Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, as she heard a ringing from her bed-table. She groped around beside her, before grasping hold of a boucy alarm clock. She clicked it off, and closed her eyes for an extra bit of rest.
Almost as if she were purposely disturbing the girl, rather short stout girl jumped in. "Hello, Fluttershy!" she cried out. "Wakey Wakey! I've got another morning of guard duty, and unless you want to go alchemy ingredient-hunting, then you'd better hurry!"
Fluttershy shook her head, rubbing her eyes. "Five - five more minutes," she muttered, as she pulled up the the silky yellow blanket, ducking under it, and cuddling into a comfortable ball.
"Oh, you're such a lazy-head," Pinkie Pie grumbled. She stepped over to the bed-side, and shook her friend violently. Fluttershy, who was a very delicate girl, got up at once, feeling sick and dizzy.
"Come on," Pinkie Pie said, grabbing her friend by her skinny wrist. "You need to toughen up, Fluttershy. I mean - no-one survives in Tamriel by being a doormat."
Fluttershy got into her armour, which consisted of a long yellow dress, with shoulder guards, and bits of metal here and there. You never know what might attack you in the forest.
Pinkie Pie made a sudden gasp, as she got out of Breezehome. "Look, Fluttershy!" she cried out. "Have you seen those warriors from Hammerfell? They've got curved swords!"
Her voice lowered into a spooky whisper. "Curved. Swords."
Fluttershy playfully shoved her guard friend out of her way.
"Yeah, baby!" Pinkie Pie shouted. So loud the whole of Whiterun heard her. "That's the way to roll! Haven't you heard? When somebody tries to block - show 'em that you rock."
"Oh my..um...I'm sorry," Fluttershy muttered. "I was..."
"Ugh..there you go again!" Pinkie Pie laughed. "Hey, if you ever want a lesson of assertiveness - you should visit the Companions! You know 'em! Wind District? Oh, and that reminds me - had any adventures lately?"
Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Oh, no.." she whispered.
"Oh, I used to be an adventurer like you," Pinkie Pie replied. "Then I took an arrow to the knee."
Fluttershy gasped. "Oh, you poor poor thing!"
"Nah, didn't hurt a bit," Pinkie laughed, tossing her head of pink cotton-candyish hair. "Every guard has to do that in order to become a guard, silly!"
Fluttershy stared on, horrified.
"Aww..would you look at that?" Pinkie Pie carried on. "I've got guard duty again! D'oh! See ya later, Fluttergator!"
Fluttershy waved at her. "Um...I hope you --"
"Don't be a Lars BattleBorn!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "I'll be alright. Bye now!"
Fluttershy watched as her friend ran away, waving back, and putting on her Whiterun Guard helmet.
"Doormat? Lars Battleborn?" she asked herself, pondering over her friend's words as she walked back to her home.
Meanwhile, Lars Battleborn came up to her. "Fluttershy! Help me! Sweetie Braith is bullying me!"
Fluttershy's eyes blazed with fury. "Sweetie Braith! How DARE you bully my friend!"
Sweetie Belle shrunk back, before remembering herself, and stepping up again. "Boys, girls, dogs, elders. There's nobody I won't fight!"
Fluttershy whispered, "I..um.." Then, she remembered what Pinkie Pie had told her. In the background, the guard could be seen eating a sweet roll, and giving her friend an encouraging look.
Fluttershy gulped, and opened her eyes very wide. A weird force came out of them, and they seemed to be shooting at Sweetie Belle.
The girl shrunk back once more. "Y-yes, Fluttershy." She backed away, before completely running away.
Fluttershy shut her eyes at once. She felt terrible!
"Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie cried out. She clapped wildly. "That was great, Fluttershy! You really stood up to that girl!"
The girl (who Fluttershy mistook for a boy) crawled up to her hero, whispering, "Thanks, Fluttershy. Oh - and call me Scootaloo. Everyone does."
Fluttershy nodded slightly, smiled pleasantly, and left at once.
"I'm not a doormat! I'm not a Scootaloo!" she shrieked. She gave a happy squeal, and ran back home, satisfied.
That day, Fluttershy decided to visit the Companions, like Pinkie Pie encouraged her too. She had never dared to go further than the Plain District. Pinkie Pie, however, forced her too.
Fluttershy tried to gulp back her nervousness, but it only gave her a bigger lump on her throat, and made her even more nervous.
When she opened the doors of Jorrvaskr, she nearly fainted.
Of course, she was greeted with a warm welcome. Why, the first thing she saw, were a girl slightly younger than her, and a boy slightly older, brawling with each other, giving each other quick jabs, punches and flying fists.
At first, she thought they were fighting, or more specifically, quarrelling. She jumped in between them, and said, "Oh, don't fight! Violence is um...never the way to go. I - I'm sure there's an explanation."
Everyone burst out laughing. "Huh! This place ain't for doormats, or Scootaloos like you," a tall muscular girl, with rainbow colours hair laughed.
Her sister, AppleJack, joined in, "Yeah, Ah know right, sis? Who the hay do yer think yer are?"
Fluttershy's face turned a bright red - as red as a cherry tomato. "Oh my...um...I'm sorry," she muttered.
That made the laughter start all over again. Fluttershy whispered, "Got a problem with me?"
"Uh..." Rainbow Dash said. "Yes?"
And they laughed again.
Fluttershy's mane turned fiery red. "You're going to LOVE ME!!!"
There was a deep silence in the mead hall. Fluttershy looked horrified. She was a monster! She whimpered, "I'll..um..I'll go now," she whispered.
A rather beautiful lady in the corner chuckled lightly. Her flowing starry hair blew in the wind, against her face, giving her an epic look. "Thou havest a fine temper, O fair Fluttershy. Thou should be asking Celestia that," she said. "Who knows? Maybe she is in a generous mood today."
Fluttershy sighed with relief.
To her relief, she was accepted. She was taken outside to train with AppleJack, a dependable honest lass.
Fluttershy didn't want to fight. "But - but you'll be hurt!"
"Nah, trust me. Ah'm not so easily taken, Fluttercry," AppleJack replied.
Still, Fluttershy still didn't draw her sword. But she cried out, "I'm not Fluttercry! I cleared out Bleak Falls Barrow by myself!" She took a deep breath, "FUS!!!!"
AppleJack was blown away, and so was her mind. "What the --"
"Oh...I'm sorry.." Fluttershy winced. She backed away. "Stay away! I'm dangerous!"
"We like that in ya, lass," AppleJack laughed, trying to hide her shock. "But yer still a whelp to us, newblood."
And then there was a crazy ceremony thingy going on, and Fluttershy felt bashfully out of place standing among the warriors. She didn't even know how to wield a sword properly, without letting it slip from her grasp, and cut her delicate finger. Even then, she would sit down, nurse her finger, and cry.
"I'm still trying to figure out why Luna let you in, in the first place," a random Companion grumbled. He was either jealous, or just had a bad hair day or something like that. Fluttershy had no idea.
Fluttershy just stared, jaw dropped. NEW member of the Companions? Where's doormat and Scootaloo Fluttershy for you now, Pinkie Pie?
