The End of Flying Lessons
Near a cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, a yellow pegasus was softly humming as she grabbed a hooffull of bread crumbs for a family of robins. She hovered a few inches off the ground, smiling at the birds as they ate the crumbs. After some thought, she decided to spoil them, grabbing another hoofful for the robins.
“This is such a big day! Today I’m going to conquer my fears and fly like you.” The smallest bird hopped over to her, head tilted. “I know you can’t fly yet, but soon enough, you’re going to learn! And so will I!” She let out a small sigh. “At least, I hope so.”
Fluttershy concentrated on the beating of her wings. The instinctive motion kicked in whenever she was excited, but it became difficult to do if she thought about it. After a few lessons with Rainbow Dash, however, she had made slow but certain progress.
Rainbow Dash. The thought of her flight school friend made her feel so light-headed, almost as if she was floating…
She looked down. She was more than five feet off the ground. Her wings locked up. With a small shriek, she fell. Startled, the robins flew off.
Sighing, she lowered her head. What good was a pegasus who was afraid of flying? Even learning from the best, she might never be able to fly as effortlessly as a normal pegasus.
High above Ponyville, a blue blur blazed through the skies. Lest one think it was a mirage, the blur left behind a rainbow trail.
The blur, of course, happened to be Rainbow Dash, who was hurrying to Fluttershy’s for their weekly flight lesson. Ordinarily, she would have been napping, but she planned to include cloud handling in their lesson today. It was therefore of the utmost importance that she get to Fluttershy’s before the weather team cleared the sky.
As she neared her friend’s cottage, Dash slowed down. Flaring her wings, she made a banked turn toward the cottage. As she turned, she saw a group of robins flying toward her. Instinct kicked in at the unexpected obstacle, and she dove beneath them by folding her wings. She flared them once more, only to see the ground rushing toward her. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact.
With a thud, Dash made contact with the ground. She rolled, her wings pressed to her sides, her legs bent to absorb some of the shock. One of the first lessons of flight school was how to take a fall. It certainly had gotten her out of many nasty injuries. She came to a sudden stop upon hitting something solid.
Tentatively, Dash got up, testing her legs and wings one by one. Finding them to be bruised but unbroken, she sighed in relief. She opened her eyes to check what she had rolled into. Turning around, she saw a few places where chunks of dirt had been kicked up, the grass still clinging to her hooves. At the other end of the trail of carnage, she found a yellow heap, shaking. Fluttershy was gasping for breath.
“Fluttershy!” Dash cried. She ran over to her friend.
Fluttershy’s eyes were wide open, and her teeth chattered together. She lay on her stomach, hooves curled beneath her. Her sides seemed to shake, though Dash couldn’t tell if that was due to the fact that she was taking shallow, rapid breaths. Dash sat in front of her friend.
“Fluttershy! Are you okay?”
Though struggling to catch her breath, she managed to stutter out, “I- I don’t know! I- can’t- feel- anything!”
Alarms rang out in Dash’s head. Her first roommate in flight school, Firefly or something like that, had crashed and lost all feeling. She had been unable to move; even after weeks of treatment, she had shown no improvement. The doctors gave up. She was forced to leave flight school, doomed to being a cripple and a groundling, the worst fate possible for a pegasus.
Dash shuddered. That couldn’t happen to Fluttershy, could it? Please let her be okay, she thought. Oh, why wasn’t it me?
“Flutters, calm down and take a deep breath.” She inhaled, to demonstrate. Fluttershy continued to take shallow breaths, but each one was slightly slower and deeper. “Good, just like that!” She bit her lip. I hope I’m not causing more harm. Fluttershy’s breathing returned to a more normal, relaxed state. Dash took in another deep breath herself, but this time it wasn’t a demonstration to her friend. “Alright. Now, I need you-” She cut herself off. Shouldn’t she just leave Fluttershy in place, in case she was injured? It didn’t matter. She had to know her friend was okay.
“I need you to stand up,” Dash said, commanding herself to stand straight. It was important to keep up appearances, even if she knew something was wrong.
Hay, who said anything's wrong? Knowing Fluttershy, the only thing that’s wrong is her heart beating too fast.
“I- I’ll try,” Fluttershy mumbled, snapping Dash back to reality. Hesitantly, she got up, putting out her front two hooves, then extending her back legs. As her weight shifted to her front, though, she let out a yelp and clutched her front right hoof. She fell back to the ground, crying.
Dash raced toward her friend. She paused for a moment, rubbing her hoof over Fluttershy’s sobbing form, before she spoke up. “Let me see it.”
Fluttershy sniffled, then slowly extended her shaking hoof. Dash gently held it with her own front hooves. Under the pale yellow fur, the skin was beginning to turn purple. There was also a noticeable bump around the same area. Although it was small, Dash knew from experience that it would swell and that walking on it would be almost impossible.
“Oh, Fluttershy,” she whispered softly. What have I done to you? “C’mon, let’s get you inside,” she said, offering herself as support. Fluttershy wrapped her injured leg around Dash’s neck. Together, they made their way inside the cottage.
Fluttershy’s mind was still on the crash as Rainbow Dash gently laid her in her bed. How the hay did this happen?
She thought back. She had stood back up after her fall. As she watched the robins fly away, she saw a blur that had nearly collided with them. When she saw the blur heading toward her, she had locked her legs and her wings. Instinct kicked in for a second time before Dash collided with her; her wings folded and her legs bent. She began a rolling dive out of the way, but the two made contact earlier than she had expected. Her roll began, and she reached a hoof out. The hoof let out an audible pop as she came to a stop.
Instantly her body seemed to go numb as she focused on that popping noise. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath as she considered the possibility of a breakage. She would be unable to walk, unable to fly or land, unable to care for her animals…
The animals! With only three good legs, she would be unable to fix meals or tend to their wounds. Who would take care of them?
“Try to bend your hoof,” Dash said. Fluttershy was suddenly cognizant of her hoof being held. The joint of her hoof felt loose. Upon trying to move her hoof, she found that she could still bend the hoof, meaning it wasn’t broken, but it didn’t bend very far.
Dash sighed. “Looks like you sprained your hoof, Shy.”
Fluttershy looked at her. “How did you know that?” Having been an animal caretaker for years, she had known the hoof was sprained as soon as she had been able to move it.
Dash put her hoof on her chest. “Hello? Flying stuntpony here. Even if you’re as good as me, when stunts go wrong, injuries happen. I don’t know how many times I’ve injured my hooves trying to land.”
Fluttershy let out a small squeak at the thought of so many injuries. I guess I’ll be okay, though. I mean, if Rainbow Dash got through injuries like this, so can I, right?
Dash tapped her hoof against her chin. “Now, how long was it that the doctors had me rest? I can’t remember if it was ten days, ten weeks, or ten months…”
Ten months? Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Couldn’t we just go to a hospital to find out for sure?”
Waving a hoof, Dash replied, “Nah, I know enough about injuries. I’ve got you covered, Flutters!” She looked at the injured hoof again, and a thought occurred to her. “I’ll be right back. Need to grab something.”
With that, Dash left the room. Fluttershy looked around her bedroom. Well, I can look forward to being here for a while. Despite spending most of her time at home, Fluttershy actually spent very little time in her room, apart from sleeping and cleaning. There were birdhouses above her bed, although birds usually only stayed there if she was ill and in need of comfort. On the fireplace were two pictures. It would be impossible to see at this angle, but she knew without looking what the pictures were of.
The picture on the right had a small blue pegasus and a taller, lankier yellow pegasus. Since Fluttershy was taller, Dash had to stand on her back hooves so she could wrap her leg around Fluttershy. Fluttershy was hiding behind her hair, but a nervous sliver of a smile could be seen. Dash had her tongue out, looking like she was going to lick Fluttershy’s face. Fluttershy smiled. They had shared a laugh over that one, and she had even laughed so hard that she snorted. She had felt her ears droop, and through her mane, she had looked at Dash to see her reaction. Dash had snorted, then begun to laugh as she wrapped her front leg around Fluttershy again. Fluttershy had recoiled at first at the unexpected hug, then she had relaxed and returned the hug, giggling softly.
Fluttershy smiled. That had been their first picture together, the first of many. That day had sealed their friendship.
Dash flew in, holding an ice pack in her hooves. “The doctors told me that ice is the first step of treating a sprained hoof.” She floated down, making the birdhouses sway gently from their strings. Fluttershy winced as the ice pack was applied. The cold was a shock against the pain, but it soon eased into numbness. Dash also placed a small cloud under the sprained hoof.
“What’s that for, Dash?”
“Clouds are more comfortable than pillows. At least, that’s what I think. The important thing is that it keeps your hoof elevated.” She fluffed the cloud. “The doctors said that’s important for some reason.”
Fluttershy nodded. “It helps prevent swelling.”
Dash ran a hoof through her mane. “Heh. I never really listened to the reason why. It’s like when Twilight talks to me: It’s too technical. I don’t understand half of it.” She smiled at Fluttershy. “I understand what you’re saying though.” Fluttershy blushed, hiding her smile behind her mane.
“What else was there?” Dash tapped a hoof against her temple. “Oh! Right! Shy, do you have any splints?”
Fluttershy stared at the ceiling as if it could tell her. She bit her lip. “I have a splint somewhere, but I might not be able to use it. I treat animals, not ponies.”
Dash grinned and put a hoof on her chest. “I can find it. I’ll be back in a Dash,” she said, flicking her tail. She opened her wings.
Fluttershy leaned forward and stretched out her good hoof. “Could you please not fly?” Dash tilted her head, and Fluttershy folded her hoof against herself, covering her face with her hair. “It makes a mess.”
Blinking, Dash recalled the chicken feathers, animal food, and bunny droppings that she saw strewn about. She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Fine. I’ll still be back in a Dash!” She ran out of the room.
Despite herself, Fluttershy found herself giggling. Rainbow Dash’s exaggerated ego had always seemed ridiculous to her, especially after seeing her in flight school. It hadn’t been until the sonic rainboom that anypony had paid any notice to Dash. After that, she kept up the persona to keep herself relevant. Behind closed doors though, she had been completely different with Fluttershy. Back then, they had learned to rely on each other…
A loud crash came from the other room, followed by squawking and flapping. “Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?” Fluttershy’s wings came to life, flapping her immediately out of the covers and on top of the bed. She waited, wings spread and poised to move at the first sound. She placed her hoof gently back on the cloud as a jolt of pain reminded her she was standing on it.
Dash entered the doorway. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She grinned and patted Fluttershy’s cheek. “Awe, were you worried about me?” she cooed.
Fluttershy blushed. “Well… A little…” she mumbled.
Dash laughed. “I can handle anything, Shy.” Turning serious once again, she put the splint on Fluttershy’s hoof. “You need to stay off that hoof for a couple days. Do you need any pain medication?”
Fluttershy winced. Who knew what kind of mess Dash had made just getting the splint? “No, I’m fine.” She began to crawl out of bed, but Dash grabed her with her front hooves. Her annoyed glance softened after looking at Fluttershy, and she gently placed her friend back in the bed.
“You need your rest.”
Fluttershy looked up. “But what about the animals?”
“I already told you,” Dash said, chin held high,”I can handle anything!” Her hooves were still around Fluttershy, and she quickly hugged her friend before letting go. “Sleep well!”
Dash was going to take care of the animals? How could she sleep well?
Fluttershy lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had tried to fall asleep, but she couldn’t. Trust my animals to somepony else? How could I have been so cruel? On the other hoof, Dash had shown some skill with medical care. Maybe things will be okay. After all, it’s just for a few days, right?
In the next room, there was a noise that sounded like glass breaking. “I made you salad three times now, bunny! I don’t know why you’re complaining, except to be a pain in the flank!” Dash yelled. Angel must be giving her a hard time. Maybe I should… Fluttershy shook her head. No, Dash said she could handle it. After all, the rest of the animals are fairly easy to take care of.
Another loud crash followed. Fluttershy pushed back the covers, leaping to the floor, and trotting to the living room as fast as her three good legs could take her. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Angel’s salad stuck to the wall, where a group of bunnies fought over it. Harry the bear roared in the doorway to the kitchen. Chickens ran amok, chased by a group of raccoons. Mr. Mousey and his family hid in their hole in the wall, where a cat waited outside. Hummingway flitted about in his cage.
In the middle of the room, Dash and Angel stared each other down. “Now listen here!” she growled, picking up Angel. Upon lifting the bunny to her face, she noticed Fluttershy standing in the corner, eyes wide and mouth agape at the chaos of her home. “Fluttershy!” she yelped, dropping Angel. “I- uh…” She trailed off searching for the right words. “I’ve got this under control.”
Fluttershy ignored Dash. Her babies were in trouble! She knew that she now had to step up and resolve the disorder of the situation.
Her wings sprang open of their own accord as she flitted around the room, regaining control of the animals. “Harry, I’ll have your food in just a minute. Just sit tight now. Elizabeak!” She whistled. “Come outside with your friends! We’ll have you all nice and safe in your coop.” The chickens all followed her. When the raccoons tried to follow, Fluttershy held out her hoof to stop them. “No, you’ve had enough playtime with the chickens. Run along!”
The caretaker returned inside a few minutes later and handled the rest of the mischievous critters. Lunches were served, predators and prey were separated, and a few heads were patted for the more traumatized creatures. The cottage returned to normal. Fluttershy sat down, smiling.
Dash, who had been silently watching from the doorway, glared at Fluttershy. “I could have handled it,” she spat.
Fluttershy’s smile vanished. “What?” She tilted her head. What is she talking about?
“I said I had this under control. I could’ve handled it.” She waved her hoof toward the room.
“But I-” Fluttershy was cut off.
“I thought we were friends! Friends trust each other, Fluttershy!” Dash approached Fluttershy, wings spread.
“I trusted you to take care of the animals, and you did a terrible job!” Fluttershy jabbed an accusing hoof at her friend. Dash stumbled back a step, as if she had been slapped. Fluttershy immediately covered her mouth with her hooves. She lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Dash.”
“No, I’m sorry for screwing things up!” Dash raised her hooves and flew toward the door. As she opened it, she hesitated. “I just wanted to help,” she mumbled. Her ears drooped.
Fluttershy bit her lip. “I can teach you,” she said.
Dash turned and tilted her head. “Teach me what?”
Fluttershy hovered over to her friend. “How to take care of the animals. Just in case.” She held up her hoof bad hoof. “You could be the backup caretaker.”
Dash rubbed her hoof against the back of her neck. “I dunno, Shy. Are you sure you want to do that?”
She smiled. “Of course, Dash. I can’t think of a better pony for the job.”
Dash chuckled. “Except for, say, Roseluck, Carrot Top, Applejack, Twilight…” Fluttershy poked her in the side, and the two laughed.
When the laughter subsided, Fluttershy began her teaching. “Now, the first thing is proper feeding. This is especially important with Harry the bear and Angel Bunny…”
After a few hours of discussing the animals and proper care, it was time for dinner.
“Are you sure about this, Shy?” Dash held a salad bowl. Fluttershy watched her from the corner of the kitchen. “What if I mess it up again?”
Her friend smiled. “You won’t. I know from flight school that you pick things up quickly. And I’ll be here just in case.”
Dash felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. “Thanks, Fluttershy.”
Although Dash had learned quickly in flight school, that was most due to learning about her favorite hobby. It was fun! Learning from Fluttershy taught her nothing about flying, but Dash still enjoyed it. Maybe I can do this…
Holding up her hoof, Dash declared, “These animals are going to get an awesome meal, or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!”
Dash and Fluttershy collapsed on the couch. The two had fed all the animals, cleaned up all of the mess from before, and put all of the animals in their beds. Outside, the sun made way for the moon and stars.
“I guess you were right, Dash. The animals really seemed to like their food.”
Dash gave a faint smile. “Well, they were fed by the most awesome mare in Equestria!” A faint blush tinged her cheeks. “I couldn’t have done it without you though,” she said, nuzzling Fluttershy. “Thanks for teaching me.”
Fluttershy felt as though her face was on fire. Dash showing affection? I haven’t seen that since flight school. Her lips curled into a small, shy smile, and she nuzzled back with a contented sigh. I would go through today a thousand times just for this.
Dash wrapped her wing around her friend. Fluttershy has been so nice today, even though I totally screwed up everything. I know I’m not the Element of Kindness, but there has to be a way I can repay her… She racked her brain, coming up with nothing, until… Yeah!
Dash snuggled in closer to her friend, who was already asleep. Tomorrow will be the best day ever. I promise. She gave Fluttershy a small kiss on the cheek. Her friend remained still, although Dash could have sworn that her smile grew wider.
Fluttershy was the first to wake up, of course. Dash always slept in.
She opened her eyes, and froze when she felt a wing around her. She slowly turned her head to find Dash next to her, and she relaxed as she remembered the cuddle they had shared the night before. I must have fallen asleep. She probably didn’t want to wake me. Fluttershy giggled to herself. How often have I dreamed of this? Silence answered her. Too often. Dash’s mane tickled her nose as she breathed in and out. Not often enough.
Carefully, she slid away from Dash. Her friend stirred, and Fluttershy felt her breath catch. The other pegasus relaxed, and her wing settled over Fluttershy once more. She let out the breath she had been holding. Her eyes wandered over her friend’s sleeping form, drinking in all that she could of the moment. Everything, from what she saw to what she felt, would be a part of her dreams for a long time. She wanted to make sure she absorbed every detail.
Dash’s mane was a matted mess that hung over her eyes. Her mouth was curled in a contented smile. Her chest rose and fell slowly. One of her front hooves was stretched out, as if beckoning Fluttershy to rejoin Dash in a cuddle. Her other forehoof lay tucked beneath her head.
Fluttershy slid up against her friend, draping the outstretched hoof over her. She sighed dreamily. I could get used to this.
In flight school, the two had seldom cuddled, fearful of being seen by others and labeled as fillyfoolers. Cuddling was something that two ponies in love did. Are we… a couple? That brought all sorts of implications, not all of which Fluttershy was comfortable with. Still, Fluttershy knew that Dash hadn’t helped yesterday just to get under her tail. If that had been her goal, a pony as brash as Rainbow Dash certainly would have tried years ago. Yesterday, there had been a sense of guilt on Dash’s part, but there had been something more, hadn’t there? One did not simply cuddle with a friend out of guilt.
There was something hidden in the conversations of the prior day. Fluttershy was willing to take a chance to see what that was. Maybe it was love. I don’t think I’d mind dating Dashie. I think I’d like it a lot.
She felt the hoof wrapped around her start to stretch, and the wing above her lifted away. Dash’s eyes opened, and her smile extended upon seeing Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, I didn’t know you’d try to seduce me!” she said, putting a hoof to her chest. A smirk belied her feigned outrage.
Had she drank boiling water? Fluttershy was certain there was steam coming off of her face. “No, Dash, we cuddled, and then I fell asleep, and… Eep!”
Dash laughed. “Calm down, Shy. You’re gonna make Big Macintosh look pale!” That comment only deepened the crimson flush on Fluttershy’s face. Dash poked Fluttershy’s side. “I’m only kidding,” she said, still chuckling. Fluttershy did her best to glare at Dash, but she couldn’t prevent a smile from appearing on her face.
Suddenly, Dash sprang up. “C’mon, Fluttershy! I have something I want to show you!” She ran out the door.
“Where are we going?” Fluttershy yelled as she followed.
Dash pointed her hoof to the sky. “Up,” she replied, as if it was an obvious answer. Fluttershy’s wings locked.
“But- I can’t-” Dash wrapped a foreleg around her.
“I’ll be right here, Fluttershy. Nothing bad is going to happen.” Dash’s voice was surprisingly soothing. It was a side that the stuntpony rarely showed, for fear of seeming weak. In spite of her anxieties, Fluttershy felt her wings relax and start to flap.
“Good! Keep going! You’re doing great!” Dash’s gentle reassurances pushed all fears and thought out of Fluttershy’s mind. Dash is here. Everything will be okay.
Fluttershy focused on flapping her wings and listening to Dash’s encouragement. “I’m doing it!” she yelled to Dash, who was hovering in front of her. “I’m-”
Wait. Dash was in front of her? Then what was keeping her-
Fluttershy looked down. The ground was at least a hundred feet away. The cottage was a speck no larger than her hoof. Her chest tightened.
“Fluttershy! You’re fine!” Dash called. “I let go at the twenty foot mark. This was all you! You flew!”
“I-” She felt the tightness in her chest wax and wane, crushing her lungs, then releasing them. She flew? “I flew!” she exclaimed. Her wings flapped in a large bursts at the revelation, as if the knowledge that they were capable of flight had been suppressed until that very moment.
Dash grinned. There were many forms of happiness she felt at that moment. She felt the burning pride of a teacher who had unlocked a student’s hidden potential. She felt the quiet joy of a mother who had just taught her foal to walk. Most of all, she felt the absolute enthrallment of a lover who shared something new with her marefriend.
Marefriend. She breathed in the newness of the word, stretching and toying with it as if it was a piece of clay. Is she my marefriend? Dash looked out over the horizon, pondering the question. She shook it off, seeing Fluttershy flying below her.
“C’mon up here, Fluttershy!” She waved her hoof from the cloud she was on. Her friend, Marefriend? joined her. Dash helped her land, so that she didn’t aggravate the sprained hoof. Fluttershy gasped, and tears began to form in her eyes. Dash wrapped a hoof around her. “What’s the matter?”
“Just- a thought-” she choked out. “Is- is this the end of f- flying lessons?”
Dash let out a light chuckle. She wiped the tears with her hoof. “No, Shy. This is the beginning of flying together.” Fluttershy gave a small smile in return, as Dash wrapped a wing around her. The two sat together, cuddled on the cloud.
Clouds filled the sky, blocking out the sunlight and painting the horizon in a dull grey-blue.
Fluttershy frowned. “Dash? Is this what you were going to show me?”
“Just wait,” Dash replied, staring at a cloud in front of them. It drifted slowly, moving to make way in the sky, allowing for…
A ray of sunlight poked through as a hole in the clouds opened up. The clouds began to brighten, turning from royal blue to a snowy white. The clouds’ linings shone in the golden beams of sunlight. A dark fringe still lined the undersides of the clouds, but the brightness of daylight dominated the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” Fluttershy said, her eyes sparkling.
“I know you are,” Dash replied coyly. Fluttershy kissed her, and Dash’s face reddened.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said. “For sharing this.” The two cuddled, lost in their own world. It was the end of their friendship, and the beginning of something more.
Author's Note
As you may have guessed from the fact that I placed 4th out of 11, people had mixed feelings about this story. I got a lot of positive feedback and a considerable amount of constructive criticism. As such, it seems likely that I will rewrite this story, removing a few minor plot threads and hopefully tying the narrative together more coherently. The end result should be a much neater story with an actual focus. (This was one of the notes I received- there were three different points of focus, making it unclear which was the actual backbone.)
