“Break, boys. Time out, whatever the hell, I need a drink.”

The moment Hoops called the break, the tense stances of the other nine players became relaxed, and all of them quickly made their way to the set of benches beside their court, panting and eager for a drink.

It had finally stopped bugging Rainbow Dash that he referred to the group as boys. Since she was the only girl who had ever played Cloudball with the rough group of athletes, or perhaps the only girl they considered up to their standards, it had bugged her at first, but now she recognized it as a sign of acceptance rather than an insult. After all, she didn't know any female Cloudball players, and it really was her favorite group sport, so she was willing to make some compromises.

“Dash, good hustle.” A teammate of hers clapped her on the shoulder after she had managed to spot and grab her bottle from the others that they kept in a cooler. “Those one pump dunks were sick, you been working on your wing strength?”

“Always,” Rainbow paused to squirt a long stream of water into her mouth, then to squirt a bit more on her head and neck, “I'm aiming for the Wonderbolts, remember? Two pump dunks won't cut it.”

Cloudball had nothing directly to do with the Wonderbolts, it was just a fun way of pushing herself and mixing up her work out routines. The object of it was to get the game ball into her team's designated hoop on the opposite side of the court, with the other team's objective being the same. The catch though, was that the two adjacent hoops were several yards up in the air, constructed from clouds, and nearly impossible to reach by simply throwing the ball. Wings were required, though only two pumps of a player's wings are allowed when scoring a goal.

“You still on that Wonderbolt fantasy?” Dash shot a glare at Dumbbell, who always seemed to have a hard time keeping his opinions to himself. He had a haughty smirk on his face, as he did most of the time, and it was always a challenge for Dash to resist getting into arguments with him. She had learned to remove herself from the situation when she got heated, so she turned and walked a few yards away from the rest of the players. By the time the game started back up, her frustration would have died down, and she would be ready to score some more points.

She was drinking some more water when she felt a light tap on her shoulder, much too dainty to be any of the guys. She turned around to see Fluttershy, who greeted her with a warm smile.

“Hey, Fluttershy! What are you doing over here?”

“Oh, I had to stop by the market to get some more seeds for my garden... radishes grow so well this time of year, but Angel decided to help himself to the patch yesterday.” Fluttershy shook her head, but there was a lighthearted smile on her face. Dash herself couldn't help from snickering at the thought of the discussion she had with that little entitled rabbit. “What are you doing here?”

“Playing a game of Cloudball. You want to watch us finish up? We're 2 points behind, but I'm gonna be-”

“Um, no, I'm sorry, I don't think that's a good idea.” Fluttershy had noticed something behind Dash, and didn't seem to like what she saw. “Besides, I need to get these planted. G-good luck on your game.” She quickly turned and started off, and Dash didn't even need to turn around to see what had set Fluttershy heading for the hills.

“That your girl, Dash, or is she up for grabs?”

Rainbow Dash turned to see Dumbbell standing only a foot or two away, and blatantly watching Fluttershy as she left.

“What?” She was taken off guard for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. “She's a good friend, and I'm sure she hates you for being a jerk all through flight camp.”

“Wait, is that... That's Klutzershy? I forgot all about her...” His gaze continued to look past Rainbow Dash, and he muttered, “All grown up, damn...”

“Stop looking at her like that.” Rainbow Dash's angry command didn't seem to sit well with Dumbbell. He turned his attention back to Dash, who was clearly full of a fury she was only barely able to contain. He had lost his typical smirk, and looked more angry than amused.

“I'd say I'm nearly a foot taller than you, probably close to a hundred fifty pounds more, too. And you want to try and give me orders, dyke?”

“I'm not a dyke!”

Somehow they had nearly closed the small space between them, with Dash glaring up at the muscle head looming over her.

“Right, right... 'cept everyone in flight camp knew, with you always lingering in the locker rooms ten minutes after everyone else. We guessed you were panty raiding, like the pervert you are.”

“You're disgusting.”

The smirk had returned on Dumbbell's face, and with a tone that seemed oddly jovial for the situation he was in, he said, “Get out of here, before I beat the gay out of you.”

A tense few seconds passed, the two unwavering in their contemptuous glares, though Dumbbell had that smile on as he waited for a response. She wanted to swing her already balled fists at him, but the more sensible part of her brain, the tiny portion that was uninfluenced by her anger, was telling her this wouldn't end well if she didn't leave right now.

She turned, but only managed one step before Dumbbell spoke.

“Hang on.”

Rainbow stopped, but didn't turn back to look at him.

“Could you let her know I'm available, Dash? I'm sure she'd jump at the opportunity to get away from a creep like-”

He was cut off mid sentence as Dash spun back around and slugged him, square in the face. Somehow he hadn't expected it, and was sent reeling backwards, but wasn't granted the luxury of recovering long enough to give a returning blow. Dash had spread her cyan wings and flew straight at him, tackling him with enough speed so he that he skid along the asphalt court for several feet. She managed to get three more punches in on him before she was yanked off by two quick acting teammates. She struggled to get free in a blind rage, thrashing and yelling threats at the two men holding her, though they kept a good grip on her. Dumbbell was offered help up by other teammates, but he refused.

His left eye had the beginnings of a dark bruise, and there was blood trickling from his nose and dripping off of his chin. There were also several feathers scattered around him, and more fell as he stood.

“She's insane!”

“Shut up!” Dash spat, but Dumbbell turned his attention from her to the other men around him.

“Tell me you're gonna kick her off the team for this?”

The other players exchanged a look, and Dash's heart sank.

“But he was... you don't... you can't actually-”

Hoops spoke up before she could interrupt further, “We've never had a fight like that break out before.” He looked sad, but that didn't make her feel any better. “Maybe you can make another team...”

Dash had been doing some light flying, trying to relax after the ordeal at the Cloudball court. The whole thing pissed her off, and yet she felt a bit embarrassed about it. She couldn't remember ever feeling as upset as she did when she swung that first punch. It was horrible, being that mad at someone... she didn't feel like herself, all she felt was that overwhelming anger.

She sighed and decided to try and find a nice cloud to nap on. She hadn't been paying the slightest attention to where her wings were taking her, and when she finally looked down, she frowned.

She was practically right above Fluttershy's cottage. That was an odd coincidence... but that was all it was. She had been paying no attention to her flying, she couldn't have ended up here on purpose...

But she was here. It wouldn't hurt to take the opportunity to chat with Fluttershy. She had a way of cheering Dash up, though the times when she needed cheering up were few and far between.

Dash made up her mind, and descended towards Fluttershy's cottage, landing lightly in front of her door.

“Hey, it's Rainbow Dash, you home?” She decided not to knock, since last time she did, she had disturbed some sort of bird's nest that was built above the doorway, and ended up getting attacked and chased off by its angry occupants.

Her yell worked, at least; Fluttershy answered the door shortly afterwards.

“Hey,” Dash noticed there was a little rodent in her arms, “What's with the rat?”

“She's not a rat, she's a gerbil.” The gerbil had been lying limp across Fluttershy's arm, seemingly passed out, but when Fluttershy corrected Rainbow Dash, she sat up for a moment and gave a curt nod... but then collapsed once again.

“Priscilla has been horribly wounded, she needs immediate medical attention.” Fluttershy leaned in towards Dash, and whispered, “Not really, she's a bit dramatic...”

The little gerbil... 'Priscilla' had thrown a paw dramatically on her forehead, as if on cue, and Dash chuckled.

“Mind if I watch? Not every day you get to witness a medical miracle.”

Fluttershy stifled a laugh, probably for Priscilla's sake.

“Of course.”

Rainbow Dash followed after Fluttershy as she went back into the cottage, closing the door behind them.

Fluttershy set Priscilla down on the coffee table in front of her couch, on top of a few sheets of paper towels that were already set up there, then sat down beside the table, with Dash joining her on the floor. “We're going to have to perform a complicated surgical procedure to remove that splinter...”

Priscilla writhed at the mention of the splinter, gesturing a few times to her supposedly afflicted paw. Dash looked at it though, and didn't spot anything. Before she could ask, Fluttershy quietly answered, “I already pulled it out...”

“Are you serious?” Dash had to hold back more laughter, then decided to move to the couch so she didn't end up angering the fuzzy drama queen. “I'll be over here, forgot to sterilize... or something...”

She sprawled out on the couch, her feet dangling off the side, over the armrest.

“So why did you stop by?”

“No reason. Just thought I'd see what you were up to.”

“Ah... ok.” Dash wasn't watching Fluttershy's progress with Priscilla, but the little gerbil suddenly squealed in agony... which was probably completely imaginary. Fluttershy didn't sound phased by it. “Did you win your game?”

“Um... no.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Fluttershy turned her attention from Dash to the gerbil. “All right Priscilla, you should be able to take that cast off by next week.”

Rainbow Dash looked over to see Priscilla expressing her gratitude by nuzzling Fluttershy's hand, then she hopped off the table and scurried into a little hole in a nearby wall. She doubted any of that would have been possible if she was actually injured.

“Well, there's always next time... for your game, I mean.”

“Yeah... well, no, not really.” Dash sighed, and finally looked at Fluttershy, who was still sitting on the floor. “I beat up Dumbbell and they kicked me off their team.”

“You got into a fight? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine... he didn't really get a chance to hit me back.” She shook her head at the memory of it, recalling how unusually angry she felt. “I've never just attacked someone like that before... but looking back, I don't regret it. It seemed... right. I don't know...”

Fluttershy had gotten up from the floor and moved to sit on the couch, taking the cushion farthest from Dash, who had moved her feet out of the way. She didn't say anything though, so Dash continued.

“He was just taking things too far. He kept...” She frowned, remembering how Fluttershy had been what started the argument between them. “... kept calling me gay. A dyke, a pervert... he was just asking for it.”

“Why would he call you any of those things?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, “I don't know, because he's an asshole? He said I always stayed behind everyone else in the locker rooms, which apparently means I'm a lesbian.”

Fluttershy looked down at the floor for a moment, then turned back to Dash, smiling a bit. “You did that because you would give me a pep talk... every day. I never wanted to come out, but you always got me to.”

“Yeah... that's right.”

There was a short silence, then Fluttershy spoke again.

“You were the only one who didn't give up on me, you know. I know now I wasn't meant to be a good flyer, but the fact that you never let me quit... I'm sorry you're being teased about it, but it really meant so much to-”

“Yeah, okay Fluttershy, you don't gotta get all sappy on me.”

“Sorry...” Fluttershy seemed a bit embarrassed, which made Dash regret interrupting her. “I should probably start getting some dinner ready for Angel and I...”

She started to stand, but Dash put her legs on her lap before she could, keeping her on the couch. “Am I not invited?”

“Of course you are... if you want.”

“I do, I don't think I've ever had your cooking.” Dash removed her legs, allowing Fluttershy to get up, “Are you any good at it?”

“At cooking?” Fluttershy had started for the kitchen, and Rainbow Dash followed shortly after. “No, I'm horrible. Really, really awful. You should save yourself, before it's too late.”

“Sarcasm! I like it!” Dash had pulled out a seat from the kitchen table and turned it around, sitting on it backwards. Fluttershy flashed a modest smile at her. “See, there's a first time for everything. For you it's being sarcastic, for me it's trying your weird vegetarian cooking.

Fluttershy had turned away from Dash, and was having a hard time reaching a book on top of her fridge, standing on her tip-toes in an attempt to retrieve it. Instead of offering help, Dash zoned out as she watched her friend struggle. The slight bounce in her step she had displayed just a moment ago, when she entered the kitchen, and the fact she was joking around for once, it was clear she was very happy about something. Was it because of her? She didn't visit Fluttershy as much as she probably should... maybe she needed to do that more often. Fluttershy was an introvert, and close with her animal friends, so Dash had figured she didn't need visitors, but that didn't seem to be true at all.

Fluttershy had finally grabbed the book, which appeared to be a recipe book, and held it out to Dash.

“You want to pick something out?”

Dash looked at the book, then back to Fluttershy. “Nah, surprise me.”

“Well... okay.” She folded her arms, seemingly thinking of what to make. “Oh, I know!”

She wasted no time getting to work, setting a pot of water on the stove to boil, and retrieving several different vegetables from the fridge, which she began to dice up. She was very focused, and it was interesting to watch all the work she was putting into the meal, since Dash never bothered making anything that would take longer than ten minutes.

Though the water was starting to boil, the dull chop of Fluttershy's knife against the cutting board was the only other sound. It was too quiet for Dash's tastes.

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmm? On what?”

“On the sappy. Feel free to tell me what an awesome friend I am.” Dash laughed before adding, “Or just how awesome I am in general.”

“Oh...”

Fluttershy slid the sliced up veggies off of the board and into the boiling water, then opened a nearby cupboard and began looking for something.

“Well... we're very different. You have a lot of qualities that... that I sometimes wish I had. You're outgoing, brave, motivated...strong, in every way. But it suits you better than it would me, or... anyone else, really. You light up when you talk about the Wonderbolts, and you're so determined, I know you'll be there one day. You have so much going for you... I'm sorry, can you reach this?”

Fluttershy had found what she was looking for, but it was on the top shelf and just a bit out of reach. Dash quickly got up and went to grab the container of what appeared to be vegetable broth, and handed it to her. She went on talking, and Dash leaned against the nearby counter.

“Um... right, you're going places. You've gotten caught up in the spotlight before, but I think... you've learned how to stay more down to earth because of it. You're my best friend... I hope you know that, and... I hope you'll remember that, no matter where you end up.”

Dash was unsure how to respond right away. She certainly was a proud individual, but no one had ever flattered her so completely and so genuinely. Well, Scootaloo had, but she was just a kid. Fluttershy was someone who had known her long enough to be familiar with her flaws, yet still seemed to revere her.

She wanted to say thank you, first and foremost, but that sounded too small after a speech like that.

Fluttershy had finished with the broth and was standing right next to Rainbow Dash, again trying to reach the top shelf.

“I got it.”

And she was going to help, and put the container on the shelf, and then say thanks for all the flattery. That was what she was going to do. But it didn't end up happening that way.

She took the container, and absentmindedly set it on the counter. Fluttershy had somehow caught her gaze, which Dash held for only a second, before kissing her.

She didn't know where it had come from, it was an impulse that overtook her so suddenly she didn't have time to think about it before she acted on it.

It wasn't spectacular, just a quick kiss on the lips, and Dash had pulled away, leaning back against the counter as she tried to gauge Fluttershy's response. She had closed her eyes for the kiss, and when they opened, she was staring intently at Dash, who found herself staring back. Again, it didn't last long, but this time Fluttershy abruptly turned and walked over to the stove.

She turned it off. That was an odd thing to do, half way through cooking something.

“What are you doing?”

“I don't... I don't want my house to burn down.”

Dash's voice was hushed, and she couldn't seem to return to her normal speaking volume. “You could, you know... finish making it.”

Dash crossed her arms tightly over her chest, watching as Fluttershy removed the pot from the heated burner and carelessly tossed the knife and cutting board into the sink. Dash was trying to resist a wave of panic that seemed ready to wash over her... what had she just done?

Dash decided to say something, apologize maybe, but before she had a chance, Fluttershy had suddenly turned back around and was walking towards her. She pressed herself against Dash, as unexpectedly as anything else that had just happened. She had her hands on Dash's bare shoulders, and began running them down her arms. Her touch was light and exceedingly delicate, yet it stirred some sort of fire inside Dash.

Dash didn't move, though. She didn't know what was expected of her, so she just stayed still and watched. Fluttershy had cracked a small smile, and had this look in her eye that Dash hadn't ever seen before.

“Have you heard of fainting goats?”

Fluttershy's voice sounded calm. Much more calm than Dash expected her own voice to sound. It was an odd question anyway, so Dash decided to spare herself the chance of having her voice cracking, and didn't respond.

“They freeze up whenever they're scared. And then pass out.” Fluttershy had reached Dash's wrists with her hands, but instead of stopping there, she started inching her hands up under her jersey.

“You can freeze, but please don't pass out.”

“I'm not scared.” Dash's voice had sounded better than she expected, more confident, and at a normal volume. That was good, at least. But then she tried to keep going. "This is sudden, I didn't... I mean I don't- I'm not scared, but..."

Fluttershy removed her hands from her jersey and rested them on the counter behind Dash. She was looking up at her, her smile becoming more of a smirk... since when did Fluttershy smirk?

“Prove it, then.”

Dash didn't move, and Fluttershy dropped her self-assured gaze, though the smirk wasn't going anywhere. She began unfolding Dash's arms, her touch once again igniting a heat in her, but this time it was a bit stronger, more nagging, unable to be ignored. She wasn't able to fight it any more.

Dash kissed her, with a sort of aggressive desperation this time, though Fluttershy reciprocated it fully. Something that had been building up for years was finally being released, and neither of them seemed capable of handling it calmly.

Moments ago Dash had been feeling an anxiety similar to how she felt before the Best Young Flyers Competition, but it was gone now. Dash was hardly aware they had been moving, and as Fluttershy bumped into something behind her, both of them jumped, breaking the kiss.

It was the kitchen table. Without missing a beat, Dash lifted Fluttershy up on to the edge of it and returned to kissing her, though this time it was her neck.

As with most clothes made for their kind, Fluttershy's sundress lacked an upper back portion to it, so her wings weren't constricted, but it still had a zipper on the lower portion. Dash had reached behind her and zipped it down, thankful that it wasn't anything more complicated than that.

Fluttershy slipped out of the dress, and as more skin was revealed, Dash worked her way downwards. Her dress must have had some sort of support built into it, as once it was gone, the only thing she wore were panties.

It was a marvel how incredibly soft she was. Dash would have been content just to get a feel of her for the next hour or so, but the way Fluttershy was gripping her jersey and breathing in ragged but silent gasps... she doubted that idea would go over well.

Her lips were now not far under her breasts; she had left a visible trail of bites from her neck down to the top of her stomach, and at this point Fluttershy seemed to be putty in her hands. She had been bold and domineering earlier, but now she just seemed to be aroused beyond coherency.

Dash began pushing Fluttershy to lie down as she joined her on the table. She kicked off her shoes and slipped off her jersey in the process of situating them both. It didn't seem comfortable, but Fluttershy clearly didn't care. Dash was being lightly tugged back down into a kiss, which she allowed as she scaled Fluttershy's leg with one hand.

And suddenly, Dash was being assailed by chunks of carrots.

“Ow! What the hell?”

She sat up and spotted a little white rabbit standing in the kitchen doorway, throwing well aimed carrot slices at Dash's head. She held up a hand to block them, but he didn't stop throwing them.

“What's your problem?!”

Fluttershy finally sat up, though she had a dazed, glossy look on her face. Angel had run out of carrots, and turned his attention to her, communicating with a slew of elaborate gestures.

She seemed to be understanding what he was saying, and started to look upset. He wasn't done by the time Fluttershy spoke, though her adamant tone seemed to cut him off.

“Angel, you don't have a say in this.”

He slapped a paw on his face, in apparent disbelief, then turned his attention to Dash and started up with more gestures.

“... What is he saying?”

“He said you're a foul temptress, and you should be ashamed for coercing me to join you in your depravity.”

Dash raised an eyebrow at the enraged bunny, then looked back to Fluttershy.

“I'm not sure what that means, but can you tell him to get lost?”

“He won't listen...” Fluttershy got off of the table, and took Rainbow Dash's hand as she also hopped down. “We should go upstairs.”

Dash smirked, and started to follow, but after glancing at Angel, who was having a tantrum, she stopped.

“Wait... I'll grab our clothes. Meet you up there in a sec.”

Fluttershy dropped her hand, and with a suggestive smile that sent a pleasant shiver through Rainbow Dash, she left the kitchen. Angel was now desperately looking around for anything else he could throw.

Dash picked up Fluttershy's dress, her own shoes and jersey, then went over and nudged Angel with her foot. “If you don't want to hear her screaming my name, you should bounce, furball.”

He looked livid, and tried to bite her foot, but she pulled it away and darted out of the kitchen, running to Fluttershy's bedroom fast enough to break records.

Author's Note

I believe there's a quote from a movie that describes my pony-related fics pretty well. It goes... hang on, lemme remember...

"It's so fluffy, I'm gonne die!" - Agnes, Despicable Me