The Road to Romance

"...okay?"

Fluttershy broke from her momentary trance and looked up from her plate. She wasn't sure how long Rainbow Dash had been trying to get her attention, but being as kind as she was, she hated to keep a friend waiting for any amount of time.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I was asking if you're okay, Flutters. You kinda zoned out there for a bit."

Fluttershy blushed slightly, embarrassed that she let her attention slip from her oldest friend. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. I guess I'm just distracted, is all."

"It's fine, relax. I was just wondering. Anyway, not to rush you, but you said you had something important to tell me when you invited me to this picnic. Wanna tell me now?"

Fluttershy nodded, heart pounding in her chest. She'd been going over this moment for the last few days in her head, yet she still felt completely unprepared. After a few seconds to gather her thoughts, she opened her mouth.

* * * * * * * * * *

"I think it looks like... a fish."

It was a week before and all Fluttershy could see were blue skies that stretched to the ends of the earth. The one exception to the vast blueness was a sole fluffy cloud that floated lazily along the sky, as if the cloud itself didn't have a care in the world. A slight breeze blew through the grasses, bringing the air to a perfect temperature. To Fluttershy, it was the very embodiment of the perfect day.

"I don't know, Rainbow. It looks more like a cake to me."

She was spending this perfect day laying out by a lake near her house with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow had what seemed to be her first day off of work in ages, and since she realized she hadn't just hung out with Fluttershy in a while, she invited her friend to just laze around and spend time together. Normally she'd want to do something a bit more exhilarating, but she was feeling sore after a long week of gathering clouds for an upcoming snowstorm.

"I guess it kinda looks like a cake if I squint enough."

Fluttershy leaned back into the sun-warmed blanket lying below her, relishing in the comfort. Rainbow had really done a great job picking out a spot to relax. No noises to distract them, no worries on their mind, just two good friends without a care in the world.

"No, now it looks more like a fish."

Turning her head to the side, she took a minute to just watch Rainbow. The athlete watched the cloud with a surprising intensity, as if waiting for it to change shapes so she could call it out. The bright sun overhead reflected perfectly off her mane, almost creating a rainbow itself. Something about seeing her friend in this light made Fluttershy feel funny. She couldn't tell whether it was just the sun or her emotions, but she suddenly felt much warmer.

"Y'know, Fluttershy, we should do this more often." Rainbow rolled onto her side to face her friend.

Fluttershy shook her head to clear her thoughts. "What do you mean, Rainbow?"

"This, right here." Rainbow waved her hoof in a downward circle to punctuate her statement. "Just hanging out, just you and me. Laying around, doing nothing. You know?"

"Oh, right. I didn't really take you to be the type to enjoy just lying around with friends. I mean, no offense."

"None taken." Rainbow turned to glance at the sky again. "Cool, now it looks like a... fishcake? Is that a thing?"

Fluttershy took advantage of Rainbow's distractedness to try to determine what had made her feel so odd when looking at her before. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but something about Rainbow just looked different. Did she get a new manecut? No, it looked as long and unruly as always. Was she—

Fluttershy was broken out of her momentary trance by Rainbow's voice. "Yeah, to be honest, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I am either, but this is... I dunno, nice. We might not be doing much, but it's still really fun." Rainbow let out a groan of frustration. "Ugh, I can't put it into words! I guess it's just fun hanging out with you, no matter what we're doing."

Fluttershy smiled brightly at her friend. "I know what you mean. I agree, this is really nice. You're a great friend, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow rolled back onto her side and stopped to think for a moment before pulling Fluttershy into a brief hug. It only lasted a second or two, but it felt much longer than that for the shy mare. Fluttershy's entire body turned a light shade of red at the unexpected display of affection. Whatever's wrong with me, she thought to herself, I have a feeling staying around Rainbow Dash is only going to make it worse.

Rainbow brought Fluttershy back to reality once again with a tap on the shoulder. "Fluttershy, you alright? You look like you got a bad sunburn or something."

"I, um... just remembered I have to go water my table. See you later, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy practically jumped up and flew off at an unusually fast speed for the usually weak flyer.

"Wait, why are you..." Rainbow was left alone, blinking in confusion at the events that had just occurred. "Did I smell bad or something?"

Once she reached her house, Fluttershy locked her door and went straight to her couch. "Why did I feel like that? I've never felt that way around Rainbow Dash before. It must have had to do with the hug." Fluttershy wondered aloud, seemingly to the ceiling.

The ceiling, being unable to talk, said nothing.

Fluttershy went over all the possibilities in her head, ranging from simple (sudden onset of the pony pox) to irrational (Rainbow Dash was secretly a changeling). After a few minutes, she came to the most logical conclusion: she was allergic to Rainbow Dash.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fluttershy spent the next day avoiding Rainbow Dash, or at least trying to. The weather mare was on cloud patrol across the entirety of Ponyville since Ditzy Doo had accidentally let a batch of storm clouds loose ahead of schedule. Additionally, since Wednesday was Grocery Day for Fluttershy, there was no way she could just stay home. Since Fluttershy had no way of knowing if Rainbow Dash was nearby (they'd already ran into each other a few times that day, with Fluttershy making a weak excuse for having to leave each time), and since it was downpouring thanks to the storm clouds spread across the sky, Fluttershy decided to camp out in Sugarcube Corner for a while, as she was craving something sugary anyway.

As expected, Pinkie Pie was behind the counter. She didn't look up right away as Fluttershy walked in, as she was preoccupied trying to scrub away a jelly stain on the counter. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, home of the most yummeriffic..." Pinkie looked up and broke into a wide smile. "Hey, Fluttershy! Great to see you!" In an instant, she was beside Fluttershy, having seemingly forgotten about the stain.

"Um, nice to see you too, Pinkie." Fluttershy shivered a bit, still soaking wet from the downpour outside.

"Oh my, Fluttershy! You're abso-tively soaked!" Pinkie pulled a blanket out of thin air and wrapped it tightly around Fluttershy, instantly warming her up. "Doctor Pinkie is on the case! Come sit down, I'll get you a hot chocolate!"

"Thanks, Pinkie." Fluttershy made her way over to one of the many tables and sat herself down. Before long, Pinkie was back with two steaming cups of hot chocolate.

"So, what brings my yellow-and-pinkest friend here? Did you decide to give Gummy his birthday present 141 days early?"

Fluttershy blinked and shook her head a bit. "No, sorry. I just came by to get something to eat and to wait out the rain."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Pinkie dashed off and came back with a plate of cookies, still hot from the oven. "These are on me! I still owe you for helping make those cupcakes last week. And for helping me put out that fire after." Both mares shivered at the memory.

"Right, thanks." Fluttershy let out a small sneeze.

"Oh no, you must have gotten a cold from the rain!" Pinkie held up a hoof. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Fingers...?" Fluttershy stared in confusion.

"Never mind. The important thing is, you're not well!"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm just temporarily allergic to Rainbow Dash, is all." Fluttershy took a sip of her hot chocolate, recoiling a bit at how hot it was.

"Allergic to Rainbow Dash? That's the silliest thing I've heard all day!" Pinkie giggle-snorted for a few seconds before cutting herself off. "Sorry, go on."

"No, I'm serious. Ever since yesterday, I've felt funny around her. My heart starts beating faster, I feel all warm inside, and I get really nervous," Fluttershy explained. "Well, more nervous than usual."

"Wow, that sounds super serious! If I were you, I'd hide in my house until it blows over!"

Fluttershy hadn't even thought of that. Well, she thought, all I have left to buy is some celery, and I suppose that can wait a few days. "Great idea, Pinkie. Would you mind telling the girls I'll be staying home for a few days?"

"Sure thing! Should I tell them why?"

"Just tell them I'm sick. I don't want Rainbow Dash to find out I've been trying to avoid her."

"Okie dokie lokie! You can count on me, Colonel Fluttershy!" Pinkie giggled a bit at her own joke. "Hey, look! The rain stopped!"

Fluttershy glanced outside to find that Pinkie was right. "Oh, I should be going. Thanks for the advice, Pinkie. The snacks, too."

"No problemo, buddy!" Pinkie waved as Fluttershy walked out the door. "Just another hour of work and I'll tell the girls..."

Mr. Cake walked in the room. "I hate to do this to you, Pinkie, but could you stay a bit late today? We have a big order coming in tomorrow from Manehattan, so we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"Um, sure thing!" Pinkie's smile faltered slightly for a split second. This was going to be a long night.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fortunately, Fluttershy didn't run into Rainbow Dash during the walk home. Since the storm had ended, Rainbow had gone elsewhere, most likely to take a nap or something of that sort. Once she got inside, Fluttershy was promptly greeted by Angel, who shoved a bowl in her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Angel Bunny. I didn't expect to be out so long, but I got held up by the rain." Fluttershy gave an apologetic smile, but Angel didn't relent. "Here, let me fix you some lunch."

Fluttershy made her way to the kitchen, with Angel following behind. As she worked on preparing him a "big, juicy" salad, she relayed her day to the bunny. "...And she told me that I should stay home for a few days until it clears up. What do you think, Angel?"

Had Angel been able to speak, he would have told his caretaker that she had a blatant crush and she needed to act upon her feelings. Instead, he simply tapped his foot.

"Oh, I agree, Angel. It really is a great plan. Pinkie just has the best ideas sometimes, doesn't she?"

Angel facepawed and climbed up onto the counter. While his caretaker was looking away, he snatched a piece of lettuce out of the bowl and absentmindedly nibbled on it. This was going to be a long couple of days.