Chapter I: A Rainbow in the Dark (REVISED)
Chapter 1
A light yellow pegasus lay in the center of the cell with her legs folded beneath her. Her shadow stretched across the floor and slipped up the side of the adjacent wall. Everywhere she looked was pitch black, except for the small shred of light, shining through the barred window.
Fluttershy had always preferred the peace and quiet, but this wasn't quiet. When it was quiet, at least you could hear to the twittering of birds or the whispers of a gentle breeze blowing. No, this was something different. This was silence, complete, utter silence, full of loneliness and despair.
She leaned her head against the bars, contemplating how it got to this point. After all, it didn't start this way. It was just a normal day, not good, not bad, just a normal day back at Flight Academy.
One month ago…
The servant pony, now in disguise, stood near the edge of the fountain. She wore an ice blue gown, which cascaded down her back, leaving a trail of glitter behind her. If it weren’t for the alicorn’s magic, that magnificent gown would still be an old dish towel. The shoes she wore were truly spectacular for they were made of the finest crystal and gleamed in the moonlight. Standing in front of her was the prince, who shone of gold and rare jewels. She leaned in to kiss him when suddenly, the clock struck 12:00 and…
“Miss Shy?”
Fluttershy lowered the book to see a brown pegasus in a stained apron standing at the edge of the bed. She had a feather duster tucked behind her wing and held a letter in her mouth. “A message from your mother,” The maid said handing the filly the letter. Fluttershy excitedly grabbed it as the maid took her leave. Once she was the gone, Fluttershy carefully unfolded the envelope and began reading.
Dear Fluttershy,
I have wondrous news. I’ve found the dragon’s nest. Now I can return the egg back to it’s mother. Unfortunately, this means you will have to spend spring vacation at flight school. Because of this, I have made sure that you have the best accommodations while you’re there. Anything you wish will be yours. Just ask the headmaster and it will be given to you. I love you so much, Sweetie. Write back soon.
Love,
Mom
A small smile spread across the filly’s face. Her mother was always trying to make her feel comfortable by sending her gifts. But, no matter how hard Fluttershy tried to tell her, her mother never understood that she didn’t need fancy things to be happy. All she really wanted was the letters, just being able to hear their voices a few times each week and reply back to them. That’s what really made her happy. Fluttershy still was very gracious for her mother’s generosity even though this attention didn’t make her any more welcome at the academy. It only made the other fillies jealous and resent her more. But that didn’t bother her because she knew there was one pony who would always be there for her.
Five years ago…
A young filly, about the age of ten, was walking the hollow halls. Her short pink mane fell into the center of her face and her small thin legs quaked underneath the large cloud ceiling of the building.
It was Fluttershy’s first day at Cloudsdale Flight Academy and the shy pegasus was anxiously trying to get to class, without attracting any attention to herself. She had just about finished packing her bag when her locker door slammed shut, revealing a turquoise filly standing behind it.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” she said smugly.
Fluttershy immediately recognized the face and attempted to dart down the hall but two other fillies, one tangerine and one blue, came from the other ends and closed in on her. Clutching her books to her chest, she backed into the lockers as roaring voices rose from the fillies.
“Look it’s little miss Fluttershy, a pegasus who can hardly fly. Why does she think she’s the best? Cause she’s a widdle pwincess.”
Please stop, Fluttershy prayed, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t drown out those ugly words.
Then, one by one, the other foals joined in until it seemed the entire school was singing that awful rhyme.
“Look its little miss”
Stop!
“a pegasus who can”
Stop!
“Why does she”
Stop!
“she’s the”
Stop!
“Cause she’s a widdle—”
“STOP!” Realizing she said the last word aloud, Fluttershy immediately covered her mouth and shrank down in fear.
Unfortunately, her outburst did not go unnoticed. Everypony in the hall gasped except for the turquoise filly, who walked up to her and stared her straight in the eyes.
“Stop what?” she demanded, towering over the scared filly.
“N…nothing,” Fluttershy replied, still cowering behind her books.
The bully smirked. “That’s what I thought. You’re nothing but a..." With each word, Fluttershy felt her heart sink deeper into her chest. "...weak, flightless, wimpy—"
“ENOUGH!” a sound boomed through the hallway, forcing the filly’s words to halt.
As the other foals searched for the source of the voice, Fluttershy turned her head to secretly wipe away the tears that were desperately trying to escape. With her eyes still closed, she felt a strong gust of wind sweep through her mane and heard the clattering of hooves on the cold floor in front of her.
“Leave her alone!” the voice said.
Those words, so familiar, where have I heard them before?
Fluttershy opened her eyes to see a sky-blue filly with a multicolored mane and tail standing in front of her. It was the same pony who stood up for Fluttershy the day she got her cutie mark. The filly stood in a guard like position with her legs spread apart and her eyes fixed squarely on the bullies in front of her.
“Aww, look who has herself her own widdle bodyguard,” the lead bully mocked. “What’s the matter Fluttershy, too scared to fight for yourself?”
The rainbow haired filly ignored the comment and repeated herself. “I said, Leave. Her. Alone.”
“Make me.”
With her teeth tightly clenched, the filly gave the bullies one more glare before coming over to help the frightened filly up.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Fluttershy grabbed her hoof and they flew away as the bullies shouted hateful words after them. Once they were out of sight, the pair stopped in midair to collect themselves.
“Th...Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered.
“No problem,” the other pegasus replied. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, by the way.”
“I’m Fluttershy.”
“Hey, I know you. You went to Flight Camp last summer right?”
She slowly nodded.
“Cool! You know, I’ve been meaning to hang out with you since I won that race. We didn’t see each other very much after that.”
In truth, Fluttershy did try to talk to her but every time she saw her, Rainbow was surrounded by other foals and Fluttershy didn’t want to disturb them. Rainbow was so popular, why would she give a flighty feather about her?
Rainbow, however, didn’t seem to mind. “Well, at least we get to talk to each other at school. Speaking of which, I got to head to class. What do you have?”
“Ummm…” Fluttershy pulled a schedule out of her book bag. “Wonderbolt History in room 311.”
“Hey, that’s on the way to my class. Come on, I’ll walk you there.” Rainbow extended a hoof out but Fluttershy shied away from it.
“Oh… no, that’s okay you don’t have—”
“Ah come on. I’m your bodyguard aren’t I?”
With a slight grin, Fluttershy held her new friend’s hoof and the two of them walked to class.
The little filly, now a teenager, was still holding the letter, when suddenly the bell rang, snapping her back to the present. She sprung form the bed and gasped. “Oh no, I’m going to be late for class.” Quickly, Fluttershy tucked the letter into her saddlebag and dashed out the door.
Two ponies’ voices were heard from inside the classroom. What once had been a calm conversation, now evolved into an argument between the older stallion and filly. The tension made Fluttershy’s stomach uneasy but she didn’t stir. Rainbow was asked to stay after class to talk with her teacher and she promised to wait for her.
Eventually, the argument died down and the door opened. Out of it walked a solemn looking filly with a rainbow mane. Her head hung low and her ears flattened. She quickly passed Fluttershy without a single word.
Fluttershy could tell something was wrong but didn’t say anything for fear Rainbow would get defensive and yell at her. She had done that once or twice before, not on purpose of course. She just got easily flustered, and Fluttershy didn’t want to make matters worse. But after several minutes, the silence finally got to the yellow pegasus and she had to say something.
“Rainbow—” Fluttershy started but before she could finish, Rainbow cut her off.
“Can you believe how unfair Mr. Jet Stream is being?” Rainbow Dash cried. “He says that if I don’t pass the next exam, I’ll have to go to summer school.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem so hard.”
“Are you serious? You know how bad I am at memorizing stuff. There’s no way I can pass that test.” Rainbow sighed. “Guess you’ll just have to have fun without me this summer.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She tried to think of the best way she could help her friend.
“Rainbow Dash?” she asked.
“Yeah?” Rainbow said, still looking at the ground.
“I still have my notes from his class. If you want, I could…tutor you?”
“Sure,” she said very plainly.
Fluttershy's eyes widened. “Really?”
“I’ve got nothing else to lose.”
“Oh, Rainbow Dash!”
“Relax, it’s just studying.”
Actually, it was much more than that. Ever since the day Rainbow stood up for her, Fluttershy had been wanting to do something in return. At last, this was her chance. She could help her friend pass that test so she wouldn’t have to go to summer school.
Fluttershy excitedly shot down the hall.
“Where you going?” Rainbow called.
“To get ready for our session. See you at 6:00." And with that, Fluttershy was out if sight.
Fluttershy paced around the room, nervously glancing at the clock every few minutes. It was already 6:20 and she was getting worried.
“She’s probably changed her mind.” the scared pegasus told herself. “Of course, she has. Why would she want to study with a loser like me?”
After a few more minutes, Fluttershy was ready to call it a night when there was a knock on the door. She quickly opened it up and sighed in relief when she saw who it was.
“Hey, Fluttershy.” It was Rainbow Dash, carrying a bag full of books. “Sorry I’m late. Practice went a little long.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Fluttershy assured. “I’m just happy you were able to make it.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” This calmed Fluttershy’s nerves a bit and she trotted over to her desk.
“Even if it is just studying,” Rainbow muttered under her breath.
“Let’s start with Chapter 15,” Fluttershy said, opening the book on her desk. “Did you bring your textbook?”
Rainbow held it out to show her she did.
“Great! Open it up to pg. 211.”
They studied together for about thirty minutes, after which Fluttershy quizzed her. Unfortunately, none of the words out of the blue filly's mouth were even remotely close to the answers Fluttershy recited before.
“You see,” Rainbow cried. “I’m hopeless.” She dropped the book into her saddle bag and headed for the door. “I knew this was a waste of time.”
Fluttershy tapped her chin and thought for a moment. “Rainbow," she said. Close your eyes.”
Rainbow immediately stopped where she was and turned around. There was a look of confusion on her face. “What?”
“Close your eyes.”
“I really don’t see how—”
“Just do it.”
“Okay,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes before shutting them.
“Now imagine you’re a sergeant on the base of pegasi soldiers.”
“Wait, what!” Her eyes shot open. “No way, pretending is for fillies.”
“Please, Rainbow! Fluttershy pleaded. Just try.”
Rainbow crossed her arms. “Definitely not.”
“Aww, come on. Please!” Fluttershy batted her eyelashes, hoping Rainbow would give in, but she still refused.
“Nope.”
In one last, desperate attempt, Fluttershy opened her eyes as wide as she could, so that the little sparkles were seen in her pupils and puckered her lips into a pout.
“Oh no,” Rainbow exclaimed. “You’re not gonna convince me with the puppy dog eyes.”
“Pleeease.”
“I’m not looking.”
“Pleeeeeease!”
Rainbow tried to resist but she couldn’t help looking at those big innocent eyes. For being such a kind and sweet pony, Fluttershy could sure be manipulative when she wanted to. After struggling for a bit, she heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
With a satisfied grin, Fluttershy started from the beginning. “Okay, so you’re on the base of the pegasi soldiers and I’m your leader, Commander Hurricane. Are you imagining it?”
“Yes,” Rainbow groaned.
“Good. Now shortly after Equestria was founded, there was a terrible rain storm. None of the pegasi could control it. Commander Hurricane’s, I mean my team and I discovered the storm was coming from the highest peak of Shadow Mountain in the Equine Alps.”
“We’re nearly there, Sergeant,” Commander Fluttershy said, flying around the room.
“Whatever you say, Commander.” Sergeant Rainbow moaned, still convinced the idea was stupid.
All of a sudden, Commander Fluttershy pointed her hoof in the air and gasped. “Oh my! It’s a Rainbow Snake.”
“A what?”
“A giant, magical serpent. She has the power to control rain and wind.”
“Are you sure, you’re not making this up?”
“Rainbow...”
“Okay, okay.”
“We have to stop her. If it keeps raining like this, Equestria may be flooded.” Commander Fluttershy immediately turned to Rainbow. “Sergeant, take her down.”
“Yes sir!” Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and started kicking the empty space. She still wasn’t excited about this whole pretend thing, but at least they were doing something fun now.
Commander Fluttershy followed and swerved, pretending the large beast was trying to attack her. “Whoa, fall back team. She’s too strong.” Suddenly, the imaginary snake struck. Her wings folded in and she gently collapsed on the bed beneath her.
“Flutter... I mean commander!” Sergeant Rainbow called, diving after the filly. “What do we do?”
“We need to outsmart her. Go get that raincloud. I have an idea.”
Commander Fluttershy waved her hooves frantically as Sergeant Rainbow pushed the pretend raincloud over to her.
“Now Sergeant, send a lightning bolt toward the snake.”
Sergeant Rainbow kicked her back legs against the imaginary cloud, mimicking the sounds of thunder, and they both ducked behind the table.
After a few seconds, Commander Fluttershy lifted her head up and smiled. “Look Sergeant, it worked. The Rainbow Snake’s been defeated and the weather is going back to normal.”
The two of them cheered at their unconventional success, as the scene transformed back into Fluttershy’s dorm room. Then she asked Rainbow the same questions as before, who got all of them right except for one. If Rainbow answered it correctly, she would pass the quiz. With her hooves rung together, Fluttershy asked the final question.
“And they called this famous battle…?”
“The…”
Fluttershy bit her lip, anticipating the answer.
“…Battle at Shadow Mountain.”
“Yes!” she cheered, throwing her hooves around her friend and squeezing her tightly.
Rainbow quickly pushed her off, causing her to blush in embarrassment.
“Wow Fluttershy,” she said. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“See, I knew you could do it. What did you say about pretending being for fillies?”
“Yeah, yeah, you were right.”
Fluttershy held her hoof to her ear. “What was that…?”
“I said…” Rainbow’s eyes darted around the room. “Hey what’s that?” she cried, pointing a hoof behind her.
Fluttershy spun around. “What?!”
“Looks like there's another Rainbow Snake.”
Before she knew it, Rainbow had tumbled on top of Fluttershy, pinning her to the ground. Then she tickled her exposed belly with her wing.
“Surrender,” she ordered.
Fluttershy tried to refuse but Rainbow tickled her harder until she could barely breathe. “Okay, okay you win,” said Fluttershy in between giggles.
Rainbow smirked in triumph and let her go. Once she caught her breath, Fluttershy tackled her to the ground but Rainbow toppled over her again and pinned her down.
“Don’t even bother,” she said confidently.
All of a sudden, the clock chimed.
“Got to go.” Rainbow said. “I’m leaving first thing in the morning.”
“Oh... okay,” Fluttershy replied sadly.
“Hey, I’ll only be gone for a week and when I get back we’ll celebrate my birthday okay? You’re still coming to my party, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Awesome!” She darted out the door. “See ya then.”
“Bye.” Fluttershy called after her, not realizing this might be the last time she’d see her friend.
Author's Note
This story is now in third person. I thought it flowed and sounded better so I revised this chapter. I also made it that Fluttershy just has her mom instead of both parents. This will be important later.
I tried to incorporate real mythical creatures like they do in the show, but I'm not sure if I was succesful. The Rainbow Snake is based on Austrailian mythology.
