"Ah-ah-ah-aaaaaaah~" sang Fluttershy, her voice sweet as sugar as she greeted the purple dawn of the sky outside with glee. The chirping of some birds serenaded back, their forms flitting about the scrubs and brushes outside of her house. She was about to smile contently at the happiness of the animals, until an especially annoyed and tired owl in a tall tree hooted back exasperatedly.
"Sorry Mrs. Hoot!" Fluttershy called, her face taking on a look of concern. Whenever an animal in her vicinity was feeling irritated or distressed, Fluttershy could not rest; after all, it was her job to ensure that the animals in the environment around here, or neighbourhood, as she'd like to call it, were content and happy with life. Which reminded her...
"Angel?" said Fluttershy, after her ears picked up the sounds of some squeaking coming from within the house. She galloped into the garden in her backyard, trying to find some produce that could satiate her little bunny's hunger. However, she had to put in some thought before going for Angel's food; he had been acting strangely lately, and would reject all of the usual fare that Fluttershy offered him. Fluttershy suspected that it was yet another one of his assertive spells where he wanted Fluttershy to buy him specific foods. But now, it was late in the morning and the market wasn't open, so she sighed and made her way to the garden. She peeled off some fresh lettuce leaves and dug up a carrot or two, then rushed into the house to her pet's rescue.
The bunny was curled up in the corner of the kitchen, crawling instead of hopping and looking into one of the kitchen's lightwood cupboards, which it held open with a tiny paw. At Fluttershy's entry, Angel turned his head and his expression was that of desperation, and his eyes were drawn to the produce in Fluttershy's hooves. Fluttershy gave a smile and stretched out her hooves full of food towards him. The bunny, his face once so full of desperation, was now looking at the greens with trepidation, and stuck his tongue out, his arms crossed in obstinacy. Fluttershy sighed.
"Angel, are you sure you can't make this one exception? I'd hate to see you starve..." said Fluttershy, and Angel nodded his head furiously. Fluttershy looked to her fridge and bit her lip in worry. If Angel had to starve...
"Alright," said Fluttershy, resigning to Angel's whims. she trotted over to the fridge and opened it, reaching for the highest shelf and extracted a cold salad of lettuce, sliced carrots with a cherry on top. Which was basically what Fluttershy offered to Angel in the first place, minus the cherry.
"Here you go," said Fluttershy, placing the cold salad bowl in front of Angel. What a spoiled bunny, Fluttershy thought to herself as the rabbit wolfed down his breakfast, smiling a little as she knew that she was the one spoiling him. Suddenly, she felt that many creatures were looking over her shoulder at her and Angel. Fluttershy gulped.
A great cacophony of chirping, squeaking and snarling ensued as her garden animals felt pangs of jealousy in the sight of Fluttershy giving Angel a bountiful meal. Fluttershy looked at them in shock and then tried to be assertive.
"Creatures!" She said, attempting to sound indignant and firm. "I can't possibly give all of you a spoiled breakfast!"
Not indignant enough, it seemed. The animals started gnashing their teeth and showing their aggression, making Fluttershy lose composure and break down in a bout of cold sweat.
"Animals... I just don't have the money," she said, before her eyes lit up in realisation. It was her first day of job training today! She had forgotten all about it, being lost in the moment. But before she could even move a hoof, a bear roared at Fluttershy, rubbing his belly as he did so. She sighed.
Thankfully, the animals didn't require much to soothe, with Fluttershy doing a bit of talking and singing to calm their jealousy. She made a mental note to only feed Angel generously in secret. Which was going to be hard since her house didn't have much protection from the eyes of the animals around. But it was necessary, unless she was willing to put up with an animal riot in her backyard.
Having put on her black horseshoes, make-up and business coat (A simple combo of a silver blazer and a red tie, prepared for her by Rarity), she headed across the fields around her home for the nearest bus stop, looking to get to the news station of Trot TV, her new job venue. Up to this day, she didn't know how she got into the job; Her interview was done rather horribly, in her opinion, with her nervousness getting the better of her and causing her to sweat and at times, cough and even stutter during the ordeal. Maybe there wasn't anything to on-site news reporting. This job was actually the sole job on her list which she didn't consider seriously, and she was egged on by friends to take the opportunity when her application was accepted.
But Trot TV was number one for a reason. She had done her 'research' on it as instructed by her new boss, which was to watch Trot TV only for the weeks before her first day as her source of news. The reporters were charismatic, always smiling and made quirky comments on the events they were covering. Trot TV was quite infectious to her, and her assigned 'research' wasn't so tedious after all. But Fluttershy could never imagine herself standing there, talking like they were. The reporters looked like they couldn't be moved by anything, their composures powerful and poised. Fluttershy sure could learn a thing or two about confidence working at this place.
And the wages that she'd get from this! Trot TV, she was told, had monthly salaries in the thousands for the best reporters. With that kind of money, she could feed all of her animals salad bowls with cherries on top. But more importantly, she needed the money to repay her debts for last spring's disaster; in short, animals that were under her care suddenly escaped and rampaged through PonyVille for an entire day, for which Fluttershy was busy. That alone bore five-figure costs, and Fluttershy had pledged to pay for all of it, though she had friends who were more than willing to fork in the cash. That event, along with the other small damages inflicted by her animals from time to time steeped her in large debt.
After about an hour, the bus wobbled to a sudden stop, causing Fluttershy to scream but thankfully her hoof was up in her mouth to suppress it in time. She got off of the bus and the first thing to come to her senses was the smell of the place; it wasn't the freshness of the cold morning earlier with the air thick with fragrant water vapour, but much rather the thickness of vehicular smog as this city district was bustling with life, even this early in the morning. Fluttershy coughed and pulled out a map from one of her business coat's pockets and looked around, looking for the one building in this skyscraper jungle of a city. The city of Manehattan.
Finally, Fluttershy thought to herself as she stepped into a skyscraper with the large words 'Trot TV' as a sign on the satellite-pocked roof. Through a great deal of bumping and infuriating Manehattaners with her absent-mindedness and her questions for directions, she finally made it to the TV station. Entering the spacious lobby, she was greeted by nearly everypony she passed. She gave all of them a polite nod but didn't utter a single word, her excitement for the first day of job training preventing her from saying anything. She entered a lift, which was crammed with about 7 other ponies who really didn't seem to mind the lack of space as evident from their busy talking. But she was feeling slightly claustrophobic.
"Hey, is that one of the new girls?" A female pony with light blue fur and a deep blue mane in the lift asked, and the little space was abuzz with more conversation. All of them introduced themselves to Fluttershy, but they didn't seem particularly noteworthy, since all of them seemed to be working in the backstage crew. But they were nice and Fluttershy tried to make some conversation.
The level counter on the lift read '14', which was Fluttershy's stop. With a quick goodbye (answered by a resounding 'See ya!') she entered a lift lobby and looked at the floor plan. Everything in Manehattan looked complex, and this level was no exception. Thinking that she knew the route to the station room, she left the lift lobby, but was greeted by a familiar face.
"Lyra! What are you doing here?" asked Fluttershy as she spotted the mint-green pony at the exit door of the lift lobby. Lyra Heartstrings smiled as she saw Fluttershy. She, too, was in a suit, albeit being different in that it was black with a white tie.
"Could ask you the same thing. Though it really isn't a wonder that you got accepted," replied Lyra.
"Why is that?" asked Fluttershy, an eyebrow raised.
"Well, 'cause you're cute and News Nation likes cute mares for his reporters," said Lyra bluntly. Fluttershy blushed at the very thought of her nice boss being like that and Lyra chuckled at that reaction.
"I'm just kidding, Flutters. C'mon, I'll show you the way."
The station was a complex entirely made of transparent walls (save for the toilets) but nopony seemed to mind. Through the corridors they trotted through, they could see ponies hard at work, at their desks compiling information and working on reporter scripts.
"Here," said Lyra as she opened a transparent door for Fluttershy. "This is the room where they film the anchormares making the reports."
"O-only mares? No stallions?" asked Fluttershy.
"Yeap. News Nation knows how the viewers think, don't question him. Didn't you watch it as research?" said Lyra. Fluttershy gave an uneasy face at that, since News Nation, their boss, could possibly hear them through the walls. After all, his office was connected to this room, as Fluttershy could see his faint outline in one of the nearby offices.
In this large room, there were some couches (currently being occupied by some unknown ponies) facing the main stage where the reports would be carried out. The main stage consisted of a wooden platform supporting a semicircular table, behind which the reporters sit. Behind the anchormares' seats was a large sign of the trademark Trot TV logo, with the words 'Trot' and 'TV' arranged in a diagonal manner from top left and bottom right in large flashy red letters bordered by a thick orange highlighter. On the wall behind the anchormares' seats, there was a TV, which was for the purpose of broadcasting feed from the on-site reporters. And there were at least three movable cameras that faced the stage, manned by some stallions and ready to capture every word of the reporters.
"Airing in five!" cried a faint yet audible voice from afar. Lyra motioned for Fluttershy to sit in the only vacant spots available. Fluttershy found out that the other ponies that were already in the couches were familiar faces who were in line for the interviewing trials. However, they didn't seem highly sociable; perhaps it was the foreign, new environment of the workplace.
"News Nation wanted us to watch the live broadcast, but live. You know, with the anchormares in front of us," said Lyra. Fluttershy was beside herself with excitement now, her hooves quivering in anticipation to view Equestria's finest in news reporting going at it, in the flesh no less!
"And we're on in 3... 2... 1..." came the faint voice, and the stage lights brightened while the other lights in the room dimmed. Music played in the background, and Fluttershy could see the faint silhouettes of the anchormares at the two sides of the stage, ready to trot onto the platform.
"Good Morning, and this is Trot TV!" came a male announcer's voice. At this, the two anchormares made their way up onto the platform through a a small flight of steps, their faces always at the camera with radiant smiles. Once they took their seats, the music gradually grew quieter.
"Good morning! This is Jessy Sweetbread and I'm joined with Connie Featherkiss and we're bringing you the morning news," said the anchormare on the left, who had a mint-green fur-coat and a baby blue mane while Connie had a brown fur-coat with a black mane. Both were in suits matching their mane colour and had their hair done up in a ponytail, which was something that Fluttershy noted. Their ties had the Trot TV logo on it and were blue in colour.
"Top of the news today," continued Jessy, her clear voice sobering up all in the room like a cup of strong coffee in the morning. There was a script on the table but she didn't need to refer to it, and her eyes never left the main camera. The TV behind the anchormares was on, displaying pictures of the scene and bearing the title: Vandalism in West Trottingham. "A major vandalism had occurred in west Trottingham the day before, where the town's famous Iron Wall fell victim to, purportedly, graffiti artist Shiver. The image that was vandalised represents the entire history of Equestria, inclusive of the recent rampage and subsequent imprisonment of Tirek. Authorities are looking into the matter but residents of the town are reluctant to let the police wash the graffiti away after evidence is collected, since the artwork is, in the words of the town council, 'stunning'. More on this issue with Emmi Wit, our reporter on the scene. Emmi?"
Now this was the part which Fluttershy had to focus on. The gestures, the tone, the poise of the on-site reporter was important and Fluttershy wished that she had brought a notepad along to record important points.
"Thanks, Jessy," came a voice from the screen, which was no less sobering than Jessy's, and it came with a sharpness and dignity. It was during the day and Emmi Wit was standing right in front of the Iron Wall. The pony didn't have a tie but had on a large coat with a scarf, which bore the Trot TV logo. The hair that poked from the borders of her hood suggested that her mane was yellow, and her fur coat could be discerned to be snow white. A mic was placed up to her mouth from an overhead mic stand. She looked like an impenetrable fortress, with her thick coat and sharp accent. Maybe that was how the surname 'Wit' came about.
"Well, the citizens of this town love the wall, and that is no understatement. The police have already announced plans to strip the wall of its graffiti, having collected all of the evidence possible, yet the citizens are reluctant to let that motion pass. Here we can see them camping right beside the wall in the frigid cold, ready to stand up for the vandals at a moment's notice," said Wit. This impression was what News Nation was expecting of everypony, it seemed, and nopony in the room was going to sleep during this broadcast. Intently, all hung onto every word like it was hallowed.
"Now, the image that 'Shiver' or whoever were the vandals quite accurately depicts recorded history as verified by notable Equestrian historian, Archivus. Here are some notable examples: The creation of Equestria, the stone imprisonment of Discord, the--"
Suddenly, an Earth Pony galloped into view, bumping his body into Emmi Wit, sending her flying into the snow; Fluttershy gasped in shock at this, but was the only one in the room who did so. The Earth pony had on a black hood and a pair of sunglasses, and it was hard to see but he had a goatee on his chin as well. Everypony's attention suddenly was turned to this stranger, who, with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbed the overhead mic and pulled it as close to his mouth as possible. The words that he'd utter would change the fates of Fluttershy, ponykind and news channels all over the world for years afterwards.
"Fuck her right in the pussy!" he shouted rapidly, his voice resounding through every TV set in the nation.
Author's Note
I WILL continue this. This is too interesting not to do. But as to how often, it's a different story. Plus, I'm not too sure whether this chapter is too descriptive and redundant so please tell me your opinion in the comment box below, much appreciated.
