Bookclub

"And you, darlin' ?"

Fluttershy flinched slightly when she realized she was being being spoken to, quickly sitting up straight and (regrettably) glancing away from the birds outside.

"Oh, um," she stuttered, blushing scarlet under the waitress' gaze, "Err.." She shakily scanned the menu, choosing the first thing her eyes landed on. "C-can I have the tomato and basil salad, please? Um, if you don't mind, that is."

"Sure thang, missy," the waitress winked, swiftly jotting down the order and turning towards the bubbly pink mare besides Fluttershy.

"What will you be have—" Pinkie cut off the waitress with a high pitched squeal, jumping up and down in her chair.

"I'LL GET THE BANANNA CREAM PIE, PLEASE!!! EXTRA WHIP CREAM!!"

The waitress gave raised an eyebrow, looking skeptically down at the menu. "You do realize that is a dessert, right?"

Rarity leaned over across the table suddenly, her face grim and darkened in shadows. "Trust me, darling. Pinkie knows what she wants. And if it involves lots of sugar, she gets it." She punctuated the last word by slamming her polished off down on the counter, rattling the glasses.

The brown unicorn smiled nervously, eyes wide, and slowly backed away from the seven mares and off to the other costumers.

Glancing back at the retreating unicorn, Rainbow leaned across the table with a bemused frown. She poked her friend gently in the hoof, Fluttershy wincing unnecessarily.  "What was that, Shy? I thought you were over with being all 'scaredy pony' around others."

The yellow pegasus nodded her head, and then shook it. "I am...but only sort of. Around my friends and animals I'm fine, but complete strangers?" Fluttershy shuddered, clenching her teal-blue eyes shut at the recent memory. "With them judging me? Watching me? Oh, it's just awful!"

Rainbow Dash nodded, totally lost. "Uh-huh. Look," she sighed, taking a loud sip from her glass of cider, "I don't know about you, but that mare seemed perfectly friendly to me. I don't think she was watching you. Or, er—judging you."

Fluttershy gasped loudly, anxiously wrapping her hoof around the cloth napkins. "What?! You didn't see the way she was staring at me? The way—the way she laughed when I tripped?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, her cyan ear cocked to the side. "Uh, what are you talking about? Nopony laughed at you. And you never even stood up, so how could you trip?"

Fluttershy scrunched up her muzzle in thought. "Oh, um I guess you're right...but my point still stands! New ponies are very scary!" She furrowed her brow and then whispered, "to me at least."