From Everypony's Point of View

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Author's Note

Sorry about that bad first chapter everypony. But, I finally got a proof-reader, so maybe that will make it about 20% cooler?  One can only hope, right? Thanks moon_rocky. And not only did I get a proof-reader, but I also now have a critic so that I know what to improve on. Thank you again SugarPesticide. Hope this chapter is better than the last.

End Author's Note

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  Rainbow Dash looked up at the clock on her wall. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon.

  She hadn't gotten up from bed since yesterday. Hell, she hadn't even gone to sleep last night. She was far too tired to fall asleep, and the fact that yesterday had turned from the best day ever to the worst possible day of her life didn't help her thoughts much either.

  If what Fluttershy had said was true, then..... No. She didn't even want to think about it. There was no way it could be true. She would never forget about her friends.... Would she?

  Her head started to pulse lightly again from her growing migraine. She was just thinking too hard. Or maybe she had been crying too much. It didn't really matter. What did matter was the fact that what Fluttershy had said might be true. Fleetfoot left. Who was to say Rainbow Dash wouldn't?

And what about the other thing she said... A few fresh tears fell down her muzzle and onto her now-soaked pillow. Why would she tell me now, when she claims that I would forget about her?

  She shut her eyes and shoved her face into her pillow as she began to cry again. It wasn't like her to cry. Nothing had ever made her cry! So why now? Was it because she knew that now she could never join the Wonderbolts, simply out of fear? Or was it because she knew that now, more than ever, she loved Fluttershy, and couldn't bear to live without her.

  No. She was just confused. Maybe if she went to go see Ditzy, she would feel better. Ditzy always knew how to make Rainbow happy. She didn't know why, but there was just something about that mare that always made her smile. Maybe it was her positive attitude?

  Well, whatever it was, she needed closure, and Ditzy Doo would be the perfect pony to talk to at a time like this, when the world Rainbow had always known had been flipped upside-down.

  Rainbow groggily got out of bed and walked over to her bed-side mirror. She was a mess! She had small bags under her eyes, her mane was a total disaster, and her coat was covered in sweat and tears.

  Normally, she would have taken a shower before going anywhere, but this wasn't a normal situation, now was it?

  So, instead of cleaning up and making herself presentable, she simply walked right out the door looking like she was homeless. At least she lived at the very edge of town, so nopony would see her. Not that she particularly cared.

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  About ten minutes later, she made it to Ditzy's house, which was just below the outskirts of Cloudsdale. Her house was in a small clearing totally devoid of trees (for Ditzy's safety), which really made it stand out.

  Rainbow landed softly on the front porch and nearly bumped into the front door. Her eyesight was still a bit groggy.

  She rapped the door a few times with her front hoof and waited for an answer. There was nothing but silence for a moment, so Rainbow decided to turn back and go home. Maybe Ditzy was at work?

  But just as she got up to leave, there was a loud thud, and she guessed that Ditzy had just ran into the door because of her bad depth-perception. Rainbow Dash chuckled lightly as the door opened to a very cheerful looking Ditzy. Again, Rainbow wondered how she was always so happy.

  Almost a second later, her face went from giddy to horrified. "Rainbow Dash? Is that you?" Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed her and brought her into her home. "What happened?"

  Rainbow just sat there for a moment before hugging her friend and crying on her shoulder. "It's just horrible Ditzy! I did a horrible thing. My life is ruined," she said between sobs.

  Ditzy, caught much by surprise, stroked her sloppy mane and cooed lightly, "Sshh, it's okay Rainbow. Why don't you tell me all about it? I'll go make some muffins and you can tell me what's bothering you. How does that sound?"

  Rainbow, now crying heavily, simply nodded and walked over to the kitchen table. After a short moment of silence, she told Ditzy everything; about the contest, her short meeting with the Wonderbolts, and even explained in stunning detail her talk with Fluttershy.

  Ditzy, after finishing with the muffins, had sat quietly during the whole ordeal. Her expression remained mostly blank and it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

  When Rainbow was finished telling her story, Ditzy put a hoof on her shoulder and said, "You didn't do anything wrong, Rainbow. You're just going through denial. On one hoof, you want to fulfill your dream and join the Wonderbolts. But on the other hoof, you don't want to leave your friends behind. Now, in my opinion, you really shouldn't be getting so emotional about the whole thing."

  "But-" Rainbow started, slightly disagreeing with her.

  But Ditzy cut her off, saying, "No buts Rainbow. Now tell me, what do you think about Fluttershy confessing her love to you then running off to hide in her cottage?" Ditzy knew what she was doing, and she knew exactly what Rainbow was thinking. She had dealt with this type of situation before.

  "Well..." Rainbow started. "I think it's totally unfair! You can't just tell somepony you love them then totally shut them off. It's just not right! In fact, I should go down to her cottage right now and tell her so!"

  "No Rainbow, you shouldn't. I've dealt with this before, and I know for a fact that you need to leave her be. She needs to think about what she has said, and what she will say when she finally comes out of her cottage. The only reason I brought it up is because I know you Rainbow Dash, and I knew you would want to confront her. But I'm telling you right now, it would be best for you to leave her alone until she confronts you."

  Ditzy stood up and walked into her living-room, beckoning for Rainbow to follow her. She did, but only because she wanted the mare's advice. At least, that's what she told herself.

  When she caught up with Ditzy, she said, "So what should I do to get all this off my mind?"

  Ditzy simply pointed a hoof at her front door and said softly, "You need to go home and think about what you should do next that doesn't involve the Wonderbolts or Fluttershy. Do something productive. After you take a bath, that is." She chuckled at the last part so that Rainbow would know she was being friendly.

  She put her hoof down and smiled at the cyan pegasus. "And I would avoid Rarity if I were you."

  Now that was funny. Rainbow surprised herself when she burst out laughing. "Alright Ditzy. I'll keep that in mind. Say hello to Dinky for me." With that said, she walked out the door and flew steadily towards her home in Cloudsdale.

Like I said, she thought. That mare really knows how to lighten the mood.

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  Over the course of the next few days, Rainbow managed to keep her thoughts away from the day of the Wonderbolts try-outs. It had been a bit difficult the first few days, but she finally found a way to keep her mind distracted; she decided to read the last two books of her favorite series, Daring Doo.

  She was in the middle of a very intense scene in the book when there was a light tapping at her door. She ignored it at first.  Maybe it was the wind?

  She grumbled angrily when there was another knock, louder this time, and she put her book down before walking to the door, yelling quite angrily, "I'm busy in here! This had better be important!"

  Rainbow Dash opened the door and was surprised to see Ditzy Doo standing there with a silly grin on her face. "Hiya Rainbow Dash!"

  "Oh, hey Ditzy. What are you doing here? I thought you said Dinky was staying home from school today."

  "Oh, she is, but she can manage on her own while I'm at work. I have a letter for you!" She rummaged through her bags until she finally found the one addressed to Rainbow Dash. It was a simple dark blue envelope.

  "Wait, is that what I think it is?" Rainbow asked excitedly. It had finally come! The letter from the Wonderbolts!

  "It sure is!" said Ditzy, confirming her thoughts. She handed it to Rainbow Dash and added, "I wonder what it says?"

  Rainbow wasted no time and opened the letter, reading over it quickly. She squealed and showed the letter to Ditzy.

  It was fairly simple. It read: Congratulations Rainbow Dash, you are the victor of the Wonderbolts Try-outs and are hereby declared as an official member. Meet us at the club on Harley St. at precisely 5:30 tomorrow. Signed, The Wonderbolts

  Ditzy looked wide-eyed at Rainbow. "You did it, Rainbow! You're an official member of the Wonderbolts now! You should go down to Ponyville and tell all your friends!"

  When Ditzy said that, Rainbow immediately went from excited to miserable. How could she confront her friends now, after ignoring them for the past week? Most of all Fluttershy, who would be the least happy to even see Rainbow Dash, much less learn that she had been accepted into the Wonderbolts!

  A few moments later, Ditzy realized her change in attitude and remembered what had transpired between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "Oh! Um.... I mean.... Maybe you should finally go talk to them? You haven't seen them in about a week, anyways. It's about time Fluttershy got the nerve to confront you too."

  When Rainbow Dash didn't reply, Ditzy simply put a hoof on her shoulder and smiled. "It's gonna be alright Rainbow. Anyways, I've got a bunch of letters and stuff to deliver, so I'll see you later, okay?"

  Rainbow just sat there while Ditzy left. What should I do? she thought warily. How would they react? Would they get mad and yell at me like Fluttershy?

  No. She knew they wouldn't. They were all much better at controlling their tempers then Fluttershy was. No offense to the yellow pegasus, of course.

  Plus, they would be happy for her if she told them. None of them would think what Fluttershy had thought... right? Rainbow certainly hoped so.

  She simply sat there with her door still open, contemplating what to do next. So far, she could only come up with two possible conclusions: she either told them the news, and left them forever, or she could just go straight for the Wonderbolts and save herself the hardship of emotionally scarring her friends.

  But neither of the two outcomes seemed to give any kind of sanctuary or peace-of-mind. They both seemed cruel and downright dim-witted.

  So what was she going to do?

No! she suddenly thought. I will NOT let this get the better of me! I will simply go down to Ponyville and tell everypony the... er.... good news.

  Without a second thought, she flew outside and down towards Ponyville, all the while thinking of what she would say.

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  It had almost been an hour since Rainbow Dash had left Cloudsdale and told Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie to meet her at Ponyville's library. She didn't bother with Fluttershy because she still hadn't left her cottage, and Rainbow Dash didn't feel like disturbing her.

  "Uuuugh, what's taking everypony so long?" Rainbow Dash complained while pacing back and forth.

  Twilight Sparkle looked down at her from the second floor. "Maybe they're just busy. They should be here any minute. Why is it so important anyways?"

  "I can't tell you until everypony is here. All I can say is that it's reeeaaally important. In fact, it's so important that you can't tell anypony after I do tell you unless I say so. You gotta Pinkie promise."

  Twilight thought she was being just a bit too extreme, but she reluctantly agreed to secrecy. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

  Just then Pinkie Pie came seemingly out of nowhere and said, rather quickly, "Did I just hear someone making a Pinkie promise? Without my supervision?! Rainbow Dash! Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong if you make Pinkie promises without Pinkie Pie?! You could have put all of EQUESTRIA in danger! Lucky for you, I arrived just in time! No need to thank me, faithful citizens!"

  She concluded with a huge grin on her face, but frowned when she saw that Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both looking at her like she was crazy. "What?"

  Rainbow was the first to recover from the confusion that was Pinkie Pie. "O-oh nothing, Pinkie. It's just that none of what you are saying is either true or logical."

  Pinkie just sat there looking at her with a dumb expression on her face. "What does that mean?"

  Rainbow Dash face-hoofed and groaned, "Never mind Pinkie. Let's just sit here quietly until everypony else gets here."

  "Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches and stared up and out a window in the library.

  It was another ten minutes -ten awkward minutes- before anypony else arrived. Rarity walked in rather snootily, giving a little 'humph' when she walked past Rainbow Dash. She was still a bit angry with her for not helping with her orders like she had promised.

  Rainbow Dash realized that and put a hoof to the back of her neck uneasily. "Um... Hey Rarity."

  Rarity simply nodded in her direction. Very curtly, Rainbow might say. Then again, she couldn't really blame her for being mad. It was kind of her fault.

  "Um... I just wanted to.... apologize.... for not keeping my promise. I really am sorry Rarity. Can't we just put that behind us? I had a minor setback after the try-outs and had to be alone for a while. You understand that, don't you?"

  Rarity thought it over for a bit then sighed, "Oh, fine. I guess it wasn't that bad without you. I did somehow manage to get all of my orders done in time, so there was really no harm done. What is it that made you need some alone time? You always seem to love attention."

  "Oh. That. Maybe I'll tell you after I tell everypony the more important news. Does that sound fair?"

  "I suppose so, dear."

  In truth, Rainbow Dash really didn't want to tell anypony what had happened between her and Fluttershy that day. Other than Ditzy, that is. She didn't really want to think about it at all. Then again, secrets are never good, and she would feel guilty if she didn't tell her friends. Maybe she would tell them.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when a particular muscular orange mare walked into the library somewhat noisily.

  "Well, howdy everypony! I guess this here news must be real important fer ya ta invite everypony over, RD." She looked around the library and noticed somepony missing. "Where's Fluttershy? I haven't seen 'er in a few days."

  Rarity looked up thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, neither have I. I haven't seen the poor dear since the Wonderbolts try-outs. I hope that nothing bad happened to her. We all know poor Fluttershy can't handle too much stress"

  Admittedly, that really ticked Rainbow Dash off. Sure, Fluttershy was a bit shy, and maybe she did get scared pretty easily, but she could take as much stress as anypony. She wasn't as weak and fragile as most ponies made her out to be. So, naturally, she protected her friend's honor.

  "Fluttershy can take just as much 'stress' as any of us! If there's anypony that can't take stress, it's you Rarity. Always being so melodramatic. Me and Fluttershy had a little argument after the try-outs the other day, and that's why she's been avoiding everypony. I know she might have taken it a bit too far, but who can blame her?! I made a horrible mistake, and I.... I...." Rainbow realized then that she was crying. She hadn't meant to take it that far. Everypony was just staring at her like she had said something wrong. Even Pinkie.

  But Rainbow Dash didn't care. She didn't care if they all judged her, if they all thought she had been exaggerating. She just needed to tell somepony before it made her insane. "... I love her..."

  Just then there was a small gasp near the door. Everypony looked up and sure enough, just like a cliche moment in a romantic movie, there was Fluttershy, standing at the door with a shocked expression on her face.

  She had come to the library because her bunny, Angel, had told her that Rainbow had some important news that she needed to tell everypony, and Fluttershy had thought that she had been in her cottage long enough, so she had come to hear that news. But she had not expected this. She had thought that Rainbow Dash would hate her for the words she said and the things she did. Apparently, she had been wrong. She had spent the last week crying in her cottage because she thought that Rainbow would never want to see her again. Well, that was a week wasted.

  But that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered to Fluttershy was that she had just heard the love of her life say that she loved her. It made her head spin and a stray tear fell down her cheek.

  "R-Rainbow Dash.... Is that true...?" She had trouble making out the words, as her windpipe was closed up.

  Rainbow Dash just sat there, dumbstruck. She couldn't say anything. How could she? She had made a horrible mistake. It took her a while to say anything, and when she did, it was near silent. "Of.... of course it's true.... I wouldn't have said it otherwise... I've always loved you, Fluttershy. I was just always afraid to say it... I guess I'm not always as confident as I seem. And... I understand if you hate me. What I did was selfish and-"

  She was cut off when Fluttershy jumped up and hugged her. That caught her off guard and she fell, Fluttershy collapsing on top of her, her arms nearly squishing her. Rainbow Dash was amazed with the shy pony's strength.

  "I could never hate you! You never did anything wrong. You were just following your dream. It was me that was selfish. I wanted you all to myself and I didn't want to see you go. I thought you would hate me. I... I love you, Rainbow Dash."

  "I love you too, Fluttershy..." Without a second thought, Rainbow kissed Fluttershy. She had no idea what she was doing, and quite frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted Fluttershy to know how much she loved her.

  Fluttershy was reluctant at first, but then she leaned into the kiss, relishing the moment.

  Then Rainbow Dash remembered the others in the room. She quickly got up, much to the disliking of Fluttershy, and looked awkwardly at her friends, blushing madly. "Um... er.... sorry. That must have been.... a bit awkward for you guys."

  Fluttershy, understanding why Rainbow Dash had gotten up, got up as well and hid her face in her bangs, her face a light shade of pink.

  Everypony just stared at them. Spike looked like the bottom half of his jaw had dislodged itself from his skull.

  Twilight was the first to recover. She closed Spike's jaw with a hoof and cleared her throat. "Well, that was... sweet. I'm happy the two of you, erm... settled your disagreement? Anyways, Rainbow Dash, didn't you come here to tell us something important?"

  "I did? Oh yea, that's right! ...Um... Pinkie Pie? Are you okay?"

  Everypony looked at Pinkie, who was just sitting there with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed on some point in space, and she didn't seem to hear Rainbow Dash.

  Applejack looked a bit concerned and waved a hoof in front of her face. "Are ya'll all right, Pinkie? Hullo? Can ya hear me, sugarcube?"

  Pinkie snapped out of her delusional state and immediately jumped into the air, screaming at the top of her lungs, "OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!!! I just HAVE to throw a party for the two of you! It's gotta be big! No! It's gotta be HUGE!! I need to start making plans. I'll see you guys in the next chapter, bye!!" Without waiting for a reply, she zoomed out of the library at top speed, heading straight for Sugarcube Corner.

  Applejack just stared at the now open door. "Okay then... Well, that was different. Even fer Pinkie Pie. Ah can only hope she doesn't throw a party too big. Anyhow, RD, you wanna go ahead an' tell us this news before somethin' else strange happens?"

  "Uh, sure..." Rainbow said, a bit concerned for Pinkie's mental health. "Well, I guess I'll just skip to the chase. I got a letter from the Wonderbolts earlier saying that I won the try-outs and that I am now an official member. Just thought I'd tell you guys before anypony else knew."

  Everypony except Fluttershy jumped with joy and congratulated Rainbow Dash; however, she quickly cut them off, saying, "Wait, wait. Before you get all excited, I have something to say. Fluttershy said something the other day that really grabbed my attention, and now I can't deny it. She told me-"

  "No, no, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to tell them what I said," whispered Fluttershy weakly. She really didn't want anypony to know how rude she had been.

  "Fluttershy, I need to tell them, because you and I both know it's true." She looked at the three remaining ponies and the baby dragon and said, "Fluttershy told me that when I joined the Wonderbolts, the fame would go to my head and I would soon forget about the lot of you. And like I said, I can't help but to agree with her."

  The room was silent for a moment. Then Rarity stomped a hoof on the ground and said, "Fluttershy! That is such a rude thing to say! How could you just crush Rainbow Dash's dreams like that? She would never do such a thing."

  Fluttershy just glanced towards the floor and looked like she was on the verge of tears. But before she could say anything, Rainbow Dash walked over to Rarity and put a hoof to her chest.

  "You really need to stop putting her down like that," she said coldly. "And didn't you hear me? I said she was right, and you know damn well that it's true."

  She then walked back over to Fluttershy and put a comforting wing on her shoulder. "Look, you all know how I am. I admit that I can be a bit ornery at times, and I do let things rush to my head. So, just think. How would I handle being a member of the Wonderbolts, the most famous flying group in all of Equestria? You all know me better than anypony else. I would let the fame go to my head, and I would bask in it. Hell, I would probably be worse than Fleetfoot. You guys remember her before she joined the Wonderbolts, right? She was just like me, just not as bad."

  Rarity looked a bit confused. "So, you came all this way just to tell us that you're leaving? What about poor Fluttershy? The poor dear would be heartbroken!"

  "And that's why I've made a decision. Also, I didn't come here to tell you I'm leaving. I came here to tell you all about the letter. I didn't know what I was going to do until I got here. But now I see what I want to do. No, what I need to do." She took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "I'm going to reject the Wonderbolt's offer."

  The whole room was filled with the cries of Rarity, Applejack, and even Twilight, a moment after she said that last sentence.

  "But this is your dream, Rainbow Dash!" cried Rarity. "This is what you've been looking up to your whole life! How could you just throw it away?"

  Applejack, the loudest of the three, yelled, "Come now, sugarcube, isn't that a bit extreme? Ah know that we're important to ya'll, but we couldn't just let ya throw your dreams away just like that!"

  "I agree, Rainbow Dash, you shouldn't give away your dreams just for us. This could be your only chance to get into the Wonderbolts!" said Twilight Sparkle, not as loud as Applejack or Rarity.

  "Girls, girls! Calm down! I have a perfectly good reason for not joining the Wonderbolts."

  "And that is?" the three asked in unison.

  "Well, it's simple really. Friendship is magic. And without it, I would become miserable. I mean sure, being a Wonderbolt would be totally awesome and all, but with no real friends, my life would be dull. You all have taught me different things about life, and I never want to give that away. That's why I'm rejecting the Wonderbolt's offer. Because I have wonderful friends like you who make my life great. Most of all Fluttershy, who has been there since the beginning." She gently nuzzled Fluttershy's neck and kissed her cheek softly. Fluttershy simply blushed and leaned into her.

  Twilight smiled warmly and said gently, "Well then, if that's what you want, then we won't stop you. I don't know what we would do without you and your stick-to-itiveness." She glanced at her clock and added, "It's getting a bit late, and this whole meeting has made me quite tired. We can celebrate and tell Pinkie tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going to get some rest, and I suggest you all do the same. Goodnight ladies. Come on Spike, time for bed."

  Spike relentlessly got up and grumbled something unintelligible and climbed up the stairs, quietly pursued by Twilight Sparkle, who indeed did look rather tired.

  "I agree," said Rainbow. "I do need some rest after all this."

  With that said, they all walked out of the library, each wishing one another a good night's rest. Everypony went straight to their homes and slept; everypony, that is, except Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

  "Well, I'm glad you made your choice Rainbow Dash, and I'm glad you decided to stay." Fluttershy bashfully leaned against Rainbow Dash, savoring the sweet smell of her mane.

  Rainbow placed her head atop Fluttershy's and said quietly, "Me too. I don't know how I could live without you." She kissed the top of her head gently, blushing just a bit. "So, what now?"

  "How about we go get some sleep like the others? It's been a long day, don't you think?"

  "Yea... Yea, it has."

  They both flew over to Fluttershy's cottage just at the edge of the Everfree Forest and snuggled contently with each other in her large bed, both feeling quite tired all of a sudden. But just before Rainbow Dash was wrapped in the comfort of sleep, she said quietly, "Goodnight Fluttershy. Thank you for being there for me, and thank you for starting another great chapter in my life."

  As they slept, all of Equestria seemed to be quiet and content with the day prior. Maybe it was Luna's moon, lighting up the dark sky and giving a message of peace, or maybe it was just chance. Either way, anypony would agree that it was as peaceful a night as ever, and that another great chapter had ended where a new one began.