Oh, That Kiss...
Fluttershy tensed, especially when she came upon the sight of Changelings, all exact copies of herself. She realized then, that they must've had no idea if she was the real Fluttershy or not. Why they weren't fighting their own clones, she didn't know. Either way, she had to divert them.
Thinking fast, she managed to direct them to the direction she had come in, letting them know that their enemies were other there. That way, they'd think she was also a Changeling.
It worked. The other Fluttershys shrugged and went the way she'd directed them to. Seeing her chance, she hurried off.
Only to be ambushed by FOUR Rainbow Dash Changelings! They all leered at her, to which she let out a soundless scream and cowered on the ground, awaiting their strike.
Then one of the Rainbow's turned on the others, her hooves flying in a series of well-placed kicks. One. Two. Three changlings hit the ground, rendered unconcious by the skillful strikes of the one true Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow looked down to see the Fluttershy, still cowering and shaking, her eyes covered as she awaited blows that would not fall. Seeing her there broke Rainbow's heart.
Without thinking, Rainbow lifted Fluttershy up by the shoulder, smiling down at her, letting her know it would be alright...
Then Rainbow Dash KISSED Fluttershy.
It was a quick kiss, barely lasting a second, but their lips had met. For that brief second, time had stood still. Fluttershy could see without a shadow of a doubt, this was the real Rainbow Dash. Only the real Rainbow Dash would ever do this. Even if the kiss was a bit too much.
Still, Fluttershy smiled, feeling all the more better.
Rainbow's eyes widened for a moment. She hadn't realized what she had been doing but for that moment... she was in bliss with a capital "B!"
Once she pulled away, she hid the blush on her cheeks by whipping her head around to survey the field of battle. "Looks like the others are cleaning things up. C'mon 'shy, let's save the day!"
And off she flew to tackle another group of changlings, but from that moment on she had a niggling voice in the back of her mind that proudly trumpeted the only conclusion that made sense, 'You love Fluttershy, you love Fluttershy, you love Fluttershy, you love Fluttershy....'
Fluttershy, in a bit of a daze, could barely oblige as she tried to get her head back in the game. This was not going to be an easy battle to win....
~~~~~~
While she was happy that Princess Cadance was back safe and sound and the wedding had gone as planned, Fluttershy felt....unsure. She watched as Rainbow Dash was chatting with Soarin', who was for once in an officer's uniform as signature of his rank. Seeing how happy Rainbow was made her...a bit envious. That smile... That smile was everything pure bliss. Fluttershy felt hesitant, uncertain of what to do.
She sat, sipping her punch, watching as all the ponies around her either danced or mingled with each other in some way.
Rainbow laughed and chatted up one of her idols. While she had always been primarily a Spitfire fan, Soarin had always come a close second, and now she was getting to actually TALK to him, unlike at the Gala. Now she had a chance to ask him about his technique as well as float her name as a candidate for entrance into the Academy for the next training camp.
Before she even knew what was happening she and Soarin were dancing together. It was a fun, light-hearted dance and a great way to cap off their conversation. Rainbow wasted no time showing him that it wasn't just in the sky that she was able to move herself with style.
Fluttershy's cup fell to the ground. She was dancing with him. Dancing. DANCING. In a very stylish and fun way, a big smile on her face, while he looked equally happy. They were hitting it off so much, they were dancing.
"How adorable!" Rarity cooed as she watched the two pegasi, "Why, I believe Rainbow Dash could quite possibly be the next bride!"
Stricken, Fluttershy hated that idea. More than she realized. Letting out a noise, she excused herself and walked off to a quieter area of the garden.
'Who am I kidding... That kiss meant NOTHING! She was just trying to make me feel better, to assure me it was her... How can I even TRY to compete with a Wonderbolt?! I...wait... why am I so upset? I don't get it... It's not as if I love her and want her for myself... Why am I feeling this way?! I'm so confused!'
She sat on her haunches, sniffling a bit, the fabric of her bridesmaid dress fluttering in the mild breeze.
The song done, Soarin gave Rainbow Dash a smile and bid her goodbye, saying that she could count on his recommendation to the Academy.
Rainbow felt elated. A recommendation from Soarin himself. Now that was well worth the whole invasion! A smile on her own lips she trotted off the dance floor and took to the air, letting off her happy feelings with a lazy set of loop-the-loops, enjoying the fresh summer air on her coat and the breeze in her mane.
Then as she was just about to head back towards the party and interesting sight caught her eye: Fluttershy sitting alone in the gardens.
'She's probably just trying to make nice with the animals, I shouldn't interrupt...' She thought to herself, before that little voice in the back of her head spoke again. 'Fluttershy alone in the garden... how romantic~'
Blushing to herself, she headed the voice and touched down a few paces behind Fluttershy and trotted up to her with a big grin on her face.
"Hey ya 'shy, how's it going?" She said jovially.
Having been sadly pawing at the grounf with her hoof, Fluttershy looked over, giving a small smile, "Hi, Rainbow. I'm fine..." She looked back down at the ground.
'Great... Now she's going to come and tell me the good news about how they hooked up...'
"What'cha doing out here?" Rainbow said looking around her shoulder to the patch of grass she'd been pawing. She'd assumed that there had been a chipmunk there with whom she had been communicating, but seeing that there was no furry creature Rainbow became a bit worried about her friend.
"...Are you okay, Flutters?"
"Yes, of course I'm okay," Fluttershy replied.
All too familiar with this particular dance, Rainbow asked again, "Are you sure? It's okay if you're not, you can tell me."
Rainbow seated herself next to Fluttershy, clearly showing her that she was indeed not going anywhere. She cared deeply for her old friend, but the shy mare often would put herself last in a misguided attempt to do other's a kindness by not troubling them with her problems.
"Nothing's wrong... Rainbow, why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?" Fluttershy mumbled.
"Boyfriend?" Rainbow squinted at her, not even sure what she could mean by that. She began to look to Fluttershy with even more concern now. "Uh... I don't have a boyfriend. Are you okay? Did you hit your head during the battle, I know we all got banged up a bit. Here, let me look under your mane for bumps..."
"Oh, don't you deny it!" Fluttershy backed away, upset, "I saw you and Soarin' back there! The way you talked for at least half an hour and then you two were dancing! Dancing! You looked... like you were having the time of your life! So don't start lying to me!"
"Woah, hold your ponies there, Flutters, I'm not lying to you," Rainbow said, feeling the accusation land like a slap across the face. "I danced and had fun with Soarin, so what? He's kinda one of my heroes."
"So what?!" Fluttershy cried, not in anger, but sadness, "I saw the way you two looked at each other... And why not? You're perfect together... So perfect... Even Rarity thought so! Everypony did! They think you'll be the next bride! Did that kiss you give me mean nothing to you?!"
"What the what!?" Rainbow cried in confusion. "Who thinks I'm getting married to who? Soarin? Why in the wide world of Equestria would anyone jump to that conclusion! It would be like saying I was destined for someone because I stood next to them from time to time!"
Rainbow exhaled, feeling a nervous energy rise in her chest. "As for that kiss... well... yeah it meant something... it meant a whole lot..."
"Then what?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Then... I donno..." Rainbow said blushing and looking away, "...I think... and this is just me spit balling here... but I think I love you..."
"....What? ...You...me?" Fluttershy squeaked, unsure what to say.
"Well... I kissed you... and it felt right... and it made me really happy on a deep level... so, I may not be an expert but..." Rainbow looked down at Fluttershy's hooves, feeling a lack of confidence for once in only a hoof-ful of times in her life. "...so... I think I love you..."
"...Oh..." Fluttershy blushed, managing to look at her with one eye, "...Why don't you...kiss me again? For real, this time..."
"O-okay..." Rainbow said as a million thoughts raced through her head. 'Oh no... what if I can't do it again because I'm thinking about it! I wasn't thinking last time! What if it's not good now that it's for real! Okay... okay Dashie... calm down... you can do this... more than that, you want to do this!'
Rainbow leaned in, trying herbest to stay with the moment, and kissed Fluttershy again. The bliss returned to her all at once, even if her nerves never left, and once again her whole body sang out a delightful hymn of her fledgeling love for her oldest friend.
The moment Rainbow's lips touched hers and didn't move away, Fluttershy felt a strange sensation within herself. It felt...good. Really good. So good, that she didn't want their kiss to end. She tried kissing back, despite having no idea what she was doing.
Rainbow's and Fluttershy's lips fumbled against each other's. Awkward and yet satisfying, Rainbow blushed as they finally found a groove that worked for them, and extended the kiss further.
After a few more moments Rainbow pulled away, a pleasent, blushing smile on her face.
Eyes wide, Fluttershy blushed and looked away. She liked the kiss, a whole lot more than she could have ever imagined. Their first kiss, while a sweet thought, had been rushed and in the middle of a battle. But now, with the time to explore it, she felt...even better.
"Oh my..."
"Oh yeah..." Rainbow cheered quietly, "That was super awesome. Okay, I'm sure now. I love you Flutters!"
Fluttershy giggled, her wings fluttering, "...I... I think I love you, too... Oh, why else would I have been so jealous? ...I wouldn't have been jealous if I didn't feel this way about you..."
"Yeah that was kinda confusing me," Rainbow said with a bit of a laugh. "Heh, don't hold it against me that I thought you had a head injury, okay?"
"Who cares..." Fluttershy advanced on her, bringing her forelegs around her, "Maybe I'll catch that bouquet~"
"Hey good luck, I get a feeling Rarity will fight you to the death over it," Rainbow said momentarily unaware of how very intimately Fluttershy was behaving. Then a moment later she noticed and quickly added a "Oh yeah," and dived in for another kiss.
Giggling with glee, Fluttershy kissed her back and held closer to her. Oh yes, she was definitely in love, if not falling in love. All she knew was that she wanted this. All of it, with her best friend, now the only pony she could imagine feeling this way for.
"So... would you like to do a bit of dancing?" Rainbow said with a little smile after she pulled out of the kiss.
Fluttershy beamed, "Yes... I'd love to..."
Rainbow gave her another little smile and walked side by side with her back up to the party, the pair of pegasi each interlacing the primary feathers of a single wing together as they did.
Author's Note
Short and sweet, like a peck on the cheek. Enjoy, everypony!