with a great big hug and a merry old tune
won't you sing along too?
“Come on, Rainbow Dash!” the very young Fluttershy edged on as their daycare was lead into the theater. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
“Sure,” Rainbow muttered as they made their way inside.
Today, the whole daycare was on a field trip to see the movie of, Daisy and Friends Go Camping.
“I still think we should have gone to a roller derby instead,” Rainbow muttered.
“Oh, Dashie,” Fluttershy said as she bopped her best friend on the noise, “you’ll love Daisy. Then afterwards we’ll all go out for pizza at Cheeby Cheeses!” She then squealed obnoxiously as Rainbow Dash covered her ears.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, first we get to see a movie about a singing flower, then we get to eat pizza in front of a talking rabbit. Who wouldn’t have fun?”
Fluttershy giggled. “I know, right?”
Rainbow Dash facehooved. With no other choice, they made their way inside, got their popcorn, and took their seat in the noisy cinema as parents where trying to clam down their children as those that couldn't were running all over the place.
“So when’s this thing starting anyways?” Rainbow Dash asked, beginning to tap her hooves.
“Come now, Rainbow, we only been sitting here for a minute.”
Rainbow’s head slammed into the head of the seat in front of her. “Gah! Why do these things have to take so long?”
While the idea had't thrilled Rainbow Dash, she had put on a brave face in order to make Fluttershy happy. It was also a way to mentally prepare herself for how boring the film would be. While she waited, she thought of all the things she’d rather be doing; Flying, sleeping, learning how to play chess, flying, not watching this movie, eating worms...
The lights began to dim, the screen, began to light up, and Rainbow cringed when an overly bright and smiling flower on the screen.
“Hi, kids!” the flower said.
“Hi, Daisy!” nearly every foal said back.
Rainbow placed her hooves in her head.
Once the movie began, Rainbow Dash just wanted to leave. All the movie was about were a bunch of colorful flowers being happy go lucky as they taught ponies the importance of being nice and to share and all that good stuff during a camping trip on the ground.
All the while, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how wide eyed Fluttershy stared at the screen. Smiling and laughing whenever something cute happened, swaying and humming whenever there was cheerful song played, and just having a good time. It made Rainbow Dash’s stomach cringe.
Then, before Rainbow’s patience pushed her to storm out of the theater, Daisy began to sing her signature song.
‘We are such, happy flowers,
won’t you sing with me for hours?’
with a great big hug and a merry old tune,
won’t you sing along too?’
After the held out, along too, the flowers all began to whistle the song in tune, until they sang it all over agin.
It was apparently a very popular song. Because soon enough, half the audience began to whistle along with the song. Then, on the third reprise, the rest of the foals in her class, Fluttershy included, began to whistle along too.
To Rainbow Dash, who had done nothing but tap her hooves as she begged for the movie to end, thought it was the most cheesy, childish, cutest and the dumbest song in existence… And she loved it.
Something about it just clicked with the filly. She couldn’t explain it, but it made her smile, and whistle along. At first, Rainbow Dash felt embarrassed, but as she saw every other pony was doing it, she figured it must have been okay to do so, and eventually sang along in the fourth course with her bestest friend.
*****
After that, the pair of foals could not get enough of the flower. They would go out of their way to see a movie, cry and beg their parents to get them the toys and vinyl records. The pair even found themselves making up their own stories and adventures to go on with Daisy. Though, Rainbow’s would always be full of more action when she was more in control of the story.
At one particular birthday party, Rainbow Dash had herself, Daisy and Fluttershy, fighting off pirates in the sky as an army of dragons invaded the Island of rainbows while they had to keep Daisy’s magical flute safe from the evil King Meanie.
“Come on, ye Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash commanded from atop the ball pit at Cheeby Cheese's. “We must protect thy Princess Daisy from the approaching zombie horde!”
“Um… I… I know it’s your birthday and all, but…” Fluttershy hid behind her hair. “couldn’t we just have a… um nice and safe tea party?”
Rainbow Dash raised her imaginary sword. “Argh!”
“Eyp!”
“We are surrounded! We must make a dive for it.” She scooped up Fluttershy and her Daisy doll while she looked over the ball pit. “Ready, matey?”
“No…”
“Then her we go. Geronimo!”
“Ahh!” they both cried as they hit the ball pit.
A moment later, they both surfaced, unscaved from their latest endeavor.
“We argh alive!” Rainbow Dash declared. She pulled up Daisy. “And the princess has survived as well!”
Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh. “Oh thank goodness.”
“Now we just have to survive the sharks.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Shar… Sharks?”
“Yeah, and hey, maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get attacked by a giant octopus was well.”
With a yelp, Fluttershy took off from the ball pit and clung to the ceiling with her Daisy doll. “Mommy!”
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was laughing her head off. “Relax,” she assured, “I’ll take care of them!”
With that, Rainbow began to beat and pound on the balls until her father called out, “Alright, kids, time for cake!”
The magic words brought both of the foals out of their imaginary daze as they cried, “Cake!” and soared out of the the ball pit towards their food.
But not before, very sternly, Fluttershy added, “Next time, I pick the adventure.”
Rainbow dash rolled her eyes. “Fine. But we can at least have a moment where a swarm of changelings try to ruin our picnic?”
Fluttershy glared at her.
“Um… how about some ants?”
“Eh… okay.”
With a joined giggle, they flew off to the party.
“Have fun?” Rainbow’s parents asked.
Rainbow Dash beamed. “You bet!”
One Daisy cake and pizza later, Rainbow Dash had already ripped through her mountain of Wonderbolt and Daisy merchandise. With what looked like thousands of presents behind her, Rainbow beamed satisfactory, thinking there was nothing else to make this birthday perfect.
“Um…” Fluttershy said tentatively holding out a present. “I… I still have my gift.”
“Cool,” Rainbow Dash cheered as she snatch the present out of Fluttershy’s grasped and torn it opened. “Oh wow!” Rainbow cheered. “A sing with me Daisy!” In her wonder, she pressed one of it’s petals as it began to sing.
‘We are such, happy flowers,
won’t you sing with me for hours?’
with a great big hug and a merry old tune,
won’t you sing along too?’
She threw her hooves around her best friend.“On thank you so much, Fluttershy!”
“Oh… um, thanks,” she said nervously. “Ac… Actually, I… I added something on it?”
“Oh?” with that, Rainbow began to look over the toy, until she saw some scribbled hoof writing on one of the pedals.
Happy Berthday, Rainbow Dash, love Fluttershy
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You wrote this?”
A tear began to form in Fluttershy's eye. “I… I knew you wouldn’t like it. But… it’s okay, i didn’t spend that long on it. Though, mom and dad helped me with the writing, I think I spelled—”
She was cut off with another big hug. “I think it makes it 30% more cooler.” She tightened her hug. “Thanks you, Fluttershy.”
“Your....” she smiled through her happy tears. “You’re welcome.”
****
As the years went on, their love for Daisy only grew fiercer. It even got to a point where they made their parents take them to a movie every week for the longest time. They never missed it when a new Daisy movie premiered as their toy boxes filled with even more Daisy related toys after each birthday and holiday. Although, what they ended up loving the most, was Daisy’s Flower Song
No matter how many times they sang it, they could never get enough of it. The pair listened to it at school, on the playground with the other foals, and even late into the night at home until their parents shouted at them to go to bed.
It was the most magical time of young Rainbow Dash’s before she got her cutie mark.
Then they entered the fourth grade.
It began when Fluttershy hummed the Flower Song on the first day of school. When Rainbow Dash heard the song from afar and saw Fluttershy, she eagerly flew towards her to join along.
“Ugh!” some voice stopped her. “You still listening to that annoying baby song?”
Rainbow Dash stood still as she titled her head. ‘Annoying?’ she thought.
“A… annoying?” Fluttershy whimpered.
The colt groaned. “Thanks a lot, now i can’t get it out of my head.”
Rainbow’s and Fluttershy's ears feel back as their eyes widened.
“Yeah,” another filly said casually, “I mean, I still can’t get that stupid song out of my head!”
To demonstrate, one of the foals through their hooves over their ears. “Oh make it stop, make it stop! No more, Daisy, no more!”
With that, the small group of foals that had gathered began to laugh at the joke.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, having seen Rainbow Dash, quietly crept away to her friend’s side. “Oh, can you believe what they’re saying about Daisy?”
“Ye… Yeah,” Rainbow said hesitantly.
Fluttershy held up her chin. “I mean, Daisy being annoying? Who would think that?”
“Ye… Yeah.”
Perhaps it might not have been so bad for her, if some of the older kids who were good fliers that weren't part of the group making fun of Daisy. Not that she would have wanted to join or befriend them, least now after how they teased Fluttershy and Daisy.
While she would never turn her back on Fluttershy, Daisy, being a mer fictional character, was another matter.
Though, for the rest of the day, Rainbow couldn’t get it out of her head that Daisy might actually be, uncool. As much as she didn’t want to admit it right away, she knew it wasn’t that unlikely. A lot of foal movies were uncool, she had learned the hard way. Though, it always had seemed to her, even in the third grade, that Daisy wouldn’t be one of the ‘lame’ toys.
At recess that day, when Fluttershy hummed the Flower Song, Rainbow Dash still hummed along, but didn’t hum along as merrily.
Which caught her friend's attention. “Something wrong, Rainbow?”
“Oh, um… It’s nothing.”
Fluttershy titled her head. “Oh, um… Okay.” she shuffled her hooves on the clouds. “Want to play pretend?”
Rainbow didn’t answer.
“We… we can fight off an evil griffon army.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I think I’ll pass. If it’s alright, I just want to fly around a bit.” She buzzed up into the air. “I’ll see you in class.”
“Oh, um,” Fluttershy responded as Rainbow Dash flew out of ear range.
With a moan, Fluttershy pulled out her favorite Daisy doll. “Oh, you’re not lame, are you?” She pushed the pedal.
‘We are such, happy flowers,’
Fluttershy giggled and hugged her beloved toy. “I knew it.” she then cooed the toy. Don’t worry, I’m sure Dashie will feel better later.”
*****
It was a longer day for Rainbow Dash after that. everywhere she went, it seemed as if somepony had something bad to say about Daisy.
It always seemed to be, “Daisy? What a babies toy.’ or ‘Ugh, if i hear that Flower Song one more time, I’ll go mad.’ and worst of all was when she heard some of the oldest foals plan on blowing a Daisy doll up. On, and on the hate for Daisy went. The only place where Daisy seemed loved, was in the kindergarten class. though, to her disappointment, the kindergarten teacher didn't seem to pleased when on of the Daisy doll's started to sing.
Once the day ended, rainbow immediately headed home, hoping that maybe listening to her records of Daisy a few times would get her fears out of her mind. The older ponies couldn’t all be right? It wasn’t all of Equestria she heard from, so maybe they were just a few ponies who weren’t a fan of Daisies and everything would be alight.
The moment she got home, Rainbow tried to listen to the Flower Song on her jukebox, only to realize halfway through it, that it wasn’t as great as it use to be. Then, after she listened to it several more times to make sure she wasn’t imaging things, there was a knock on the door.
“Rainbow Dash,” her father said, “would you turn that music down! It’s starting to give me a headache.”
Rainbow’s ear fell back as her eyes widened as the reality set in. Cool adult ponies like her father didn’t listen to such childish music. Cool ponies actually cringed at this… this childish and annoying song.
“Sure thing, dad.” She then sighed, and held up what was once her favorite record. Looking at it for a moment, she shrugged, and tossed it in the trash.
****
The next day, school started off like any other, until Fluttershy raced up beside her and said, “Oh, Rainbow Dash, the new Daisy movie is coming out next month!” she began to squeal. “Aren’t you excited?”
“Um…” Rainbow took a nervous step back. “Actually, Fluttershy, don’t you think we’re a bit too old for that stuff.”
Fluttershy’s smile vanished. “Wh… what?” She began to tear up. “B… But we’ve always gone to see Daisy’s new movies.” She began to sniffle. “Was it… Did I do something—”
“What?! No! I just… you know, I mean, you don’t see any adult ponies going to see that stuff.”
"But..." Thinking for a moment, a sliver of hope shone throw her eyes as Fluttershy stomped the ground and said, “Our parents go to see it!”
“Because they have to go with us. Besides, do they ever seem thrilled when the whistle song plays?”
Fluttershy took a moment to think about it before she lowered her head. “No…”
Still being rather young, Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around her friend and said, “There, we don’t need no stinky flower.” She failed to notice Fluttershy’s deep intake of breath. “We can do a lot of other awesome things, like flying! Come on!” she then took off in a burst of speed.
“Sure…” Fluttershy said as she softly flew off.
*****
At home that night, Fluttershy stood motionlessly over her favorite Daisy dolls, unable to accept or deny if Daisy was uncool.
It seemed as if it would have been so easy just to agree with Rainbow Dash. Unknown to her friend, she had already been teased for still liking Daisy before that one incident. she had just kept it hidden. She merly thought that if she held on long enough, everything would be alright, and no one would care if she liked Daisy. Though, now that her only friend was one of the haters, she sighed.
“Oh Daisy,” she said as she picked up the doll and moved her to the closet. Each step proving to be harder than the last as she kept staring at the wide smiling eyes of Daisy.
“Now...now don… Don't’ look at me like that.” She sniffled. “This… This isn’t goodbye, I just…” she sniffed, “I just can’t play with you as much anymore.”
The doll's head feel backwards, while the smile remained ever plastered.
Fluttershy brought the doll into a hug. “Oh, Daisy, I still love you, but I… I just, Rainbow Dash…” she began to cry just as the reached the closet. “I’m… I’m so sorry, daisy. I… I promise I’ll come back one day.”
With one last deep breath, she carefully placed Daisy in a comfortable corner, and slowly closed the door.
“Good… Goodbye, Daisy. I… I love.”
Before the closet door closed, she reached out and pressed the pedal one last time.
‘We are such, happy flowers,
won’t you sing with me for hours?’
with a great big hug and a merry old tune,
won’t you sing along too?’
As the song enter it’s whistling phase of the song, Fluttershy closed the door and threw herself on the bed, crying all night until she fell asleep.
*****
The next day was a quiet day for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Nopony said anything to another, and the day went by rather dryly until at recess when Rainbow Dash asked, “You okay, Flutters? You look like you haven’t gotten any sleep.”
Her friend slowly nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Um… Well, don’t worry,” Rainbow said as she rubbed Fluttershy's back. “I’ll always be here for you.”
Knowing that would be one thing that would never change, Fluttershy leaned her head on Rainbow shoulder and let off a soft, genuinely relieved sigh. “I know.”
*****
“Ugh,” a full grown Rainbow Dash said after that long night with Princess Luna.
While she had a blast, no matter how much action and awesomeness there was at the end, she couldn’t get that long repressed memory of the Flower Song. Which was made worse since the dream twisted the way the song was suppose to be sung. No matter what she did, it would always come back into her head.
“I need something to get it out of my head.” She then headed to her closet to pull out some hardcore music. Once she found her case of albums, she reeled back in horror when something she had thought was long gone feel out from a corner.
“Ah!” Rainbow cringed when the Sing with me Daisy doll as it began to sing it’s merry tune.
‘We are such, happy flowers,
won’t you sing with me for hours?’
“No, no, no!” Rainbow declared as she raced it to the trashcan. “You will not—”
She was about to toss in in the trash, when she saw in one of Daisy's petals, rather poorly,
Happy Berthday, Rainbow Dash, love Fluttershy.
Hesitantly, she pulled the doll back and remember that birthday party where Fluttershy made such a big deal at how she had learned how to write. With a sigh, Rainbow Dash went to carefully put it back in the deep corners of the closet, again, when she heard a knock on the door.
She placed the doll on the counter and answered the door, to see Fluttershy standing there with a basket on her back.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy answered. “I got some of Tank’s medicine here and I’d thought I’d deliver it right away.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow nodded as Fluttershy handed her the basket. “Want to come in?”
“I would but—” she glanced over to see the daisy doll Rainbow had left out. “Oh,” she cooed, “You kept it, even after all these years.”
“Um, yeah…” Rainbow said through her teeth as Fluttershy reached out to push the doll’s play button.
’‘We are such, happy flowers,
won’t you sing with me for hours?’
with a great big hug and a merry old tune,
won’t you sing along too?’
Rainbow cringed at the song.
“Hehe!” Fluttershy giggled as she played the song again. “Remember when we were in love with his movies?”
Rainbow Dash ran a hoof across her shoulder. “Yeah… I guess we did.” She hung her head down.
With a wide smiled, Fluttershy began to head out. “Well,” she looked around nervously once she was outside the door, “maybe one day we can ‘borrow’ the cake twins to go see one of Daisy's movies.”
Rainbow raised a hoof, then lowered it as she looked into Fluttershy’s doey eyes. “I… guess it wouldn’t hurt.” She crossed her arms. “Just don’t expect me to sing along.”
Fluttershy happily nodded while she giggled. “Okay. I’ll see you later.” With that, Fluttershy took off, humming the Whistle Song the whole way.
Rainbow Dash moaned, but once Fluttershy was out of ear range, she picked up her old Daisy doll, and nervously pushed its song button.
‘We are such, a happy flowers,’
Rainbow smirked. “I guess they were good times.” She carefully put the doll not as deeply in her closet as she usually did. “Besides, I suppose it could have been worse. We could’ve been in love with Movie Tummies.”
Author's Note
Moral of this story: Don’t deny it, we all had one song we loved as a kid that we now see as annoying as hell right now.
So yeah, after having cringe worthy memories of the ‘I love you song’ which made me roll on the ground laughing at the last episodes attempt to satire it, it got me thinking how, shame to say, I use to love barney, I love You song and all. (Though, I wasn’t able to listen to it and not cringe… Take that as you will -_-)
But hey, we don’t have any problems listening to The Smile song a thousand times. And hands up, who hasn’t at some point listened to the high school musical or the lion king soundtrack to the point of driving their parents mad?
Oh well, as Rainbow Dash said, we all could have ended up loving worse ;p
