer type. Yeah, they are a pretty great team. That your first game?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy nodded.
"Well, we're honored to have accompanied you," Rarity said sincerely.
"Thank you for taking me. I really enjoyed it," Fluttershy said, surprised that she actually meant it. Applejack gave her a wide smile.
"Well, what're friends for if not to drag you off to soccer games? Now, let's head up to the office real quick and check on those photos before we leave. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, y'all wanna come with?" Applejack asked.
"Sure thing, AJ!" Apple Bloom said. The building was unlocked, so they headed up to the newspaper office and plugged in Fluttershy's camera. As soon as all the pictures uploaded, they scrolled through them all. They made comments on what they liked or disliked about a photo and deleted the ones that were bad or blurry. There was one that they immediately stopped on.
"This is front page stuff, Flutters," Scootaloo said. Everyone agreed. Dash was midair, kicking the ball. The pure look of determination on her face was captivating, and the focus was perfect. The photo showed opponents showing up from all around her, but she had the ball positioned perfectly. She had made that shot.
"Put that in the very front of sports. Nice work, Shy," Applejack said. Fluttershy blushed. Someone- a bunch of someones- were praising her work. Her pictures! It was incredible.
"I... um, thank you. Is it okay if I... go get some water?" Fluttershy asked, needing a moment to process. Applejack looked at her incredulously.
"Ya don't have to ask us, sugar cube. Just go ahead," She said. Fluttershy smiled.
"Thank you," She said, opening the door and hurrying down the hall. She wasn't looking where she was going when she bumped into someone and fell to the ground.
"Oh, shoot! Sorry, are you okay?" The someone reached a hand out, and Fluttershy took it and pulled herself to her feet. Standing in front of her was Rainbow Dash. The Rainbow Dash, soccer superstar, who had just won the whole game. Okay, maybe it wasn't that crazy, seeing as they went to the same school and all. Rainbow wasn't exactly a celebrity. Still, Fluttershy was flustered.
"I'm so sorry, I should have been looking where I was going, I-" Fluttershy was cut off by a hand on her shoulder.
"It's no problem, really. I wasn't paying attention either. You're fine," Rainbow said. Fluttershy smiled.
"Um... Nice job in the game by the way," She said. Rainbow smiled back.
"Thanks! Have a good one," Rainbow said, before heading off toward wherever she was going before she'd run into Fluttershy.
"Yeah, bye," Fluttershy said to the open air. She paused for a brief moment, before she heading for the water fountain. When she got back to the newspaper office, everyone was finishing up looking at Fluttershy's pictures.
"Great job today, Fluttershy. Do you want to walk home with us?" Sweetie Belle asked. Fluttershy smiled at the younger girl.
"Of course, unless I would be imposing," She said. Rarity frowned.
"Imposing? Darling, you didn't even know me before I showed up with Applejack. If anyone were to be imposing upon something today, it would be me," She laughed. Fluttershy smiled.
"Okay then, I guess I'll walk with you. Thank you," She said. They locked up the office and headed for home.